Gift Ideas for a One Year Old Baby Girl
the toy matrix
The Only Toy Gift Guide for a 1-Year-One-time Y'all'll Ever Demand
Photo-Illustration: Photo-Illustration: Stevie Remsberg; Photos: Courtesy of the retailers
You know about New York Magazine'due south "Approval Matrix ." Now, the Strategist has taken that model of what falls where on our taste hierarchies and applied it to toys . In this case, the 4 sides of the grid are "Educational" (say, rainbow nesting blocks ), "Brain Candy" ( a toy train), "Reasonably Priced," and "Splurgy ." Each toy in each quadrant comes highly recommended — click here to learn more about our sourcing process and the dozens of experts involved — and every age upwards to double digits is covered, all of which y'all tin see by clicking hither .
Now let'southward begin with the 1-year-olds. The cardinal to pleasing this age, nosotros learned, is in finding toys that volition stimulate and surprise their growing minds. "Babies' brains develop so rapidly — something similar a 1000000 neural connections per second," points out Sarah MacLaughlin, a child-development adept and the author ofWhat Non to Say: Tools for Talking With Young Children. "To go on them interested, you have to add sensory or mobility features to the mix." Shannon Lockhart, a manager of early on-childhood practical practices at HighScope, an early-childhood-education inquiry foundation, agrees: "The more senses that you can appeal to within an feel, the more learning is going to happen."
To that end come the following 29 suggestions, with input from professionals like MacLaughlin and Lockhart likewise as a range of other discerning shoppers, from many-time grandparents to the vocalizer-actress-mom Jordin Sparks. You lot tin leap directly to the department that interests you nearly — "Educational–Reasonably Priced," "Educational-Splurgy," "Brain Candy–Reasonably Priced," or "Brain Candy–Splurgy" — or read all the way through to get the total picture of what kids are into these days. Whether you lot're shopping for a altogether or a vacation or any other twenty-four hours, information technology's a list that keeps on giving.
For kids who love music — and hitting things — this 2-in-one toy ought to exist, well, a hit. The multifunctional bench features a pullout xylophone and 3 wooden balls that can be banged on with a mallet. One time they're pushed through, the balls either land on the xylophone to create a pleasing tune or simply roll downward the ramp to be fetched. Remove the xylophone from the demote and you lot have a stand up-alone musical instrument. Publicist and mother of two Sonya Li Casino says her now-3-twelvemonth-quondam son loved it so much, "I ended upwards purchasing it for a few other ane-year-olds."
It'due south never too early on to starting time affirming your kids, which is exactly what these fun flash cards are for. We heard well-nigh them from leadership speaker Jovian Zayne. "We're very intentional nearly showing our daughter a diversity of images; it matters early, the messages yous receive," she told us. "I got these ABC affirmation wink cards when Jorgie was about iv months old, and it's still a daily exercise for united states: You'll see a Black daughter on i side of a menu and a Blackness male child on the other;A is for amazing, and the little girl is proverb something like, 'I am amazing and can exercise neat things in my community.'" Zayne credits affirmations similar these that she heard growing upwards as being critical for her growth and abilities to "operate with conviction, clarity, and joy, and build a sense of resilience." Beyond beingness inspirational, the flash cards are besides a fun way to learn the messages of the alphabet.
Photograph: Retailer
According to speech-linguistic communication pathologist Ellice Kim Lacerda, you can never become wrong with the souvenir of books, especially if they come in a curated box. "One of our favorite gifts we have received and given is a children'due south book subscription box," she says. Lacerda'south favorite book subscription comes from her local Bay Expanse bookstore, the Reading Bug — which happens to transport nationwide. "It was fun receiving books nosotros had never read or even heard of," she says, calculation that many of the titles her family received became fast favorites. Y'all can either choose a curated box with preselected titles or opt for a personalized one based on age, gender, interests, and reading level. As far as curated boxes go, the store has lots of options, but either its "Infant" box of board books for 0- to 30-month-olds or "Read to Me" box of developmental read-aloud titles would make an first-class choice for a 1-year-old. The cost shown is what you lot'll pay for monthly deliveries; but if y'all desire to give a year'southward worth of boxes, you tin can save a fleck by paying $216 (which breaks down to $18 for 12 boxes) up front. In that location is also a six-month subscription that breaks downwardly to $19 a box and a three-month one that breaks downwardly to $20 a box. Those who only want to requite a unmarried box tin can practise so for $20.
