The Best Toys and More for Baby’s First Birthday and Beyond
My nephew is turning 1 this week! It’s hard to believe 12 whole months have passed since I held that tiny newborn in the hospital.
As fast as my own children grow up, other people’s kiddos grow up even faster — you know what I’m saying? I think it’s because I’m not living the day-to-day drudgery, moving from milestone to milestone and challenge to challenge, getting by on no sleep and learning to adjust to parenthood.
In honor of his first birthday, I’ve put together my list of go-to gifts for toddlers, with a mind toward the items that my kids loved from the second they saw it — and still love years later. As a parent, any toy that grows with your child is a winner in my book.
You’ll notice a theme as you peruse my favorites: 1-year-olds need activity to develop their large motor skills. These gifts are designed to keep them busy and tire them out whenever possible. This fact alone should make these gift ideas popular with the parents as well, despite the large size of many of them. (Any experienced parent knows the bigger kids get, the bigger their “stuff” gets. It’s one of the more unfortunate laws of parenting.)
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#NeverDoneWithFun Go-To Gifts for First Birthdays
1. Step2 Ride-On Push Car
Once my boys turned 1, this push car quickly became the vehicle choice for every neighborhood expedition or walk. The only time we used the stroller is for long trips like the zoo or the museum.
Getting the “Whisper Quiet” version is well worth it. This wasn’t an option when Easton was a toddler, and our older model is LOUD when you’re out for a stroll. But it’s made both boys so happy over the years, the headache (literally) was worth it. Luckily the Whisper Quiet model solves that problem, and parents everywhere, rejoice!
2. Pottery Barn Kids Anywhere Chair
I was lucky enough to get these personalized Pottery Barn Kids Anywhere Chairs for my boys as baby gifts, so they’ve been using theirs literally since birth. But if there’s a kid in your life who doesn’t have one by the time they’re turning 1, invest the money. It’s expensive but Easton has used his (the Oversized Anywhere Chair) for 6 years now with no end in sight. I can even fit my butt into it to read books before bed.
If you can afford it, splurge on the Oversized, and if not, stick with the Regular. Although the My First Anywhere Chair size is larger than you think, I’d always opt for the Regular instead because if you’re sinking this money into a gift, you want it to be able to grow with the child.
3. A water/sand table
No matter when the child’s birthday is, a water table is a great 1st birthday gift — and ideal for spring and summer babies! We’ve played with this daily for years all summer long. You would think my 6-year-old is too old to get wet in a toddler water table, but you’d be underestimating the power of water play for kids of all ages.
NOTE: Never has there been sand in our water/sand table and never will there be. More power to those moms who are willing to do sand, but I’m NOT. So never fear if you think the parents will hate you — water will entertain the kids just as easily as sand, with less cost, less mess, and less clean-up.
Here are a couple of my favorites (and it doesn’t have to be the most elaborate model to be your kids’ favorite toy!):
This is the one we’ve used for 6 years. I love the umbrella option because our backyard is full sun for most of the day.
4. Melissa & Doug Chomp ‘n’ Clack Alligator Push Toy
Neither of my boys quite walked by their 1st birthdays, but they loved to pull themselves up to standing and stumble around like a tiny drunk person with this classic wooden push toy. It’s loud — but the clacking is more than half the one. Sorry, parents of toddlers: Your life is never going to be quiet again anyway. May as well let your kiddos have fun!
5. Prince Lionheart Wheely Bug (or similar ride-on scooter)
Are you sensing a theme with 1-year-olds yet? They are on the go and in constant motion. A ride-on scooting toy has given us years of entertainment. Even when you think they’re too big, they’ll find a way to smush their bodies on, knees up to their chin, and goooo!
The Prince Lionheart version comes in seven different bug or animal options.
Fisher-Price offers a variety of different ride-on scooters as well – the Little People Fire Truck was the no-brainer favorite for my boys.
6. Big-kid board books
Every parent will appreciate a new repertoire of bedtime books, maybe those with a little bit more storyline and more words on a page. The choices are endless, but these are a few of my favorites:
7. The classic Little Tikes slide
For indoor or outdoor entertainment, you can’t beat the fun of a plastic toddler slide. Bonus: When they’re little, they really do get tired out quickly from climbing up and sliding down … over and over and over again. Plus, at under $30, this one is a big gift that gives a lot of bang for your buck.
8. Anything with bubbles!
The 1-year-old classroom at my boys’ daycare has a secret weapon: Around 4 pm every day, when the little ones are really starting to lose it because they’re overtired and miss their parents and it’s the start of the witching hour, it’s bubble time. I’ve watched the kids’ moods shift from distraught to distracted in 3 seconds flat.
My kids’ two favorite bubble toys are a bubble lawnmower (still going strong after 5 years) and a bubble machine.
9. A convertible tricycle
If a push car doesn’t seem like the birthday kid’s jam, a 4-in-1 tricycle might be. Another toy that will grow with the child, it starts off as a trike with a handle that the parents can push similar to a stroller. The handle can be removed, as can the safety guard seat, until it converts into a standard tricycle for independent older riders. The sun shade is a nice feature for summer days.
10. A wagon
There will come a day (sooner than you hope for) that your child will no longer want to ride in their stroller. When that happens, or if you transport a lot of gear with you on the reg (and let’s be honest, what mama doesn’t?), a wagon is a great solution, especially for day outings like the zoo or for trick-or-treating on Halloween.
They didn’t have this fold-up version when my kids were little but I’d absolutely get the soft-sided version if I could do it all over again. The hard plastic Radio Flyer wagon, while durable, is a challenge to transport, especially in our one-child, pre-SUV days.
11. A ball pit
Pro: A ball pit can be used inside or outside and keeps your child contained in one space. Con: There’s potential for several hundred balls to be spilled everywhere, so make sure the parents of the birthday kiddo are on board with this one.
Pro: The ball pit itself is inexpensive and doubles as a tent or tunnel in many cases (meaning your kid can have fun with it without the balls if desired). Con: Don’t expect it to last forever, especially if you have rough boys like I do!
Note: Balls are sold separately with most of the inexpensive ball pit options on Amazon, and you’ll need a lot more balls than you think to make it fun. This set should do it:
12. Little Tikes trampoline
Before you start thinking that a trampoline for an unstable, accident-prone toddler is the worst idea you’ve ever heard, hear me out. It has a handle bar for stability — and parents, your kids are gonna be exhausted after a few minutes of jumping. Yes, it requires parental supervision at all times, and yes, only one kid on at a time. But when used safely, the trampoline was my before-naptime go-to for total toddler exhaustion in a matter of minutes.
13. A check for their college savings account – or cash for more diapers
If you want a gift that will really go far, you can’t go wrong with cash or a check. The fact is, all kids are going to be inundated with toys for their first birthdays. A check that can be deposited right into a savings account or even a gift card that can be used to offset the tremendous expense of diapers and other disposable kid “stuff” is the easiest and most useful gift you can give any child and their parents. I know it’s not fun. But if you’re a mom, you know there’s plenty of time for fun … and practicality goes a long way.
What are your go-to gifts for toddlers? Share in the comments below or on social media with #NeverDoneWithFun! Happy shopping, and happy celebrating the special little girl or boy in your life!
Keep following on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for more ideas and inspiration for cultivating creativity amid the chaos of #momlife.
Not at the first birthday stage just yet? Check out my 10 Essentials for Breastfeeding Success guide for what you need to make your breastfeeding journey (a little bit) easier. These items make great baby shower gifts!
