First birthdays are such an exciting time and I love buying first birthday gifts for little ones. They’re finally at an age where they are really getting excited about toys and playtime has become even more special.
For the best first birthday gifts, it’s a great idea to pick up something that will not only be fun for the birthday boy or girl, but also has an additional learning value, whether it’s to better their fine motor skill, teach them new words or expand their imaginations. Good quality items are a bonus, since babies are rough on their items! We have many of these below and they are all popular in our home.
Make sure to read to the end of the post to can enter the fun contest we have going on. One lucky reader will win one of our top birthday gifts from B.Toys!
The Best First Birthday Gifts
Here are our favourite naturally-minded best first birthday gifts for little boys and girls.
Books – Books will always be a wonderful first birthday gift. Little K already has a huge affinity for her books. Some of our favourites for little ones are anything by Nancy Tillman (they are all incredible, but this is a fave), Usborne touch and feel books, Tails or Alphabet (two amazing touch and feel books) and Where is Baby’s Belly Button?.
Ride-On Toy – These toys are so fun for little ones. We received the awesome Buggly Wuggly by B.Toys for my girl’s first birthday and she absolutely loves it. Both her and Big K have so much fun with this toy and take turns using it, riding it around, and putting things in the storage compartment. I can see this getting a ton of use in our home. The two horns also light up and squeak, much to do the delight of little K. We are big fans of B.Toys and love their simple, open-ended toys. This one will be a huge hit for a first birthday gift. I’m so excited to be able to give away one of these fun toys to one lucky reader, so read to the end, where you can enter.
Nesting Toys – I am in love with Grimm’s nesting toys, which are also eco-friendly and finished with all natural finishes. There are also some more affordable ones, such as green toys stacking cups, which have been a favourite toy in our home for years and held up so well, eco-friendly nesting blocks, or the Mula stacking ring from Ikea (which we have and love).
Push Cart – Walkers or push carts can be great for little ones once they begin taking their first steps and they will have so much fun with this one by Hape.
Blocks – I just love these eco-friendly ABC blocks from Uncle Goose, plus they are made in North America by a small company and printed with non-toxic, lead-free child safe inks, which is extra awesome. Blocks are a toy that really grow with the child, from a simple item to chew on (hah!) to beginning stacking skills, to creating fun towers, they will be one of the best investments. For soft and squishy blocks, B.Toys make some awesome natural squishy blocks that babies (and toddlers) just love to chew on, and they make great beginner stacking blocks as well.
Activity Cube – Oh, the play cube. It provides so much endless play time and kids of all ages love them. After searching high and low for the best quality wooden play cube, my three favourites are the Country Critters Wooden Activity Cube, the fun Youniversity activity cube, and Everearth’s eco-friendly cube. Any of these will make amazing first birthday gifts.
Pounding Toy – The Pound and Tap Bench is a big favourite in our home. Not only does it come with a mallet to pound the balls through, but there’s a xylophone underneath for lovely music to be made. You can pull out the xylophone and use it on its own as well.
Shape Sorter – These are awesome toys for learning beginner fine motor skills as well as shapes. I am a big fan of this turtle shape sorter, which little ones can also pull along (it’s like two toys in one).
Musical Toys – Babies and toddlers love music. I think it’s engrained in them. Our musical instruments are played with on a daily basis, and the absolute favourites are this this xylophone, this drum, and this tambourine.
Water Table – Little K received a water table for her first birthday and it is a huge hit. We have this one here, which is great because the lid can be used as a second water table that sits on the floor for non-standers or non-walkers to use. She’s graduated from this one to standing up at the main table, but both pieces still get a lot of use. Any water table suitable for toddlers would be a great first birthday gift as they provide so much imaginative play and are a wonderful sensory experience.
Contest Time!
My niece would love this! She turns 1 in September