Your baby will always be your baby, but if your child has suddenly become curious about everything on the planet — and can crawl or walk and explore their new surroundings — then shopping for the best toys for 1-year-olds becomes a whole new adventure.
At this age, children are eager to put their senses of touch, sight, taste, smell, and sound to good use. Sensory toys in bright colors, fun patterns, and interesting textures help them to learn about the world around them. A simple peg toy may not seem very exciting to a parent, but there's a reason it has stood the test of time with this age group: it encourages fine motor skill development and reinforces the idea that certain shapes fit together. Musical toys, shape sorters, and anything that mimics adult devices are always a hit with young toddlers.
Of course, as a parent you'll want to make sure you're choosing toys that are age-appropriate and do not contain small parts or detachable components that toddlers can accidentally swallow. The goal at this age is to provide one-year-olds with safe, fun, and educational toys that will challenge them but that they can also figure out and master. These 16 toys for 1-year-olds are a huge hit with both parents and the little ones they love.
1A Travel-Friendly Classical Music Introduction For Toddlers
Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes Musical Toy, $8, Amazon
This musical toy is a total delight for the senses: it promotes music appreciation and auditory development by introducing children to music by Mozart, Chopin, Vivaldi, and Rossini. Toddlers can choose among seven classical melodies and watch colored lights dance along the screen throughout each tune.
2Colorful Stacking Toys That Help Develop Hand-Eye Coordination
Homder The First Years Nesting & Stacking Up Cups, $12, Amazon
This classic stacker toy teaches number and color recognition and helps to develop hand-eye coordination skills. It comes with 10 stacking cups, one random animal (a frog, rabbit, tiger, or bear), and can be used in and out of the bath.
3A Tactile Bumpy Ball That Improves Focus And Strengthens Their Grasp
Sassy Developmental Bumpy Ball, $5, Amazon
The textures, sound effects, and various materials used to design this developmental bumpy ball make it the perfect toy for curious little hands. The bright colors and patterns help strengthen their vision and improve focus, while the chunky balls let them easily practice transferring the object from one hand to another and maintaining a firm grasp on it.
4A Sweet Bath-Time Octopus Toy For Hand-Eye Coordination
Nuby Octopus Hoopla Bathtime Fun Toys, $6, Amazon
The sooner you can get your little one comfortable in the bath, the better, and this adorable octopus bath toy can help. It includes one octopus that floats on water and three rings that can be tossed around its tentacles, which can help hand-eye coordination. It's also BPA0free, which alleviates stress when your 1-year-old decides to gnaw on a tentacle (which will happen).
5A Set Of Colorful Blocks That Test A Toddler's Problem-Solving Skills
Fisher-Price Baby's First Blocks, $10, Amazon
If these baby blocks look familiar, it may be because you owned something just like it when you were a toddler. This classic toy continues to be a popular one because children love sorting, stacking, and dropping different shapes into the bucket. It helps them learn about colors and shapes and tests out their problem-solving skills.
6Mega-Size Building Blocks That Encourage Exploration
Mega Bloks 80-Piece Big Building Bag, $14, Amazon
This incredible 80-piece building block set comes in a travel-friendly bag and encourages hands-on exploration and hours of independent creative play. The pieces are big enough to fit in little hands and are compatible with all other Mega Bloks sets, so it's the perfect introduction to your collection.
7Interactive Soft Books That Are As Fun As They Are Educational
ToBeReadyForLife Soft Books For Babies, $15, Amazon
Kick off a life-long love of reading with your child by getting these interactive soft books, which are made out of cloth and have engaging colors, designs, textures, and sounds on each page. They're stitched up tight to endure every pull and tug, are washable, have a carrying handle, and are non-toxic.
8A Musical Light-Up Nursery Rhyme Book For Fine Motor Skills
VTech Musical Rhymes Book, $11, Amazon
This interactive nursery rhyme book builds fine motor skills and fosters a love for words and music with six classic nursery rhyme tales and more than 40 songs. There are even buttons that teach the sounds of various instruments and a light-up star that flashes with each exciting sound.
9An Activity Cube That Teaches Numbers And Animal Sounds
VTech Busy Learners Activity Cube, $17, Amazon
This five-sided activity cube keeps children busy as they learn about letters and animal sounds. They can listen to 25 songs and melodies, and engage with 14 interactive features that strengthen fine motor skills. The best part: it comes already assembled and is made with safe BPA-free materials.
10A Singing, Talking Pull-And-Push Puppy That Builds Gross Motor Skills
VTech Pull And Sing Puppy, $22, Amazon
You'll be hard-pressed to find a cuter, or more educational pet than this interactive Pull and Sing Puppy, with its colorful number buttons and puppy and music sounds that include more than 60 songs, melodies, phrases, and sounds. This pooch can improve your toddler's speech and build gross motor skills.
11A Classic Hammer Toy From Yesteryear
Hape First Pounder Toddler Wooden Hammer Toy, $11, Amazon
Another classic toy from yesteryear, this wooden hammer and peg toy is an update on a classic and one that develops coordination and fine motor skills each time your child hammers a peg into place. Flip over the toy and you're ready to start again. Bonus: it's made out of wood sourced from an environmentally sustainable forest and non-toxic finishes.
12A Personal Amusement Park Attraction For Physical Play
Viciviya Kids Play Tent With Tunnel, $36, Amazon
Rainy day play doesn't have to be stationary. This play tent is a great way to encourage activity indoors. It includes a ball pit, tunnel, and tent. It's lightweight and has a foldable design and is made with eco-friendly materials that are washable. Toddlers will love bouncing, hiding, and playing make believe in their own personal amusement park attraction — but it should be noted that balls are not included, and adult supervision is recommended.
13A Fun Travel Toy That Teaches Life Skills
Buckle Toys Bongo, $25, Amazon
Clip this travel companion to a stroller, diaper bag, or car seat and help your little one develop fine motor, cognitive, and life skills with this adorable plush toy. It features six brightly colored buckles they can test out for themselves and a zipper pocket adorned with numbers and shapes.
14Assembled Colored Beads That Promote Independent Play
Fun Little Toys Assembled Beads, $15, Amazon
Toddlers will spend endless amounts of independent play time manipulating these assembled beads. In the process, they'll enhance fine motor and early math skills and learn to recognize colors and fruits.
15A Walker With A Removable Play Panel That Plays Music
VTech Sit-To-Stand Learning Walker, $30, Amazon
As your little one takes those precious first steps, you can help eliminate frustrations and build their self-esteem with this interactive and fun sit-to-stand learning walker. The removable play panel has five piano keys that play music, shape sorters, spinning rollers, a fake phone, and three light-up buttons to build motor skills. And, of course, toddlers learning to walk can hang onto its handle and take their toy for a spin.
16A Learning Laptop That Teaches Shapes, Objects, Music, And Emotions
VTech Baby's Learning Laptop, $22, Amazon
Toddlers love to mimic their parents, so providing a little one with their very own interactive laptop will keep them busy and engaged. This one has nine large keyboard buttons ideal for small hands, a moveable mouse, and engaging lessons on objects, emotions, phrases, shapes, and music.
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