Are you looking the best first birthday gifts ideas that are not just cute but that your one year old will actually play with? Whether you’re looking for a first birthday gift for your baby or someone else’s, shopping for a one-year-old’s birthday gift can be tricky. You want something fun, durable, and ideally, something they’ll enjoy playing with longer than a few weeks. Now that my toddler has grown into a curious and active two-year-old, I can confidently say some of his first birthday gifts have truly stood the test of time! Here are 10 first birthday gifts my toddler still loves and plays with a year later- and why they’re worth every penny!
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The Best First Birthday Gifts Ideas Your Baby will Still Love a Year Later (my 2 year old still plays with these toys!)
1. Step 2 Push Car Stroller
This push car stroller substitute has been an absolute lifesaver for walks and outings. Not only does my toddler love pretending to “drive,” but it also keeps him engaged with its steering wheel and horn. It’s easy to maneuver and has storage space for snacks and toys, making it a win for parents too. It’s also super light weight, easy to push and steer, and easily packs into the car for outings. This is hands down the best baby purchase we have made! It’s also super durable so it will definitely be able to be enjoyed by a future sibling.
2. Little People Farm Playset
The Little People Farm Playset has sparked hours of imaginative play and is one of my toddler’s favorite toys! We almost never put this toy away whwn we toy rotations because my toddler always wants it out. It comes with adorable chunky animals and interactive play elements like opening doors, a slide, ringing bell, music, and sounds. This toy has grown with my toddler’s creativity; I love that he know feeds all the animals corn and creates scenarios. It’s super durable and easy to clean—two big pluses in my book. This Little People set definitely stands up to toddler life and will easily last for years to come. This toy definitely earns it spot on this Best First Birthday Gifts Ideas list!
3. Pickler’s Triangle Gym (Montessori Style)
This Montessori Pickler’s Triangle Gym is a great indoor play set. My toddler actually uses it more now at 2, then we got it for him at 1 year old. The set is made of durable wood and the pieces can be used separately or combined. We use this to climb, slide, rock, crawl, and even create blanket tents. It’s been fantastic for developing gross motor skills and encouraging active play indoors. We live in a small apartment and the pieces are easily storable when not in use. You can also play with this outdoors.
4. Little Tikes My First Fridge
This mini fridge has been such a hit in our home! My toddler has played with it almost every single day over this past year. We live in a very small apartment so a big play kitchen was out of the question but, this My First Fridge is the perfect size for small spaces. The lights and sounds make it feel realistic, and the ice cubes really dispense out which is so fun! It’s ’s been a great way to store all of our play food (it has a lot of space inside) and has been excellent for imaginative play. Highly recommend! This is definitely belongs on the first birthday gifts your toddler will still love a year later list!
5. VTech Smart Shots Sports Center
Whether your little one wants to score baskets or kick goals, the VTech Sports Center will have them moving and giggling. It also teaches counting and motor skills with interactive lights and sounds. My toddler loves the positice reinforcement sounds every time he makes a basket or kicks the soccer ball into the goal! A year later, he’s still playing with it and I love that it has a small footprint.
6. Mickey Mouse Ride-On Airplane
This ride-on airplane toy is a fun combination of movement and imagination. My toddler loves zooming around the house while pressing buttons to hear the different sound effects. The hidden storage under the seat is an extra bonus for stashing small toys. It also has realistic airplane sounds and the propeller spins. Ride on toys are great for developing balance, coordination and gross motor skills.
7. Step 2 Waterfalls Water Table
This Step 2 water table is such amazing! You will not regret buying this for your one year old! This water table is sturdy, versatile, and provides an amazing sensory experience for your little one. It will keep your child so engaged and entertained! They can pour, scoop, splash, and watch the water fall or experiment with the wheels and gears. This water table is an everyday staple in our outdoor play space! In the cooler months we switched out the water for sand and added in sand tools. It comes with buckets, water cups, and other sensory tools. When you pour water on the top it rains down like a waterfall. We accidentally left this out all winter and there is no damage whatsoever. This is truly a great birthday gift to receive or give!
8. Playskool Sit and Spin
The Sit and Spin is a classic for a reason! It’s simple, fun, and helps develop balance and coordination. My toddler loves spinning himself now that he has the strength and coordination. At 1 year old he loved this toy so much and could not get enough! He did need help with balancing and spinning at first though. This toy is high quality and you really can’t go wrong. Let your little one spin and whitl to their heart’s content. This is a great way to get the wiggles and giggles out, especially on a rainy day!
9. Spin & Sprinkles Water Lab Bath Toy
My toddler loves bath time and always has! This bath toy makes bath time extra exciting! This water lab bath toy encourages sensory play and STEM exploration with spinning gears, scoops, and sprinkling water. It’s been a bath-time staple from day one. Your little one will love how interactive it is and the suction cups are nice and strong. With funnels, spins, waterfalls and sprays this will surely keep your munchkin entertained in the tub!