Yous tin e'er gift your own favorites. Tze Chun, founder of Uprise Fine art and mom of 2, loves the TouchThinkLearn series past Xavier Deneux. "These books are so beautifully constructed. Each page is super-thick and has embossed areas so that babies can feel the surface of each one," she says. Her favorites include ABC (shown here), 123, and Colors. "The pages really concord up, even after years of playtime and bedtime."
For a more than traditional musical musical instrument, consider this "magic bear upon" pianoforte from Baby Einstein. Merely tap the colored keys to play classic tunes or create your own melodies — a great way for babies and parents to play together. Equally Dr. Sarah Roseberry Lytle, director of outreach and education at the Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, explains, "Young kids love making music and noises and exploring things similar, 'Can I make it softer? Tin can I get in louder? What happens when I hit it harder? Does that make it louder?' That's a really interesting learning process."
In addition to music, 1-yr-olds love creating art, especially if they watch big siblings cartoon or painting. But most art supplies merely aren't suitable for small, less-than-deft easily: Pencils have a unsafe indicate, paint makes a mess, and regular crayons snap into pieces. "Palm-grasp crayons are a great way to get young children to accept interest in writing and drawing," says Dr. Alexandra Figueras-Daniel, the associate director of Bank Street College of Education'south Straus Eye for Young Children and Families. "These are perfect for tiny hands to build fine-motor skills." They're almost impossible to intermission and will go a long way in encouraging artistic expression. Even if it just looks like messy scribbling at this point, this kind of exploration is key to laying the foundation for getting them to eventually write messages and numbers, co-ordinate to Lockhart. "If we want children to eventually write their names, they have to have lots of experiences with different writing materials," she says.
Engaging sensory toys make dandy stroller accessories because they can soothe a bored babe when you're stuck in line or on the subway. "I'k sure the temptation for a lot of parents is to manus them something like an iPhone that makes a lot of noise. Only the American Academy of Pediatrics doesn't recommend consuming electronic stimuli in that way for children under 2 years onetime," MacLaughlin explains. This squishy bead toy will concur their attention and stimulate their motor-skill development. "It'south like a more sophisticated rattle. It rattles when you shake it, simply it likewise has chaplet that movement around the bars, and it has a sensory attribute to it," MacLaughlin says. And by the way, she recommends attaching whatsoever stroller toys to the stroller, lest they go chucked into the street by a gravity-curious baby.
Playing with a toy in the bath tin be a learning moment. Figueras-Daniel loves this set of pipes, "as it allows children to arrange and fill the tubes with water and detect the manner to make the spinners go," she says. This kind of observation teaches kids cause and issue, a concept she says is important in the evolution of cognitive skills.
For fifty-fifty more than fun in the tub, Figueras-Daniel says you could get your 1-year-former this toy that comes with a book by love children's author Mo Willems. The volume is actually waterproof and tin can be read in the tub, making information technology a smashing fashion to encourage a reluctant kid — like the pigeon protagonist itself — to accept a bath, according to her. "Somehow, the simplicity of Willems'southward books make them engaging and fun for little kids," says Figueras-Daniel, who adds that the included toy pigeon makes the gift that much more entertaining — especially for 1-twelvemonth-olds, who will love playing with it as they hear the story being read aloud to them.
