Best Toys for 1-Year-Olds, According to Experts
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Walking down the toy aisle (or browsing baby gear online) can feel overwhelming: There are seemingly endless baby toys vying for a spot in your cart. It can be difficult to narrow down what toys are actually best for your 1-year-old’s development, never mind which ones she’ll love playing with for months (or years) to come.
In general, the more a toy allows your 1-year-old to do, the better, explains Sarah Lytle, Ph.D., Director of Outreach and Education, Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences (I-LABS) at the University of Washington.
“Kids this age are trying to figure out the world and experiment with their senses,” Lytle says. Open-ended toys allow 1-year-olds to explore and express their creativity and practice fine motor skills, she adds. For example, a set of stacking cups can be nestled together, turned into blocks for building or used as pretend drinking cups.
Best types of toys for 1-year-olds
Here are some of the best types of 1-year-old toys you should consider for your child:
- Blocks. Babies love blocks to stack, bang together and build with.
- Puzzles. Doing puzzles helps encourage both your tot’s hand-eye coordination and visual perception skills. The best puzzles for 1-year-olds have large pieces.
- Balls. Colorful balls with nubs or other sensory features are a delight for baby, Lytle says. “Throwing and catching (or attempting to) works their gross motor skills and the back and forth interaction sets up their language skills as it parallels the back and forth of a conversation,” she says.
- Art materials. Encourage your child’s inner Picasso with thicker crayons and wide, non-toxic washable markers.
- Board books. Books with simple illustrations or photographs of real objects are best for 1-year-olds. “The more realistic the image is, the easier it is for a child this age to comprehend and relate it back to their own world,” Lytle says. A single picture with a single word naming it (versus lots of pictures and words or a story) will help your child grow his vocabulary.
Be sure to avoid anything with small pieces that could be a choking hazard, anything too loud that could potentially damage baby’s hearing and plastic toys that are flimsy and could break easily, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). As for screen time, the AAP recommends that parents limit children 18 months to video chats only (meaning no TV time and no interactive apps). And finally, remember that one of the most important parts of playtime is you as your little one’s caregiver. Toys shouldn’t replace one-on-one time with your child, but rather, enrichen it.
How we made the best picks for the best toys for 1-year-olds
To help us narrow down the best toys for 1-year-olds out of the many (many) options on the market, we asked three experts what features to look for: Lytle, Gina Posner, M.D., a board-certified pediatrician at MemorialCare Medical Group in Fountain Valley, California, and Kyle Monk, M.D., a board-certified pediatrician at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California.
One general rule of thumb? Usually, simple toys are the best. “Basic things are much more entertaining for kids,” Dr. Posner says. “Kids always seem to be attracted to things that are not quite as complex.” Oftentimes, that includes toys that crinkle and make noise, balls that roll and toys that make noise when your baby bangs it with a (toy) hammer.
Ready to start shopping? Below, check out some of the best toys for 1-year-olds.
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Best Educational Toy for 1-Year-Olds
First 100 Board Book Box Set
- The small size makes it easy for baby to turn the pages himself
- Some of the words
- like “orangutan” and “arctic fox
- ” can be hard for babies to pronounce
With clear photographs set on bright, bold backgrounds, this board book set will introduce your 1-year-old to his first 100 words and animals, plus colors, shapes and numbers. The books are just the right size for little hands to hold and flip the pages. Caregivers particularly like how thick the pages are, since they can withstand little ones chewing on them all the time.
When you’re using this book with your little one, try interactive reading. Rather than simply reciting the words on the page, dig a little deeper and use the book as a tool: narrate and describe what you see, make up stories and ask questions (even if your baby doesn’t respond, answer them yourself!).
Recommended age: 1 to 3 years
Weight: 1.85 pounds
Dimensions: 5.28 x 6.45 x 2.76 inches
Best Shape-Sorting Toy for 1-Year-Olds
LeapFrog Shapes and Sharing Picnic Basket
- Good for building vocabulary and sorting shapes
- Requires batteries (which aren’t included) for some features
Your tot will never get bored of this toy — there are so many ways to play with it. He can sort the different food blocks (like a square sandwich) using the shape sorter on the top, put the accessories in and take them out, plus pretend to have a picnic. The picnic basket also plays songs and says the names of each food. What’s more, all the play pieces neatly fit inside for seamless storage.
