Presents/Toys for 1 year old - Please help

[Rabbiting0n]

Family keep asking me what they can buy DD for Xmas. She will be one year old 2 weeks after Christmas so they also want birthday ideas.

DD is our first child so I don't really have any idea what sort of things children one and over will want to do/play with. I don't want to ask for a load of things that she will like right now as with her birthday and Xmas being so close together and all the family that want to buy for her, she would end up with a lot of stuff she doesnt need.

What sort of things make good first birthday presents and what sort of things do children like when they are a bit older; say 18+ months.

DD is currently not that into toys. She mostly wants to play with things she isn't allow such as electrical equipment, phones,remote controls etc. She does enjoy books but that's what DH and I are getting for her. She already has a playroom full of toys, some of which never got much use and are now a bit young for her.

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Hi! This thread is a little out of date. If you're looking for toy recommendations, take a peek at our roundup of the top Christmas toys - as chosen by Mumsnetters. MNHQ

Tomy Hide n Squeak Eggs are excellent! DS played with his from 6 months (chewing and banging) to about 2 years (putting them in and out of the box, matching up the lids etc.

Most toddlers seem to enjoy Happyland/Little People too

Or a shape sorter? Nice trolley with wooden blocks?

Thanks! I have seen those eggs but was unsure how long they would last; that's good to know.

One family member is buying DD a wooden walker with a built in shape sorter, blackboard, blocks etc. Although it's great it combines the only few things I was confident were worth buying!

It's just so hard to know what will entertain a child as they develop.

We recently got dc3 the toot toot garage by v tech and it's played with by all 3 dc (1,3 and 5). There are lots of add on bits so everyone could get something from the same range

My lo will be 1 a couple of weeks after Christmas too and like you i wanted to buy things that will be useful come a few months down the line. I have opted for a water and sand table, a 12month + trampoline and a ride on lady bug, which im hoping will come in handy come the summer also pull along wooden train and stacking cups and shape sorting game. Don't know if any of thise ideas help.

Also those smart trikes are a great idea

DS has just turned 1. He loves playing with duplo, which I know older children also like playing with. I know you said you're buying books, but there are so many nice books out there, maybe someone could buy a nice collection e.g. Roald Dahl, Dr Seuss, Winnie the Witch, Julia Donaldsen etc.?

I cannot stress how fab Melissa and doug stuff is (Amazon do good deals)! They have a lovely range of wooden toys like jigsaws. I can recommend these:

Melissa & Doug Bug-Catching Magnetic Puzzle Game.
Melissa & Doug Wooden Bear Family Dress-Up Puzzle.
Melissa & Doug Farm Sound Blocks.

I tell everyone about M&D to the point where I think I should get commission

Also wooden food toys like cakes and ice lollies look like so much fun!

Our DS was 1 in January this year and we gave him a wrapped up box for Christmas and a cupcake for his birthday. Friends also suggested a whole box of tissues to himself, or a balloon.

Books, my dc started to get into them at around 15 months, and they will last too.
To be honest, my dc didnt play much with other indoor toys - she prefers 'real' things she finds in the house, but they are all different. Or the tv, but you cant ask relatives for a tv!
She does adore her sand and water table though.

My son was 1 just after Christmas last year and the grandparents have him little presents like a pair of trousers or a musical instrument plus some vouchers or money.

We didn't ask this, they did it themselves. The money we put in a bank account for him to but something he might need in the future, the vouchers I spent on clothes and toys in the summer. That way the new things are more spread through the year.

This year, if anyone asked, I just said a little present only. We now have a dd and to be honest they have more toys than they need. Only the train set and duplo get played with regularly (I have bought them books).

The best present we got my DS when he turned 1 was a smart trike. He is 2 next month and still enjoys it. I can't say that for many toys he got for his 1st birthday and Christmas last year.

It's so difficult because family want to buy proper things. DH and I know she likes wrapping paper etc. and we won't buy a lot (apart from books) but grandparents etc. want to buy proper things. Then there is the competitiveness to it. If one person buys a bigger thing costing £40 another person feels excluded if you only suggest a £5 toy.

I like the idea of vouchers so she can get things in the summer or garden toys. I don't think grandparents would be satisfied with a voucher though

The older rellies in our family bought him soft toys he'd grow attached to, would something like that suit - not expensive but have a special person attached to them?

A kitchen has been a hit with both my DSs. It can be added to over time, as well.

I love the tomy eggs. They're one of those things where often people think but all of the kids I've known have loved them.

Duplo.

Another recommendation for the toot toot drivers garage. DD2 was 1 a week ago and we got her this for her birthday. She loves it and we plan to add to it at xmas. Our 4 year old also likes it so I am sure it will last a good while!

One of DS1's best 1yr presents was a folding slide for 18m upwards. By the time it was nice enough to use it outside it was the right age and before that, fun to hold him on it indoors on the carpet. DS2 (10m) pushes it all around the living room now.

A wheely bug my DD1 had one for her first birthday and still goes on it at 5 (and we got the small one) - it still looks brand new too.

www.wheelybug.com

A play tunnel/pop up tent or teepee.

Wooden blocks (seem to be out of favour as a gift, but my girls love them) we have a mixed set of large blocks and small ones. The Haba ones are totally gorgeous.

www.amazon.com/Haba-3566-Building-Blocks-Sevilla/dp/B001327LO2

Haba also do a lovely dolls pram which can be used as a walker.

www.amazon.co.uk/Haba-0950-Dolls-Pram-White/dp/B000UUSBVA

A smart trike or similar?

Musical intruments get a lot of play here, drum, shakers etc

Aside from Happyland, there is also Playmobil 123 and Wow Toys (which are both good from 18 months).

DD got a smart trike for her first birthday and LOVES it. Also the leapfrog lettersaurus is a favourite as long as you don't mind hearing the alphabet song constantly for days in a row!

At 18 months ds is into his scuttle bug big time, as well as rocking horses, seesaws, swings/slides for the garden, play kitchen, trike, ride-in cars. Cheaper things for a 1-1.5 yr old would prob include shape sorters, walkers (ds still loves pushing a cheap plastic shopping trolley about), play tents, those pull-back and release cars, a pull along telephone, toy hoovers, nursery rhyme cd/dvds, tea sets and stacking toys.

Alternatively, give them a different age group each (12-18 or 18-24months) and tell them to go mad in Toys R Us, they can look at the age labels and decide for themselves!

My son is 13 mths and so we asked family for money for his birthdya to benefit from the July toys sales. We have bought him:

1. FP learning home and he loves loves loves it.
2. FP stacking cups (brilliant basics) giftedkiddie.com/best-toys-and-gifts-for-1-year-old-girls/ very good as they are easy to use and don't require precious skills
3. Megablocks -haven't given them to him yet
4. Touch and fell books, maisy books and some others. We mainly bought board books as he looks at books himself so he can manage to turn the pages by himself

Also, he has a leap frog learning drum he plays with all te time, got a drum for his birthday and FP shape sorting box (brilliant basics) which gets a lot of mileage.

We are considering getting a small climbign set as he loves to climb.