Best First Birthday Gifts That You Got a Lot of Use Out Of!

Little thing to sit and scoot around would be loved much! Board books rock. My favorite is Duck in the Truck.

Kitchen set with plastic food and dishes/pots. Mine has gone through 3 kids, looks in perfect shape and my 5 1/2 year old son does not want to part with it. If you can keep it near the real kitchen, it a great way for him to copy Mommy safely while you're preparing dinner.

My son just had his first birthday a month ago and has already found his favorite toys. The thing that I've found is that even the toys marked for older kids (18 months, 2, etc.) are often good for the 1year olds, plus it gives them time to grow into them so you get more use out of the toy. His two favorite toys are a Sit and Learn reading chair that has 3 modes: Learning (reading a book, shapes, colors, etc.), Music (all sorts of songs), and Fun Tim (does cool noises and such). My husbands favorite part is that there is a volume adjustment as well! :) The other one is a blow up car with soft balls. It's kinda like a ball pit, but just for him! He LOVES it. At this point, he enjoys tossing the balls out of the car, then chasing them to put them back in. (This does create more work for me when he's done, but it keeps him occupied for quite some time while he's playing.)

Ooooo.. definitely the Playskool Busy Ball Popper

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2264669

Take a look! All three of my kids loved it when they were small. My son just turned one in July and got one for his birthday. All 3 kids (9, 5 and 1) play with it together and it cracks them all up!

When my first child was about 2 we bought him an indoor slide to climb on, crawl under and slide down, etc. My daughter was using it by the time she was 9 months old. All three of my children played with it for years, pretending it was a space ship, racing car, play house, etc. Now my grandchildren are playing with it when they come to visit. Definitely the longest lasting and best toy we bought!

We purchased the little tykes wagon for our twins. It was something they used for a long time. Another favorite gift was little tykes shopping cart with plastic food items. My kids were already walking confidently at 12 months so it was fun for them to push around the house. I also remember a winnie the pooh building block set that they enough well after their first birthday. I would start by going to the age appropriate section of Toys R Us and just getting what you think your child will love. Every child is different. Good Luck and congratulations on making it through your first year.

We got our son a car by step 2 or little tykes that they can sit in and it has a handle for parents to push. He LOVED it and we used it all the time. It held up really well and was sent to a neighbor for their boy until our youngest was ready for it. Now our little guy is all over the place with that thing, pushing it, climbing in/out and enjoying a ride. A great value for just under $50. Seen three very active boys and no worse for wear. It has a safety belt, so its road worthy and I understand they make the wheels out of rubber now instead of the hard plastic so its not a noisy on the road.
I had a friend who lived in a condo and she got great use out of hers inside too, since your guy has a late fall birthday.

Fisher Price Little People. My kids love them. Even my 7 year old will occasionally still play with the Little People. Little People has always been my 4 year olds favorite toy. The garage, barn, city and doll house are our favorites.

My son (now 5)and daughter (now 3) both got a little chair for the family room that was their size when they were each 1 years old. My son in boy colors actually a fireman theme and my daughter a princess seat. They both loved it and still sit in them all the time. Each seat cost around $50-$60, but just has turned out to be something they will always remember and love. Numerous pictures have been taken in these and movie night is always fun in their seats.

My daughter loved her busy ball popper. She loved playing with the balls and seeing them being pushed up the tube and balance in the air before dropping back into the popper and circulation through the tube again. Plus it has fun music. A friend gave it to our daughter for her 1st birthday, because her son got it for his 1st birthday and he also loved it. My daughter is 3 and still I see her dragging it out to play with it. It is a toy that will be played with for a long time. Best Wishes to your son on his for his upcoming 1st birthday.

great question! My son got the radio flyer push wagon for his first birthday and he will be 6 in january and STILL uses it!! It is the BEST gift he got and the gift I always want to give to a 1 yr old.
http://www.amazon.com/Radio-Flyer-Classic-Walker-Wagon/dp...

p.s. I used to weigh it down with books when he was using it to learn how to walk!

