what to include on your 1 year olds birthday list
Nether $20
Sortable shapes
Shape-sorting toys can give babies and toddlers an early introduction to puzzles by helping them piece of work on their trouble-solving skills. Heather Singh, associate director of school and gallery education at the Thinkery, a children's museum in Austin, Texas, recommends this tactile cube from Oombee. And every fourth dimension nosotros're at the Thinkery, my toddler finds and plays with them. The shapes are attached with thick strings, so you won't be constantly hunting under the couch for the missing triangle, and this toy is easy to have forth in the stroller. Sure, nearly ane-year-olds will merely put those rubbery, textured shapes directly into their mouths, merely that's fine—the teething-friendly Oombee is made from food-grade silicone and is simple to make clean with lather and h2o or in the dishwasher.
A delightful distraction
Even though nosotros alive a one-half-24-hour interval'southward drive from the nearest beach, during our daughter'southward early toddlerhood, nosotros got into the addiction of toting this Melissa & Doug sand toy virtually everywhere nosotros went. It was our hole-and-corner weapon for entertaining her in a metropolis total of restaurants and breweries with outdoor patio seating and crushed-gravel floors. Someday we wanted to enjoy an developed conversation over dinner, we packed upwards the Seaside Sidekicks Funnel. Our daughter and her new toddler friends from surrounding tables would busy themselves by crouching on the basis and pouring tiny rocks and sand through the contraption over and over once more. This toy is made of sturdy plastic, and the handle makes information technology easy to carry anywhere—whether that's to a restaurant, a park, or the bodily seaside.
Brand a splash
Bath time has always involved a fair amount of toddler drama in my house. My girl traditionally refused to get into the tub; now the meltdowns are reserved for when information technology'southward fourth dimension to get out. Her bath-fourth dimension turnaround happened when nosotros leveled up our bath toys with (amidst other things) these Building Bath Pipes. They're easy for kids to suction to the bathtub wall and can exist continued to create a twisted path for h2o. In addition to giving little ones a reason to look forward to bathroom fourth dimension, these pipes are also a nifty sensory learning tool that helps them explore cause and issue.
A cuddly friend
An particularly soft and cuddly blimp friend makes a sweet souvenir for the littlest kids. Gund versions are popular, but many Wirecutter kids are fractional to London-based Jellycat stuffed toys. This company makes soft, pellet-filled blimp animals in several sizes, just the small version is particularly easy for a 1-year-old to tote around. Nosotros gave my daughter this bunny when we took away her pacifier at 14 months. The substitution was shockingly successful: Bun Bun became a constant companion in bed, at the park, on our bicycle commute, and at her day intendance (where Bun Bun replaced the word rabbit for the entire class). Today nosotros have three of them in rotation (lest one go missing even momentarily), and all are worn to the point of looking similar they just completed a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. Fortunately, they're easy to wash and restore to their erstwhile sweetness, costly selves.
Textured tosser
Many toddlers get through a period of ball obsession, but given their still-developing fine motor skills, one-yr-olds can go frustrated when trying to grip and catch regular soccer or playground balls. When they were first learning to grip and throw a ball, my kids loved colorful, nubby, grippy balls like to these from Edushape. Some other hit with my boys: the visiting friends who would patiently roll or throw a brawl dorsum and along with them dozens of times.
Versatile wooden stackers
At that place are countless varieties of these kinds of block-on-stick stackers. Over the years, this Melissa & Doug version—a sort of deluxe wooden incarnation of the archetype Fisher-Toll babe toy—has provided tons of engagement for lots of kids in my family unit. Ane-twelvemonth-olds may like to sort by color or shape, and the different-shaped towers offering more of a claiming equally babies go toddlers. And in that location are merely enough blocks here that bigger kids can stay engaged, stacking and building at volition.
6 shape-sorting eggs
Eggs are popular in our house. We talk nearly them, we cook them, and my 2-twelvemonth-old son plays with these cute, squeaky versions daily. A perennial favorite (my older son, now half-dozen, got them as a souvenir when he was a babe), the six colorful eggs each accept a differently shaped base that fits into a corresponding divot in the carton. My kid tin can't get enough of matching up the shapes, plumbing fixtures the shells together, and hiding them everywhere. When he pops them into a pot on the stove of his play kitchen and exclaims, "Eggs!" I feel similar our breakfast future is in good easily, too.
