22 One Year Old Gifts Under $30

one year old gifts 1 year old toy ideas

22 One Year Old Gifts Under $30 is a guest post from Kaylee at Mama and More who also wrote our Paw Patrol toy series. She writes all about how you can tackle DIY projects and organization with a family of mess-makers. Check out her free course about how to love your home today–even if you’re drowning in toys. 

In only FOUR days, my painfully cute child is going to be ONE. Cue the tears. Up until recently, I really struggled with one year old gifts.  I mean, at this age, they spend 90% of their time chewing on toys, right?

But since he’s my second kid and I see how he interacts with all of his big sister’s toys, I have a lot more ideas for him.  Certain toys really keep him occupied for a long time and challenge him.  And learning through play is pretty much the ultimate goal, amiright?!  And since I often (ahem, pretty much always) don’t start looking for toys until just a few days before I need them, I made a list of my favorite toys from Amazon.

One year olds can be at all different stages of development, but I picked these toys because I can see how perfect they are for where my one year old is right now.  And they’re all under $30, because I’m not willing to spend more than that on first birthdays.  I know, I’m so mean, I’ll just have give him a bunch of extra kisses.  Pull my arm why don’t you.

One Year Old Gifts for Under $10

Stack up cups A cute, basic toy that babies and toddlers just always love!  I mean really, I could have gotten this for Malachi and not even thrown a party and he would have been happy. 😉

Nuby Octopus Hoopla Bathtime Fun Toys I’m not including any other bath toys, but this one is my favorite.  I think the octopus is adorable and very grab-able for those 1 year old hands, and I think babies would really grow into being able to get the rings on the legs.

Infantino Squeeze and Stack Block Set This is just a perfect little baby set of blocks.  They’re chewproof, too!

Infantino Textured Ball Set Honestly, I think these Infantino people just get it 😉

Fisher Price Rattle and Rock Maracas I think Malachi would love these!  They’re a perfect size and shape for him, and babies just seem to love anything that makes noise

Sassy Wonder Wheel Activity Center One of my friend’s had this toy when Braela was around a year, and it always occupied her for a while.  I think being able to spin that wheel is what kids really like!

Roll and Rattle Car This is a cute one to take with us on car rides and to restaurants, it’s easy for him to hold, chew proof, and fun to play with on a table.

Fisher Price set of 4 “My First Books” Obviously, there are THOUSANDS of baby books out there.  If you click on related books, you’ll see. I just included this one because it’s a set of 4 for just under $10!  Books are my go-to gifts for babies and toddlers… it’s really the best thing for them and they’re so cheap.

One Year Old Gifts between $10 and $30

Fat Brain Toys Stacking Shape Tour – Obviously this is a classic toy!  I like this particular one because it has more rings and different shapes than others

TOP BRIGHT Wooden Race Track Ramp Oh it’s just SO CUTE.  It’s a toy that I think he would be able to manage now AND that he would grow into over the next year or so.

Pop Up Kids Play Tent This comes with a tunnel and a ball game! Here’s a secret… my mom is getting this for Malachi’s birthday, because I just think it’s too perfect for him.

**UPDATE**  I can’t even describe how much of a hit this has been for both of the kids! We also added plastic balls like these, and I think my children are going to live in them until the end of summer! And I love that the pieces of the tent detaches, so during our 9 months of winter when we’re locked inside, I can still keep out the tunnel and bring out one of the other pieces for extra fun.

Melissa and Doug Pounding Bench Oh man.  I might regret this one later, but it can’t be worse than that phase when I let Braela have like 9,000 musical toys at the same time, right?  Malachi LOVES banging things together and making loud noises.  I’m gonna bet most babies do, too… and it’s great for their fine motor development (Yeah, I know big words sometimes! ;))

Personalized Name Puzzle Okay, I want this for Malachi, Braela, myself, Andrew… maybe even the dog.  It’s pretty, and also I can’t think of a better way to start teaching toddlers their name!  Honestly this one would be over Malachi’s head right now, but I have to include it on this list because I love the concept so much.

Musical instruments Set I never got anything like this for my daughter, so I think it would be a great one for babies and kids of all ages… Music can pretty much only benefit those little brains! And I love this this comes in a backpack! You can also get a smaller set like this one.

VTech Baby Roll and Discover Ball A ball, covered in tags.  This toy is totally Malachi approved.  I really like that it’s soft, too.

Magnetic Tiles Set Another toy that would be good for both my kids!  I originally saw another magnetic toy set, but I much prefer this one because the magnets are tiles… so when they inevitably make it into Malachi’s little mouth, I don’t have to worry 🙂

Hape Walk A Long Snail Wooden Shape Sorter Pull Toy If I had seen this one even a few weeks ago, I probably wouldn’t have been excited about it.  But with how much Malachi is cruising along now, I think he’d really like to pull this thing with him.  And I like that it’s also a shape sorter… two toy types combined!

Whale Bath Sprinkler Bath toys make perfect gifts for one year olds! This little whale makes bath time so much fun. Just put him in the water and he starts his light and sprinkler show!

Bubble Machine What kid doesn’t love bubbles? And a machine that takes the mess and work out of bubbles to let Mom and Dad hop in on all the fun is a gift for everyone!

Fat Brain Toys Dimpl This toy is like popping bubble wrap that never ends! Its quiet enough to not be annoying to anyone else, but is endless fun! This toy is the perfect gift or travel accessory for a one year old!

LeapFrog 100 Words Books If you’re wanting a gift for the one year old in your life that is educational and fun, look no further than one of these electronic books!

Swirl Ball Ramp Ohh, man.  This was ALWAYS Braela’s favorite toy at her Grandma’s house, so I had to include it on this list.  But for Malachi, I think I like the next one!

5 Layer Ball Drop and Roll Swirling Tower I just think this would be perfect for him since he loves to roll balls and pick them up and move them around.

That’s it!  I wish I had known more about one year old gifts with Braela.  If you have a 1 year old, which toy looks best to you?  Any toys your child has had that you loved?

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2 Comments

  1. Out of the toys listed above, my favorite is the stacked cups. Children often receive a lot of toys as gifts but their favorite thing to play with tends to be kitchen items, including cups, lol!

    1. Yes! All the kitchen things! We’ve definitely had so many 1 year old “cooking” sessions with our three kids where they are simply moving things like Rice Krispies and Cheerios from cups to bowls with spoons. I love some cheap, yet practical, entertainment for a little one!

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