It’s my niece’s first birthday later this month, so I need to hit Toys R Us and the Early Learning Centre. So, Dopers, what are good presents for a one year old girl?
Blocks!
Plain, wooden, unit blocks like these .
They’re great for kids’ development. They will be used for years and years. And the parents will love you because they don’t make noise.
Or books. My 18-month-old loves books. In fact “book” was one of his first ten words. Board books are great for this age, but a couple of books for mom/dad to read to her would be nice.
And I heartily agree with the above sentiment - don’t buy noisy toys and her parents will love you forever.
Blocks, stacking cups, a mixing bowl and wooden spoon…the classics.
If you want something more exciting to the adults, try this Mirror Pound A Ball or these Ready, Set, Go! pullback cars from Parents. Or, really, almost anything by Parents, it’s generally a really good line of toys. Target carries them.
If you want to make the *child *deliriously happy, buy her a box of Kleenex and let her pull them out one by one by one by one by one by one…
ETA: Make sure the Kleenexes are the pop-up kind, not the trifold you have to reach into the box for.
I don’t have a link, but a friend bought her one-year-old granddaughter a sturdy plastic wagon, and it’s been a favorite toy for the last year. The little girl wasn’t walking yet when she got the wagon so for awhile she used it as a place to put her toys – put one in, take one out, etc. – and she rode in it, of course. It has higher sides than usual.
It’s not that tricked-out wagon they’ve been showing on the TV commercials – just a plain, sturdy little wagon.
For my son’s first birthday, we got him a rocking horse. We bought this one, which may be more than you’d want to spend as the uncle (or not). It’s very cute and he loves it. It took him a week or so to get the hang of it.
Also, if she’s walking (even just starting), push toys are always good. The classic or, if you want to get fancy, this one. My parents got my son this alligator push toy for his birthday. He loved it the day he got it and is actually playing with it right now as I type this (he’s 19 months old). He especially likes to get it out when I vacuum and pretend he’s helping. It’s definitely a favorite.
You might want to ask if your niece’s parents are concerned about Made in China toys. I know some parents who are staying away from those toys this year because of all the recall scares.
Seconded. My 16-month-old niece loves “bath books”. They’re like board books, but made of a waterproof vinyl material. She likes them because she can chew on them- I guess she’s turning into a voracious reader… I got her a bath book with shiny pictures of fish, which my sister says is one of her particular favorites.
C3, that alligator push toy is so cool - I’d almost consider having another baby just to get that thing. 
ETA - when my nephew turned one I got him books - the kind that you push a button on and they talk? I got him a couple - I believe they involved Elmo.
Cool? Yes. Quiet? Not so much. 
My standard gift for a 1-year-old is a set of rubber duckies for the bath. One of my children got a set, and those quackers were in use for YEARS. And they were loved immediately.
If you want to spend some bucks I just saw a commercial for a rocking-horse type thing from Fischer Price that looked awesome.
Books! With lots of colors… and chewable pages.
Barring that, rubber lizards. (Well, it is what my buddies 1YO gravitates to when she is here…)
I never by gifts for the very young. I buy gifts for the parents. Get them one of those handprint plaster cast kits.
If you don’t mind picking up the accessories off the floor here and there, Mr. or Mrs. Potato Head is something the child will get a lot of play time out of for the next year.
All the kids I know never let go of the stuffed toy they got on their first birthday.
Little People. I know, she’s a triffle young, but they love those little faces. I second classic wooden blocks. My kids love ours, although most of ours are homemade. (A skill saw and a sander are all you need to convert dimensional lumber into blocks. Although a jigsaw is nice for curved blocks like the arch blocks.)
If you want to go with board books, Amazon sells boxed sets of Sandra Boynton’s classic board books. You can also pick up Goodnight Moon in a board book these days.
My kids were never big toy kids - and at one they don’t care. So I agree with Paul - get the parents something - or this is the year to get something useful. I have a basement littered with ten years of Christmas and Birthday presents.
(A board book with a Barnes and Noble gift certificate - a small toy with a Target gift certificate - a gift certificate to a photo studio - a bottle of Vodka…)
I’ve been spending a lot of time with a 14 month old this month. His favorite toys of all-- tupperware, an empty nalgene bottle, and the video-out converter widget for a mac laptop. They’re like cats, who will ignore the expensive cattoy and go for the paper bag.
If you’re willing to spend $100 or so, give or take, try to find out if there’s something like a children’s museum or zoo or mini amusement park that has yearly memberships. This is a fabulous present that gives many days of fun and no clutter!
If you have no idea if there’s anything like that where they live, call or email the chamber of commerce in their town.
My gift to them will be babysitting her and her elder brother for an afternoon or two while they have some much needed ‘us’ time.
Otherwise, lots of good suggestions, thank you all.
That’s a great idea! While you’re there, if you want a fun activity, take a couple of empty water bottles with the labels torn off, some water, food coloring drops and some vegetable oil. Fill the bottle halfway with water, add in a few drops of food color, and then top off with vegetable oil. Add in some glitter, sequins or small colored beads if you like. Hot glue or superglue the lids back on. Voila! - A homemade glittery sparkly wavey thing. Awesomely fascinating to watch, and encourages small motor control with immediate reinforcement as the little one learns to move it around and make it pretty.
You could even spin it as a gift for her FROM her big brother. Get him used to the idea that even if you don’t have money, you can still do nice things for other people. And making two is hardly more work than making one, so he can help make one for himself as well.
We have a couple around here that are more than 10 years old. My 14 year old made them in daycare!