Need Ideas for a 1 Year Old Birthday Gift.

my daughter received a Parents brand (the magazine brand) large drum that was filled with other different types of instruments they were all shaped like cute bugs. they all fit neatly inside the drum and my kids who are 6 and 3 still play with them! it is a great music set. all kids love making music and they are not too loud or annoying to the parents.

As far as toys go The Little Tikes "Little People" has been a toy my daughter started to play with young and still plays with at 3 1/2. They have all different sets at different prices.

Another idea: For my daughter's first birthday, she received one of those magnetic boards with her name on it. Each letter comes out and she puts them back together again. A great way to learn their name and some letters. My son received a stool with his name in large removeable block letters and he used it for years sitting on it at the coffee table. Hope this helps.

Have fun!

I'm a big fan of personalized gifts and recently bought a ceramic pumpkin with the child's name carved into the mouth area. I've pasted the link below.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=27584760&...

My FAVORITE 1 yo bday gift is the small duffel bag from Pottery Barn Kids engraved with their name on it. Its perfect since most diaper bags really don't do it for overnight trips, etc and those little guys need lots of clothes, shoes, books, etc. I've given this gift to all of my friends for the kids' 1st bday and they LOVE it!

Here is the link for the girls ones... they have boys colors too.

http://www.potterybarnkids.com/products/cb435/index.cfm?p...

I agree with the Savings Bond. I also appreciated books (sturdy ones) that might have activities (lift the flap, feel the textures, etc).

I always like to give those little musical instrument sets. They have one by "Parents" at Target.

I gotta go with the savings bond also. Kids just get too many toys and they end up not being played with.

But if you want to give a toy how about a couple of the nice wooden puzzles (like the Melissa and Doug ones).

This is quite out of the ordinary, but when my daughter turned 1 we had a party for her and we invited my husband's boss. (they got along great and we would do things with him and his g/f from time to time.) He gave ME money and said that he felt the mother deserved yhe gift after all the work they did for the child's first year.

Clothing would be a great gift. Always buy the next size up for the upcoming season. For a 1 year old, I would by an 18 month or 24 months winter/fall clothing. Pajamas are always needed. It's nice to get "nicer" clothing as gifs. I might not buy my son a pair of $20 jeans, but I would totally appreaciate them if they were a gift.
Books are also great. Also, son had a little backpack on wheels that he loved to carry around.
I know people like savings bonds, but I am not a fan of them. It's just a piece of paper that's going to be filed away for a long time and there's always a good chance it'll get lost.
Good luck.

I'm not sure if this is a first child or a boy/girl but one gifts ALL 1 yr olds love is the Fisher Price Little People School Bus. If they already have it, there are other Little People toys like the zoo that come with a bag of animals.

Leap Frog makes some great educational toys. They teach them their letters and the sounds that they make. My oldest, who is now six, received most of them for her 1st birthday and we still have them. My youngest who is now 3, used them all of the time at 1 & 2 and still uses them every so often. They last and they really do learn their letter recognition. They both really loved the magnet for the fridge. When you insert the letter in to it's place, in the box, it tells you the letter and the sound it makes. Every kid that comes to my house plays with it! Even the big kids like to see if they can fool the machine in to thinking it's a different letter.

I think savings bonds are great ideas. A 1 year old has no idea about gifts, and I am sure they have plenty of stuff. Ask the parents if there is anything they need, maybe they need clothes for winter in the next size up.

I appreaciate when people ask, because maybe there is that one thing the child really wants...or that one thing that we really don't want. Bonds which can be used in the future are always appreciated.

Books!!! We usually give books for baby shower gifts or birthdays. You can usually get a gift receipt with them - in case they already have that particular book. Sandra Boynton is great for little ones. Snuggle Puppy or Moo Baa La La la. Any board books will be a little easier to keep in good condition longer. My 2 year old hasn't completely destroyed the books his sister handed down to him yet (they're about 6 years old).

This is an outdoor toy, so depending on when the birthday is will determine if you are interested in this. My son received a water table for his 1st birthday. I think Step 2 makes them. They are around $30.00. He is now 3 1/2 and he STILL loves playing with it. We now have a one year old daughter and she loves it as well.

Hi D.,

Head to Target and check out the kid toys. There are tons of things out there from Fisher Price for the 12-24 month age group. Board books and clothes are always great ideas too. Just make sure to get a gift receipt in case there is a duplicate.

When my son turned 1 he recieved the Leap Frog Letter Factory movie. By the time he was 15 mos he knew all of his letters by sight and the sounds that they made. I would find something Leap Frog and educational.

A Savings Bond is a great idea. There are usually tons of gifts for a first birthday and the child won't be able to play with them all. If you are looking for something to actually give them I love the I see books. http://www.iseeme.com/ Also something a little different but educaiton and fun are Wedgits. They have Wee Wedgits for 1+. Usually Amazon carries them. A Barnes and Noble gift card is nice too, then they can pick out books they look for when the child is ready a new book. If you want to buy some buys some good ones are: Any Sandra Boyton, we like Pajama Time, and The Belly Button Book. Any lift the flap books, bath books. Good luck!

K.

If it's for a boy we just got my nephew a Little People Builders set (right around $30) and he LOVES it (Target has recently started carrying a bunch of Little People stuff). It's all he plays with. Otherwise we just do our favorite books or a wood puzzle.

I just had my daughters first birthday and I asked for gift cards for Target or Sears. She is growing so fast and with the fall approaching and then winter right around the corner I can go and buy her whatever she needs. It was time for new car seat and used some of the cards for that. The birthday child won't remember this party so it's better to give the parents something they can use and with this economy it helps when it's time to buy new clothes shoes etc. Have fun at the party we certainly did.

Get a savings bond. A 1 yr old is not going to appreciate it now but when they turn 16 and want to buy a car or pay for college tuition they will appreciated. my kids loved having them as they turned 16.
S.

I was always give the Parents brand vet kit...I buy them at target. It is for alittle older than but it has a Dr. kit and little animals so even younger kids can play with it. My 23 mom old son has been playng with it for a few months now

Hi D.,

Board books or pop-up books make great gifts for one-year-olds, especially those with animals (and about the noises they make). We really like Sandra Boynton's Barnyard Dance and Moo Baa La La La. Books that are short (because one-year-olds have a short attention span) with short sentences and good illustrations are good. Others include Brown Bear, Brown Bear and Good Night Moon.

If you'd prefer not to do books, simple musical instruments (hand drums, shakers) are also a good gift for this age. My daughter got a "music" set for her first birthday with about 5 different shakers, and she still loves it at 19 mos.

Best,
R.

An etch a sketch - child will be ready either then or with a month or two for it and will love it and it doesn't generate mess.
Play doh - my daughter loved to fling it around and now that she is 2 loves to play more constructively with it.
dolls stroller
shopping cart with toy fruits etc
mini thomas tracks and a few trains
If a girl - princess dress up skirt - they start with these between 1 and 2.
T ball mini kit (great once they can walk a little bit)
Pretend laptop

I am with the savings bond group. At one they are too young to know there was not a "gift" to open. They get so many toys anyway. This is really the most useful.

My grandson just turned one in May. Mom and Dad appreciated the clothes because most baby showers don't provide clothing after the child turns one. My grandson couldn't care less. He liked the paper and the boxes the gifts came in. Maybe a small toy and a nice little sweater or something for fall/winter.