Music to their ears
When I was expecting my get-go child, a friend bequeathed me a garbage bag full of used baby gear, and this unassuming little piece of plastic was in the jumbled mix. Despite that apprehensive introduction, the music maker—which plays an assortment of classical tunes like Rossini's William Tell Overture and Mozart'south Serenade No. xiii as colorful lights wink along—would evidence irresistible to my son and, later, his little sister. (They're not the only fans: The showtime generation of Take Along Tunes was released over a decade ago, and it'due south remained popular always since.) I suspect the entreatment lies in the generously sized, tempting centre button-button that activates the melodies, the easily graspable beaded handle (my 13-month-old daughter clutches it in one hand while she cruises effectually, equally if wielding a tiny boombox), and—mayhap near importantly—its tolerable audio level. With two civilized book settings, it's merely chirpy enough to stimulate tots, but without driving caregivers batty in the procedure. Considering the best musical toy is the i that doesn't terminate upwardly "accidentally" cached in the diaper pail.
—Ingela Ratledge Amundson
$20 to $50
Magnetic blocks for beginners
In our house, Magna-Tiles go past the name "Meltdown-Tiles" considering they're constantly collapsing and infuriating my fumble-fingered toddler. Blockaroo Magnetic Foam Builders, which fall into a similar category of magnetic Stalk building toys, are more her speed. The blocks are made of soft, durable cream that's floatable (and then yous can use these every bit bathroom toys), and they click together easily to brand rockets, helicopters, ant-similar critters, and more. They're like shooting fish in a barrel for small hands to grip and fun to sort, stack, and connect in creative new configurations that won't cave in on a frustrated toddler.
Actualization act
The Playskool Play Favorites Busy Poppin' Pals is i of those archetype baby playthings that never gets onetime (at least to its pint-size fans). Tiny hands can pull a lever, twist a cardinal, flip a switch, or press a push button to popular up a cute animal—a great intro to cause and effect. At that place are numbers, also, and vivid, inviting colors. (It's also featured equally a option in our guide to first toys for kids with disabilities.) Wirecutter supervising editor Courtney Schley recently put the Poppin' Pals dorsum in her kids' toy rotation, and she says both her half-dozen-month-old and 3-year-onetime can't get enough of it.
Ambrosial ABCs
With ii little ones in tow, I'm always looking for a expert distraction when we go for a checkup or visit a restaurant. The Teytoy Zoo Serial Soft Alphabet Cards do the trick. Motor-skill development and alphabetic character recognition are just a few of the skills that this colorful package inspires. As our 1-year-former excitedly grabs each card out of the cloth conveying case, our 3-year-old is poised to call out each letter and color—earning a high-five from Dad for successfully naming the creature on the dorsum. When information technology's fourth dimension to pack up our cards, the cloth conveying handbag'due south soft handle and snaps make it easy for our youngest to tote it with confidence. Next stop? Numbers!
A personalized board book
My son, like many young kids, loves to look at photographs of himself, his favorite people, and his favorite things. But at historic period 1, he was as well crude with his holding, especially books, and decumbent to sticking things in his oral cavity. Pinhole Printing, which lets you customize lath books with your own photos, uses thick, glossy paper (better for minor hands). The ABC Board Book is ane of around three dozen templates; others include All Nearly My Sister, Grandpa & Me, and Count With Me. True, this gift takes considerable effort—you have to select and upload your photographs—only it makes a nice, durable emblem that a kid can savour for years.
A cuddly companion
Babe dolls can brand wonderful toys and companions for 1-year-olds because they allow kids this age to see some of their ain needs (canteen, diaper, blankie) reflected back at them. Compared with hard vinyl dolls, the plush Wee Babe Stella is a great first friend; the line offers a range of accessories that encourage early imaginative play, and the doll itself is soft and squishy enough for naps and cuddles. Baby Stella comes with a magnetic pacifier, which has a thick handle that'south great for kids working on their pincer grasp and fine motor skills. And the magnet is plenty strong to go along the pacifier from falling off during play. Other (optional) accessories include a feeding kit, cradle, and bathroom set up. As for clothing, this retro pool party suit and terra cotta window-paned jumpsuit are the most stylish plushie outfits I've seen. All Wee Baby Stella dolls—including a more toddler-like version with pigtails—are available in peach, biscuit, and brown skin tones. Many versions, including this ane, arrive gift-prepare, outfitted in a cotton wool onesie and tissue-wrapped in a beautiful printed box.
