Awesome Gifts for 1 Year Olds
These awesome gifts for 1 year olds are perfect for first birthday boys (and girls), for Christmas, Hanukkah, or any occasion! When you’re done, check out this adorable DIY felt first birthday crown template. This post contains affiliate links and gifted products.
1 year olds are a magical age to gift for. They are learning and exploring so much, and love just about anything you hand them! They love to play and manipulate objects – they don’t need much to make them happy.
They adore stacking and banging, they like pushing buttons and if it’s cozy it’s a win!
When finding awesome gifts for 1 year olds, I like to mix things up with both toy and non toy gifts. On the one hand, this is the perfect time to start building a playroom with things that they will truly appreciate and learn from!
On the other, they don’t require toys, so you can gift the most useful items – and it’ll make both them and their parents smile.
Join me and baby Jay as we share some of the most awesome gifts for 1 year olds – whether it’s for the holidays or their first birthday.
But there’s more! Because I have both a one and a newly-minted four year old, I got to test these with the full range of the 1-3 age range – and can share with you insights on how well these awesome gifts for 1 year olds last through toddlerhood – or don’t.
You can also check out the rest of my gift guides for more gifting inspiration!
Clothing Gift Ideas for 1 Year Olds
Clothing is the ultimate consumable – something kids can always enjoy more of (or their parents). To find beautiful, giftable clothing is the challenge! Look for items that are upscale, unique, and versatile. This way parents can really enjoy something that they may not splurge on themselves in a way that they need it.
Kyte Baby Ribbed Henley Set
Your one year old might have graduated from the “wear pajamas all day” stage – or they haven’t! Kyte Baby makes the coziest bamboo pajamas that are all buttery softness and charm.
This ribbed set works both as pajamas and clothing! A ribbed texture adds some style, and it has the same super soft fabric as the smooth styles. The two-piece set with Henley buttons can go loungewear/outfit and be worn all day, or used as pajamas for a breathable night’s sleep.
The stretch factor and clinginess of bamboo means that we get so much more wear out of it. We start it at a size up, and it lasts for at least two sizes. And doesn’t the sage color look incredible with Baby Jay’s copper hair?
Buckle Me Car Seat Coats
This one is for the safety-minded parents! Did you know that puffer coats (or anything overly bulky) are considered an unsafe obstruction to the car seat buckle? They can compress in an accident, rendering the five point harness useless. This creates major winter issues for parents once babies have transitioned to convertible car seats from the infant carrier stage – often around the age of one.
Buckle Me has the solution: an easy-to-use coat that has a quick fix solution for strapping toddlers in safely! The back is made much thinner, so that it doesn’t add bulk. And the whole front can be moved out of the way so that the harness is directly on Baby Jay. It has a convenient opening with easy-access shoulder strap slots. If the car is still chilly, you can then just zip/hook-and-loop it right over the buckle, keeping tots snug as a bug!
Especially since he’s not yet walking, it makes going out with Baby Jay much easier – instead of having to take on or off his coat, I just carry him out with it, and open it to fasten him in. And yes, it can be used as a primary winter coat too.
They have different coat weights too, and run true to size. They have enough flexibility in fit to be used for two winter seasons by the same child.
Keababies PomPom Beanies
My toddlers always love cozy stuff, and these pom pom beanies from KeaBabies are just full of coziness! The two pack is so affordable – you can purchase and split as separate gifts, or gift as a set.
And it has so much stretch, that both Baby Jay, age one, and A, a petite age 4 can wear the same hat!
Feltman Brothers Argyle Knit Set
I love it when high end dressy outfits have a cozy factor to them, especially for babies. Feltman Brother’s argyle knit set is made of 100% cotton (no sweats in this one!) It’s comfortable enough for baby to wear, but dressy enough for holidays, winter parties, and visits to Grandma.
The sweater has a sweet, classic argyle print – keeping it giftable – and comes with matching knit pants that are fitted – but not quite tight. You can dress it up even further by pairing with dress pants – but I stick to the knit pants! They allow Baby Jay to move around freely and comfortably, while still looking snazzy.
Zutano Booties
We’ve been using Zutano booties since Y was a baby, but I especially love them for this stage. One year olds who aren’t quite walking yet need something warm and cozy for the winter months. But they also need something with grip, and that’s thin enough to feel the floor in, so that they can build those new skills.
Zutano booties open nice and wide so that it’s easy to slide squirmy feet into them. They are a soft, comfy fleece that’ll keep toes warm and toasty. And they have an adjustable snap closure, so that they stay on those little feet but won’t be too tight either!