Recommended age: 6 months to 3 years
Weight: 2.08 pounds
Dimensions: 6.22 x 8.66 x 6.69 inches
Best Stacking Toy for 1-Year-Olds
The First Years Stack Up Cup Toys
- The bottom of the cups have holes so they can drain water during bath play
- Some of the cups may be hard to stack
Stacking cups are a classic baby toy for a reason. Your 1-year-old can nest them inside each other, build a tower with them and bring them into the bath for fun water play. This set boasts fun, bright colors with numbers on the bottom to help your child learn how to count and do basic math and measuring concepts. Parents will love that they’re easily portable and come with a lower price tag than other toys.
Recommended age: 6 months and up
Weight: 4.8 ounces
Dimensions: 3.5 x 3.25 x 2.5 inches
Best Puzzle Toy for 1-Year-Olds
Melissa & Doug House Pets Jumbo Knob Puzzle
- Sturdy
- make it easy for babies to maneuver the pieces in place
- The puzzle pieces don’t always stand up well to drool
This brightly colored wooden puzzle features jumbo-size knobs that are easy for little hands to grasp and play with. Pictures under each piece help 1-year-olds figure out what goes where, and your little one can work on his hand-eye coordination skills by putting the pieces in place. It also grows with your tot: Once your 1-year-old is a pro at this puzzle, you can combine it with another so he can try solving both puzzles at once.
Recommended age: 1 year and up
Weight: 1.7 pounds
Dimensions: 1.7 x 12 x 12.5 inches
Best Activity Cube for 1-Year-Olds
VTech Busy Learners Activity Cube
- Doesn’t seem to scratch easily
- sturdy
- For some
- even the “low volume” option is too loud
- and the sounds may get repetitive
It’s pretty much a fact of life that all little kids love to push buttons, spin dials and flip switches. This interactive toy lets your tot do all that and more, plus helps him figure out cause and effect (I push this button, that happens). Five sides of play let your cutie discover shapes and animal names and sounds, plus explore interactive features that help develop his fine motor skills. Parents will appreciate that it automatically turns off when not in use to preserve battery life. And as always, when you’re playing with the toy, prioritize interaction together — narrate the letters, make up songs related to the animals, point out shapes or colors and more.
Recommended age: 6 months to 3 years
Weight: 1.44 pounds
Dimensions: 6.2 x 6.2 x 6.5 inches
Best Outdoor Toy for 1-Year-Olds
Fisher-Price Walk, Bounce & Ride Pony
- Good for challenging baby’s sense of coordination
- Some assembly required (though users said it was easy enough)
This pony-themed musical walking toy (which plays more than 50 tunes and sounds) is a great choice for little walkers ages 9 to 36 months. The seat is squishy (perfect for bouncing!) and your little one will love pushing or scooting with it up and down the sidewalk or hallway as he grows. All you have to do now is keep up!
Remember, baby walking toys require close supervision, and any stairs should be baby-proofed so that your little one doesn’t fall.
Recommended age: 9 months to 3 years
Dimensions: 30 x 8.5 x 16 inches
Weight limit: 42 pounds
Weight: 2.2 pounds
Best Art Toy for 1-Year-Olds
Honeysticks 100 Percent Pure Beeswax Crayons
- Non-toxic
- so parents can rest easy if their child decides to put a crayon in their mouth
- Some users expected the crayons to be bigger
These chunky crayons serve as the perfect introduction to creative artistic expression for your child. The ergonomic design is easy for 1-year-olds to pick up and start scribbling with — and the thick shape makes them almost impossible to break. Made of 100 percent beeswax, these 12 crayons produce bright, rich colors that’ll delight your budding artist (and as a bonus, give off a sweet, subtle honey scent). You’ll love that the crayons are washable in case your tot is inspired to scribble on walls. To top it all off, the beeswax used to make these popular crayons is a natural by-product of honey production, which causes minimal impact on the environment, according to the brand.