Countless bubbles
Accepted to bravado bubbles the old-fashioned way, with a wand and often middling results, my two kids discovered the joys of a chimera auto when they were two and well-nigh vi—and there was no going back. Although the model they fell for was unexpectedly discontinued, a Wirecutter colleague has had practiced luck with this cordless, rechargeable motorcar that has three speeds and 360-degree rotation. (As for the bubble solution, nosotros're in agreement that Gazillion Bubbling is tops.) My family also tried this (noticeably noisy) Zerhunt machine; it runs on half-dozen C batteries, as well as AC, and produced a dense volume of bubbles.
Handmade blocks
My mom chose these sweetness, handcrafted counting blocks for my younger son when he was an infant. Past the time he was born, we already had quite a few bins of basic blocks—but these ones, made in Washington land from richly hued walnut and maple, felt similar something special. My son kept them on a shelf by his bed, rearranging them and reordering them as he learned to count. They're sold by craft retailer UncommonGoods, whose website feels a chip like an online Maker Faire and allows you lot to search for gifts by historic period. I also like the look of these edifice blocks of the periodic tabular array, for your budding scientist.
A rainbow on the shelf
Grimm's Spiel und Holz makes beautifully crafted wooden stacking and puzzle toys that are as pleasing to expect at every bit they are fun to play with. My niece loves to see this classic rainbow stacker in its fully assembled form, and she has endless fun taking it autonomously and imagining new uses for the private pieces. So far we've used them equally a belt, a phone, a hat, and a headband, and I have no doubt that we'll continue to add to the list (the rainbow is likewise available in a royal supersize version). When playtime is over, you won't heed seeing the rainbow stacker on your shelf. It'southward such a lovely, cheery object that you may even opt to keep it there long after your kid has outgrown stacking toys.
Over $50
A beautiful timekeeper
We were given this wooden owl pendulum clock when my first kid was born, seven years ago, and with its cheery colors, mannerly design, and gentle tick-tock, it's been a fixture in the kids' bedroom ever since. (Concluding year, the clock's pendulum stopped swinging, and Modern Moose sent us a replacement move for free, returning the clock to tick-tock order.) Modern Moose has dozens of designs, including a menagerie of animals (giraffe, monkey, sloth, unicorn) and more than off-the-wall options (pineapple, pirate, garbage truck, gumball machine). It also offers night-lights and other adorable decor.
A pushable trike
After riding in a stroller for literally his entire life, my so 1-year-former was ecstatic to saddle up in the Joovy Tricycoo, a sturdy, versatile tricycle that doubles as a stroller alternative. (It's our top pick in our tricycles guide.) The bones premise is legit: The Joovy's five-point harness keeps a 1-year-sometime secure; the pedals work well for a kid who's big enough to achieve them (for younger kids, at that place are foot rests); and the rig is fast, fun, and tough plenty to survive years of crashes. (We can't say the same for your kid's elbows, though.) As your child grows, you lot tin shed the stroller-like components, and the Joovy will work merely like a traditional trike—when you're both good and fix.
A mini motorbike
I've witnessed some ugly toddler battles over who gets to ride my nephew'south Piki Piki Cycle, a lightweight (5.v pounds), colorful plastic 3-wheeler that's shaped similar a motorcycle and durable enough to take the abuse. For a 1-year-old, the Piki Piki can serve as a forerunner to a balance bike—it helps kids practise steering and maintaining stability—but information technology's cocky-supported and doesn't topple over. It ships fully assembled, so your toddler won't have to wait for you lot to dig up an Allen wrench earlier they can start zooming around.
A pint-size armchair
The Crate & Kids Small Nod Chair is a soft yet sturdy armchair that's perfectly sized to fit toddlers. My son received one as a gift for his commencement altogether, and it proved useful for practicing sitting down and continuing upward. Since he mastered that, the chair has been a prissy place for him to cozy upwardly with a volume (though sometimes he uses the chair as a step stool to reach things he'south not supposed to). Despite any unauthorized use of the chair, I appreciate that its size makes it feel like something special for my son and that he can elevate it to the spot of his choice with the sewn-on fabric handle. The Nod Chair works well as a gift yous tin can personalize for a specific kid: It comes in sizes small and large and in dozens of different patterns. And you tin also opt to go the kid's name embroidered on the chair back.
