Singing glove puppets: a real hit with the one-year-olds

My best friend has two children, and just last week it was the younger one's first birthday. As I was doing a bit of early Christmas shopping online, I bought this Singing Frog hand puppet on a whim. I thought it looked funny, and the kind of thing a baby might respond to.

Well, let me tell you, it was a total hit. Quite by accident I'd picked on a present that allowed the older child (4) to entertain his young sister. The puppet fits a small hand, so it was perfect for him. As you open and close the mouth, it 'ribbits' out a number of well-known songs like London Bridge is Falling Down. The boy found this pretty funny; the baby responded to her brother's laughter. Fantastic. The whole event left me looking like a genius.

£12.99; there are also cats, dogs, and ducks.