This colorful wooden set of blocks can often exist found in Montessori and Waldorf classrooms alongside more basic rectangular versions. Each arc in this nesting set tin can be stacked, balanced, and combined with the others to create imaginary urban center scenes with bridges and buildings or to only allow for experimenting with texture and gravity. "Stacking is fun, merely even if they're non coordinated plenty to stack their toys, they would dearest to watchy'all stack and and so be able to knock it downwards," says MacLaughlin.
Just as colorful, these oversize, interlocking Mega Bloks "are amazing," according to mother of two Shirley Kim, who works equally a clinical dietitian. "My kids played with them from age 1 to at present — they're vii and three.v." The blocks' bigger size makes them easy for small hands to grab and more appropriate for this age than, say, Lego Duplos (which happen to make an ideal gift for 2-year-olds). This set up includes 80 pieces in all shapes and sizes that come packaged in a user-friendly storage purse.
Crawl tunnels are a thrill for this age and get big giggles, to be sure, only they also help immature toddlers with spatial sensation and a improve understanding of object permanence. Older kids and adults know that the person whose face up leans into and out of the tunnel is always nearby, only for a 1-year-old, these types of lean-in, lean-out peekaboo games genuinely assist them acquire about the way the earth works. Says Lytle: "You really want parents to exist in that location playing with their children, following their atomic number 82, allowing them to figure out what happens."
Lovevery play kits are carefully curated by a team of developmental and educational experts. The toys included are age and stage appropriate, designed to foster the growth of spatial skills, reasoning, and of course to be plenty of fun — think elementary stacking toys, colorful pouches for hiding away wooden treasures, and books with images of other children. The writers of this piece (Steven John and Lauren Ro) swore by these kits for their kids when they were every bit young as 1, and they've grown in popularity with parents across the country, including a few notable folks. While you lot e'er accept to take celebrities Instagramming about products with a grain of salt, nosotros're inclined to believe the caption in extra, vocaliser-songwriter, and mom Jordin Sparks'due south Instagram story that spoke of how the kits have been "incredible" for her son's "mental, physical, and emotional development." The boxes are especially useful if y'all want guidance on how best to back up your little i's development. As Ro says, "I was impressed with the quality, pattern, and thoughtfulness of each box, which came with in-depth instructions and suggestions for employ as well as a breakup of what you tin expect your infant to do in that ii-month bridge."
Here's another way to incorporate peekaboo play into games with your child. Artist Anna Bak-Kvapil loves playing with these silk scarves from Sarah's Silks with her almost-1-year-old daughter. "The pure-silk nature of the scarves make them really soft and spectral," she says. "Something nigh the floaty nature of Sarah's Silks really captivated her. We have other play scarves, simply they're not as floaty." Every bit for how to play with them: "Either I put it over my head and 'hide' from her or I drape it over her head and she pulls it off herself (commonly)."
"This big wooden cube has lived in the playroom in my house for years and grown up with all nine of my grandchildren," says Westchester grandmother Donna D'Andraia. "It's such a beautifully made toy that it tin exist handed downward through generations. I recently passed information technology on to my niece's son, when he was a year old: He loved moving the beads along the maze and opening the petty wooden doors to be surprised with the different faces of animals. And soon he can use it to practice the alphabet." Though a heavy, bulky investment — it weighs almost 15 pounds — "it will last forever." Ro, who received it as a gift for her now-toddler when he was a babe, agrees it'due south a toy 1-twelvemonth-olds can employ and abound with: Her son is even more than interested in it these days, as he loves looking at the rotating messages and calling out the animals.
"This wagon is great for the phase when your infant begins to 'cruise,' or walk around the room by holding onto things," says Zahra Kassam, founder of the at-home Montessori program Monti Kids. "Information technology's a Montessori-teacher favorite because it allows babies the opportunity to practice their walking skills while building their independence." A tip she shared: "Weigh it downwardly with heavy books or free weights to dull it downward at commencement." And on the celebrity front: A red Radio Flyer wagon appeared on the dorsum terrace of the home of actor Aaron Paul in this encounter with New York (his girl was 19-months-old at the time).
