30 toys for one-year-olds that engage, inspire, and last.
This collection of toys for one-year-olds brought me so much joy as I put it together!
As I added each toy to the list, memories of chubby little hands and the early years flooded my mind.
Not only are these toys that my three boys enjoyed, but many of them are still around (and used) today!
These are the 30 toys for one-year-olds that your kids will love and help create memorable moments of play in the early years for you all!
RELATED: Use these toys with this activity list for one-year-olds!
What are good toys for one-year-olds?
When picking toys to gift a friend or my toddler, I consider a few essential things.
I want my one-year-old to engage in learning through play to stimulates the mind and sense. I want a toy that allows my baby to solve problems and discover new connections to the world around them.
Get ready to set the stage for play!
One-year-olds need toys that:
- stack
- roll
- make a sound – without pushing an electronic button
- stimulate the senses
- twist
- push
- pull
- have texture
- engage gross motor muscles
- require coordination
- stimulate hand-eye coordination
- inspire pretend play
- encourage natural curiosity
Take it from me, mom of three, that these toys for one-year-olds are spectacular and will be around for a long time! I picked these toys for one-year-olds with the brain development of one-year-olds in mind!
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These toys will encourage mental, physical, and emotional growth.
This toddler toy list will also set the stage for learning through play every day! Use this list with our toddler toy list to find the perfect additions!
Let’s dive in.
SoftScape Toddler Playtime Corner Climber
This playtime corner climber comes in various colors and helps young children climb, crawl, and slide. This play helps strengthen big muscles that will eventually help with walking, running, and throwing. Great for indoor play at home, and in my opinion, a lot more ideal than a ball pit.
Fat Brain Toys InnyBin
Encourage conversations about 3D shapes and colors with this baby toy! One-year-olds and toddlers experiment and discover as they strengthen small hand muscles grasping each form. Designed for little hands and problem-solving!
Plush Elmo Doll
Move over, Talking Elmo! I am looking for a simple plush toy my child will adore but won’t talk to me for hours. In my experience, Elmo is a hit 99.9% of the time. Elmo still lingers on my older child’s bed. He’s a classic hit!
Plush Cookie Monster
My youngest took a “loving” to Cookie Monster, and I find it adorable. He still looks for Cookie at three and loves cuddling up with his plush Cookie Monster in bed.
Indestructibles: Baby, See the Colors!
A baby book that is chew-proof, nontoxic, and washable? YES, please! These books come in various titles and are perfect for on the go. Great to read and wipe down at restaurants as your family waits on food. Toss this book in your baby bag!
Peek-a-Boo Forest Soft Book
When I was pregnant with my first son, a friend gifted this sweet book to us. It is wonderful! It is filled with soft pages and a charming forest to inspire even your youngest reader.
Mobi Zippee
This is such a fun sensory toy for babies! Pull the cords to hear and feel the different vibrations. Zippee states that it speaks and keeps a baby/toddler’s curiosity while narrowing in on developmental play creating connections within their brain.
Little Tikes Rocking Horse
Let’s get moving with the Little Tikes Rocking Horse. Fun for indoor or outdoor play. The best thing about this toy is you can easily toss it in the back of your car for a trip to the park or grandparents’ house. Fun on the go!
Grimm’s Stacker Toy
I know Grimm’s toys are on the pricier end, so I try to limit how many items I share. Grimm’s products are of excellent quality, and the color will last. This classic is timeless and is shared with the next generation! It includes simple math play and imaginary ideas. It is bright, colorful, and a forever toy on my list!
Melissa and Doug Unit Blocks
Cheers to unit blocks and the endless amounts of open-ended play they bring! Unit blocks can entertain babies and still be played with well after your child turns seven. You are going to have to trust me on this one. These wooden blocks help with play perseverance, spatial sense, communication, planning ideas, problem-solving, and SO MUCH MORE!
Manhattan Toy Skwish Color Burst Rattle and Teether
Babies love this toy! It is perfect for flights or long car rides to buy yourself some time between snacks and naps. A great addition to your grab-and-go toy collection!
Radio Flyer Wagon
This baby walker is a fun way to get your one-year-old up and to move. The furniture-friendly bumper protects your home as your little one strengthens their legs and core. Classic design and doubles as toy storage!
Musical Instruments
This five-piece set includes a 17-inch ukulele, tambourine, clapper, rattle, and rainmaker—a great startup set to introduce kids to music. Your kid will love this so much; they will never want to put these instruments down. You can place them in a bin when you need a few moments of quiet.
Wooden Pull Toy
Your baby will develop fine motor strength when grasping the soft fruit! Easy to store and a fun way to learn colors, discover new textures, and spark imaginary play!
Soft Fruit Basket
Develop fine motor strength when grasping the soft fruit! Easy to store and a fun way to learn colors, discover new textures, and spark up imaginary play!
Bath Buckets
Use these five buckets with three different sprinkle effects in the bathtub or for outdoor water play. Adorable design with easy-to-grab handles!
Stacking Bath Boats
These plastic stacking boats are designed with wide decks for scooping and pouring water. Dry them after use and stack them for easy storage.
Spin Again Stacking Toy
Encourage hand-eye coordination, cause-and-effect, motor movement, textures, and tactile exploration. The bright colors reinforce visual recognition skills and promote counting as your one-year-old spins and stacks the disks.
Mega Bloks
We were gifted Mega Bloks on my oldest son’s first birthday, and boy was that a fantastic gift! Guess what the kids still pull out and play? Yep, Mega Bloks. Perfect for constructing, sorting, stacking, building, and collaborating with multiple children. If you don’t have Mega Bloks in your toy collection, add them this holiday season.
Tobble Toys
Balance, nest, spin, and stack! I love this toy for encouraging curiosity and inspiring young minds to problem solve. Great for grabbing and grasping to strengthen small hand muscles.
First Baby Doll
These soft baby dolls come in a diverse collection of skin tones. The toy dolls are adorable and cuddly. Manhattan Toy Company has been around since 1978 and cares about its customers.
Hape Pound and Tap Bench
We adore this pound and tap bench from Hape! Making noise and stimulating sound without pushing a button that lights up is high on our list. This is an excellent toy for your one-year-old!
Rainbow Caterpillar
This colorful caterpillar is excellent for long car trips or simple play at home. My oldest child and dad played with this toy every morning to help build hand strength and recognize colors. We love this toy by Melissa and Doug!
Green Toys Dump Truck
We have a collection of Green Toys in our transportation bin that will forever be on repeat. Green Toys last and come in a sizeable variety-from seaplane to fire trucks- we love these vehicles!
Green Toys Tugboat
Yep! Another win by Green Toys. We use this tugboat in the bathtub. This colorful boat is also made from recycled plastic and is also dishwasher safe. It makes it so easy to keep it clean for the health of my kids!
Touchy-Feely Books
Bring us all the touchy-feely books! We adore these and have used them over the years with all of our boys. This book makes a terrific gift for your one-year-old.
Toy Keys
Toy keys have a five-star review from all three of my kids. Each of them likes to use the toy keys in their imaginary play as they zip around the house. Toys keys make a great gift for a friend or your child.
I loved making this toy list for one-year-olds!
Which toy will you add to your baby holiday gifting list this year?