I always found bath toys to be the perfect first birthday present for a first born. They really weren't old enough for them prior to 12 mos old, but at 12 mos they really start having a fun time in the bath. Plus they use them for the next 3 to 4 yrs!

Another traditional gift I give for the 1st birthday is a Baby Sonds DVD. This is the absolute BEST DVD you will ever own. Ok, maybe not ever, but it's so sweet, perfect songs and just wonderful videos to go with the songs. The Original is hard to find, but you can get it online. http://www.babysongs.com/category.cfm?Category=7
There are other Baby Songs DVD's that you can find at Toys R Us, but for the 1st bday I like the original one. My other favs are Animals and Baby's Busy Day.

Oh, they have a Christmas one... oh, my kids are 6 and 9, they don't want a Baby Songs movie, but *I* do!! Oh... the daycare kids would like it... hmmm...

N.

A walk-behind push toy is awesome. We have two and even though our child has been walking since last November, he still plays with it. He's learning how to 'ride' it now by pushing off with both feet. It remains one of his favorite toys nearly 8 months later.

My dd got a Dora push car and she loves it. She is almost 19 months old and she still plays with it. The seat lifts up for storage and she really uses that a lot, putting things in and out. For a while we were loosing our keys and we always knew to look in the Dora car if we couldn't find them anywhere else ;)
Balls are always popular gifts for kids this age. My dd loves to throw the ball and catch it and we roll it back and forth.
Coloring books with crayons. As the get a little older they get really into "writing".
Books and movies are always good - and they last forever!
If you don't already have stacking cups that is a good one. They teach colors and numbers and stacking.
My dd received a Fridge Farm from a friend of mine and she has really liked that too. It is magnetic for the fridge and it plays music and you can put animals in it/combos of animals. Very cool toy.

Have fun shopping!!

We did an all terrain Radio Flyer wagon for our first sons first birthday and it has been WONDERFUL. We use it ALL the time for parades, festivals, zoo, farms, etc. And the kids like to tow it on their bikes as well, though it's a little big for that. It's been a huge hit, well loved, and long lasting and useful. I like the idea of the kids chair/couch. My boys still love their flip out kids couch and they are now 4 and almost 3 years old. It doubles as a tumble mat. :) It was another 1st birthday gift. My first son LOVED his push behind walker. He used it ALL the time and we brought it with us often. It would be more ideal to get now rather than wait til his first birthday I'd say. My second son rarely used it, so I think that depends on the kid for interest more.

The push things to help kids walk are great IF you get one that has other activities, that way they can play otherwise as well. Also, there are tricycles that have handles you push and then remove it as the child is older and he/she can ride the trike alone. We got one for my husband's nephew a while ago and he loved it. These things usually go for about $20 or $30. No need to spend a huge bundle on something since the quality is usually about the same. Fisher Price is a really good name and product. A small wagon would also be a good choice since he can play putting things in it and then later pull it.

My boys liked any of the books that made noises. Good Luck and Happy Birthday to your son!

My son's Godparents got him a sand and water table and he and his four year old brother LOVE it. We bought our first son the bicycle that has three uses - first as a rocker, then a "bike" you push and then one they can pedal. Another great idea that I used for both boys first birthday was to get a big matte with two or three openings in it and have everyone who attended their first birthday party sign it. Then I put some pictures of them with cake all over them in it and it is a wonderful keepsake of their big day. Both boys love looking at it and finding the notes from the people who mean the most to them.
Hope these ideas help you! Good luck and happy birthday to your little boy!

I think the best gift we gave our daughter is a family membership to Brookfield Zoo. Granted it is more of a family gift but it is something she enjoys and we get to make wonderful memories while there. She loves the Childrens Zoo and she gets to pet and brush the goats and she loves Pal the dog who is there as well as petting the baby chicks and decorative Hens when someone has them out. There is also LOTS of Moms and Tots at the zoo constantly so this is also an opportunity for your son to interact with other children which is a great way for him to learn.