Recommended age: 1 year and up
Dimensions: 2.2 x 0.8 inches
Best Building Toy for 1-Year-Olds
Mega Bloks First Builders Big Building Bag
- Parents love that they don’t have to worry about the blocks being choking hazards
- A few users noted that some of the blocks don’t always fit tightly
The sky’s the limit with these building blocks, a precursor to Legos. Your tot will learn problem solving and use his imagination as he builds towers, knocks them down then rebuilds them all over again. (You might even have a blast, too, as you play alongside him!) Even if your little one isn’t quite building structures yet, he’ll enjoy emptying out the bag and picking up all the blocks.
The set comes with 80 blocks of all shapes and colors, in sizes that are perfect for little hands. Plus, you’ll love that the blocks come with a storage bag for easy clean up.
Recommended age: 1 to 5 years
Weight: 4.14 pounds
Dimensions: 12 x 5 x 14 inches
Best Musical Toy for 1-Year-Olds
Hape Pound & Tap Bench with Slide Out Xylophone
- Super durable and can withstand plenty of toddler pounding
- Some parents noted that the xylophone keys were off-tune
It might be a few years before he starts playing beautiful music, but watching your child’s face as he bangs out a tune on this xylophone is well worth it. Your little one gets a chance to work on his fine motor skills, hand eye coordination and more while pounding away on this colorful instrument.
The toy’s top shelf has three balls that he can tap to hit the keys, or he can remove the xylophone and balls to play with each separately. To top it all off, it’s made with water-based paint and has non-toxic finishes, making it a safe choice for your little one.
Recommended age: 12 months to 3 years
Weight: 3 pounds
Dimensions: 9.4 x 5.9 x 5.3 inches
Best Push and Walk Toy for 1-Year-Olds
Skip Hop Kids 3-in-1 Baby Activity Walker and Ride-On Scooter Wagon
- Can grow with your child
- so you’ll get multiple years of use out of it
- Requires three AAA batteries that aren’t included
This walker-wagon hybrid is designed to grow with your little one, serving up fun for years to come. Your 1-year-old can start off pushing toys in his wagon to hone his walking skills. As he gets steadier on his feet, the wagon converts to a ride-on toy that helps your toddler master the foot-to-floor motion. And later on, you can convert the ride-on toy to a scooter. There’s also a button at the front that for a headlight and fun sound effects, adding to the fun. And while it’s a larger toy to store, the design is flat-out adorable.
Recommended age: 1 to 3 years
Weight limit: 44 pounds
Dimensions: 22.75 x 13.5 x 20.5 inches
Best Plush Toy for 1-Year-Olds
Melissa & Doug K's Kids Hungry Pelican
- Soft enough for babies to cuddle
- cute design
- Users noted that the pelican was a little floppy and could slump over
This cute bird is more than just a stuffed animal. One-year-olds will love opening the pelican’s bill and feeding it an assortment of squeaky, crinkly aquatic delights — then watching as the food drops into its belly. The repetition helps young toddlers work on their motor skills as they learn how to care for their cute feathered friend.
Recommended age: 9 months and up
Weight: 1.6 pounds (packaged)
Dimensions: 14 x 11 x 5.25 inches
Best Pull-Along Toy for 1-Year-Olds
Hape Walk-a-Long Puppy Wooden Pull Toy
- Beautiful craftsmanship
- battery-free
- Doesn’t take sharp turns very well
This updated take on the classic wooden pull toy sparks new walkers’ imaginations. Your sweetie can take his puppy for a stroll, plus teach it "tricks" like sitting or standing, all while working on his dexterity, hand-eye coordination and manipulation skills. The rubber-rimmed wheels are easy (and quiet) on your floors, too.
Recommended age: 12 months and up
Weight: 1.5 pounds
Dimensions: 8.7 x 3.6 x 6.4 inches (not including string)
Best Bath Toy for 1-Year-Olds
Nuby Floating Purple Octopus
- There are no holes in it
- so you don’t have to worry about mold
- Parents point out that there are only six legs instead of eight
This fun, friendly octopus is sure to spark your sweetie’s budding imagination during bathtime. But what he’ll really love is practicing grabbing the floating rings and placing them on the octopus’s tentacles, which helps promote hand-eye coordination. You’ll love that it doesn’t have any small holes to let in water, so it’s easy to keep clean. (Note that while this toy is recommended for little ones 18 months and older, several reviewers say their little ones enjoyed having the octopus around for bathtime before that point.)
