Gifts for a 1 year old
First birthday gifts can be tricky. Most kids aren’t clear about their preferences yet, and if you don’t have a 1 year old it’s hard to know what to buy. In the past I always bought books and clothes for my 1 year old friends, but now I know what they really like.
These are my favorite gifts for a 1 year old in all price ranges. Raffi has most of them, and his friends have others. Here’s a nice big list of the best gifts for a 1 year old.
B. Parum Pum Pum Drum ($36.95)
Music is always a big hit at this age. Raffi doesn’t have this yet, but he asked us for it for his birthday.
Fisher-Price Brilliant Basics Classic Xylophone ($12.99)
Raffi has this and loves listening to me play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. It’s the only song I know, but it never gets old for him. He also likes to eat it and tries to make all the different sounds. I love that it’s colorful and is also on wheels so he can push it around.
Radio Flyer Classic Walker Wagon ($79.99)
I’ve wanted this for awhile, and when my friend told me how sturdy and incredible it is, I wanted it even more. We bought it for him using credit card points and he loves it. It is really sturdy and never tips over unlike its plastic lookalikes, and he can put toys in and out of it all day long. I wish it was cheaper, but I will say it’s durable and I would be shocked if it didn’t last through all of our kids.
Little Partners Learning Tower ($199.99)
This is an expensive piece of wood, but since I’m in the kitchen so much I think it would be useful. Raffi cries when he can’t see what I’m doing on the stovetop, and the high chair isn’t high enough. I know he would really like this. We haven’t bought it for him as it’s out of our budget, but I have started to save up. Kate of This Place is Now a Home has a great review that makes me want it even more.
Mega Bloks 200 Piece Duffle Bag ($36.99)
Raffi loves knocking down blocks, and I think we would have fun building things and knocking them down. These blocks are huge so small children can’t choke on them. He doesn’t have these yet, but lots of his 1 year old friends do and he loves playing with them. This is a gift that the kids can continue to enjoy for years.
First 100 Soft to Touch Words ($5.99)
This book is not only fun but a great tool to teach your kids words. Raffi’s friend has it and at 14 months old he can already point to most of the objects. It’s amazing.
My First Touch & Feel Picture Cards: First Words (MY 1ST T&F PICTURE CARDS) ($9.99)
This is the same concept as the board book except it’s flashcards.
Melissa & Doug Alphabet Sound Puzzle ($15.59)
Raffi is really into puzzles right now, and I think he would get a kick out of one with sound. This Melissa & Doug puzzle has gotten great reviews. It’s perfect for the 1+ age group.
Neighborhood Playset ($24)
One of Raffi’s many girlfriends has this and it really encourages imagination and creativity. It looks like it is perfect to bring when we go to church or someplace away from home since it’s bigger than a small toy but manageable to bring along.
Sesame Street Figurines (pricing varies)
He needs these to go along with the neighborhood playset.
Munchkin Mozart Magic Cube Kids Musical Toy ($18.99)
Raffi loves dancing and music, and this cube is interactive and fun. I think Raffi would love trying to create songs and watching the different sides light up.
Melissa & Doug Shape Sorting Cube ($12.43)
It’s time to start giving Raffi toys that do things. He is bored and wants to learn, and these cubes look great.
Melissa & Doug Geometric Stacker ($14)
We actually already got him this toy too, based on a friend’s suggestion. He loves pulling out all the pieces but hasn’t mastered putting many on just yet. It is a toy he will like for years.
B. Zany Zoo Activity Cube ($62.39)
Raffi loves toys that do lots of things (like his Bright Starts activity table). I think this would be a great next step for his development and enjoyment.
B. Carousel Bells ($18.69)
I will hate this in my house because it’s noisy, but as it’s another instrument I know Raffi will love it. We have a bin dedicated just for music.
I hope this list helps you figure out what to buy your one year old friends. If you don’t like any of the above you can always lean back on clothes for the next season and lots of books. Share your favorite gifts for a 1 year old in the comments!
The Mozart cube is fantastic. Both of my kids have loved ours and I give them out for gifts whenever I can.
And we have a cheaper kitchen stand: http://amzn.com/B000SQNAQC. It’s sturdy (we use it daily, frequently with both the four-year-old and two-year-old in it at once, and we’ve had no problems with it), and it’s quite a bit cheaper than the Learning Tower.
Some of these are definitely on our list as well! My daughter just turned 1 and we actually asked for books and clothing for her. We’ve finally run out of hand me downs and baby shower clothing in her size. My daughter adores books so we asked for more. Now we have more than enough board books..haha!
Great ideas! Many of these are on our first birthday wish list, too.
we love the drum set…we have the older version and both kids get it out to play with every so often. for little girls we love the Fisher Price Laugh & Learn purse. It’s really cute.
great list, bookmarked it!
We have the drum set but had to take away the sticks. Our son was using them on pretty much everything in the house including cherry furniture and people. We also have the zany zoo and he hasn’t touched it since we bought it. Blocks and Legos were a hit as well as balls of all colors and sizes.
Love this list as we are just about to head into “one year old birthday season” with all of Madeline’s new friends. I guess I’m a bit on the practical side and I always think of how expensive raising a child can be on the parents and how much stuff parents can acquire in their homes. I typically try to bring a small gift for the child so they have something fun to open and play with but I usually include a gift card for the parents so they can buy other necessities from Target or somewhere like that. Diapers and wipes and other necessities are just as needed by parents, but not as much fun to open for kids. Not sure how other parents feel about it, but I always hope the gifts are appreciated.
We love our Wheely Bug- seriously, my son is obsessed with it and every kid that he plays with seems equally as interested.
Link is here- http://www.wheelybug.com/
We got him the bee version which has antennas that he loves to bounce. Not all of them have antennas though.
Great list! Most of these made it on my list, as well. I also have: B. Meowsic Keyboard, Sleepyking (on Etsy) Bon Bon & Belchick (or any of her cute plushies!), Prince Lionheart playMAT, and a personalized book from Paper Hat Press!
Learning tower is great. We had my husbands grandad make one from free plans on anawhite.com it cost us about a quarter of this price.
A friend of mine pinned the link to Ana White’s Little Helper Tower:
http://ana-white.com/2010/12/helping-tower.html
I have that Learning Tower. Not because I bought it. Rather, a friend of mine gave it to me saying it’s wonderful. My husband and I looked at it thinking, what a waste of space, but accepted it. I did some research and no one has anything bad to say. My son can’t stand or walk quite yet but when he does, I can’t wait to give it a try and see what the fuss is all about.
We bought the walking wagon for our son’s 1st birthday and he LOVES it! We live in a condo, so we use it in our nearby park, where he can just run around with it for hours. I wish I could have bought it in the States though, because here in Canada we paid $150 CAD for it. Worth the money though and it doesn’t look too much like a baby toy, so we just hope he will use it as he gets a little older, as well.
We also got him a toy phone (B. brand like the drums…), which he seems to like as well.