First birthday gifts they’ll play with for years
For the one-year-old who’s pulling up on the furniture: toys for first steps, busy hands and bedtime stories.
Price guide: £ under £15 ££ £15–£40 £££ over £40
More ideas: Gifts for babies and new parents
At one, most babies are pulling themselves up, cruising round the furniture and posting anything that fits through a gap. The best first birthday presents meet them there: something to push, something to stack and sort, something that makes a noise when they bash it.
Check the age on each toy against the child’s age now, and skip anything marked as not suitable for under-threes. Everything with a pick here is made for one-year-olds, and several will still be played with at two and three.
A push-along walker
Price band: £££For the baby who’s cruising round the sofa: something sturdy to push gives them the confidence to let go.
Our pick
VTech First Steps Baby Walker
£42.99 RRP
A sturdy push-along walker with a busy activity panel on the front: light-up buttons, shape sorters, gears and a play phone, with songs and phrases about numbers, shapes and animals. The panel lifts off for sit-down play.
- Push-along walker, 6–30 months
- Removable activity panel
- 5 light-up buttons
- Shape sorters, gears and a play phone
- Textured wheels, easy-grip handle
What owners say: Parents say it keeps babies busy long before they’re walking, goes together easily and gave their little ones the confidence for their first steps.
Heads up: On smooth wooden or tiled floors it can roll faster than little legs, so it’s steadiest on carpet or a rug at first.
A closer look: Before they’re pulling up, lift the activity panel off and it’s a toy for sitting play on the floor. Once they’re walking, it clips back on the front and comes along for the ride.
A ride-on to scoot about on
Price band: ££Once they’re walking, pushing along with their feet builds balance, and this one folds flat to go to Grandma’s.
Our pick
Scuttlebug Beetle Ride-On
£24.99 RRP
A three-wheeled bug that toddlers push along with their feet, steering with the antennae handlebar. It folds flat in three steps, so it goes in the car boot for trips to the park or to see the grandparents.
- Folds flat in 3 steps
- Non-marking wheels, indoors or out
- 3 wheels for stability
- Front-wheel steering
- 12 months+, up to 20kg
What owners say: Parents find it well made and sturdy, great fun, and love how easily it folds for travel.
Heads up: It's best for younger toddlers: some parents find it on the small side once children are past two, so it's worth buying early.
A closer look: The wheels won't mark floors, so it can do laps of the kitchen on a rainy day and go to the park after. It needs only minimal assembly.
A stacking toy
Price band: £A first birthday classic: they’ll bat it about before they can stack, and learn biggest-to-smallest later.
Our pick
Fisher-Price Rock-a-Stack
Under £10 Price range
The stacking toy most of us grew up with: five colourful rings on a wobbly rocking base that babies love to bat. It's been made since 1960, with more than 40 million sold, and today's version is made from plant-based plastic from sugar cane.
- 5 rings and a rocking base
- From 6 months
- Plant-based plastic
- FSC-certified packaging
- No batteries
What owners say: Parents say it's a lovely, simple first toy with bright colours, just the right size for tiny hands, and tough enough to survive being chewed and thrown.
A closer look: Before they can stack, let them bat the rocking base and watch it wobble back up. Later, show them that the biggest ring goes on first: a first lesson in size order.
A shape sorter
Price band: £Posting things through gaps is a favourite game at one, and a shape sorter turns it into a puzzle.
Our pick
Fisher-Price Baby’s First Blocks
£10–£20 Price range
Ten chunky blocks that post through the shaped holes in the lid, stack into towers and all tidy away into the bucket. Simple, cheap, and it tends to outlast fancier toys.
- 10 blocks in a bucket
- Shape-sorter lid
- Easy-carry handle
- 6 months to 3 years
- No batteries
What owners say: Parents say it’s great value, keeps babies entertained and helps them learn shapes and colours.
A closer look: Show them how one block drops through its hole, then tip the bucket out and let them try. Before shapes click, it’s all about building towers and knocking them down, which is just as good.
A wooden activity cube
Price band: £££The big present from grandparents: five sides of beads, doors and spinners that keep toddlers busy for years.
Our pick
Battat Wooden Activity Cube
£50–£75 Price range
A solid wooden cube with something on every side: a bead maze and farm scene on top, peekaboo doors, spinning picture blocks, a zig-zag track and mix-and-match animals. No batteries and nothing to lose.
- 5 sides of play
- Bead maze with a farm scene
- Peekaboo doors and spinning blocks
- Wood with rounded corners
- 12 months+, no batteries
What owners say: Owners love the bright colours and sturdy build, and say it keeps toddlers busy.
A closer look: It’s a big, solid present that lives on the floor, so it’s one to mention to the parents first. The bead maze is usually what little hands find first, and the doors and spinners take over as they grow.
A lift-the-flap book
Price band: £Board books survive being chewed, dropped and read ten times in a row, and lifting the flaps is half the fun.
