The 26 best toys and gifts for 1-year-olds
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One-year-olds are entering the toddler phase, which means there are all kinds of new toys to explore. They’re still babies and yet new skills like standing, talking and walking are emerging as they grow. More challenging and complex playthings can be added to the mix, and we’ve got a great assortment of gift suggestions.
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Walkers, ride-ons, wagons and pull toys are fun for physical growth, while stackers, dolls, instruments and puzzles stimulate your 1-year-old’s brain. We suggest stocking up on your toy supply to keep your toddler entertained this winter—and we have lots of gift ideas to make it easy. An engaging toy is worth its weight in gold these days!
Whether you’re looking for a classic wooden toy or the latest tech wonder, we’ve got you covered with our roundup of the absolute best gifts for 1-year-olds.
1. For the one who loves music: The perfect toddler instrument
Hape’s award-winning Pound & Tap Bench with slide-out xylophone is such a great, compact 2-in-1 toy. The wooden instrument combines musical elements with an active and engaging tapping toy. It’s a fun pounding bench with a sonorous pay-off for kids when the colorful wooden balls drop down through the top. Clever!
Get a Hape Pound & Tap Bench with Slide Out Xylophone at Amazon for $29.21
2. For the one who is an early talker: A helpful plush
LeapFrog’s plush pup is a fun and interactive toy for little ones learning to talk. “Bailey” the puppy responds to speech with movement, words, songs, music, stories, and more. Bailey features three language levels for toddlers’ different learning stages. Smart!
Get a LeapFrog Speak & Learn Puppy at Amazon for $29.01
3. For the one who likes to ride: An innovative trike that grows with your baby
Introduce your child to balance and coordination one step at a time. Joovy's Tricycoo is fun for little ones, but it’s also a lifesaver for parents. Start off using the removable parent push handles (plus storage, shade and cup holder) and harness. As your child grows, the Tricycoo morphs from a stroller-like contraption to an actual tricycle. It's made with the highest quality materials for extra comfort for even the pickiest riders, and its adjustability allows it to grow and last through numerous ages and stages.
Joovy Tricycoo 4.1 Kids' Tricycle at Amazon for $129.99
4. For the one who is sporty: A soft, sweet bowling set
It’s hard to resist this Gund bowling set—the pins are adorable plush animals! The ball is also plush, so the whole set of six is machine washable. Your toddler will love knocking down the critters and perfecting their game.
Get a Gund My First Bowling set on Amazon for $29.95
5. For the one who like to rock: A sit-in rocking creature
These rockers are like a cozy cradle for your little one and they come in over a dozen different characters, from a kitty to Clifford to a dinosaur to a unicorn. Best for toddlers from 18 to 36 months, this sit-in style rocker is just right for safe fun.
Get the Soft Landing Sit-in Character Rocker at Amazon for $74.99
6. For the one who is developing small motor skills: A classic sorting toy with a green update
Green Toys’ shape sorter and stacking set helps toddlers develop their motor skills. The eight-level stacking set and accompanying sorter with eight lightweight shapes are crafted from food-safe, 100% recycled plastic. And you can toss them in the dishwasher for an easy wash.
Get the Green Toys Stacker & Shape Sorter Set at Amazon for $34.25
7. For the one who is a tiny virtuoso: A colorful piano
Little guys love experimenting with sounds—let them pound on a mini piano like this solid option from Melissa & Doug. The 25-key Learn-to-Play piano comes in bold primary colors and has a two-octave range for your future musician. As they grow, there’s an illustrated songbook to teach basics with the color-coded keys.
Get a Melissa & Doug Learn-to-Play Piano at Amazon for $50.14
8. For the one who wants a beginning STEM toy: A magnetic train set
SmartMax’s award-winning My First Animal Train provides so much learning; the 22 pieces attach with magnetic bars to create a fun little train set. Even the lion and elephant come apart and fit together. This set is a great introduction to the SmartMax line of magnetic toys.
Get the SmartMax My First Animal Train at Amazon for $32.99
9. For the one who likes indoor or outdoor play: An activity table that’s tons of fun, with or without water
This Step2 activity center is a wildly entertaining ball run for water play or for indoor fun. With two levels, ramps, spinners, hoops and all sorts of interactive accessories, this adventure-packed activity center is a gift with lots of longevity. Use it indoors in the winter, then bring it outside and add water for a whole new adventure in the spring!
Get a Step2 Ball Buddies Adventure Center at Amazon for $79.99
10. For the one who likes to talk: Their own phone
What do toddlers want? Phones! Grant your little one’s wish with a realistic play smart phone from VTech. The Touch & Swipe features 12 light-up “apps,” plus music and phrases to satisfy baby tech desires. It’s even available in different colors (blue, orange, and pink) like a real phone.
Get a Touch & Swipe baby phone on Amazon for $15.55
11. For the one who loves imaginary play: A sturdy little stovetop
This adorable wooden Hape toy is perfect for introducing kitchen play to toddlers. The set includes a colorful stovetop with clicking knobs, plus a pot, frying pan, spoon and spatula. Everything fits nicely in the back of the stove for easy storage. If you really want to rock your toddler’s world, throw in some play food!
Get a Hape Toddler Kitchen Set on Amazon for $26.46
12. For the one who is an early walker: A classic Radio Flyer
Radio Flyer’s sweet wagon walker is a beloved toddler toy. Little ones enjoy loading the wagon up and then pushing and pulling it around. The wheels have a little resistance to keep the wagon from moving too fast, and there’s even a bumper to protect furniture. It’s perfect for 1-year-olds.
