1st birthday gift ideas that won't drive you crazy

So what do you get a 1 year old?! I feel like I had so many people asked me "What does he want for his birthday?" and I was like ummm I don't know!!! So as usual I started researching. Like I said in my previous blog for 6-12 months I try to find toys that don't make a ton of noise and annoy me and also are a little advanced for him at the time that he is receiving the gift so that way he can play with it as he grows.  Here are some toy ideas that my one- year-old loved for his birthday:      

To help guide people and allow them to decide how much they want wanted to spend I made an amazon gift list. I would majorly recommend this! That way people can pick what they want to get you but it's still things that ultimately you want your child to have.  

1.Water table 

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Step2-874600-Showers-Playset-Multi-Colored/dp/B01K1K0K6M/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=3VTR6XQDSU5HN&keywords=water+table&qid=1695419233&sprefix=water+table%2Caps%2C151&sr=8-1-spons&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.006c50ae-5d4c-4777-9bc0-4513d670b6bc&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1

This is definitely a bigger gift- we had one of the grandparents get it for us. This is great for a summer baby but you could also get it for a winter baby and save it until summer. One thing I love about this is that it is a toy that can be used for multiple summers and with multiple kids. Although it's kind of loud and obnoxious looking, I considered it more of an "investment" toy that I know we will get many years of use out of. Also I haven't done this yet but I've heard if you are really stir crazy in winter and you have a stand up shower that is big enough to fit the table in you can put it in your shower and let them play with it indoors. 

 

2. Bike 

Link: https://www.amazon.com/SEREED-Balance-Toddler-Wheels-Birthday/dp/B08SGH7NKX/ref=sr_1_6?crid=2OTTCILBYQ66A&keywords=bike%2Bfor%2Bbaby&qid=1695419274&sprefix=bike%2Bfor%2Bbaby%2Caps%2C151&sr=8-6&th=1

Also a bigger gift- we had the other set of grandparents get this for us. In the beginning he couldn't really use it without help but he loved when we would push him around the house on it. A few months later though he figured out how to get on it and pedal himself. Currently we are still working on steering- but I know we will get there. This is a great starter bike and we are planning on asking for a balance or strider bike for him for his second birthday so that he can learn to ride a bike without using training wheels. 

3.Puzzles 

These were a little advanced for our one year old but they are definitely a "grow with you" type of toy. Melissa and Doug make some great puzzles with little knobs on them so that their little fingers can lift the pieces off. 

4. Shopping cart 

Link: https://www.target.com/p/b-play-shopping-cart-38-play-food-shop-38-glow-toy-cart/-/A-82020681#lnk=sametab

This one is a HUGE hit at our house. Once he started walking he is obsessed with walking this in circles around the house. He also loves putting things in the cart (and taking them out). It's funny how he finds his "favorite things" and they end up in his cart. One thing I love about this cart is that the height is adjustable so we can raise it up as he grows. I know this will be a toy that we will use for many years. 

5. Poke a dot books 

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Childrens-Book-Poke/dp/1950013928/ref=sr_1_10?crid=2OF52YZ3H9ZIP&keywords=poke+a+dot+books+for+toddlers+1-3&qid=1695419391&sprefix=poke+a+do%2Caps%2C164&sr=8-10

One of my friends got me these books for my baby shower and I'll be honesty originally I was like "ok cool whatever". Fast forward a year and I busted these out and he is obsessed with them. These are a great "read" for a busy baby that has a hard time sitting still for a book. He loves poking all the dots! These are also great to bring in the diaper bag or on a plane to keep them entertained. 

6. Bead Maze 

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Toddlers-Colorful-Educational-Attention-QZM-0135-Toys/dp/B07DHD6FNG/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=1URJ02SP3Z7OU&keywords=bead+maze&qid=1695419434&sprefix=bead+maz%2Caps%2C151&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1

These are pretty "old school" toys that I feel like can be found in every pediatricians office. They come in a variety of sizes. We registered for a small one because I felt like I didn't need any more big toys. I think the small one was great idea because he loves to pick it up and throw it on the ground- it makes a fun noise. As he grows I know he will like to move the beads around- this is a great toy for fine motor skill development. 

7. Dimpl Toy 

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Fat-Brain-Toys-FA192-1-Dimpl/dp/B079CH7PLF/ref=sr_1_55?crid=1Y0WXLH4SQPNX&keywords=fat%2Bbrain%2Btoys&qid=1695418895&sprefix=fat%2Bbrian%2Btoys%2Caps%2C764&sr=8-55&th=1

This is a great inexpensive fine motor skills toy. He loves poking all the dots back and forth. This is a great toy to throw in the diaper bag and pull out at a restaurant or other places that you need to entertain them. 

Other Non Toy things to possibly ask for: 

I tried to also ask for non-toy items. It didn't actually work but it might be a shot. The two biggest things I asked for that I ended up buying myself were:

Straw Cup- I am obsessed with Contigo straw cup. I love that its dishwasher safe- because I am too lazy to hand-wash things. It's also stainless steel so it keeps liquids cool all day and it's virturally spill proof and indestructible. It was a little pricy but it is so worth it for us. We literally use it every day. 

Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B1PDK73D?ref=nb_sb_ss_w_as-reorder-t1_k0_1_12&amp=&crid=1XK8U6KPFUI4V&sprefix=contigo%2Bkids&th=1

Snack Containers- I really like these spill proof snack containers for puffs, cheerios etc. This way they can get their little hands in there but not dump everything on the ground. These are also dishwasher safe. 

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Dilovely-Toddlers-Containers-DustProof-Dishwasher/dp/B0B3LKB64K/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=spill+proof+snack+for+kids&qid=1695498607&sr=8-7

The crazy gift: the Pikler Triangle

So our birthday gift for him was we built him a pikler triangle. We would've never gotten one had we actually purchased it because they are so expensive but we found free plans for them and decided to build one. Again I thought of this as an investment piece- I know this will grow with him for many years and we can use it with multiple kids. I am really amazed with how well he has taken to it- I think it's really helped with his gross motor skills. If you have the money to spend it might be worth it or if you can force your husband to build one it's a good gift. It might be a better "big gift" for a 18 month or two year old if you want to get one but not right away. We also built ours to be able to fold down for storage which is nice.