Alexandra Ramirez
Your baby’s first birthday is truly a special time. It is a time to celebrate how big they’ve grown and how much they have learned. Everyone only gets one first birthday, so it needs to be extra special. At this age they are just learning about shapes, colors, and sounds. Their gripping and tactility is becoming fine tuned, and they are becoming aware of how to cause reactions to their actions. Some babies are starting to stand and learn how to move their legs in a walking motion.
The toys and gifts listed here are both fun and educational for your one year old. All have bright colors to keep their attention, and many have sounds that make learning and playtime a fun filled activity. Your baby will have hours of fun with these gifts, and the time spent will help them develop the skills they need as they get older.
If you’re buying a gift for someone else’s one year old, things won’t be much different as most babies tend to have similar milestones at this age. You can ask the parents for any specific preferences in color, characters, and toys if you want to get something specific.
Best First Birthday Gift Ideas
Mom customers rave about the safety and fun these megabloks provide their little ones
Mega blocks are a lot of fun for a one year old. The blocks are too large to choke on, or even get in their mouth at all so they do not pose a choking hazard. They are also super colorful which is a draw to many children.
This Mega Bloks first builder’s bag has 80 blocks that the little one can play with. The bag they come in is portable, PVC free, BPA free and zips up so the blocks don’t spill if the bag tips over. The bag should never be played with by the little one as this is a very dangerous situation that can harm the baby.
These blocks are the perfect toy for a one year old’s birthday that will continue to be one of their favorite toys for years to come.
Customers, who have purchased this, love the interactive elements it offers their little ones.
VTech has been a popular name in children’s educational toys for decades. This adorable, heavy duty kid’s flashlight not only shines 5 different colors, it also plays 50 sing along songs, music, phrases and sounds that a 1 year will be fascinated by and love.
They will love learning about colors, animals and numbers, using the ladybug button that makes the flashlight interact with the child. It is perfect for ages 1 to 3 years old.
The automatic shut off engages after 45 seconds of inactivity which will help save batteries. It runs on 2 – AAA batteries. This is the perfect first year birthday gift for a child that will provide hours of entertainment every time they play with it.
Customers love the quality, durability and fun this toy provides to their children of all ages.
If your little one is in a playpen or a highchair and you want to keep them occupied for a brief time, this Bead maze by Melissa and Doug will do the trick.
The superior quality of this well made, solid wood toy will please your little one and keep them happy while you fix their dinner or do any number of other small things that may take your attention for a brief time.
There are many different brightly colored beads in different shapes that are attached to the coated wire. These shapes can be pushed around the maze and they will never fall on the floor. The suction cup base makes this a perfect toy to keep in the kitchen for the pre-dinner crunch.
Customers love all of the activities and new experiences this offers their little ones.
Shape sorters have been a very popular and well loved toy for little ones for many decades. Melissa and Doug have designed a shape sorter that takes the basic idea and makes it even better.
This take a long shape sorter includes a case that looks like a little suitcase. There are two activity sections and 9 blocks that have different textures and shapes along with 9 different colors too.
This take a long shape sorter helps little ones develop gross motor skills, logical and creative thinking, fine motor skills and other developmental milestones.
The handle on top makes it easy to carry with them wherever they go. There is a lot for a young one to do and learn with this take along shape sorter. It makes the perfect gift for the first year birthday.
Parent customers love this interactive toy for their kids but the kids love it more.
VTech does it again with this walker that teaches a lot more than just walking and standing. This fun, interactive walker has a removable part that helps them work on their fine motor skills. There are many other features that the VTech sit to stand learning walker helps with.
Features include 3 shape sorters; pretend telephone handset, spinning gears, 2 spinning rollers, 3 light up buttons, and much more.
Your little one will learn all about animals, music, colors, shapes and in addition get help with standing and walking too.
It is the perfect first year birthday toy that will provide hours worth of fun and learning. There are over 70 songs and music for the little one to listen to as well.
Customers love the make believe play this toy encourages.
Fisher Price has been around for a very long time, providing excellent toys for children of all ages that they love. This Little People City Skyway is the perfect first year birthday toy for many reasons. This 3 foot tall city sky way has many activities and pieces to play with and enjoy.
Included in this Little People city skyway is:
- Working crane
- Gas pump
- Opening/closing gate
- Traffic signal
- Parking meter
- Koby/tessa cars
There are lots of things to do that encourage make believe play. It will be a first birthday gift that will last them for 2-3 years at least.
