Present for 1 year old

[Welshcyclist]

I'm having a last minute panic, I was set on buying my one year old a wooden activity cube but I'm now not sure that she'll get much use out of it in the long term as they are all small and relatively expensive. So my next idea was to get a small table and chairs like the Ikea Lack set and have puzzles etc on it. My other idea is the Ikea kitchen as she is cruising and loves walking round our kitchen opening cupboards. Has anyone given any of these to a one year old with success?

Table and chairs always go down well. Maybe she is a bit young for the kitchen, when is her birthday?? I wouldn't recommend the activity cube from my experience as they have fairly limited play value and are expensive!

Thanks for the reply, unfortunately her birthday was only last week so any other big things have to wait another year! That's why I keep coming back to the kitchen as I wonder would she start playing with it during the year. Definitely decided against the activity cube now though.

Ds had a kitchen at the Christmas he was 18m, so maybe worth thinking about? There are good activity cubes (smaller and plastic) which ds loved when he was 9-18m, we bought it from marks and spencer, but kitchen has had more use. How about a tea set? We have a cute Emma bridge water one?

Little figure sets are good for one year olds I think. Fisher price little people and happyland are both good and they can grow into them. Toot toot animals look good too

Table and chairs is a great idea - ours are in constant use.

Thanks everyone, looks like table and chairs might be a good idea, maybe with a teaset too. Little people a good idea but she had some Happyland stuff for her birthday and loves it.

We have the ikea kitchen for my 3 year old but my 1 yo twins love it too. They're coming up to 18m now but they have been interested in it for a while. That said they also like the Lack table and chairs we have. And little people type sets. My dd only got the kitchen for her 2nd birthday so I your lo won't miss out by not having it for another year.
I would agree about the activity cube though, v limited use.

Even if you decide to hold back on the kitchen, buy it now as it is heavily reduced! Think its about £45 atm.

We gave the kitchen and table to dd on her second birthday and they have been well used!

We're thinking of the ikea kitchen as a joint present from gps for our 3 year old and (just) one year old, mainly as didn't want ds to miss out before he gets too old for one, if I just had a one year old I'd probably leave it till 2 and they could really enjoy getting it.

Think table and chairs good idea as they'll get a lot of use but not a 'wow' present like the kitchen would be in a year's time.

Agree activity cubes expensive and soon grown out of, Ikea do good cheap wooden shape sorters, bead rollercoasters etc, could get a couple of those for the table to do the same job.

I would leave the kitchen until next year. My dd got it for her 2nd birthday. She loves it and its brilliant, but I don't think she would have got much out of it at 1, other than opening and closing the doors!

She got an activity cube last year, and it is definitely the least played with present. Of the things she got when she turned one, she played (and still plays) with her xylophone, wooden bricks and and ark with lots of animals the most.

Also pp mentions the kitchen as a 'wow' present. It definitely was this year when she saw it. She was so excited and immediately started using the pans, washing up and making cups of tea etc. I don't think we would have got such a lovely reaction when she was one.

We got dd1 her kitchen when she was 2 years old. I think 1 is too young. She will be more excited for it next year I think or for her next birthday.

Dd2 is 13 months and she is getting a scuttle bug and decent shape sorter for Christmas.

Thanks for all the comments. I hadn't even considered the wow factor of the kitchen so will keep that for when she is two. I'm going to Ikea tomorrow to look at the tables and chairs and to buy a gingerbread house!