A personalized step stool
When we received this personalized stool as a baby gift, we were charmed to pieces to meet our son's proper noun in large, assuming letters. At first, the stool was simply a welcome decorative element in Jacob'south play space. Every bit he grew bigger, he used it to support himself while he learned to stand, saturday adorably on the bench while "reading," and, somewhen, used it to accomplish his top dresser drawer. He loved playing with the puzzle (and maybe subconsciously learning to spell his name) and incorporating the wooden letters into his building-block masterpieces. Jacob is x now, simply simply recently have we scrubbed off the stickers and given it away—to my sis'southward neighbour, who has a new baby boy named Jacob.
A botanical garden membership
A membership to a local museum or botanical garden can make a thoughtful souvenir for a family with young kids. (During pandemic times, a sprawling, outdoor destination where you tin spend fourth dimension with other people yet still safely keep your distance has get peculiarly appealing.) When my sons were toddlers, we spent many, many hours at the Huntington Gardens in San Marino, California, just outside of Pasadena; a membership pays for itself in about three visits. The Huntington's lovely Children's Garden, in particular, was the site of endless playdates, both planned and impromptu. Though a membership to a natural history or children's museum also makes a dainty souvenir for families with kids of a wide historic period range, a botanical garden membership is specially nice for families with 1-year-olds. It offers a pleasant place to stroll while a little one naps and a picturesque spot for babies to toddle around. It can likewise be an ideal run into-up destination for adults who are by and large interested in chatting while the kids roll around in the grass or splash in fountains (the ones at the Huntington are especially cool).
A box total of wonder
When I had my second baby, I resolved to take a less-is-more than approach to toys. I was drastic to avoid accruing another towering heap of tacky, light-up plastic monstrosities—or "Baby Vegas," as we used to call information technology. And so we sprang for a subscription to Lovevery's Play Kits, vowing that their curated selections would be the just items we'd buy. Amazingly, the program has actually worked. Every few months, a just-right-size assortment of toys and activities arrives; designed by kid development experts, the Montessori-inspired goodies are intended to complement tots' interests as they motion through various milestones. (Our well-nigh recent shipment, "The Babbler," for ages thirteen months to xv months, included a rudimentary coin banking company, to aid hone fine-motor skills. Information technology as well had a screw thingy that offers lessons in object permanence every bit a ball shoots downwardly a slide and disappears into a box.) An enclosed booklet offers surprisingly helpful tips on how to get the most out of the kit's contents—because, yep, apparently at that place is an optimal mode to play Hide and Seek using miniature bunnies. Not every item has been an instant hitting with my daughter—and this makes sense, given that kiddos develop at their own step. But we exit them out for her to explore, and she e'er warms to them somewhen. And since the toys are unusually attractive and made from high-grade materials—many are solid wood—I barely wince at the sight of them scattered beyond the floor.
—Ingela Ratledge Amundson
The all-time residue bike
There have been availability issues with the Woom 1 over the past year, but according to the company website, it's currently back in stock.
Woom's concept is fairly simple: Start kids on a wheel that's beautifully made and thoughtfully designed merely for them, and they'll fall in love with riding bikes for life. To see information technology actually work on the little ones in my globe is pretty cool. The Woom 1 is the line's entry signal, designed for kids ranging in age from 18 months to three½, or 31 to 40 inches tall. (It'due south besides the upgrade pick in our guide to the best residue bikes.) The Woom i offers advanced features like a super-lightweight frame and mountain-cycle-way handlebars. The ultra-depression footstep-through frame is like shooting fish in a barrel to mountain and dismount without snagging a leg, something my dress-wearing child appreciates. It also has a hand restriction—a rarity in the world of balance bikes—that helps kids improve transition to higher-end pedal bikes. Is it on the spendy side? You betcha. But Austin, Texas–based Woom Bikes is one of the few United states of america companies making high-quality bikes for kids, and at that place's a certain level of passion for them in local parent circles. Then when your kid outgrows theirs, y'all're likely to have options. (In fact, i Wirecutter contributor noted that she was able to resell her son's Woom bike on Craigslist—later ii years of regular use—for close to its original buy cost.)
—Additional reporting by Julie Kim
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Source: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/gifts/best-gifts-toys-for-1-year-olds/
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