We have been going there since she was around 10 months old and she is now 2. We just bought our second Family Plus Membership Pass. The nice thing is it includes one free guest each time you visit. Free admission into the Childrens Zoo, free parking, discounts at all restaurants and the stores, 4 free Dolphin Show tickets and more!

http://www.czs.org/czs/Support-the-Society/Membership

As for buying your son those expensive walkers/push things and all of the things to help him walk.... buy them used if you want them. Craigs List is a great way to buy them since they do not get used long and your son may be even walking by the time his birthday comes around!

Happy birthday to your son and many blessings to you and your family!

Hi There! There are a couple of things my son really enjoyed for his birthday. He loved (and still adores)his vaccuum. We got the little tikes talking vaccuum but my sitter as a more realistic one and he plays with it non-stop. He also got a set of 4 race cars from Target (parents brand) that he always plays with. My son got Fischer Price Lion that he could walk with and scoot with. He loved it as he was learning to walk but lost interest shortly after he mastered his steps. I'm not sure if he has blocks yet but there is a red wagon that I got a Target, which is filled with big blocks. He will spend quite a bit of time building with those and he used the wagon to help him walk around as well. My last suggestion is the LeapFrog Magnetic Barnyard Animal set for the Fridge. My son still loves that! Have fun shopping.

Honestly, the longest lasting gifts are books, hands down. I love Richard Scarrey's "Cars and Trucks and Things that Go", and "The Best Word Book Ever" for younger kids. I also like "Duck on a Bike" by David Shannon, and "Flamingos on the Roof" by Calef Brown.

The walk behind lawnmower is a real good one.

My kids love the zebra from Fischer Price .It is sort of like a carnival ride that they control. They are 2 1/2 and still use it !Any ride on that makes music will be great too .

The best gift my son (now almost 4) got for his 1st birthday was the Drop & Roar Dinosaur. It uses those little see-through plastic balls. It lights up, makes noise, and is really a lot of fun.

http://www.google.com/products?hl=en&q=Drop+%26+Roar+...

And at almost 4, he still likes to play with it!

My 1 year old kids loved the toy with four balls and a hammer to pound them through a "tunnel". I think you can find one in the "Parents" brand toy section at Target. Ours didn't make sounds or have lights, just the hammer and balls and all three kids (and all their same age friends) loved that toy. We've given it to many 1-year olds as a gift. We also loved our shape sorters. ...of course a wagon or push toy will be much loved for many years too.

Hi S.,
Good question!!
I have 2 boys and birthdays have always been hard because we have wanted to get them things that they will USE, not just play with and lose in a few weeks.

Last year, when my youngest turned 1, my parents bought him the Tonka scoop and scoot 3 in 1 ride on. It was a HIT!!
http://www.hasbro.com/tonka/default.cfm?page=browse&p...
He still plays with it (and his older brother who is almost 5 also loves it), so it is something that lasts.

Also, any of the fisher price little people toys are great. I think my oldest son got the farm for his first birthday and they are still playing with that as well. You can add "guys" to them with all of the little people, and add parts of the town - they can be used separately and together. I am personally a big fan of the Little People toys. They really are a lot of fun!

I hope that helps. Enjoy this time with your little guy!
B.

my grandaughter was one in April and she loves being pulled in her wagon its something they can use as they grow they will be able to pull it. she also has a big tykes ar wich is her favorite outside toy. her pappy got her a vtech laptop shes not big enough yet for the things on it but she loves it cause she loves the computer and push buttons.

Hello there, for my son's first birthday we bought him the step 2 safari wagon. I found it on sale at Mejier for $79/89 can't remember. ANyways I just saw one a few weeks ago on clearance in their clearance section, so i'm sure it is cheaper. I think the original price is like 159 or something.
Anyways my son loves this wagon, he is only15 months but we know he will get lots of uses . We can't wait to take him to the pumpkin patch and use it again. Good luck