1.) Ball Popper Toy. Our son received this Ball Popper for his first birthday and LOVES it. He plays with it at least twice a day and it keeps him occupied for 15+ minutes. He loves to put his other toys into it to see if the popper can toss them out.
2.) A Wooden Pull Along Toy. Moochi received a pull along toy for his birthday and loves it. He sometimes crawls or walks along with the string in his mouth, its pretty adorable! I like this one and this one. Moochi has this little Frog Pull along by Melissa and Doug.
2.) An Easy to use Sippy Cup. Many pediatricians recommend that you eliminate bottles around age one. Our son loves this sippy cup. The straw is weighted so he can get liquid out whether it’s upside down or rightside up. We have several of these and use them every day.
3.) Soft-Soled Shoes. Our pediatrician recommended that we put our baby in soft-soled shoes. I love shoes by Freshly Picked. I’ve found that they hold up and do not fall off of baby’s feet. My son frequently wears his outside. If you plan to let your baby wear their Freshly Picked shoes outside, I recommend that you purchase them in a dark color and avoid suede for best wear. How cute are these for boys or these for girls? Freshly Picked shoes are also available at Nordstrom and the company’s website. I also purchased a pair of these from this Etsy shop and highly recommend them. They are priced very fairly and high quality. I like them because they snap on and do not fall off. Our son loves his because they are comfortable. I contacted the shop owner and had her make them in a larger size with a special deer-hide sole for outside use.
4.) A High Quality Push Toy. Our son received this push wagon for his first birthday. He loves to push it, pull it and climb into it. He loves to push his toys and stuffed animals around. I store toys in it when he’s not using it.
5.) Next Season Clothing. By age one, the overrun of clothing that was received around birth might be starting to run out. Check with the Birthday Baby’s mom or dad and see what size baby is currently in. Buy something one size up for the next season. Example: Summer birthday? How about this adorable jacket or this coat? Winter Birthday? How about a swimsuit or high quality play outfit for next summer?
6.) A Suitcase. If mom or dad frequently travel with baby, it might be time for Baby’s first suitcase. By this point these just isn’t room for all of baby’s diapers, sippy cups, clothing and small toys in mom or dad’s suitcase when traveling. I recommend buying a small carry on meant for adult with a fun pattern. Its likely that mom or dad will be pulling the weight for a few more years so they will appreciate one meant for an adult with key features like hard sides, a long handle and 360 degree spinning wheels. We purchased the Tumi bag below for our son off of eBay.com because we love the pattern, but its no longer available.