Our pick
Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell (board book)
£7.99 RRP
The lift-the-flap story of a child who writes to the zoo for a pet, and the animals that arrive instead. It was first published in 1982, and the thick card pages and sturdy flaps are made for small hands.
- Lift-the-flap board book
- A flap on every page
- Thick card pages
- Chunky cased cover
What owners say: Parents say it’s a simple, repeating story little ones adore, with flaps they never tire of lifting, and plenty remember it from their own childhood.
A closer look: The fun is in the build-up before each flap, so read it slowly and let them do the lifting. Once they know it, pause before each animal and let them shout it out.
A pull-along toy
Price band: £Once they’re toddling, something to pull behind them is endlessly satisfying, and it rattles along nicely.
Our pick
Fisher-Price Chatter Telephone Pull-Along Toy
Under £10 Price range
The classic pull-along phone: its eyes roll up and down as it’s pulled, the dial spins through 0 to 9, and the handset lifts off for pretend calls.
- Pull-along telephone
- Eyes that move up and down
- Spinning 0–9 dial
- Ringing-phone sounds
- 12 months and up
What owners say: Parents say it’s cute, tough and great value, and keeps little ones busy for ages.
A closer look: Pull it along for them at first so they can see the eyes roll, then hand over the cord once they’re steady on their feet. The handset is just right for pretend chats with Grandma.
A musical toy
Price band: ££Banging things is the whole point at one. A pounding bench and xylophone give it a tune.
Our pick
Hape Pound & Tap Bench with Slide-Out Xylophone
£20–£30 Price range
Knock the coloured balls through the bench with the mallet, then slide the xylophone out and play it on its own. Solid wood with child-safe, water-based paint.
- Pound-and-tap bench
- Slide-out xylophone
- Wood, water-based paint
- 12 months+
- No batteries
What owners say: Owners say it’s beautifully made, tough enough for years of bashing and not too noisy.
A closer look: It’s made from 12 months, but the xylophone keeps it going for years: Hape puts it at up to eight. Set it on a rug rather than a hard floor to keep the bashing a little quieter.
A pop-up toy
Price band: £Push it down, watch it spring up, laugh, repeat: the simplest toys are often the ones they play with most.
Our pick
Galt Pop-Up Toy
Under £10 Price range
Press the four little wooden figures down and they spring back up: simple cause and effect that one-year-olds find endlessly funny. Solid wood and no batteries.
- 4 wooden pop-up figures
- Press down, watch them pop up
- Solid wood
- 12 months to 3 years
- No batteries
What owners say: Parents say it’s simple, sturdy and great for hand-eye coordination, with bright colours that last.
A closer look: Small, quiet and all in one piece, it’s a good one for the changing bag on days out. Press a figure down slowly to show them, then let them have a go.
A handprint keepsake kit
Price band: ££Their hands will never be this small again. A print at one makes a lovely pair with a newborn one, and it’s a gift the parents will keep.
Our pick
PewinGo Baby Hand and Footprint Kit with Frame
£10–£20 Price range
Mess-free ink that never touches baby’s skin, plus a wooden frame, so the prints are display-ready.
- Clean-touch ink pad
- Skin-safe, non-toxic
- Wooden photo frame
- For newborns to 6 months
What owners say: Easy to use, mess-free and a lovely keepsake, which makes it a favourite newborn gift.
Heads up: Practise on spare paper first: a quick, light press gives the clearest print.
A closer look: One-year-olds rarely hold still, so press quickly and lightly while someone else distracts them with a song. The frame stands on a shelf or hangs on a wall, with room for a photo beside the prints.
A night light for their room
Price band: ££As they settle into their own room, a warm glow and gentle sounds make bedtime easier for everyone.
Our pick
Zello Original White Noise Machine
£20–£30 Price range
A little bedside machine from independent UK brand Zello, with a warm, colour-changing night light and 30 sounds, including womb and heartbeat sounds for the newborn weeks.
- 30 sounds, incl. womb and heartbeat
- Night light: 7 colours, 5 levels
- Rechargeable, up to 20 hrs
- Volume 48–98dB
- USB-C charging
What owners say: Helps babies and grown-ups sleep peacefully, with plenty of sounds, easy set-up and a battery that lasts all night. Owners love the warm glow of the light.
A closer look: The maker suggests around 65dB for overnight use, about the level of a soft shower, and it’s wise to keep it a little way from the cot rather than right by the baby’s head. The night light works on its own, too, which is handy for feeds.
A personalised name puzzle
Price band: ££A wooden puzzle spelling out their name becomes a keepsake long after they’ve learned their letters.
Worth knowing: Order a couple of weeks ahead, as they’re made to order, and check it’s marked as suitable from 12 months.
See options on AmazonTips for first birthday gifts
- Ask the parents what they already have: first birthdays often bring two or three shape sorters.
- Check before buying anything big, like a walker, ride-on or activity cube, as it will live on their floor.
- Unbox and try anything with batteries before the party, so it works the moment it’s opened.
Photos are illustrative. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. How we pick · How this works.
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