If yous're looking for something that combines the amuse of the B. Zany Zoo action cube and the versatility of the Radio Flyer push button wagon, consider this buggy that critic and writer Sadie Stein — and her one.5-year-old son — loves. "The single best souvenir Hal always received was this wooden walker full of blocks," she says. Made past French company Janod, the wooden push toy includes 30 alphabet and number blocks as well every bit sliding beads. Stein, who appreciates gifts that are practical, says that the buggy is "also adept for holding and storing other toys."
Children dearest to play house, so why not get them their very own identify? Eater eating house editor Hillary Dixler Canavan recommends this low-delivery house made out of cardboard, and her i.5-year-erstwhile daughter loves information technology, too, especially "sitting in at that place with books or opening and closing the window." Inexpensive, customizable — it's a blank canvas, after all — and perhaps all-time of all, sustainable, information technology'southward a great selection for city folks who don't accept access to a lawn. "We set this up in our living room, and while it'due south not camouflaged, it's also pretty pocket-size," she says. (Information technology's about four feet tall.) "And if nosotros e'er decide nosotros just can't accept it anymore, we'll recycle information technology." Still, she cautions, "It'south a delivery to have it in our living area, just it's worth it for her to accept a little imaginative play infinite."
Photo: Courtesy of the vendor
Children beloved emulating their caregivers: That's why play kitchens, play lawnmowers, and play cars are and so popular. John'due south daughter (like her large brother before her) loved playing with her toy Dyson when she was i. "If my wife or I grabbed our actual Dyson from the cupboard, she ran full-speed across the house to grab her own little vacuum — which does actually create light suction — and followed us around laughing as she 'helped,'" he says. (It looks remarkably like the real affair, downward to its shade of Dyson Yellow.)
Kids this age love to stack things, and these bright, squishy cups by Fat Brain Toys, with suctions both at the bottom and around the brim, tin can be towered or paired up in all kinds of formations. Or they can "stick right to your refrigerator," says Ashley Tyrner, a single mom and the founder and CEO of Farmbox Straight, the subscription-based organic-produce service (she besides leads her now-8-year-old girl'due south healthy-meal-kit company, Harlow's Harvest). "They entertain your child while y'all're cooking dinner." In reviews, it's been noted that the Kupz also work as a teething toy or even as a juice cup, in a pinch — they're BPA complimentary and fabricated of 100 percent food-condom silicone.
"This set is a winning combination of magnetic train cars and mix-and-friction match animals that kids can build, disassemble, and make again," says Holly Magelof, toy buyer for the Dolphin Bookshop and a 20-plus-year veteran of the toy-buying manufacture. "There's even a conductor included. Information technology'south always a favorite of our pint-size customers." And it's uniform with other SmartMax sets to go on the building going (and easily set you lot up for future gifts).
Once they're 1 or older, all fiddling children demand a stuffed friend to grab in the crib at night (and tote around tucked under an arm all 24-hour interval). "Allow me apologize in advance for recommending this singing elephant," says Fiorella Valdesolo, a writer, creative consultant, and mom to an near-2-yr-old. Tap ane foot and the cuddly toy plays peekaboo; tap the other and it sings "Do Your Ears Hang Low" in what Valdesolo describes every bit "a creepy childish vocalisation." And yet "your baby will notice it endlessly entertaining," playing it "over and over and once again," Valdesolo notes — and then much so that "it volition bulldoze you batshit." Which is the authentication of only the all-time pieces of brain processed.
For a more humanlike plush toy, Figueras-Daniel says that a doll with removable clothes, similar this one, provides "opportunities for children to use fine-motor skills in fun means." She says such a doll volition also assist with symbolic thinking and sociodramatic play — or imaginative play with a social chemical element — which begins at age 1. "Items that facilitate pretend play, like clothes-upward clothes, play phones, dolls, food, and dishes, allow children to commencement to deport out these play routines on their own and with others," she says, adding that this kind of play "ties in with language development as they engage with other adults and children." Figueras-Daniel loves that Baby Stella comes in various styles, including what the make calls "peach" and "chocolate-brown," saying information technology's important "to get dolls that reflect the children who are playing with them, as children demand toys that reverberate who they are."
