Best Gifts for 1-Year-Olds

gift guides • Updated June 28, 2022

Little boy celebrate first birthday at home, wearing party hats, birthday cake and candle are ready.

Picture this: You’re thumbing through the mail and find an invitation to a 1-year-old’s birthday! It’s little Johnny’s first birthday and you are invited! You check the calendar and everything looks great to be able to attend . . . now, what do you buy for a 1-year-old birthday gift?

We’ve all been there with a birthday invite and then completely blank on unique gift ideas, whether it has been a minute since you’ve had a 1-year-old, you don’t have any children of your own, or you just need some fresh ideas: I am here to help!

Best Gift Ideas For a 1-Year-Old

When shopping for a 1-year-old, it might be helpful to know what types of milestones a 1-year-old should be hitting and then decide on a toy that will be helpful to their development but also fun! We have broken down our favorite gift ideas into categories that help reach different milestones or promote ways your 1-year-old learns about their environment.

Best Developmentally Appropriate Gifts

Push and Go Car Toys

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Mine to Love Jenna

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Chatter Phone

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Baby's First Birthday Gift

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Baby Bear Board Book

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Rainbow Fish Board Book

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Baby Animals Board Book

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Touch and Teach Elephant

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Never Touch a Monster Book

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Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Book

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By one year of age, a child will start to enjoy the experience of having a parent or other adult play with their toys with them. They may begin to bring you things to play with, such as cars, baby dolls, or the beloved play phone (“ring-ring”—everyone answers the phone no matter what!). Storybooks with bright pictures, interesting characters, or the “touch and feel” books are a great idea to keep the child interested all the way through. One-year-olds enjoy peek-a-boo and patty cake, and there are plenty of toy options that sing or play games with them.

Best Toys For Cognitive Development and Motor Skills

Busy Activity Box

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Laugh & Learn Wagon

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Fine Motor Headgehog

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Take Along Tunes

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Push Along Play Cart

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Cozy Coupe

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Blocks

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Puzzles

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Magnetic Blocks

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Corn Popper

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Wagon

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Basketball Hoop

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Foam Letters and Numbers

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Magnetic Doodle Board

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Wooden Pound and Play

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Fat Brain Dimpl

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Fat Brain Toys Klickity

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Cognitive development is starting to take off at this age, as well. Cognitive development is the thought process of remembering, problem-solving, and decision-making. They want to explore more on their own and learn every little thing about what they are playing with, such as what happens when you throw, bang, or shake the object. Handheld toys that are easy to grasp are perfect for practicing these skills!

Around this time, too, they are probably on the move or very close! Toy walkers or ride-on toys are awesome for helping their motor skills develop.

Best Gifts for Facilitating Pretend Play

Shopping Cart

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Baby Stella Doll

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Nursing Pets

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Unicorn Pet Carrier

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Medical Kit

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Camping Toy

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Play Kitchen

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Cutting Fruit Set

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Farm Animals with Barn

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Laugh 'n' Learn Puppy Remote

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Smart Phone

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Brilliant Baby Laptop

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Learning Tablet

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Musical Instruments

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Playing pretend is also fun for young toddlers. Toys that facilitate pretend play include dolls, pets with pet carriers, doctor kit, camping sets, kitchens, shopping carts, play food, and playhouses. All of the things that mimic what they see mom or dad doing every day are things they want to play with, like playing with remotes, phones, laptops, and tablets. Lots of these toys have lessons with songs and music to teach kids colors, numbers, shapes, and letters.

Practical or Useful Gifts

Backpack

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Character Plates and Bowls

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Sippy Cups

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Table and Chairs

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Toddler Chair

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Toy Storage

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Play Doh Create 'n' Store

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4-n-1 Puzzles

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To go further with these ideas, pick something up to keep your chosen gift organized. When my boys get Play-Doh, I love it when it comes in a bin, so I can throw it all into it when they are done. That way, it’s all away and on the shelf, and when they want it again, I can just grab one bin. They received a set of puzzles one year, and it came with a stand so that after they were done, we could slide each puzzle into the slot and put it up on the shelf, and everything was together. Bath toys with a net to go in after bath time help keep the clutter from becoming overwhelming in our small bathroom.

Gifts That Encourage Outdoor Play

Garden View Playhouse

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Crawl Through Tunnels

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Teepee Tent

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Workbench

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Slide

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Trampoline

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Truck

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Sandbox

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Water and Sand Table

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Pool

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Outdoor play is essential for young children’s growth, health, and development. Encouraging kiddos to get outside and get their wiggles out is also vital for mom and dad’s sanity! Here are several unique gifts that will promote more outdoor adventures!

More Unique Gift Ideas

The Gift of Experience

If parents are opting for no gifts or more of an “experience” based gift, passes to the zoo, a local water park or splash pad, Legoland, or local indoor play park would be fun and something the whole family could enjoy later. Ask the parents about any upcoming vacations or classes and help with the fee or equipment needed. For example, if they will be taking a swim class, you could get them a new swimsuit or cute towel and a wet bag to throw their wet clothes in after class. It is helpful to the parents and fun to know you played a part in an activity they love.

Something to make Mom and Dad’s Life Easier

A fun gift option for the parents is offering a couple of nights a year of volunteering for child care. You could wrap up cute coupons or just a calendar marked with “date nights” written in, anytime free child care is an option with people we love, and trust makes for a much more enjoyable date night, and the trade-off of hanging out with a sweet little one isn’t so bad either.

Whether you opt for a traditional toy or a not-so-traditional “experience” gift, or just the gift of your time, I hope some of these ideas sparked something new for you and left you feeling excited to attend this birthday party with confidence in the choice you picked!

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