Toys for a 1 Yr old

[jacksmomtobe]

Any recommendations for toys for a 1 year old. I prefer non-noisy toys. We have the Leap Frog table which DS likes & is ok by me eventhogh it is electronic. I would appreciate any recommendations as ds's Birthday is approaching.

Thank You!

[brittone2]

My DS just turned 1 a few weeks ago. I can share what things are popular around here, but overall, he's still mostly fond of "found" household items like pots and pans. Pretend play doesn't kick in until around 18 months, but you can always buy items that involve pretend play for down the road.

Items he has recently become quite interested in include:

Shape sorter (we have a simple 3-shape plastic one and a more complex Melissa and Doug one...the M&D he likes just putting things in and out w/ lid removed, and playing on/off w/ the lid for now)

Bead Maze

3-shape giant peg puzzle by Lights, Camera, Interaction (triangle, square, circle). He has shown interest in this for about 2 months now.

Loves ring stack toys. We have a Wood N Things one from Michaels craft store that he adores. We have a few other different "styles" of ring stack toys and he likes them all. He can now do several of them by himself.

Basic ride on toy...we received a John Deere Tractor style ride on toy (seat vibrates so it feels like he is "mowing" ) that we push DS around on. I'd personally preferred a very simple one, lower to the ground, etc. but he enjoys us pushing him. By 15-18 months most kids are interested in a simple ride-on toy. Some people on here have purchased Kettler Trikes for their child's 1st bday (can be used w/ a pushbar). I'll probably get DS one next Christmas when he'll be about 22 months or so. If your DS isn't walking yet, a sturdy walker wagon or pushtoy might be useful. (DS will use his shopping cart style one but just isn't that into it).

Balls-if you haven't checked them out, look at Gertie balls (love the knobby one), O-balls, etc. DS loves to chase his around and is starting to try to throw them to us. Felted wool balls, especially if they jingle are nice :)

A very simple doll is good...something to grow into, but it can be nice for boys or girls.

Thomas stuff-DS doesn't do much with his yet but does occasionally push a train around on the floor. This is a good item to grow into if you buy a basic set. A lot of moms have said by 18 months or even a little earlier their kids showed some interest. We bought a starter set of track from Ikea and added a few extra Thomas items to it. Again...something to grow into.

Wooden cutting food by Melissa and Doug. DS likes pulling the pieces apart and tries to imitate cutting the food as well although he can't do it yet. A good item that can grow with them. One of the items in the cutting food box has small pieces that could be choked on but the other items are all pretty large.

Music set-got this for DS for Christmas and he still plays with it. You can buy inexpensive instrument sets or buy individual items. We bought a basic set w/ maracas, a tambourine, a musical triangle (DS loved this right away), etc. We also bought him a set of jingle bells (large...too big to choke on) mounted to a leather strap. He loves to shake them. Another item with lasting play appeal, although some parts are small or could break off if you aren't there to supervise.

Big sturdy truck/car type toy-DS has a big wooden truck we scored for $5 at Tuesday Morning. It is probably a foot long and 9-10 inches high. He has some interest in this.

We aren't into them here, but Little People sets are popular for one year olds. You don't have to put the batteries in if you'd prefer hem to be more quiet ;)

Books (especially lift the flap or touch and feel books), bubbles, crayons (most kids start marking paper w/ crayons around 13 months or so, although they are usually more interested in eating the crayons).

Things on our list to buy in the next few months: sandbox, a toddler slide, wading pool, play kitchen, and we just bought a Learning Tower.

HTH.

[californiagirl]

DD just turned one. She loves:

Almost any stacking toy. It's best if you can stack the pieces in any order (and, by the way, the Tomy stacker lies about this, you can't really). Nesting cups are particularly good, especially the Parents magazine buckets.

The Tomy shape sorter -- the only one she even thinks about using as intended (we also have a Lego one, and she kind of enjoys it as a bucket, but the shape sorting doesn't work for her and the pieces are too easy to get apart when they're stacked).

Duplo (we put it together, she takes it apart and then shoves the pieces in things). For her big birthday present, we splashed out on one of the school Duplo sets from Discount School Supply (very fast shipping!).

The Radio Flyer walker wagon her grandfather got her, although she thinks of it as a sort of a chair.

Musical instruments of all types -- she still is enraptured by her Fisher Price Toddlin' Tunes Puppy, which she's loved for about 6 months now!

Bead mazes.

Measuring spoons (she has her own, from Target's $1 rack, which came with a measuring cup with a top -- the best entertainment value ever).

Books you can feel.