Tried and Tested Gift Ideas for Your One-Year-Old Baby (2018)

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Have you ever been asked by a friend or relative “what should I gift your one-year-old?” and you just draw a total blank?

That happened to me at my twins’ first birthday, Christmas, and even again at Easter! With these being special occasions, it was clear that my loved ones wanted to spend more money on gifts than usual, and they wanted these gifts to be special.

I had no idea what the best gifts for 1-year-olds were. Things just kept being gifted to us and my babies loved everything they got.

Finally, I broke down and spent hours researching the best one year baby gift ideas and compiled them onto my Amazon list. If my friends and family were wanting to buy my babies lots of toys, then I was going to make sure I chose the right things so they didn’t waste their money and my babies had toys that would keep them happy and occupied for as long as possible.

I couldn’t believe it, but even at 9 months, I found my twins were already interested in gender-specific toys. My son was enjoying tractors and airplanes while my little girl was more into cuddling with stuffed animals. But all in all, a gift for one year baby boy was going to be almost just as interesting to my baby girl.

So I decided not to search specifically for gift ideas for one year old baby girl.

What is the best gift for a one-year-old baby? Here is a list of our favorite tried and tested toys for one-year-olds, some of which are still being played with 1.5 years later!

gift ideas for 1 year old

Let’s start with Mommy’s personal favorite…

Go Baby Go Poppity-Pop Musical Dino
Roll the ball down the tail and it goes through a revolving gate and into the Dino’s “tummy.” The motion detector feels that a ball is in there and starts the popping. The balls keep popping up until they land in the tube and roll out of Dino’s mouth.

The babies then chase after the balls, pick them up, (may or may not) bring them back and the fun starts all over again.

All the while the dino plays fun tunes (including my babies’ favorite: “If you’re happy and you know it…”)

The popping motion stops automatically when there are no balls left in the tummy, but you are able to shut it off completely.

Our babies not only enjoy playing with the balls, they also like experimenting with various other objects like socks, hair ties, puzzle pieces and smaller stuffed animals. Like all things from Fisher-Price, this one is a baby magnet and keeps baby occupied for a long time!

Drop & Go Dump Truck

Drop a colorful rock into the top of this cheerful dump truck toy and watch it tumble into the bucket to learn numbers
Once the rocks are in the bucket, the push toy or pull toy can be moved along to see the rocks rumble around inside

Farm Animals Wooden Peg Puzzle

I can see the gears turning in my child’s mind when I watch her play with this puzzle. They love using two fingers (like tweezers) to pull on the peg to get the piece out, but getting the piece back in is a whole different ballgame. I’ve shown then a few times, and I think they understand, but at this stage, they’d rather hold and suck on the pieces and toss the board around on the floor. But that’s okay, they love it!

80-Piece Big Building Bag, Classic

The bag alone is a baby magnet in itself. Thea played with it for a half an hour before she even noticed the blocks. The babies love watching me put the blocks together and then they get to take them apart again. They haven’t figured out how to put them together yet, but they’re working on it. There are a lot more blocks in that bag than you think. (Takes awhile to pick them all up again too!) They are not of the best quality either. Some blocks hold together, some are too loose. It took me awhile to appreciate the fact that the loose ones were easier for my baby to pull apart.

First 100 Words and First 100 Animals by Roger Priddy

My babies use these books a lot! They’re board books, so they can play with them and they’ll even withstand an occasional sucking session. The pictures inside are real photographs of the individual objects – not illustrations. This way the children can see what they look like in “real life.” A lot of my babies’ first words come from these books.

Pound & Tap Bench with Slide Out Xylophone

Our Sven (a.k.a. “BamBam”) can’t get enough of his pound & tap bench. Beware! If your baby is like mine, he will find that hammer to be the most amazing thing he’s ever held in his tiny little hand! And be warned, we’re talking a lot more about “pounding” than “tapping.” So far Sven has hit himself a few times where he winced but didn’t cry, and he hit his daddy a few times as well – making for some nasty looking bruises. Needless to say, he only gets to play with his hammer when we’re in the room (but sometimes we aren’t fast enough.)

