Buying a gift for someone else’s baby can be hard with so many options out there. From cute tiny baby clothes to cool new toys on the market, the choices are endless when it comes to what to gift.
My daughter Blakely had her first birthday over two months ago on December 4, 2021. Before the party, I had a few friends who don’t have kids ask me what they should get Blakely for her birthday. I really appreciated this question because it helped them to not gift something we already had or that Blakely wouldn’t use. I gave them a few general ideas of where to look and what to look for, and they said it helped tremendously.
As you can see below, I didn’t put too many toys on this list. By one years old, I’m sure the one year old’s toy bin is overflowing. With that being said, I was really intentional about the few toys I did add to this list. They’re engaging, creative, and fun for littles.
By no means am I an expert in this topic, but I wanted to share what I’ve learned from being a mama to what friends and family have gifted Blakely for her birthday in case you are lost with what to get that special one year old for their birthday. Let’s dive in!
ONE YEAR OLD GIFT IDEAS
BOOKS
Don’t overlook gifting a book!!! Blakely received a few books for her first birthday and those were one of the best gifts in my opinion. It’s one of the few things she can’t grow out of haha. Books are so educational and fun for little ones. The best books for a one year old in my opinion are board books, sense and sensation books, pop up books, poke-a-dot books, and of course the classics. Some of my favorite unique & fun books to gift are:
- Baby’s First Library – set of 10 board books with vibrant pictures and large words to stimulate your baby’s mind!! Blakely LOVES these.
- Farm Animal Sound Book – by using touch, sight and sound this multisensory book is not only engaging but is so fun for littles too.
- Pat the Bunny – a CLASSIC that invites kids to touch and feel and make reading an interactive experience. You can’t go wrong with gifting this one!
- Brown Bear, Brown Bear – another classic that is perfect for one year olds. Blakely is so into animals and this is one of the books she always grabs for at bedtime.
- Poke-A-Dot Book – Blakely was gifted this at her birthday and it quickly became one of her favorites. It’s interactive, engaging, and fun for littles to figure out how to press and pop on every page. Plus this one has farm animals! Another win!
SILICONE BIBS
Let’s be honest, no ones baby is a clean eater. But these silicone bibs make them as close as they’re going to get to being clean. They’re a mealtime staple in our household. Not only do they block food from getting on clothes (if you’re a mom you know that’s a big win), but they CATCH the food that falls. They are incredibly easy to clean and we love the aesthetic colors. I seriously can’t say enough good things.
CLOTHES
One of my biggest tips for buying clothes for babies is to check the size with the season!!! If it’s winter when the baby is turning one, I would recommend buying winter clothes in size 12 month and summer clothes in size 18 month if you’re thinking that route. It sounds obvious, but hey just a friendly reminder.
Blakely is small for her age so she might be able to still fit into the 12 month clothes when it starts to get warm, but every baby is different. The size of the baby, the size of the clothing and the season you’re in are all something to keep in mind when buying a one year old clothes.
Nothing is really off limits when it comes to gifting clothes for a one year old. The best clothing items Blakely received for her winter birthday (and wears all the time) were a cute beanie, winter jackets, socks (you can never have too many), shoes (Blakley has these Nikes and oh my gosh they’re adorable), a snugly footie (with non slip feet – love Burt’s Bees brand), and other cute outfits! A friend even gifted the cutest baby gloves which we used more times than I would have thought this winter.
The best gifts to gift for a spring/summer are beach hats, a cute swimsuit (this is one of my favorite brands for Blakely), a spring dress with bloomers, sandals, and more cute summer outfits. Between messes and spills, baby’s go through clothes SO fast so they can really never have too many.
Another great gift item to throw in for girls are bows!! I’ve come to find that we sadly lose them way too easily, so this is another item that you can’t have enough of. If the one year old you’re gifting has a lot of hair I recommend the clips instead of the headband!
POP UP ACTIVITY TOY
We have tried a few pop up activity toys in the last few months, and this pop up toy takes the trophy for the best. I’m not sure what age they start to be able to press the buttons themselves, but we’ve found that this is the easiest one for Blakely to push them down after I’ve popped them up. Another huge plus is that the pop ups are little animals which as you now know Blakely loves. A fun interactive toy that won’t clutter the house.
