Best Toys and Gifts for 1 Year Olds
The best toys for a 1 year old are the ones that match what the child is doing this month: pulling up on the sofa, cruising along the coffee table, dropping a block into a cup and fishing it back out. Below are nine picks sorted by those stages, each one with the age grade shown on the brand’s own listing or on Target, and none with loose small parts that the listing warns about.
What a one-year-old can actually do
The CDC’s one-year milestone checklist includes pulling up to stand, walking while holding on to furniture, and putting something in a container, like a block in a cup. It also lists picking things up between thumb and pointer finger, like small bits of food, and playing games with you, like pat-a-cake. Those milestones are the whole shopping brief. A child who is cruising wants something to push, a child who is putting blocks in cups wants cups and blocks, and a child who is pinching up cereal will pinch up anything else that is small enough, which is why the safety section comes before the picks.
The small-parts check that comes first
The CPSC defines a small part as any object that fits completely into its small parts cylinder, and its ban on small parts covers products intended for children under three (CPSC small parts FAQ). In its 2026 holiday safety release, the agency also advises keeping balls and toys with small parts away from children younger than three, and checking packaging or the company’s website for choking-hazard warnings. Four quick checks cover most of it:
- Read the age grade on the box or listing, and treat anything graded 3+ as off the list for a one-year-old.
- The CPSC advises checking for choking-hazard warnings, so read the packaging or the company’s website before you buy.
- Skip loose magnets: the CPSC warns that when two or more are swallowed they can attract one another inside the body (CPSC magnet warning).
- Prefer toys with no button or coin batteries, which the CPSC says can burn through a child’s throat or esophagus in as little as two hours if swallowed (CPSC battery release).
Push and pull toys for new walkers
The Fisher-Price Corn Popper push toy is the clearest pick for a child who has just let go of the furniture. Target lists it as suggested for 1 year and up, with no battery used: colored balls pop around inside a clear dome as the child pushes, and the popping speeds up the faster they go. It needs adult assembly, with no tools.
For a child who is not yet walking alone, the Fisher-Price Chatter Telephone Vehicle push-along toy is a push-along vehicle that Target grades at 6 months and up, also with no battery. Target’s description says pushing it along sends it rolling and encourages a baby to crawl and chase after it. A wooden alternative is the Hape Shape Sorter Pull-Along Ladybug, which Target shows as 12 months and up. It comes with four differently shaped blocks to post inside, and its wings open and close, so it does double duty as a pull-along and a sorter. Target notes that its listing details come from a partner seller, so check the box for the age label.
Stack, nest and drop
The block-in-a-cup milestone is where most of the good toys at this age live. The Lovevery Drip Drop Cups are a set of 12 graduated cups for stacking, nesting and pouring, and Target’s listing shows 9 months and up in its specifications (the product name says 10m+). The Fat Brain Toys Dimpl Stack Toy is a five-cup stack with food-grade silicone bubbles on top, listed at 6 months and up. Lovevery’s listing mentions bath time as well as everyday play. Both are graded below the one-year mark, so they should still be useful well past 12 months.
The Melissa & Doug First Play Wooden Animal Stacking Cars are three wooden cars with animal drivers that stack in different combinations. Target gives the age as 9 months and up in the highlights and 9 to 36 months in the specifications, so this one stays useful for a couple of years.
Closer to 18 months: DUPLO
LEGO describes its DUPLO line as made for toddlers aged 18 months and over, so DUPLO belongs on the list for the older end of this age group rather than for a child who has only just turned one. The LEGO DUPLO Green Building Plate (set 10460) carries a 1½+ badge on LEGO.com’s DUPLO page, and so does the LEGO DUPLO Brick Box (set 10913). If the one-year-old in question is still a few months short of 18, hold these for later or give them to a toddler who is a bit further along. For ideas aimed at the next age up, see the guide to toys and gifts for 2 year olds.
A pull-and-shake toy that starts at birth
One last pick is graded unusually wide: the Baby Einstein Cal-a-Puller Pull & Shake Toy is listed for 0 to 36 months, with a fabric leaf to pull, a hidden rattle and six knotted arms for texture. It is the kind of small, inexpensive gift that suits a sibling or a classmate shopping for a one-year-old, and the age range means it will not be wasted if the child is slightly ahead or behind.
Where to go from here
If the gift is for a birthday, the first birthday gift ideas guide covers keepsakes and party-ready gifts instead of toys for play. For seasonal shopping across ages, see Christmas gifts for kids by age. Parents hunting for something more structured can start with The Best STEM & Educational Toys for Toddlers, and a free afternoon of play is covered in Simple Sensory Bin Ideas for Toddlers. The wider framework lives in Best Gifts for Toddlers That Aren’t Junk (by Developmental Stage).
Frequently Asked Questions
What are good toys for a 12 month old?
Start with what the CDC lists for one-year-olds: pulling up to stand, walking while holding on to furniture, and putting something in a container, like a block in a cup. Push toys, stacking cups and drop-in containers fit those skills. This guide names nine picks, each graded by its maker or retailer listing for babies of one or younger, apart from two DUPLO sets graded from 18 months.
Are large toys for 1 year olds like DUPLO a good fit?
LEGO describes DUPLO as made for toddlers aged 18 months and over, and the DUPLO Green Building Plate carries a 1½+ badge on LEGO.com. That makes DUPLO a better fit for a child closer to 18 months than for a new one-year-old. Regular LEGO bricks are different: the Target listing for the LEGO Classic Medium Creative Brick Box says “WARNING: choking hazard – small parts. Not for children under 3 yrs.”
Are battery toys among the best toys for 1 year old?
Be careful with them. The CPSC says swallowed button cell or coin batteries can burn through a child’s throat or esophagus in as little as two hours, and it adopted ANSI/UL 4200A-2023 as a mandatory standard to reduce ingestion hazards for children six and younger. The Corn Popper and the Chatter Telephone listed here both state that no battery is used.
What gifts for 1 year old should I avoid?
Avoid anything with small parts, small balls or loose magnets. The CPSC advises keeping balls and toys with small parts away from children younger than three, and says that when two or more magnets are swallowed they can attract one another inside the body. If you suspect magnets have been swallowed, the CPSC says to seek medical attention immediately.
