One of the best things about being a parent is watching your child grow and learn. It is particularly special for the entire family – parents, grandparents, and siblings – when one of their own is having their first birthday. In my family, we have always had special letters addressed to the baby, written by all the relatives. Even when they are adults, they still cherish these letters.
Another tradition in our family is to give very meaningful presents on the first birthday. In fact, many of these gifts become keepsakes that the child can treasure for a lifetime.
Meaningful Gifts for 1-year-olds
Crayola My First Finger Paint For 1-year-olds
This Crayola My First Finger Paint set is perfect for 1-year-olds! It includes 10 sheets of glossy painting paper and 4 washable finger paints in red, blue, yellow, and green. Painting provides hours of tactile experimenting, color mixing, and artistic fun. Keep spirits high with creative art supplies! Simple and fun crafts for kids are a great way to stay thoughtfully engaged and entertained.
LEGO DUPLO Disney Juniors
This LEGO DUPLO | Disney Mickey Mouse puzzle is a great way to introduce your toddler to the world of LEGO building blocks. The easy-to-build set is designed for children aged 1½+, and helps to develop fine motor skills, language development, cognitive development and more. With 9 pieces, this puzzle is perfect for on-the-go play.
Tegu Train Building Block Set
Tegu is a new, award-winning line of wooden blocks that inspire open-ended, creative play for your 1-year-old. Tegu blocks are made from sustainably harvested hardwoods in Honduras and crafted into shapes that fit with the way children naturally build things. Tegu blocks are designed to be played with every day—they’re durable, water-resistant, and sanded smooth so they’re easy for little hands to hold. Each set comes beautifully packaged in a reusable box that doubles as storage for all your creations.
Little Artist Board Book Set
Mudpuppy’s Little Artist Board Book Set is the perfect introduction to art for young children. The set includes 4 board books, each profiling a different artist – painters, sculptors, musicians, and performers. The books are packed in a stylish slipcase, making them easy to store and transport. Printed with nontoxic inks on recycled paper, Mudpuppy’s Little Artist Board Book Set is a great way to teach kids about art and the history of art.
Learning Gifts for Baby: Fisher-Price Rock-a-Stack
The Fisher-Price Rock-a-Stack is a great toy for babies to grasp and stack. The five colorful rings are perfect for stacking, and the top ring has a shiny surface with rattling beads inside. The bat-at-rocker base makes this toy fun to play with, and it also introduces babies to the relative size and stacking.
Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Smart Stages Puppy
This Laugh & Learn Smart Stages Puppy is perfect for babies and young children. With 75+ songs, sounds, tunes, and phrases, as well as 5 activations, this toy helps teach children first words, counting, the alphabet, and more. There are also 3 Smart Stages learning levels to grow along with your child. The light-up heart on Puppy’s chest can be pressed and held to hear all his songs. This toy is also great for developing a baby’s sensory and fine motor skills.
VTech Wiggle and Crawl Ball
The Wiggle and Crawl Ball by VTech is an interactive ball that encourages movement and crawling. The ball wobbles and wiggles on its own, making it fun for your little one to chase after. The ball also features 45+ playful songs, melodies, sounds, and phrases. Your child can press the dog, cat, and bear buttons to learn about animals, colors, and numbers. There are also 6 interactive animals on the ball that encourage play. Five flashing lights attract your baby’s attention while spinning and twisting animals encourage interaction. Requires 3 AA batteries.
VTech Click and Count Remote
The VTech Click and Count Remote is a baby remote control that plays more than 45 sing-along songs, melodies, sound effects and phrases. Toddlers can pretend channel surf through 9 channels including weather and news. This interactive role-play toy for an early education toy introduces numbers, colors, shapes, and more to keep your child’s attention. It also has 10 colorful buttons that introduce numbers; the up/down volume button teaches the concept of opposites; 2 AAA batteries are included for demo, use new batteries for regular use. The TV remote toy is ideal for children 6 months to 3 years old.
Green Toys Ferry Boat
The Green Toys Ferry Boat is made from 100% recycled plastic milk jugs, so it’s safe for both your child and the environment. The boat features a 2-story bridge and a captain’s wheel that really turns. It also has a sliding drawbridge and a cargo hold that doubles as a water play area. The Ferry Boat is a great way to teach your child about transportation and the environment.
Sassy Developmental Bead Maze
The Sassy Developmental Bead Maze is an educational toy that helps toddlers learn about colors, shapes, and numbers. The maze has 20 colorful beads that slide around the tracks, and your child can learn the name of each color, shape, and number. The maze is also great for developing hand-eye coordination and problem-solving skills.
Melissa & Doug Shape Sorting Clock
The Melissa & Doug Shape Sorting Clock helps teach toddlers about time and colors. The clock has 12 different shapes that fit into the corresponding slots on the clock, and the hour and minute hands teach time concepts. The clock is also great for fine motor skills development.