BLOCKS
One of my best friends gifted Blakely some blocks for her birthday and that’s all Blakely wanted to play with the rest of the day. We pull these out often and it always entertains Blakely for so long. She loves to knock down the blocks that I’ve stacked, and of course she thinks it’s hilarious.
We use these soft building blocks because they double as teethers (anyone else’s one year old getting in a bunch of teeth!?) These are not only aesthetic colors, but they are affordable and feature animals and numbers on each block.
PUZZLES
I think this is a really unique and creative gift idea. Blakely didn’t receive any puzzles for her birthday, but she plays with the ones we got for her all the time. I’m sure you can guess she has a cute farm animal themed puzzle she always grabs for. This particular puzzle is a great size for one year old since the puzzle pieces and knobs are so big. You definitely don’t have to worry about a choking hazard. Puzzles are a great gift for one year olds because not only are they fun, but they are great in aiding in hand eye coordination and problem solving. Win win.
BATH STORAGE
This baby bath storage was just an incredibly invention. I didn’t even know it existed until I was gifted it. We use this one from Munchkin and it is the perfect size to hold all of Blakely’s bath toys. Seriously we went from having toys everywhere all the time, to a way more organized system. We make cleaning up a fun game at the end of the bath and have Blakely put all the toys back in the basket. She loves the independence of it since she can do it herself.
KIWI CO SUBSCRIPTION
Blakely and I live for our KiwoCo boxes being delivered each month. If you haven’t heard of KiwiCo, you’re not alone. I had no clue what it was before being gifted it! KiwiCo is essentially a hands on kit full of items that encourage play based learning. They have different boxes for different age ranges, so it’s personalized for who you’re gifting to.
Blakely is signed up for the 0-24 month crate that focuses on exploring and discovering. It’s usually full of various interactive toys, activity cards, a book, and other fun projects for your one year old to explore. The most popular gift option is 3 crates for 6 months at $19.95 a month. It is seriously the gift that keeps on giving.
ESSENTIALS RESTOCK
If you’re a more practical gift giver (we love those), this might be something you’d like to gift for a one year old’s birthday. These are all things that you know WILL be used, which is always comforting to know if you’re going to spend money on a gift. It could be cute to make a little basket full of practical essentials. I promise the mama will appreciate this gift for making her life easier! Here are just few practical things for a one year old:
- Of course, diapers and wipes… you can never have too many! Just make sure you ask the mama and get the right size.
- Aquaphor... this is something I use for Blakely everyday, so it’s definitely a practical essential and a good restock would never hurt.
- Baby shampoo + body wash… this is another item that is used every day and runs out quick. I love the Honest brand for Blakely.
- Puffs… every baby will go crazy for these + this is my favorite trusted brand.
- You could also throw in socks and/or bows if you went this route for a practical gift basket.
PERSONALIZED GIFT IDEAS
Now for some fun & flavor!!! If you’re into personalized gifts, this section is for you. I think a gift that is personalized is so thoughtful and really goes a long way for the mom.. because let’s be real the one year old will not remember these gifts, but the mom will. I’ve come up with a few ideas that we either have for Blakely, or are on my wish list for her.
Zara Custom Sweatshirt… I mean say less. I’ve been eyeing this jacket for months and they have so many fun colors. It would make for such a cute fun personal gift.
Personalized Crib Sheet… a little pricier, but this is the exact one Blakely was gifted as a newborn and I think it would still be a great gift as a one year old. Make sure to check with the mama to see if she has a color theme for the nursery.
Personalized Puzzle… oh my gosh I wish I found this sooner. I would gift this for a friend with a one year old. Such a thoughtful, unique and quality gift!
Personalized Birthday Book… such a timeless and creative gift idea. An adorable story full of customizable options.
A Gift For The Parents… I thought this gift was not only hilarious, but so thoughtful to recognize the parents who have successfully conquered parenthood for one whole year!
And that’s a wrap! I hope you all found some inspiration and ideas for what to gift a one year old for their first birthday. Let me know what gift ideas you have for a one year old in the comments below!!
Stay Well,
Courtney
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