Other Non-toy Gifts
Toddlers REALLY don’t need toys to make them smile (although they do learn so much from them). However, there is this crossover between practical and toy that is just full of gifting opportunities!
BlueBerry & Third The Bookshelf
Look how excited Baby Jay is to have uninhibited access to his favorite books!
Around their first birthday, as they graduate from babies to toddlers, kids start to discover books – and what a magical world that is! This Montessori-friendly bookshelf from Blueberry & Third is perfect for little ones:
- It holds only a small selection of books – so they’ll only unload a few at a time (and also not get overwhelmed by the options…)
- It’s solid wood and looks great in just about any home – ours lives in our living room – where we hang out and therefore Baby Jay does too.
- It’s 1-year-old-friendly – sits at the height that he sits, has smoothed edges and curves, and he can’t pull it down on himself
- It’s a forward facing bookcase so he can see the books without pulling them out.
Jack N’ Jill Tickle Toothbrush Gift Set
Baby Jay is currently busy growing his entire top row of teeth (yawn!) which means it’s time to start caring for them! Jack & Jill creates tooth care products designed for little ones who are just growing them in.
Their Tickle Tooth sonic toothbrush is perfect for those first teeth, and even comes with the next size head. It gently vibrates, and lights up, and believe it or not Baby Jay ACTUALLY lets me brush his teeth with it!
Get it bundled with their natural Fluoride-free toothpaste as an awesome gift idea for 1 year olds.
Indestructible Books
Remember that bookcase that we were giving our baby free and easy access too? We need to fill it with books!
Of course, board books are always a win, but we’re big fans of Indestructibles for a more space-saving option! These books are made from “magical” pages that don’t tear, can be chewed, and are even washable.
Top Toys
Yes, toys are important at this age! Kids use them to learn and explore, develop fine and gross motor skills, and keep busy. Parents use it to keep them busy so that they can actually get stuff done!
Peg Perego John Deere Ride On Tractor
Ride-on toys are so perfect for one-year-olds, and powered ones are just seriously epic! This 6 volt mini John Deere tractor from Peg Perego is easy to use with perfectly placed pedals for those little feet. And it’ll carry through toddler hood – A loves giving it a spin too!
There are sounds and lights, a perfectly-sized steering wheel, and a “just like the grown-ups” experience with the John Deere brand. It can be used both indoors and outdoors, making it a year-round toy. And you can even upgrade it by adding a trailer to the back (available separately, not pictured.)
Oh So Fun! Take-Along Piano Toy for Toddlers
There are times when I feel like I shouldn’t even write about the toy – and just let you look at the kids’ faces in the photos and decide… but here we are!
This take-along piano from Mindware (Oriental Trading’s toy division) is both aesthetic and kid-friendly, with a wood top and legs, mint colored body, and soft splashes of color. Younger kids can just play music (and animal sounds) and older kids can insert music cards to learn how to play specific songs.
The keys feature bright colors, allowing kids to follow with the music cards. My kids all (yes, all 1-11 year olds) enjoyed playing with this but Baby Jay simply couldn’t stop thumping out (literally) some serious tunes.
And moms – yes, it does have a volume control.
Fisher Price Link Squad Jam & Count Panda
Link Squad is a brand from Fisher price with a few different musical toys that interact when you’re playing them together. While we only own and tried this one, I have tested them in the store as a set and they definitely sing up a chorus!
Each one has a unique theme, and we love the jam & count panda. It is definitely NOT a toy piano like above (although it takes a similar form) – it’s more of a number-learning toy. It teaches shapes and colors too, and has lots of different ways for kids to make noise music. There is a spinning ball, a lever, a slider, and more!
Fisher Price Wooden Activity Triangle
Fisher Price has a new classic wooden toy line, and I’m all in! This mini activity triangle is perfect for those who might want to give a wooden activity center a try, but can’t afford the space that a large one might take up.
Three sides feature three different levels of activity, requiring different fine motor movements. And it’s small enough for them to carry around on their own – which is always a win!
Panda Crate
Note: contents vary!
We are big fans of KiwiCo’s craft series, but their play boxes for babies and toddlers are spot on too! We’ve tried quite a few of them and the toys we’ve received have consistently been among our favorites.
You can gift a single toy, a recurring subscription, or a gift subscription.
Got any awesome gifts for 1 year olds to add to the list? Comment below!