Sophie La Girafe- Gift Set Award
Sophie la giraffe, the teether for babies who love to chew on accessories when they are teething, is included in this gift set for the photo competition Sophie la girafe bonniest baby. Made of 100 percent natural rubber, Sophie la girafe is a great grip for babies to relieve the pain of their front teeth or molars coming through their gums.
HoMedics White Noise Sound Machine
The HoMedics Sleep Sound Machine offers 6 soothing sounds to help you relax and fall asleep. Whether you choose the calming white noise, thunder, ocean, rain, summer night, or brook sounds, this machine will create a natural environment that will soothe you into a peaceful slumber. The compact and portable design makes it easy to bring your sleep sounds with you wherever you go, and the stylish look fits in any room. The HoMedics Sleep Sound Machine is also great for babies, as adding rhythmic nature noises to their sleep routine can help them fall asleep.
Hatch Baby Rest Sound Machine
Hatch Baby Rest is a multi-functional device that combines the functionality of a nightlight, sound machine, and time-to-rise alert into one easy-to-use device. With simple controls on the surface of the device or through an app on your phone, you can adjust brightness, sound level, and volume. Rest also features fun color-changing lights along with five different sounds including ocean waves, white noise, and womb sound as well as lullabies from around the world. The built-in time-to-rise feature allows you to set a custom alarm to wake up to your favorite sound or light show.
Fisher-Price Brilliant Basics Rock-A-Stack
The Fisher-Price Brilliant Basics Rock-A-Stack is a classic toy that helps toddlers develop hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. The stackable rings are easy to grip and fit onto the post, and the rocking base helps keep your child’s attention. The Rock-A-Stack is a great way to help your child develop early skills.
First Steps Baby Walker
The First Steps Baby Walker helps your baby learn to walk. The sturdy frame and wide base provide stability, and the three adjustable height settings grow with your child. The walker also features a removable play tray with colorful toys to keep your child entertained. The First Steps Baby Walker is a great way to help your child learn to walk and play.
VTech Sit-to-Stand Learning Walker
The VTech Sit-to-Stand Learning Walker helps your baby learn to walk and stand. The walker has two adjustable height settings and a locking mechanism to keep your child in place. The walker also features a removable activity panel with three colorful buttons, five different animal sounds, and a light-up microphone that encourages exploration. The Sit-to-Stand Learning Walker is a great way for your baby to learn to walk and explore.
LeapFrog My First LeapPad
The LeapFrog My First LeapPad is a learning tablet for toddlers that helps them learn to read, write, and count. The tablet has a durable design and comes with six interactive learning games. The touchscreen is designed for little fingers, and the built-in camera allows your child to take photos and videos of their adventures. The LeapFrog My First LeapPad is a great way for your child to learn to read, write, and count.
Melissa & Doug Barrel of Monkeys
The Melissa & Doug Barrel of Monkeys is a classic manipulative toy that helps children develop hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. The monkeys hang from the barrel by their tails, and the child must use a metal hook to grab the monkeys and put them back in the barrel. The Melissa & Doug Barrel of Monkeys is a great way for your child to develop hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.
VTech Touch and Swipe Baby Phone
The VTech Touch and Swipe Baby Phone helps your baby learn about phone basics. The phone has a colorful design and features two touch screens, three pretend apps, and four animal buttons that play melodies and sounds. The Touch and Swipe Baby Phone is a great way for your baby to learn about phone basics.
LeapFrog Scoop and Learn Ice Cream Cart
The LeapFrog Scoop and Learn Ice Cream Cart helps your child learn about colors, counting, and the alphabet. The ice cream cart has a colorful design and comes with four scoops of ice cream, a freezer, and a scoop. The Scoop and Learn Ice Cream Cart is a great way for your child to learn about colors, counting, and the alphabet.
KidKraft Austin Toy Box
The KidKraft Austin Toy Box is a wooden toy box that helps your child organize their toys. The toy box has a stylish design and comes with a safety hinge to keep your child’s fingers safe. The KidKraft Austin Toy Box is a great way for your child to organize their toys.
Crayola Color Wonder Lap Desk
The Crayola Color Wonder Lap Desk is a desk that attaches to your child’s chair and allows them to color anywhere. The desk has a built-in storage compartment for supplies and a clip to hold the coloring book in place. The Crayola Color Wonder Lap Desk is a great way for your child to color anywhere.
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Mary Stephens is our infant development and baby fun activities specialist here at Motherhood HQ. She has over 10 years of experience dealing with kids, previously as a K3 teacher and now as a K9-12 teacher specializing in physical education and Social Studies. She is certified to teach in New York and Massachusetts and when not teaching trampoline jump tricks or giving toddler safety guides, she enjoys writing and providing helpful guides to parents on baby fun activities from infancy to toddlerhood. Mary is also an independent consultant providing parents with fun activities at home and appropriate toys and baby gear for infants and toddler development. She can be reached at her email, mary.s(at)motherhoodhq.com.