Recommended age: 18 months and older
Weight: 6.72 ounces
Dimensions: 6.8 x 6.8 x 5.6 inches
Best Travel Toy for 1-Year-Olds
BabyBibi Cloth Books
- The books float
- so they won’t get lost under the bubbles if you use them during bathtime
- Some parents said the books were smaller than they expected
A simple book goes hand in hand with a road trip (or flight or train ride). But beyond sparking imagination and helping your 1-year-old develop communication skills, this non-toxic, BPA- free set of soft and crinkly books introduces your baby to animals, shapes, fruits and more with bold letters and bright colors. They're soft, small, easy to store and dry easily if they get wet, making them perfect travel companions.
Recommended age: 6 months and up
Weight: 15.2 to 15.6 grams per book
Dimensions: 3.5 inches x 3.5 inches
Best Bedtime Book for 1-Year-Olds
The Going to Bed Book by Sandra Boynton
- Filled with fun
- silly
- rhyming prose
- The board book paper
- while thick
- won’t hold up to water (read: teething toddlers)
Your child can never read too many books. And books that explain things to toddlers — for example, what happens at the doctor’s office or on the school bus — are particularly good for parents to read.
That’s why so many families love this classic going-to-bed book by Sandra Boynton. The story follows a boat full of animals as they get ready for sleep — by brushing their teeth, putting on their pajamas, turning out the light and rock, rock, rocking to sleep. Zzzz.
Recommended age: 1 to 5 years
Book length: 14 pages
Best Daycare-Favorite Toy for 1-Year-Olds
Fat Brain Dimpl
- Parents were impressed with how fascinated their babies were with it
- Some parents wished it came with an attachment
- so they could carry it with them on the go
You’ve probably seen Dimpl toys popping up everywhere from daycare to the playground. Luckily, Fat Brain also makes a Dimpl for babies, too. Even better, this sensory toy can challenge their fine motor skills while teaching cause and effect.
The BPA-free toy features five silicone bubbles in neon-bright colors. When “popped,” the bubble appears on the opposite side. It has all the appeal of bubble wrap, but can be used over (and over and over) again.
Recommended ages: 10 months and up
Weight: 0.30 pounds
Dimensions: 6.25 x 5.8 x 1.25 inches
Best Activity Center for 1-Year-Olds
Manhattan Toy Deep Sea Adventure
- Babies can play with it while standing or sitting down
- Not specifically designed to provide standing or pull-up support
- more expensive than other activity centers
Plenty of activity centers — and toddler toys in general — feature bright colors and blinking lights. So this beautifully built, underwater-themed activity center, with its solid construction and soothing blue colors, is a welcome change for any child. The toy features bead sliders, spinning gears, clacking clams and other moving parts to keep your toddler’s hands busy.
Recommended age: 12 months and up
Weight: 9.8 pounds
Dimensions: 19.5 x 19.5 x 21 inches
Best Ball Pit Toy for 1-Year-Olds
Melissa & Doug Turtle Ball Pit
- Features lots of extra bells and whistles
- toy provides self-storage for the balls
- Older toddlers may not fit as comfortably inside the pit as younger ones
Back in the day, public ball pits were undoubtedly germ-y, but there’s no denying that they were a blast for little ones. This turtle-shaped ball pit from Melissa & Doug recaptures all the fun of a McDonald’s PlayPlace, minus the bacteria from strangers.
This ball pit is shaped like a giant turtle, which, when unzipped, holds 60 colorful balls. It also features holes that baby can push the balls through and a non-slip surface. The turtle has a non-slip bottom, feet that crinkle, silky fabric tags and more, making it much more than a ball pit toy.