10. Soft Ball Pit
My toddler loved playing in his ball pit as a baby and still now as a toddler! We have a soft ball pit that has a removable, washable cover. It’s great for jumping, and playing and helps develop gross motor skills. My toddler also loves lounging in his ball pit and looking at books. We love these bigger sized ball pit balls! They hold up really well, and can’t fit inside little mouths. They also take up more space meaning you need less of them. A win in my book!
More AMAZING First Birthday Gifts Ideas
11. Giant Ring Stacker
My baby absolutely loves this ring stacker! And still plays with it as a toddler! This is a jumbo version of the classic Fisher Price ring stacker. It’s sturdy with vibrant colors, and has a wobbly base for added fun. This is a great toy that enhances fine motor skills, gross motor skills, problem solving, and hand-eye coordination. This forst birthday gift will stand the test of time.
12. Little People Princess Castle Set
We gifted this Little People set to a cousin for her first birthday and it was such a hit! She took it everywhere. Its adorable and durable with interactive play elements. You really can’t go wrong with Fisher-Price Little People Sets, that’s why there’s 3 of them on this list of best first birthday gifts ideas!
13. Little People Car Garage
Another Little People favorite, the Car Garage Playset, lets my toddler explore imaginative play while “fixing” his toy cars. The interactive features, like the car ramo slide, elevator, and sounds keep them entertained for long stretches. It also comes with an adorable car that the hood opens and can be “fixed” with the included pretend tools. This is perfect for car lovers and is very durable with many years of life ahead.
14. Lovevery Babbler Kit
The Lovevery Babbler Kit is an amazing collection of developmental toys designed for growing toddlers. This kit provides endless learning opportunities with its curated selection of open ended play activities. My toddler’s favorite part is the sleek and slide ball run, and the quality is fantastic! It has definitely stood the test of time. You can get just this one kit on Amazon without having to buy a subscription. But if you do want to subscribe, I can tell you it’s one of those investments I’ve never regretted. The toys are educational, developmentally appropriate, and built to last.
15. Leapfrog My first 100 words book
I didn’t include this in my top 10 solely because I got it for my son when he was 4 months old, well before his first birthday, but this was hands down his favorite toy! He still loves to use it now at 2 years old in the car and at restaurants, making it a great travel toy. I love how educational this talking word book is. It enriches your child in language and exposes them to new vocabulary while being an interactive experience. We have gifted this several times as first birthday gifts and were surprised to soo how many people didn’t already own it. This toy book combo is so great for speech development, I highly reccommend!
16. Bubble Mower
My child has been obsessed with this bubble Mower since the day he got it! Bubble mowers are great for strengthening gross motor skills like walking and pushing. They also enhance fine motor skills and visual tracking when chasing and popping bubbles and foster imaginative play . This bubble mower is still going strong a year and a half later! Just pour in bubble solution and push it around. Bubbles come playfully out – no batteries required! You can also check out this battery free bubble mower on Amazon.
17. Little Einstein Curiosity Table
The Baby Einstein Curiosity Table is so adorable and has so many features! My baby loved the sound mixing the best. The activiity table has a working light bulb, moving gears that you can move around, sound mixing, color mixing, a flip book and more.
18. Board Books
We absolutely love getting books as gifts and love gifting them! You can never go wrong with the gift of books. Here are some great board books for babies options for one year olds:
- Little Blue Truck – This is a gift set of 2 books!
- Chika Chika Boom Boom
- Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar
- Never Touch The Monsters
- Where’s Spot
- LLama Llama Red Pajama
- Learn To Talk
- My First Words Collection – a 3 book set!
Looking for more board books for babies? Check out these board books that promote language development!
19. My First Crayons
We love these easy grip my first crayons by Crayola! They are suitable for 12 months and up and are a great size for little hands. The shape makes them easier to grasp and I love that they don’t have any paper on them. The set comes with 24 colors and are also nontoxic and washable. My toddler still uses these crayons – yes, they have lasted over a year now! Definitely worth the purchase in my book!
20. My First Scribble Book
This My First Scribble Book for one year olds was one of the best things I ever bought. Yes, it’s just a book of blank paper the size of a coloring book but, my baby loved scribbling in it! We used up every page until there was no more space. What I love about it is, once it’s full you now have a keepsake of all your baby’s first drawings in one place. The pages are thick and sturdy and scribbling is so beneficial for your child. It helps develop fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, cause and effect, and fosters creativity and early literacy skills. Pair this with the set of My First Crayons and you have a great first birthday gift for one year olds.
Why These First Birthday Gifts Ideas Are Worth It
Each of these gifts offers more than just entertainment—they promote developmental skills, foster creativity, and encourage active and imaginitve play. These first birthday gifts have grown with my toddler, evolving from simple fun to tools for learning and exploration. If you’re shopping for a first birthday gift that will last, you can’t go wrong with these tried-and-true favorites, tested by a real first-time baby, toddler, and mom! What are your go-to gifts that have stood the test of time? Let me know in the comments!
