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26 Best Gifts for 1-Year-Olds, According to Experts

Photo-Illustration: Courtesy of the retailer.

One-year-olds are at a tricky transitional phase — no longer babies but not yet fully fledged toddlers. They’re developing rapidly, so the best gifts are things that will delight them in new ways as they become more dexterous and begin to master new skills. We spoke to nine parenting and child experts to compile an extensive list of ideas, from the best construction toys to the best bath toys, to suit any budget and any occasion. By the way, we also have gift guides for 2-year-olds, 3-year-olds4-year-olds and 5-year-olds.

The best construction toys for 1-year-olds

Putting blocks together and pulling them apart will help develop kids their fine-motor skills and encourage collaborative play, says Good Play Guide founder Amanda Gummer. These colourful magnetic cubes are a great choice, says Gummer, as they are easy for little hands to manipulate. Buy a starter pack now, and if they’re a hit, you’ll have your present options sorted for years to come, as there are plenty of sets to collect.

Natasha Crookes, director of public affairs and communications at the British Toy and Hobby Association, recommended interlinking tactile cubes. These ones by Mini Tudou are soft, squidgy, and interesting to chew — which is an important consideration since 1-year-olds are still very much in the teething zone.

Victoria Millsop, manager at Fledglings (an online shop that is part of a disability charity called Contact) recommended this set, as it straddles two categories on our list: construction and sensory. Each of the 16 blocks is filled with either liquid, glitter, beads, or sand “and can be used as a stimulus to children’s creativity for building or creating patterns.”

The best musical instruments for 1-year-olds

A musical instrument will help toddlers develop hand-eye coordination and learn about cause and effect. “This is something that adults will pick up and want to play with. And actually, what you want at that age is for the grown-ups to be playful with the kids, as that’s really good for developing social skills,” explains Gummer.

This attractive wooden piano “is great for little fingers with the innovative feature of magic-touch technology — no buttons or keys needed,” says Crookes. But thankfully, it does come with one button — to control the volume.

The best books for 1-year-olds

One-year-olds enjoy anything with a bit of texture,” says Rachel Vecht, a teacher and mum of four who founded the “Educating Matters” seminars. This is especially true for blind or deaf children, says Yavasheva, who likes that this book “is full of lovely textures to explore, and the vocabulary used can be reinforced through role play and object play using animal toys.”

Photo: retailer

There’s a whole trove of animals in Usborne’s touchy-feely book series. We like the look of this fellow too.

You don’t need to stick to books with simple vocabulary. Siobhan Freegard, founder of channelmum.com, advises thinking back to your own childhood or asking the child’s parents if they can remember what books they enjoyed reading when they were little. “It’ll bring memories flooding back,” she says. “If they can’t remember, just pick the classics.” This fun tale by the Ahlbergs is a firm favourite with this writer’s 1-year-old, who often picks up the story of the “dark dark house” and plonks himself on a knee to be read to.

Children love hearing stories about themselves, so Freegard recommends ordering this personalised book, which includes a different animal for every letter of the child’s name.

The best imaginative toys and gifts for 1-year-olds

Trabue says these cute dinos are “sure to stimulate the imagination.

Gummer recommends this soft and cuddly CBeebies character whose ears dance while it plays music. Noise and movement are two elements that Julie Elliott from the Royal Society for Blind Children says are important considerations when choosing toys for blind children. This Duggee toy is also a good option for deaf children, as it has colourful lights under each of its four badges that flash along with the music.

If you don’t want to add to the mountain of toys, Freegard recommends “choosing a gift that makes memories for the whole family” and gives them opportunities to explore the world. Club together with friends to buy a family membership for the National Trust, which includes access to more than 500 sites across the country, including adventure play areas, mazes and castles. This is a particularly good option for 1-year-olds with older siblings who have already inherited a lot of toys.

The best walking toys for 1-year-olds

Some 1-year-olds may be walking already, while others will still be crawling or bum-shuffling, but all of them will enjoy toys that help them feel more confident on their feet. “This is a great time to introduce push/pull toys that encourage movement to develop a 1-year-old’s gross motor skills and coordination,” says Trabue. “This adorable toy is very engaging, with a body that crawls up and down, and a bright wheel shell that spins when it is pulled along.”

