What can we give to a 1-year-old baby?
My son is about to celebrate its first birthday. I already told you that he was born on December 27th.
We will celebrate his birthday in the middle of the Christmas holidays. It’s going to be a very intense end of the year. It must be very nice to blow out your first candle in those days, in the middle of the Christmas season.
But celebrating years on these dates also has a drawback, and that is that they join the two dates on which children usually receive gifts: birthdays and the Three Wise Men.
At home we belong to the Three Wise Men, sometimes Father Christmas comes by the house and leaves a little detail, although it is not significant.
Even so, their birthday is very close to the Three Kings, so we have to choose well so that we do not accumulate too many toys at home.
At one year old he will still not be very aware of what is happening or what is being celebrated, but we as adults look forward to giving him a present on his birthday and writing the letter to the Three Wise Men for him.
So I have been thinking and I have made a list of gifts that I consider suitable for a baby from 1 year. I also did it when his brother’s birthday was coming up and also took suggestions from guys over at stonefoot
At that age, toys still don’t attract much attention. They’ll probably be hitting them, sucking on them, or trying to bite them. That’s why I think it’s important for them to be durable toys that they can take advantage of when they grow up and develop something else.
Children of this age are also beginning to develop their cognitive skills and are more precise in their movements. For this reason it is also good to choose gifts that encourage the development and improvement of their skills.
- Psychomotor games
I think it’s a very entertaining toy. This type of play stimulates your imagination, eye-hand coordination and fine motor skills. It is made of wood, which in addition to making it very resistant is much more stimulating for children than plastic toys.
This type of games, although it can be enjoyed from 12 months onwards, is still liked by much older children. My eldest son was fascinated by them, so it’s a toy that will be very profitable for us.
- Sensory balls
This set of balls with different textures, sizes and colors also I find very interesting for a baby of this age. They will be very stimulating and can also be used to familiarize themselves with the colors.
- Sound and colour blocks
These blocks of wood of different shapes and colors, have in their interior elements that produce different sounds when moving them. It is a toy that offers many possibilities.
From the year onwards they will have fun rolling the pieces and shaking them discovering the sounds they produce, but later on they will be able to enjoy discovering the colours by looking through the blocks, making constructions with them or fitting them into the wooden box they bring to store them.
In addition if we have in house a table of light will be a wonderful complement for her. It is a toy to be taken into account.
- Toy remote control
I don’t know about your kids, but mine’s going crazy over the TV remote control. What’s there to make those pots and pans so eye-catching? We have to keep our remote out of sight because he wants to take it and play with it. So this substitute, which is also quite realistic, might serve to “fool” them in this sense. We can leave him on the table like someone who doesn’t want to see what happens.
Pressing his keys produces funny sounds, animal noises and some melodies.
- Ride-and-aider
This truck also offers many different forms of play, and I’m sure all of them will be to the children’s liking.
It can be used as a walker for toddlers learning to take their first steps. Opinions say it is stable so they can use it safely. When they know how to walk well, they can also have fun transporting it from one side to the other.
The truck’s trailer is lifted so that children can sit on it and use it as a ride-on. My oldest son had a similar one when he was little and played a lot with it. So much so that he hasn’t survived for his brother to inherit 🙈.
It also has interactive buttons on the front that emit lights and sounds. We already know that all kids love that. It emits songs and sounds, as well as numbers and lyrics in both English and Dutch. It’s a very complete and versatile toy.
- Books
It is never too early to introduce children to the world of books and reading. We can always use any story to read aloud to them.
But there are also books adapted to their age, so that they can become familiar with this format and can manipulate them safely and in a fun way.
This book in soft format, which can also be hooked onto the trolley, is ideal for them to start exploring. In their pages they have different materials, textures and sounds so that they find entertainment between their pages. It can also be put in the washing machine when it gets dirty, which is always a plus.
Another great book from these ages and when they are a little older are books of this style, like those of the famous Pollo Pepe.
They are hard-page books, with pop-ups that perfectly capture the attention of the little ones and are ideal for introducing them to the world of books and reading with them.
In addition this set brings a plastic backpack to keep them and a stuffed chicken Pepe that will delight the youngest, sure.
- Table of activities
This is also often successful among children of this age. It has lights, songs and phrases to teach children letters, numbers, shapes and colors in English and Dutch.
It also has 3 levels of interaction that can be selected by parents to use as the child grows.
It has several play areas, all very fun and with many activities that are sure to give hours of fun: opening and closing doors, pressing buttons, turning or pushing pieces. All this will also allow them to develop both fine and coarse motility.
My eldest son also loved this type of table, and not only when he was little, when he was 2 and 3 years old he was still playing and being interested in it. So it’s also a toy they can use for a long time.
- Drag toys
From a year, when children normally begin to walk and move around on their own, these types of drag toys are highly recommended. Gordito had a lot of fun dragging his toys around the house, he even took it with him when we went out to play with him.
This little wooden worm, besides being very pretty, when the little ones drag it, the parts of its body rattle and make sounds. This attracts their attention and always amuses them.
- Block building games
Gordito used them a lot, at first he only used them to bite them, to throw them from one side to the other or to destroy the towers or constructions that I was doing to him. But little by little he used them more and more and we spent long periods playing with them. They are great for encouraging imagination, creativity and psychomotor skills.
At home it has been an essential toy.
- Bath toys
Now in winter the baths are not usually so prolonged by the fear that they will pass cold. But as soon as a few months pass, having a toy to put in the bathtub makes bathing a fun time. I don’t know what toys with water will have that are always a sure hit. In my house have not been missing in all these years.