Thea’s more for tapping the wooden balls through the holes and listening to them roll down the xylophone. The hammer & xylophone are sometimes used on their own too. Yes, I deem it a fabulous toy, even if it does require a little parental supervision (at least with our baby boy!)

The wooden balls make for serious projectiles, especially if your baby likes to throw things (ours do!) Sven just beaned me in the forehead with the green one the other day!

Activity Walker

This toy is awesome because your child can still play with it even if they’re not able to walk yet. You can collapse it so that it lays flat. This way baby can easily bat at the big ball in the middle and the other things that spin.

This toy was also very effective in motivating our babies to walk. It also prevented a crash or two.

It also works great on the carpet – moving more slowly so that your baby has enough time to catch up.

This is still a favorite at our house and my twins are almost 2.5 now.

I certainly don’t regret buying this one, as it’s been a very helpful developmental toy and doesn’t take up as much space as other walkers do.

Kids Wooden Name Puzzle
Your children will learn motor skills manipulating the letters and gain recognition of letters and the order in which they spell their name.

First Slide

This Little Tikes kids slide is just the right size for your little one. It folds and unfolds in seconds, which makes it easy to store.

Dr. Seuss’s Sleep Book – by Dr. Seuss

Van Vleck, a very small bug, is getting sleepy, and his yawn—contagious as yawns are—sets off a chain reaction, making all those around him feel sleepy, too!

Corn Popper

As your baby pushes the Corn Popper toy along, the brightly colored balls excitedly pop around, encouraging your little cruiser to keep going.

Shape Sorting Cube

This ultimate shape sorter features 12 chunky, vibrantly colored shapes that make a satisfying “clunk” as they drop into the natural-finish hardwood cube. Then open the lid, take them out and start all over again! A classic educational toy for toddlers.

Kiddie Pool

Always fun whether you’re playing with your baby indoors (filled with balls) or outdoors!

Fun Ballz

Put these balls in the pool, bring the slide into it and have fun!

Fisher Price Classic Farmer Says See ‘n Say

Introduced in 1965, the See ‘N Say Farmers Says was the first talking toy that allowed children to pick the exact phrase they wanted to hear. The classic Farmer Says teaches about 12 animals and the sound they make. Point the arrow and pull the cord to hear all the classic sounds you remember from your childhood.

Fisher Price Classics Retro Chatter Phone

Introduced in 1961, The Chatter Telephone was the ultimate pretend play toy with its ringing rotary dial and its friendly interactive design. Since then, technology has changed quite a bit, but the Chatter Telephone makes children smile just the same way. With eyes that roll up and down, a mouth that chatters, and a dial that rings, this friendly phone is ready for a whole new generation of children to enjoy.

So those are our tried and tested toys for 1-year olds. I hope this guide is helpful to you or a mama you know (please do share!)

What are you baby’s favorites? What toys do you suggest for 18 Months to two years? Drop me a line in the comments below, I’d really like to know what you recommend.

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6 Comments

Nicki on June 19, 2017 at 9:12 pm

These are great toys, my daughter just turned one and she especially loves wooden toys
- Rebecca Reck on June 20, 2017 at 5:44 am
  
  We too love wooden toys, but sometimes I wonder what kind of paint is used on them – especially the ones coming from foreign countries. It’s scarry to see how much of it has already been rubbed or sucked off in the past 6 months.
Heidi on July 17, 2017 at 9:20 pm

I wish I would have had a go to list like this when I was a first time mom. After four boys, we have almost all of what’s on your list…all great suggestions!
- Rebecca Reck on July 18, 2017 at 7:07 am
  
  Thank you, Heidi!
  That really means a lot coming from a profi like yourself!
cATHERINE on August 1, 2017 at 4:44 pm

My kid loves “First 100 Words” and the bag of blocks, too! When she was 12-18 months, she would play with those blocks forever! What a nice moment of “relaxation” it was for mom and dad. 🙂
- Rebecca Reck on August 2, 2017 at 6:17 am
  
  I Catherine, my babies/toddlers still love these toys. But I must say, they have more fun putting the bag from the blocks over their heads and running around the house with it. Thanks for stopping by – I really enjoy reading your blog, you’re a wise lady!