Customers love the sturdiness of this chair and the numerous learning activities.
Your baby will love this bright little chair that is just his or her size. The different songs and phrases are activated when the baby sits down and stand up again.
There is a little remote control that if the little one presses the button, they will hear shapes, numbers and other phrases too.
The cushion of the chair can be lifted up to see even more exciting surprises that this chair has in store for the little one lucky enough to get it.
The smart stages technology that is used to help your child learn, adjusts to where your child is. You can select the stage that is best for what your child’s ability level.
Customers love the long lasting durability and feel of this adorable bedding set.
This crib bedding set is made from super soft 100% microfiber. It is designed to be warm, comfortable and cozy feeling.
The bedding set is machine washable and is extremely durable and long lasting. It is intended to be used for years without wearing out or losing its softness.
Included in this set is a fitted crib sheet, a crib skirt and a comforter. It features different woodland creatures on it in bold, eye catching colors and shapes.
This is a great set for a crib or toddler bed. Your child is sure to love it and love how it feels too.
Customers love this ride on toy that is the perfect size and speed for ages 1-2.
This sporty little ride-on ATV will quickly be your one year old’s favorite mode of transportation. The brightly colored construction and graphics are designed to appeal to young ones and it does.
Operation is simple; just one button starts it up. There are comfortable footrests for the child to put their feet on.
It runs at a maximum speed of 2 mph and rides low so little ones can get on and off of it easily and by themselves too. It operates in forward mode only. Its sturdy design means it will withstand a lot of use and last a long time as well.
It is the perfect present for their momentous first year birthday that they will still be playing with and riding when they are older.
![Fisher-Price Little People Loops 'n Swoops Amusement Park [Amazon Exclusive]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51PxrtzcDOL.jpg)
This toy keeps all ages of children occupied from a little one at 8 or 9 months to a 4 year.
The Wheelies, Loops and Swoops toy from Fisher Price is more than just a fun toy to play with. It helps a young child to develop the fine motor skills they will need as they grow.
It does this by encouraging them to push, turn, grasp, open, and much more.
As they do things to make the vehicles do wheelies and go down the ramps, they will get so excited at their accomplishments. There are many different sounds that they will hear and experience as they play with this colorful and fun toy.
They will spend hours enjoying the different activities and watching the little cars take flying leaps into the air.
Choosing the Right First Birthday Gift
Choosing the right present for a child celebrating their first birthday doesn’t have to be difficult. If you pay attention to recommended children’s ages on the toys and games, you will already be in the ball park of where you need to search.
The 10 suggestions we have listed above are all excellent toys and gifts for your child’s first birthday. They are toys that are popular with parents and kids alike. We have also listed some additional tips and guidelines to keep in mind when you start shopping for the perfect first year birthday present.
Dos and Don’ts to Remember
DO…
- Ask the parents of the child, if it is not yours, about things they like toys that are their favorites and more. The answers to those questions will give you some insight into the types of things the child likes to do and is doing.
- Pay attention to the recommended ages stamp on all the toys. These recommended ages are very helpful when it comes to narrowing down the choices for the first birthday.
- Look for a gift that will last them a couple of years. If you find toys and games that are recommended for ages 1-3 or something similar, the little one will have something that they will enjoy playing with for a few years.
- Look for toys that can be educational. This doesn’t mean just electronic. Wooden blocks and puzzles can be educational in terms of fine motor skills and make believe play.
DON’T…
- Choose toys that have a lot of small parts. This goes back to following the recommended age that is put on every toy. The recommended ages are not an indication of intelligence or ability; it has to do with developmental milestones. Getting a one year old a toy with lots of small parts is endangering them.
- Overlook the classic toys from decades ago. Shape sorters, stacking rings, blocks… there are reasons that these were such popular toys then and still are. They are terrific for teaching a multitude of things, from counting to stacking to patterns and much more.
- Choose clothing gifts for the little one. If you want to give clothing as a gift, give that to the parents and choose a small toy of appropriate age for the one year old. At that age they will not find clothing an exciting present.
Choosing the right first birthday gift doesn’t have to be a chore. There are so many different options out there that you can find something easily if you know what type of toy you’re looking to buy.
Educational choices are fine, even recommended, just remember that educational doesn’t equal video games or electronic only. A lot can be learned with a pile of wooden blocks and they will engage their imagination as well.