Recommended ages: 9 months and up
Weight: 3.5 pounds (packaged)
Dimensions: 39 x 29 x 8.5 inches
Best Busy Board for 1-Year-Olds
VTech Latches & Doors Busy Board
- Impressively durable
- comes with a handle that makes it easy to tote around
- Some of the doors can be a little hard for younger 1-year-olds to open
Busy boards — which sport locks that can open or close, or doors that latch and unlatch — are a fun, entertaining toy for 1-year-olds, Dr. Posner says. Plus, these toys give tots an opportunity to hone their fine motor skills.
The VTech Latches & Doors Busy Board is shaped like a small house, complete with windows and doors that open and close with various locks and latches. Behind each window and door is a picture of a family, pet or birthday party. Bonus: The toy also plays songs, including alphabet and number songs.
Recommended ages: 12 months to 3 years
Weight: 1.84 pounds
Dimensions: 2.68 x 14.17 x 11.61 inches
Best Shapes Toy for 1-Year-Olds
Fat Brain Toys Let’s Learn Shapes! Wooden Puzzle
- The knob-like pegs can allow younger 1-year-olds to get a good grasp on them
- Thinner than some parents expected
You can’t go wrong with this simple shapes toy. Each of the five wooden pieces — a square, circle, rectangle, oval and triangle — has a sturdy peg in the center, which makes it easier for tiny hands to maneuver.
As he picks up each piece, point out the shape (“This one is a triangle, this one is a square”) or the color and show him how each one fits into the board. Even better, lots of reviewers say this simple yet effective toy holds up well to toddler play, making it a toy to keep for the years to come.
Recommended age: 1 year and up
Weight: 0.45 pounds
Dimensions: 14.25 x 3.5 inches x 0.75 inches
Best Corn Popper Toy for 1-Year-Olds
Fisher-Price Corn Popper
- Nostalgic push-pull toy that encourages walking
- Requires some assembly
If you remember the corn popper from your childhood, rest assured: Fisher-Price is still making them. The beloved childhood toy, which was first introduced in 1957, now sports a sleek new look with colorful balls that pop as it’s pushed along the floor (good for teaching cause and effect). Once your tot starts walking, this is one toy he won’t want to put down.
Recommended ages: 12 months to 5 years
Weight: 2 pounds
Dimensions: 22.5 x 8.5 x 6.2 inches
Best Doll for 1-Year-Olds
Manhattan Toy Wee Baby Stella Doll
- Accessories available for purchase (including a particularly adorable yoga set)
- Surface wash only
It’s a good idea for tots to play with diverse dolls, Dr. Monk says, so they develop a well-rounded view of the world. These Wee Baby Stella dolls — which, at 12 inches long, are just a “wee” smaller than the uber-popular Baby Stella dolls — are available in three different skin tones and feature different hair colors and styles. Plus, it’s just the right size for your baby’s first companion
Recommended ages: 12 months and up
Weight: 4 ounces
Dimensions: 2.5 x 4 x 12 inches
Best Play Tunnel for 1-Year-Olds
Hide N Side Crawl Play Tunnel
- Made with durable polyester fabric and steel wiring
- Some parents wished the tunnel was wider so they could crawl through it with their child
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why toddlers love play tunnels so much, but the fascination is real. Plus, tunnels are more than just fun — they can also encourage your little explorer to work his arms and legs as he crawls through it.
This play tunnel from Hide N Side features a mesh side (good for playing peekaboo) and can be folded into a compact circle that can be easily stored and toted around just about wherever you go.
Recommended age: 1 year and up (once kids start crawling)
Weight: A little over 1 pound
Dimensions: 6 feet x 18 inches x 18 inches (open)
- American Academy of Pediatrics, How to Buy Safe Toys, December 2020.
- American Academy of Pediatrics, Where We Stand: Screen Time, November 2016.
- Nemours KidsHealth, Reading Books to Babies, August 2019.
- Sarah Lytle, Ph.D., Director of Outreach and Education, Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences (I-LABS), University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
- Kyle Monk, M.D., Board-Certified Pediatrician at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California.
- Gina Posner, M.D., F.A.A.P., Board-Certified Pediatrician at MemorialCare Medical Group and What to Expect Medical Review Board Member, Fountain Valley, California
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