This guide provides Christmas gift ideas for 1 year old girls. Included are the top toys and unique gifts, as well as an explanation of the developmental stage at 12 months.
Developmental Stage for 1 year olds
What They Like to do
When thinking about what toys to buy for a one year old for Christmas, we first need to understand what they like to do.
Right now 1 year olds love to explore – open drawers and cupboards.
They can now bang things together, hold cups and use things as they were intended (example run a brush through their hair or hold a phone to their ear).
Physically they can sit on their own, crawl, stand and maybe even cruise along furniture or walk a few steps on their own (source).
Toys that encourage exploration and help them perfect their new found mobility will be their favorites.
Developmental Differences – 1 year old Girls
According to Parenting.com there are differences between 1 year old girls’ preferences and 1 year old boys’, which means that buying Christmas gifts for baby girls can be slightly different then buying Christmas gifts for 1 year old boys.
Girls’ fine motor skills typically develop earlier than boys – so they may be more interested in a shape sorter earlier for example.
Girls are also ahead when it comes to mimicking behaviour and enjoy things like taking care of a baby doll.
As the same article points out – interestingly there are no differences between boys and girls when mimicking actions that don’t require human interaction, like pretending to drive a car.
Click for our Gift Guide: Toy and Gift Ideas for 1 Year Old Boys
Gift Guide: Toy and Christmas Gift Ideas
for 1 Year Old Girls
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Best Toys for 1 Year Old Girls
Selected based on what your little girl likes to do at this age. This list contains classics and new brands you can be confident in gifting.
Manhattan Toy Wee Baby Stella
This smaller version of the Stella doll, is super cuddly and comes with accessories that allow the baby girl to take care of her.
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Personalized Name Crayons
For the little girl who has everything these crayons are not only beautiful, but completely usable! Help your little girl practice drawing with this great gift set (or keep them on display – they are so pretty).
See it on Etsy
LEGO DUPLO My First Number Train
Lego® has a line of brick building toys for younger children. This Learn to Count Train will help fine motor skills. At first the baby may only be able to bang the pieces together, or take them apart, but as she gets older she will begin putting the pieces together.
Shape Sorter
Another fine motor skill developer, this classic toy from Fisher Price® introduces shapes and colors.
Melissa & Doug 20 Animal Magnets in a Box
These animal shaped magnets are bright and colorful, they help your little one learn her animals and (bonus!) they don’t contain a small magnet that can come loose.
Little Tikes Light ‘n Go – Activity Garden Treehouse
Little Tikes® have made a wonderful multi-function activity center. One year olds can crawl under the giraffe, walk through the door and play with all the balls. Babies on the move will love practicing their new skills here. Also folds into a square to take up less space.
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Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Smart Stages Chair
Give your little girl a chair to call her own. The Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Smart Stages chair is the perfect place for her to read her books, practice counting and learn how to go from sitting to standing.
Kiddzery 3pc Kids Play Tent Crawl Tunnel and Ball Pit with Basketball Hoop
This ball pit features a playhouse, crawl tunnel and basketball hoop. Hours of fun for your little girl. Ball sold separately.
Hape Walk-A-Long Snail Toddler Wooden Pull Toy
Hape has amazing wooden toys and doesn’t disappoint with this pull along snail that includes a shape sorter. Winner of a Parent’s Choice Award.
Hape Pound & Tap Bench with Slide Out Xylophone
Another Hape toy – this xylophone is also a pounding toy, making this musical toy a fine motor skill builder as well. 2018 Cribsie Award of favorite first musical toy suitable for ages 12 months to 3 years
Manhattan Toy Playful Pony Wooden Toddler Activity Center
Winner of a Hot Diggity Award, this toddler activity center is beautiful as well as fun. This pony shaped toy contains shape sorters, bead runs and spinning dials.
Manhattan Toy Tree Top Adventure Activity Center
Another stylish activity centre, featuring bead runs, spinning dials and more exploratory fun. Chosen as one of the best toys of the year 2014 by Parents Magazine. Scholastic Parent & Child Gold Star toys Award winner 2014
Unique Gift Ideas for 1 Year Old Girls
For the 1 year old girl who has everything, these gifts are a bit more sentimental. If this gift is for a second, third or fourth child, then something unique to just them will be even more special.
Teddy Bear made from a Baby Sleeper
Little girls love something to cuddle. This unique present is made from their own newborn sleeper and becomes a keepsake.
Rose Bush or Tree
Planting something that will be around for years to come and that the 1 year old girl can help take care of (help water for example) teaches them about caring for living things and it can be enjoyed every year. If you can find a plant that contains the girl’s name even better. Ex. A Queen Elizabeth rose for Elizabeth. You can also gift a toy watering can to complete the gift.
Subscription Box
Monthly subscription boxes are becoming very popular. You receive a package each month and can choose between getting toys or books. Our favorites are these two:
1. Lillypost – The Board Book Box is great for children aged 0-3. In each box, you will find four perfect reads that will bring so much joy to the baby or toddler in your life!
READ OUR FULL REVIEW HERE
2. Bluum – Books, age-appropriate, high-quality toys, apparel accessories, all natural home and body care items and gear are just some of the types of products included in the Bluum box.
Educational Toys – Gift Ideas for 1 Year Old Girls
STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Math toys can be given as early as 1 years old. STEM Toys are gaining momentum as parents want to expose their children as early as possible to these concepts. The US Bureau of Labor estimates that there will be 9 Million jobs in STEM by 2024, a 1 million increase over 2012 jobs. (Source)
Melissa & Doug Rainbow Caterpillar Gear Toy
This toy gives toddlers an opportunity to color-coordinate, rearrange and rotate gears so the caterpillar “moves.”
NimNik Bead Maze Activity Cube Wooden Toys
This classic STEM toy encourages cognitive development, auditory exploration, visual perception, colour and shape recognition, hand eye coordination, fine motor skills and early math development, patterning, and creative expression
The First Years Stack Up Cups
8 brightly colored cups that stack together with numbers on the bottom for number practice. Simple, but loved by one year olds.
HABA Bonita Garden
Mix, match, and arrange leaves and flowers any way you like. Endless fun with vibrantly painted flowers.
Gifts That Give Back – Gift Ideas for 1 Year Old Girls
Give your little girl a gift, while supporting charities or company’s that are environmentally conscious.
Busy Book
These handmade busy books are made by Canadian grandmother’s to support grandmother’s in Africa who have lost their children’s to HIV/AIDS and are raising their grandchildren. The Grandmothers Campaign is an initiative of the Stephen Lewis foundation. The Busy books come in two versions – A Counting Safari and Safari train. They both are interactive. The train book has a little finger puppet that can be taken out and go from page to page. The counting book has a little elephant that velcros onto each page as you do the activities. Wonderful books to take on car trips with lots of gross motor skill practice. Both are $45.00 CDN Contact: kcuthbert@telus.net
Cuddle+Kind Dolls
These hand knit dolls are not only cuddly, they also provide 10 meals to needy children with every 1 doll purchased. cuddle+kind supports the WFP School Meals Program, which provides nutrition to 18.2 million children in 65 countries. Their dolls are also ethically produced in Peru where they insure their artisans are given a sustainable, fair trade income.
Tegu Magnetic Wooden Block Set
These blocks have built-in magnets so they won’t fall down as easily when your one year old is playing with them. They are also made in Honduras with the goal of creating fair trade jobs for local residents.
Lillypost Subscription Box
This wonderful subscription box comes with 4 board books each month. For $5 you can even get them individually gift wrapped. Save 50% off retail AND for every box purchased 1 book is donated. They have donated over 20,000 books in North America so far.
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