HELP !
What the hell can I get as a birthday present for a one year old ? It’s a male, not yet walking or talking (when do they start that anyway?) but it definitely has the spreading chewed-up food around the house thing down pat. Apart from the fact that he likes to chew Tupperware ™ I have absolutely no idea what a 1 year old would like as a gift. I’m related to him, so a gift is expected.
Please give me a clue as to what might be appropriate.
I’d say blocks would be a good gift. And they have the added benefit of coming in a nice cardboard box to play with as well.
Well, here are some ideas:
A simple truck or fire engine
A good set of wooden blocks (though can be pricey, maybe you could go in with someone else)
A set of cups and toys for the bathtub
Books! This is the best gift. They’re light, easy to carry and the pieces don’t get lost. For one year olds, you probably still want to get hard books (durable ones). At one year old, Yasmin liked the following books.
The Rainbow Fish
Go, Dogs, Go
Moo, Baa, Lalala
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
She still likes all of these books. IMHO, books are the way to go.
Good luck, your Gooness.
I’ll second the books suggestion. Thats what all my nieces and nephews (10 of 'em) get on their birthdays from me - well to be more specific a $20 book voucher.
If you don’t think the parent would be offended a voucher works wonders when your not kiddie literate.
On the other hand if you don’t really like the parents how about a nice loud toy - rattle, little drum, basically anything the kid can make a noise with 
Much to the amusment of older relatives, my absolute favourite present that I got for my first birthday was a loaf of white bread. I could eat it, play with it, pull it apart etc.
What about a simple puzzle? You know the kind with little handles on the pieces, and you put the circle in the circle hole, the square in the square hole etc. You can also get them with big wooden pieces that spell out the kids name.
A noisy toy is always popular (with the kid, not the parent), not least because it drives mum crazy. Try harmonica, a bear or other soft toy that you push the belly or paw of and then it sings or the like.
Don’t really have any other brilliant ideas, except to say that the simple things are often favourites - you know the deal, the kid plays with the paper it came in rather than the present…
Or a spaceship that makes an ever rising tone when aimed upwards and and falling tone when aimed down. Eventually my parents had to take a hit out on that toy. sniff I never saw it again.
Have you visitied any specialized toy stores at the mall? We have this one called “Thinker Toys” and they have all these age specific toys. Might be fun to browse through.
Books or blocks or anything visually stimulating (as others have suggested) - the parents will invent new ways to hate you if you buy anything with a noisy electronic voice/music module.
Get Him a Nimbus 200 Harry Potter Broom.
(would like to point out to those people who are going to flame me for the suggestion that I know Goo personally and have some idea of the family dynamics involved here - Goo would appreciate the irony)
We bought for my nephew all toys that made noise for his b’day and Christmas. It was evil payback to my siblings. If the kiddo already has tons of toys, and you think one more would get lost in the shuffle, a $50 savings bond is a good gift. That way, when they’re about 9-10, that $50 seems like a LOT of money. That’s what my sister got last Christmas for my nephew. If you go to any toy store, the toys usually have the ages for which the toy is appropriate.
And they usually start walking around one and talking around two. But that’s just approximate.
Check out the Fisher-Price web site. They have a whole section on one year olds. It’s all about engaging their senses.
I got my nephew one of those “popcorn popper” things. You know the toy with the 2 foot long handle that terminates into a two-wheeled clear plastic dome that makes an assortment of colored balls jump around. My nephew wouldn’t put it down once he opened it.
My parents and my brother & his wife have a standing war about this thing. They’re constantly trying to sneak it into the other person’s house so that my nephew will be playing with it there. He loves that thing.
Bath toys are a good gift for this age. They’re starting to get really into the bathtub. Well, if they’re not terrified of it.
Also, any “sorting” toys are wonderful. They play with those a long time–my three-year old still likes to do that. Tupperware makes a shape sorter that is nice.
My niece turns one March 7, 2003, but I already bought her a gift.
I saw this and thought it was perfect.
Also, you know the BIG bead mazes that you grew up with in the doctor’s office? They have smaller, more interesting ones now. Keeps the little ones busy busy busy.
As much as I hate to admit it…our 13 month old likes The Wiggles videos or DVDs.
As the mother of a ten month old boy, I’d have to say go with anything that flashes light and produces sound. It’s a bonus if he can chew on it, preferably without taking chunks of it off with his sharp little teeth. Another bonus if it has a volume control. The Fisher Price Orchestra is big at my house…but then so is a sealed pack of diapers he can scooch around the floor on.
Another vote for the books. Board books are great for little hands and little teeth.
Another big vote for either savings bonds or perhaps buying one stock for your nephew in a company in his name. What fun it can be to show him when he is 10 the joys of the stock market and " See, you owned (the next Enron) before it collasped."
I like giving gifts that are …uh…slightly odd, yet will be used. I just gave a 2 year old for his birthday a hot water bottle. My kids love them It brings out their inner hypocondriac
The parents would appreciate a gift certificate for shoes, as they grow out of them at a rate of about a pair every 6 weeks or so. The little buckaroo will be walking soon.
Order a full set of encased-in-plastic coins from the US Mint for the year the tyke was born. In addition to any fun stuff you buy, that is.
http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=br_1_2/602-0932698-1385445?asin=B00005LIPR
This is totally great. My daughter turned 1 in January and we gave this to her for Christmas. She still plays with it.
In case the link doesn’t work, it’s the Busy Park Playground and is available at Target.