Monday, February 1, 2010

Birthday Presents for One Year Olds

What do you buy a one year old for his birthday? I've received that question a lot the past few weeks from friends in need of the perfect gift. Here are a few gift ideas that Baby J received for Christmas and birthday that he LOVES! Any of these would make a great gift for your favorite one year old. Do you have any other ideas, please leave them in the comments!


1) Board Books
Every 1 year old loves a good board book! We love regular books too, but those are all on a high shelf and can't be used yet because my 1 year olds will tear out all the pages! At this age they want to taste, touch, feel and interact with the book. Touch and feel board books are our favorites! We LOVE Funny Faces Roger Priddy Books Halloween Jack is J's favorite! (He doesn't seem to mind Halloween was months ago.) Be sure to include a gift reciept with your book, because even at this age they have quite a collection already!


2) Balls
Small or big, balls are fun! We love sensory balls. We also have a mini basketball that he loves to play with. One of Baby J's current favorite toys is the Hasbro Playskool Busy Ball Popper. It is a workout for Mommy to go chasing after the balls as they pop all over the place, but he LOVES to push the button and watch it (and me) go!



3) Wheels
If it has wheels then my 1 year old little boy LOVES it! He recieved this tractor and he thinks it is a ton of fun. He likes trains, cars, trucks, etc...I swear if it HAS WHEELS then he likes it.



4) Puzzles
Melissa and Doug make great toys, but their puzzles are the best! We love the touch and feel puzzles,the sound puzzles, and the jumbo puzzles. I hear their magnetic puzzles are also a lot of fun! Speaking of magnetic, the LeapFrog Fridge Farm Magnetic Animal Set is a GREAT toy to put on the fridge for hours of entertainment. One of J's good friends gave it to him!



5) Music
My little one loves music! We gave him this Melissa and Doug Band in a Box he loves it! It says it is for older kids, but we didn't give him the triangle...just the tambourine, maracas, clapper, etc. He loves it! A set of maracas is also a great gift. He loves this Fisher-Price Crawl-Along Drum Roll that Santa gave him for Christmas. One of Baby J's best friends bought him the Plan Toy Oval Xylophone and he adores it, such a cute gift! Most likely the 1 year old in your life already has a music table, but if he doesn't then his parents will thank you for the 15 minutes of free time they will get from one of these toys!



Things to avoid (in my opinion):

1) Clothes (unless you know for sure what kind of clothes the Mama likes and the right size to buy)

2) Stuffed animals (most babies received a small zoo when they were born...they just don't need anymore and unless it lights up or talks, they really aren't that interested)

3) Anything that says it is for kids older children! While some toys are good for younger kids, most of the age labels are correct.

4) Anything that says CHOCKING HAZARAD. There is a label if it has small parts that are not appropriate.



From Mom/Dad or Grandparents:

1) Personalized Pottery Barn Anywhere Chair (get the middle size)

2)Radio Flyer Push Wagon or regular wagon

3) Ride on Toy such as Step 2 Push Car, Little Tikes Cozy Coupe 30th Anniversary Car, Fire truck

4) Savings bonds or money for college!

5) A birthday outfit (or money for the Mama to pick out a birthday outfit)

What do you give for 1st birthday gifts? Something special?

2 comments:

Grove Gal K said...

i love giving a monogrammed mint julep or virginia cup with the date engraved on the back if it is a boy and monogrammed silver covered box for a girl. something that they can keep and use later in life. we started a tradition of giving mini k an engraved sterling napkin ring for each birthday ...by the time she is a teenager she will have a complete set

Love Being A Nonny said...

I love this post. I think you had some GREAT ideas! As a Nonny, we have given the Anywhere Chair from Pottery Barn, a riding toy and birthday outfits! GREAT post!

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