How to Pick a 1 Year Old Girl Birthday Gift
Unique birthday gift ideas for 1-year-olds can seem impossible to find. This is especially true if you’re shopping for a little girl who has everything.
However, with our tips, you can still find one of the best gifts for a 1-year-old girl.
3 Tips for Choosing Unique Gifts for a One Year Old Baby Girl
As a mom of three, I've both shopped for and received gifts for one-year-old girls. If you're looking for a unique gift, it's essential to think beyond classic toys for girls like dolls, play dishes, and stuffed animals. Stereotypes are alive and well, so I often notice my daughter gets very girl-coded gifts while her brothers get stereotypical boy gifts. Going beyond these stereotypes can help ensure you offer something unique, fun, and well-loved by the recipient.
It's also tricky to shop for a 1-year-old. They're beyond teethers and rattles, but you still have to watch out for small parts. Yet, many toddler toys, like chunky puzzles, are something they're still growing into. That said, there are still so many wonderful gifts to choose for 1 year old girls.
Whether you need the best gifts for a 1-year-old girl's birthday or a holiday present, here are my tips that will help you ensure your baby gift will be a hit!
1. Prioritize Durability and Safety
One-year-old girls are stronger than they look. Plus, at this age, kids still often put everything they can find into their mouths. That means you’ll need to find a safe toy that’s also durable.
Natural materials such as wood are ideal, as you can find non-toxic options. In addition, wooden toys are likely to last farther into toddlerhood than plastic toys. Choose toys that can withstand a child stepping on them, biting them, and more.
Shop our Greenguard Gold Collection of certified non-toxic toys and furniture.
2. Look for Developmental Benefits in Gifts
When buying a unique gift for a one-year-old baby girl, consider educational value. At this age, babies are going through an immense period of growth and learning.
Many great gifts encourage a child's development, which at one year old, involves becoming independent and achieving mobility. In particular, look for gifts that will help the special 1-year-old girl in your life with fine and gross motor skills. These gifts require the baby to walk, climb, balance, or use her hands. Some examples are riding toys, shape sorters, climbing toys, and more.
3. Choose an Open-Ended Toy
Some toys are more open to creative and imaginative play than others. To stimulate the imagination of a 1-year-old girl, choose baby toys that allow kids to play in many different ways. For example, little ones can use wooden blocks to build towers, roads, or a castle. However, battery-operated toys that sing and dance don’t encourage young ones to use their imaginations.
5 Unique Gifts for a One Year Old Baby Girl
Fortunately, there are many unique gifts for a 1-year-old girl that match the above suggestions. Check out our top 5 best gifts for a 1-year-old girl:
1. Surfer Balance Board
Fun, creative, and durable, this wooden toy is at the top of our unique gifts for one year olds. The surfer balance board encourages creative play. Plus, it helps babies develop and practice gross motor skills. What’s not to love?
One year olds can use the balance board in multiple ways. They can try it as a bridge, or use it to rock back and forth. Young children need to rock, spin, and jump to build their vestibular and proprioceptive systems and the balance board supports this.
2. Foldable Toddler Tower
One of the best gifts for a 1 year old girl is a Toddler Tower, which gives toddlers access to kitchen counters. Opening a world of possibilities, this gift encourages little ones to learn cooking skills.
At the same time, they develop their independence and improve motor skills while chopping, pouring, and stirring. This gift in particular is great for families with small kitchens. You can simply tuck away this tower when not in use.
An added bonus? The parents will love it, too. Toddlers want to be involved, participate, and see what's going on. Instead of grabbing at their parents' legs and begging to be held while making dinner, toddlers can stand at counter-height and watch or even help.
3. Pikler Triangle
The sky’s the limit for 1-year-old girls who own a Pikler Triangle! This wooden toy encourages open-ended play, promotes exercise, and will last well into early childhood. 1-year-olds are the perfect age for this gift, as it can help little ones grow skills like standing, cruising, walking, and climbing.
4. Balance Beam
Encourage creative play and the development of motor skills with this birthday gift idea for a 1 year old. Balance beams offer a fun way to practice walking skills! Plus, 12 month olds can use the balance beam as a highway for cars or while playing with other toys.
5. Mini Cutter
Is the little girl in your life a fan of cooking? Try gifting her a mini cutter. Safe for toddlers to use, the wooden toddler knife will provide hours of fun in the kitchen.
Toddlers can cut bananas, cheese, bread, cucumbers, strawberries and more! Create a larger themed gift by adding an adorable Apron and Hat set as well!
Choose the Best Gift for a 1 year old Girl
Any of these unique gifts for a one year old baby girl are sure to make for a smiley recipient. Which will you give?
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