Gifts for One Year Olds

Figuring out what gift to give a one year old for their birthday can be tough if you don’t have young kids. If you’re not interested in asking the mom what practical gift to give (ex. pajamas, socks), then try one of these gift ideas below.

Gifts that Grow with Them

I love gifting items that you know a child will use for months, if not years. These are all items that have been well used in my house for years with three kids.

• Musical learning activity table. There are a variety of these tables out there, but they usually have a variety of activities, songs, words, and buttons to press. All 3 of my kids loved our very similar activity table!
• Handheld vacuum cleaner. Kids love cleaning, so why waste money on a fake vacuum? Get them a cheap, handheld one and let them help clean up their crumbs. The parents can use it too.
• Push and Pull Walker Car. Even for kids that aren’t walkers yet, they can sit and push buttons and interact with these cars. There are so many options to choose from that you can find one that suits your budget and the kid’s interest. We had 3 and all were well loved.

Gifts for Little Hands

Help the one year old strengthen their little hands or work on grabbing and holding with these gift ideas.

• Soft, colorful building blocks. These blocks are so fun. They’re various stackable shapes and colors but light enough for little fingers to grip and aren’t noisy when they fall.
• BPA-free Baby Teething Toys. My littlest got this as a gift when she turned one and they were so useful. Their little hands grab the “stems” easily and there are 5 in a set so plenty to grab and go. Plus, they’re natural, BPA-free.
• LEGO Duplos. There are so many options out there but my kids love legos of any size. They’re colorful and can be stacked in so many combinations. Yes, at one year old, they probably won’t stay put together too long, but that’s life with a toddler!

Pretend Play

If the one-year-old doesn’t already start copying family members, they soon will. Gifts that let them pretend play or practice help their imagination grow.

• Pretend broom and cleaning play set. My kids LOVED playing with their toy broom and dustpan. Unfortunately I couldn’t find the one that talked to them, but something similar to this Melissa & Doug version is sure to inspire some imaginary play as they grow.
• Toy shopping cart or doll stroller. My kids love to take their toys for walks in our toy shopping cart or doll stroller. And when they’re small enough, they’d push each other around in it too.

Books

Now that the one-year-old can likely sit up, turn pages and want to learn the world around them, books are an awesome gift. Touch and feel books, button books, or books that provide interaction are great! These are some of my favorites.

• Peek-a-Moo book. This book continues to be one of my favorites. Kids love lift-a-flap books and I loved teaching them different animal sounds so young.
• First book of words. It’s amazing to watch the kids study these books like flash cards then one day start pointing and saying the names of items back to you. I’ve read these books more than I’d like but it really helps them build a vocabulary.
• Water Wow books. We kept these in the diaper bags to keep the toddler entertained, such as in church or at a restaurant. All you need is a little water to get them started.

Bath Toys

For the kid who has enough toys, you can help make bathtime fun. You want to make sure to get bath toys that can be completely cleaned. I stay away from any squirters that can trap water and grow mold.

• Munchkin Falls Toddler Bath Toy. These little cups stick on the bath wall, but can be rearranged as needed for waterfall fun.
• Toy boats. These colorful boats can be used for pouring, creating a boat train and learning colors in the bath.
• Floating toy octopus. So my kid doesn’t exactly use this for ring toss, but they love playing with the octopus and rings separately. It’s big enough for little hands but small enough that it doesn’t take up much space.

I hope this list gives you some good gift ideas for the one-year-old in your life. Do you have other items your child loved between one and two years old? Please comment below and add it to the list!