These goodies are sure to become instant favorites they’ll use well beyond their first birthday
A pull-along snail, their very own turntable, an activity table with hidden storage, the bounciest unicorn, a beautiful balance bike, and bath toys that keep the water in the bath? These are the holiday gifts for one-year-olds that are sure to delight. And if you’ve got other littles on your list, check out our gifts for 18 to 24 months and 6 to 12 months.
Fisher-Price Mix & Learn DJ Table
If your babe’s been bopping their head to the beat since they first gained neck control, they’re going to love this music-themed, light-up activity table. As sitters, they can explore the piano, buttons, and toys, and brush up on their shapes and colors; once they can stand at the decks they’ll be dropping a beat while learning Spanish phrases and opposites.
Plan Toys Pull-Along Snail
Proud new walkers love having a little buddy to follow them around, and this snail is just too cute as it inches along. Kiddos learn about cause and effect while working on their balance and fine motor skills.
Joovy Tricycoo 4.1
Tikes can cruise in style for a long time with this solid 4-in-1 tricycle. It starts as a fully harnessed push trike with a parent handle and canopy and eventually evolves into a tricycle that three-year-olds can ride independently.
Manhattan Toy Musical Lili Llama
You’ll be amazed by how long toddlers entertain themselves with this musical llama friend. Lili’s got a xylophone, four spinners, a maraca, two gears, a washboard, 2 clacking saddles, and two mallets (conveniently stored in her head), so there’s never a dull moment.
Joymor Foam Climbing Blocks
Toddlers can get their beans out on these fun foam climbing blocks, exploring tunnels, ramps, and stairs, and parents can rest assured that any spills or messes are easily wiped clean with mild soap and water.
Bouncy Inflatable Animal Jump-Along
Giddy up! Let your little loose on one of these fun and bouncy inflatable animals, available in unicorn, grey bunny, fox, and green triceritops. Each animal comes with a hand pump and a unique birth certificate.
Haba Fun with Sounds Wooden Discovery Blocks
Not only can little hands stack these colorful beech wood blocks, but each one is also ripe for acoustic exploration—from rattling and clacking to squeaking and tinkering. Plus, you can toss a few in your bag for on-the-go entertainment.
Haba Fun with Sounds Wooden Discovery Blocks ($49)—Buy Here!
Gund Muttsy Dog Plush
For parents of dog-obsessed toddlers, a puppy stuffie is a no-brainer. They’ll instantly fall in love with this super-soft and extremely huggable Gund version.
Learning Resources Learn-A-Lot Avocados
There’s so much to learn from these adorable little avocados. Kids can color match the tops and bottoms, building fine motor skills while they do it, and get to know the different emotions on each fruit’s face.
Anthropologie Frenchie Push Cart Toy
Leave it to Anthro to design the most beautiful push cart of our dreams. As baby toddles, three Frenchie dogs bob up and down and their tails wag around on springs.
Dragon's First Taco Board Book
Not only does this bring the hilarious Dragons Love Tacos series to the littlest of readers, but the book itself is also shaped like a taco, which makes it extra fun for little hands to explore. Inside, baby dragons learn how to make a taco. Yum!
Wonder & Wise Baby Busy Box
Aesthetically minded parents will appreciate how this neutral play box fits in with their modern decor; kids will love the gears, puzzle, shape sorter, abacus, and more. From seated tots to two-legged toddlers, there's plenty of room to grow with this one.
Boon Pipes Building Bath Toy Set
This fun and stylish bathtime set includes five tubes that are shaped differently to be used separately or combined to make a big chain. The best part? The water finally stays inside the tub.
SEREED Baby Balance Bike
Perfect for indoor or outdoor play, babies can begin learning how to balance and get the feeling of riding a bike before graduating to a two-wheeled balance bike or training wheels. And since it’s under 4 lbs, mom or dad won’t have to break their backs carrying it home when a ride takes a turn for the worse.
ALASOU Suction Cup Spinner Toys
These genius suction spinners are the gift that keeps on giving, from the car to the bath to the high chair. They’re also live-savers on airplane rides—just stick them to the windows and let baby have at them! One Amazon reviewer said she puts them on the fridge, oven door, and dishwasher when she’s working in the kitchen and needs to keep her tot occupied.
Coco Village Wooden Activity Table
There’s so much to love about this chic activity table, from its beautiful birch frame and soft muted hues to the two worlds for baby to explore: land and sea. The storage bag that’s hidden under the winding abacus is particularly brilliant.
Tender Leaf Peacock Colors
This take-along wooden toy introduces tikes to the art of color mixing and gives them a chance to look through each brightly hued acrylic screen to see the world in different shades.
Pottery Barn Kids My First Anywhere Chair
This is a timeless staple as far as first-year gifts go—with good reason! The tot-sized chair is a cozy place to read a book or explore a new toy. Pro tip: if you have the space you can size up to the kid version—my six-year-old still sits in his to watch TV.
Pottery Barn Kids My First Anywhere Chair ($129-$169)—Buy Here!
Farm Animals Toy Set
Toddlers love taking things out and putting them back in and they’re sure to get their fill with this toy, a set of ten brightly colored barns with farm animals inside. Kids learn to color-match the barns and rooves, identify the numbers on each barn, and practice vocabulary like “put in” and “take out.”
Fisher-Price Mega Bloks
With 80 blocks that transform into endless creations, this toddler staple lets their imaginations run wild. The chunky blocks are easy for wee hands to put together and pull apart, so maybe they’ll even play on their own for a few minutes.
Vilac Iceland Waterfall Ball Toy
Oh la la! This French toy is gorgeous to look at but, most importantly, kids will love watching the adorable little animal balls slide down the snow-capped mountain to ring a dangling bell at the end.
Djeco Finger Paint Tubes
Yes, finger painting can get messy, but these brightly colored paints are totally washable and free from harmful chemicals. So throw down some newspaper, drop some colors on the plastic palette, and unleash your little artiste.
All the products listed are independently & personally selected by our shopping editors.
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All images courtesy of retailers.
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