A whole year in the world, and how far they’ve come! Newly minted toddlers are busy pushing, pulling, stacking, poking, shaking and tipping things all over the place. They love getting around – whether it’s on foot, with a walker or cruising on a ride-on. So now is the perfect time to give them some of those key ‘milestone’ toys that they’ll use for years.
Here are our top gift ideas for one-year-olds.
- Opening And Closing Things
- Pressing Buttons
- Pointing
- Mimicking
- Banging, Poking & Shaking Things
- Standing
- Cruising
- Tipping Things Out Of Containers
- Saying First Words
- Walking (Maybe!)
- Push / Pull Alongs
- Cars, Trucks And Trains
- Baby Crayons
- Shape Sorter
- Shakers & Musical Toys
- Stacking Blocks
- Activity Table
- Toy Pram
- Walker
- Wagon
- First Ride-On
- Soft Ball
- Bath Toys
- Nesting Objects
- Bead Maze
- Toy Phone
See ’em, stack ’em!
Tiger Tribe Totem Stackers Pets ($40)
Sweeter-than-sweet stackables with darling animal faces (one side awake, one side asleep). Contrasting textures and chunky pieces make for a tactile play for toddlers. We love the lumpy bumpy silicone for kiddies to touch and feel.
Friends that fit
Janod Shape Sorter ($49.95)
An impossibly cute twist on a traditional shape sorter, toddlers search for the holes that perfectly fit their animal friends. Then tip them out and start again!
Petit Picasso
Easi Grip Pebble Crayons ($4.95)
Crafted for perfecting the all-important pincer grip, these rainbow-coloured crayons make learning to draw fun and easy for pint-sized Picassos.
Triangular tunes
EverEarth Flip Triangle Music Set ($39.95)
A double-sided musical must-have for toddlers who love to make a tune. With a xylophone, spinners, drum, glockenspiel and mallets it’s a beautiful sensory experience.
Beautiful buttons
Fat Brain Toys Dimpl Duo Sensory Toy ($49.95)
A double-sided gem, one side of this sensory toy is embossed with shapes and labelled with the matching word. Flip it over and the silicone buttons are smooth with words matching their colours.
Colin the camper
Indigo Jamm Colin Walker Wagon ($170)
A walker with supreme cute-factor, the Colin Walker Van has beach-cred, a sturdy surfboard-shaped handle and comes with 14 wooden shapes and blocks to take along for the ride.
Egg-cellent fun
Tomy Hide & Seek Eggs ($17.95)
Young egg-splorers at the ready, what’s hiding in the shells? Crack them open to find funny faces and bright colours, then find their shape to put them back in the right spot.
Pretty birdie
Hape Baby Bird Pull Along ($32.95)
A colourful pull-along with oodles of charm. Pull the cord and watch birdie flap her wings ready to fly.
Stack, sort, twist and turn!
Janod Wooden Forest Activity Table ($134.95)
Busy one-year-olds are all about exploring, and this activity table has so many surprises waiting to be discovered. From the stackable animals to the snail maze, porcupine cogs and shape sorter, it’s four activities in one.
Stacks of fun
Le Toy Van ABC Wooden Blocks ($74.95)
A colourful block set that combines learning and playing. Each block represents a number, a letter of the alphabet and an object for kids to conquer. Sort and stack the blocks high, count up to ten or practise the alphabet while you build. The play possibilities are endless.
Blocks for building
Done by Deer Stacking Cubes ($39.95)
Blocks that stack from big to small, build them high and watch them fall. With numbers on one side and iconic Done by Deer illustrations on the others, when not in use the blocks double as nursery decor.
Push and play
Moover White Dolls Pram ($79.95)
Beautifully crafted and built to last generations, the Moover Dolls Pram is the perfect height for toddling tots on the move.
Pretty pull-along
HipKids Wooden Teddy Pull-Along ($35.95)
A little friend to follow wherever they may go. A ‘beary’ cute guy in his car ready for adventures, lovingly handmade from raw beech wood, just pull him along and away he goes.
Whicker wonder
Tiny Harlow Rattan Toy Wagon ($179)
Big enough to haul a gaggle of toys and ethically made from bang-on-trend rattan, this wagon is ready for play and display.
Find more gift ideas:
We’ve collected a treasure trove of amazing gift ideas, from the latest must-haves from leading brands to the quirky boutique finds. There’s something for every little Piper, Noah and Charlotte.
Gift guides based on play and development, not gender.
- What to buy a 3-6 month old
- What to buy a 6-12 month old
- What to buy a 1 year old
- What to buy an 18 month old
- What to buy a 2 year old
- What to buy a 3 year old
- What to buy a 4 year old
- What to buy a 5 year old
- What to buy a 6+ year old
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This curated gift guide includes sponsored and affiliate inclusions. See our Disclosure Policy.