Vecht and Trabue recommend classic wooden trolleys with bricks inside to encourage walking, coordination and pretend play. This walker features 30 number and alphabet blocks, which will help develop coordination and motor skills.

The best sorting and stacking toys for 1-year-olds

“These back-to-basics toys will allow your child’s imagination to flourish,” says Zoe Bonser, director of The Baby Show. “Any nesting toys that stack — so you can build a tower and knock it down — provide hours of entertainment,” explains Vecht. “Whenever I travelled with my young children, I always had some stackable cups in my bag.”

Millsop adds: “Playing with stacking cups encourages children to use both hands in motion together, helping them develop bilateral coordination.” She recommends this set, as it is made from 100 percent recycled plastic.

“Simple shape-sorting toys are great for developing children’s hand-eye coordination and problem-solving skills,” says Yavasheva. “They can also assist with language development by promoting shapes, colours, and movement vocabulary.” Trabue recommended a wooden set by Goki, which is currently sold out, but this alternative is the same price and also features a latch lock and a rotating wheel.

This is a shape sorter with a difference: “Match the coordinating shape with the correct slot and you’ll be rewarded with a fun sound as each piece slides down the tube,” explains Millsop.

We first featured this stacking rainbow set in our look at the best gifts to keep kids entertained indoors. Though it’s listed as being suitable for 18 months and older, Sergei Urban, author of TheDadLab, told us, “There are an incredible number of ways you can play with it.” Younger children will enjoy experimenting with different ways to stack, sort, and build the pieces, and older ones will incorporate the rainbow arches into imaginative play — they could become a cradle for dolls, a fence for farm animals, or a bridge for cars.

The best bath toys for 1-year-olds

“More and more parents are looking to buy toys which are sustainable and better for our environment,” says Crookes. She recommends this seven-piece set made from 100% recycled OceanBound plastic. Each of the shells and creatures is designed to interact with water in a different way — it will run down the legs of the jellyfish or create a cascading waterfall with the holes along the edge of the abalone.

The best sit-on toys for 1-year-olds

“It is a big investment, but they’ll love playing with it for at least five more years, so it’s the gift that keeps giving,” says Freegard. “One-year-olds love sitting inside it and putting their toys in the little shelf in the back long before they have the strength to propel it along. It’s even fun to keep indoors in the winter if you’re not fussy about your skirting boards getting bumped.”

Though kids sit in this play tunnel, rather than sit on it, this is an inexpensive way to incorporate soft play into your home. Marvyn Harrison, founder of the Dope Black Dads podcast, has bought at least ten of these as gifts for other families over the years, as it provides “hours of fun.” Harrison’s choice of play tunnel is currently unavailable, but we found this similarly-priced alternative.

The best sensory toys for 1-year-olds

We first featured this snuggly otter in our look at the best baby noise machines, according to experts. “This is always a real hit with babies,” says Susie Boone, editorial director of MadeForMums. “It has all the sleep-aid elements you would expect — cute features, soft music, and the soothing sounds of white noise, heartbeats, womb sounds, and gentle snoring. But there is a special feature that makes it stand out: Its illuminated tummy moves up and down with a breathing motion.” Each soundtrack plays for 30 minutes, and the sounds, light, and breathing can be isolated to play individually or set to play all together.

“Give ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ a very special meaning for your 1-year-old,” suggests Freegard. “At an age when children are learning to sleep independently, this twinkling projector will help them drift off peacefully.” It is cordless and easy to transport, so you can keep your child’s bedtime routine consistent when you’re away from home.

“This soft sensory ball has various textured areas to explore, and it lights up and plays music. It’s great to promote large motor movements and social skills when playing, including turn-taking.” says Yavasheva. Elliott says noisy toys are a good choice for blind and partially sighted children, as hearing them will spark their curiosity. “Ordinarily, a young child learning to crawl will see something on the floor and that motivates them to move towards it, but for a child who may not see it, hearing it will make them want to move, and that’s really important for their development.”

This cuddly octopus was recommended by Yavasheva, as it has lots of textures that children will love to explore. Each leg can also be squeezed to make a different noise.

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26 Best Gifts for 1-Year-Olds, According to Experts