Get a Radio Flyer Classic Wagon Walker on Amazon for $79
13. For the one who wants a cozy holiday: Matching pajamas
There's nothing cuter than a toddler in pajamas—except maybe a toddler in holiday pajamas. Get a festive pair of Carter's pjs for everyone in the family and make it a Christmas to truly remember. We love their colorful prints, soft cotton and reasonable price point.
Shop Holiday Pajamas at Carters
14. For the one who likes rock and roll: An avocado guitar
This avocado is also a baby guitar. Confused? Well your toddler won’t be! Skip Hop’s adorable musical toy has colorful lights as well as songs and guitar riffs that little guys will love.
Get a Skip Hop Farmstand Rock-a-Mole at Amazon for $17.97
15. For the one who loves the holidays: A gingerbread house that's just for them
Does your toddler have a sweet tooth? How about a gingerbread house they can actually play with (and gnaw on) to their heart's content. This cute set is filled with the holiday spirit and includes a realistic gingerbread man, a swinging door (for when he goes home) as well as movable "gum drops" and candies that they can mix and match, as they hone their home decorating skills.
Get a Step2 My First Gingerbread House at Amazon for $44.99
16. For the literary one: A set of sound books that read to them
These musical learning books help teach everything from nursery rhymes to numbers to foreign languages with a press of a button. They are an entertaining and engaging books that help teach phonetics and pre-reading skills all through sound and music!
Shop Cali's Books Sound Books at Amazon for $23.99
17. For the one who loves to play house: A Little People play house
This little play house is a learning tool all wrapped up in fun. It has three "Smart Stages" for a variety of learning levels that includes words, phrases and songs that include counting, the alphabet, opposites and greetings. It's also fully interactive with a light-up radio, light switch, front door, kitchen "tablet," refrigerator, oven and even a toilet that "flushes."
Fisher-Price Little People Friends Together Play House $39.99
18. For the one who likes to organize: A montessori-inspired play set
This non-toxic wooden shape sorter stacking toy is just right to give your child’s brain a workout while they play it and is a perfect gift for teaching shapes and build color recognition, fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Plus, it's pretty and fun!
Get the Shape Sorter Montessori Sensory Toy at Amazon for $17.99
19. For the one who likes horses: Indoor pony rides
This pony ride-on has so many fun features for toddlers. It can be pushed, pulled, ridden and played with. There’s storage in the squishy seat and there are lights and over 50 phrases, songs, and sounds to entertain. And did we mention the bead roller? Because the Bounce & Ride Pony has that too.
Get a Fisher-Price Walk, Bounce & Ride Pony at Amazon for $48.84
20. For the one who is ready for their first doll: A soft baby
Madame Alexander’s new Sweet Smiles dolls are perfect for toddlers; the 14-inch babies have soft, cuddly bodies, realistic weighted bottoms and “sleep” eyes. Each doll includes a cute outfit and a bottle, so toddlers can feed their baby.
Get a Sweet Smiles baby doll from Amazon for $38.45
21. For the one who is a budding gardener: A tiny wooden garden plot
If your little one is working on their green thumb, they'll love this little veggie and garden plot set. This bundle comes with an assortment of wooden vegetables in a variety of sizes, so it works as a puzzle for toddlers to practice fitting each piece into the appropriate shape and size. Each vegetable is topped with a felted greenery for easy grasping.
Get the Wooden Farm Harvest game set for $33.99
22. For the one is always on the go: A classic Cozy Coupe
It’s hard to believe Little Tikes’ classic kiddie car is 30 years old! The Cozy Coupe still makes a great toddler gift after all these years. It’s got all the features you remember, from the clicking ignition switch to the opening gas cap to the red horn. There’s a handle on the top for parents, and handy drink holders in the back. The removable floorboard is great for protecting 1-year-olds’ feet; pop it out when they’re ready to scoot along on their own.
Get a Little Tikes Cozy Coupe 30th Anniversary Car at Amazon for $59.99
23. For the one who likes to play: Wooden puzzles
Wooden puzzles are a great way for 1-year-olds to work on their hand and eye coordination while they play. This set of colorful wooden puzzles from Melissa & Doug have thick wooden pegs to make the pieces eaiser for little ones to grasp.
Get a set of Melissa & Doug Wooden Puzzles on Amazon for $43.25
24. For the one who loves to dress up: A cat purse with a magic tiara
This interactive cat purse is cute, and it’s also smart! The light-up jewels on the tiara teach about numbers, shapes and colors when pressed. Plus toddlers will love loading the soft fabric purse up with the included accessories: key, coins, comb, phone, and ID tag.
Get a LeapFrog Purrfect Counting Purse at Walmart for $19.99
25. For the one who likes bath time fun: Sub in the tub
Bath toys are always a good time, and we especially love this cute submarine from Skip Hop. Pull the string to activate the motor, and the sub will sail through the tub, making for plenty of toddler bath time fun.
Get the Skip Hop Zoo Pull & Go Submarine at Amazon for $7.99
26. For the one who has tiny fingers: A colorful wooden block set
We're huge fans of Lovevery's beautiful wooden block set. With 70 different pieces painted in non-toxic paint, this is a toy that will keep little ones occupied for hours on end.
Get the Lovevery Block set for $90
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Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.
This article originally appeared on Reviewed: The 26 best gifts for a 1-year-old in 2021 - Toys they'll love