According to Figueras-Daniel, dollhouses are another not bad style for building fine-motor skills and encouraging pretend play. For a 1-yr-former, she recommends a soft plushy set like this ane from Gund, which comes with an igloo (which doubles every bit a carrying case), a polar bear audio toy, a penguin squeaker toy, a fish rattle, and a North Pole flag crinkle toy. Something similar this is not merely beautiful just also easy to play with, "as the pieces are soft and advisable for tiny hands," she says.
While information technology'southward definitely an investment, mom Jennifer Beall Saxton, the founder and CEO of Tot Squad, calls the Doona the "most versatile tricycle ever" and promises that it's something that can abound with a 1-year-former. According to her, information technology's "the only ride-on toy that allows you to conform each element, from who steers to who pedals or pushes, and so that parents can relinquish some control at each stage of development." The Doona Trike starts off as a stroller with a partially enclosed seat and a handle for pushing, both of which tin eventually be removed to leave but a trike in its most advanced style. Says Saxton, "We got it just after my daughter turned i and had to steer and push for her, but as nosotros spent time exploring our neighborhood during lockdown, she got more proficient, and now we can permit her loose." If you're worried virtually gifting something that looks cumbersome, know that the Doona Trike folds up for easy transport and storage.
If you like the idea of an interactive plushy similar Flappy the Elephant but wish to brand it more personalized, TeddyMozart is a machine-washable bear that can record unlimited hours of songs and stories via an app and then play them back through a removable Bluetooth speaker. "For those long-distance grandparents who may not be able to encounter the baby oft, this adorable teddy bear gives the baby the ability to hear your voice and bond with you from afar," says grandmother Violet Favero, who writes grandparenting books such asSilly Yaya.
"Blabla dolls are my get-to gifts for all the lilliputian people in my life," says postpartum doula Julie Arvan, who invented the Nesting Days baby carrier. She adds that she starts giving them at age i, telling usa, "The dolls are more than toys. They're whimsical companions for young children." Arvan explains that transitional objects like these dolls "are key for gradually learning to separate from mother and explore the world." The dolls are handmade in Peru from 100 percentage cotton, and for each 1 sold, the company promises to constitute one tree in partnership with the nonprofit organization One Tree Planted.
This water table has kept John'southward kids playing for up to an hour at a fourth dimension, and it's been the focal point of endless days of summer play. When filled with water, it's stable enough to support toddlers who are still shaky on their feet, while all the many accessories (including those y'all add, from pitchers to spoons to plastic and rubber toys) engage older toddlers who are ready for more involved play. All-time of all, information technology's big plenty — and has enough activities — for many kids to play with the water table simultaneously. Plus Chrissy Teigen and John Fable'southward toddler, Miles Stephens, is apparently a fan.
This fiddling car has been delighting toddlers for more than xl years now, and it'due south surely got many decades of popularity left. By the time they are about 18 months onetime, virtually toddlers volition exist able to "bulldoze" the classic coupe themselves — meaning use their feet to scoot it around. The smooth plastic exterior won't marking or scratch most surfaces, and then it's suitable for apply outdoors; the plastic tires can handle brick and concrete, too.
Additional reporting by Liza Corsillo.
The Strategist is designed to surface the well-nigh useful, skillful recommendations for things to buy across the vast east-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best acne treatments , rolling luggage , pillows for side sleepers , natural anxiety remedies , and bath towels . We update links when possible, only note that deals can elapse and all prices are subject to change.
Every editorial product is independently selected. If you buy something through our links, New York may earn an chapter commission.
Source: https://nymag.com/strategist/article/best-gifts-toys-for-a-1-year-old.html
0 Response to "Gift Ideas for a One Year Old Baby Girl"
Post a Comment