Toys for a One Year Old.... - Torrance,CA

My FAVORITE toy to give 1 yr olds is the Playskool Busy Ball Popper, which another mom already suggested. Love it!

My son loves ride on toys and any type of car or truck. He turns 3 next week and still plays daily with the ride-on we gave him for his first birthday.

I also sell Discovery Toys and have a classic toy that is perfect for a one year old. As soon as he can stand up on his own, he can play with it. Again, my son still loves it, so it will last you quite awhile. It's called Castle Marbleworks: http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/esuite/control/product?P...

The Measure Up Cups are also a great, classic toy. They stack and nest, plus they all have a stamp/imprint on the bottom that can be used with playdoh or paint to make designs. They teach numbers 1-12 and show how to tell time on an analog clock. They're great for in the bath or just playing with in general. http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/esuite/control/product?P...

Books are always good too. Play food and kitchen supplies are great too. My son has been playing with those since he turned one.

K.
http://www.discoverytoyslink.com/karenchao

I can relate! Things I know now that I wish I would have known then... I wouldn't worry about the number of toys. With my kids it seems the more toys they have the more toys that sit and don't get played with. Then space becomes an issue and trying to get rid of the toys that are going unused--- ugh. (telling them we're giving the toys to less fortunate children helps but they still keep a lot of things that they haven't played with in 6-12 months) To me it sounds like you're doing good :)

Here are my suggestions (have been favorites of my kids):
-books
-dvds (both my kids loved the baby einstein series)
-a *small playhut* (I say small because there are some - we have one - that is about the size of a room - a toddler bed would fit in it!) The 2 yr old got a small one and she loves it (so does the 6.5 yr old). it's great for hide n seek, etc. The tunnel style is good, too.
-I think someone mentioned the toddler Tonka trucks - my son had one that he loved!
-Mega Blocks
-and (not my favorite, though!!!) was the ball pit - some even come in a set that have the play structure (usually inflatable) and a bag of plastic balls (I 'd say they're about the size of a baseball but made of really light plastic). 2yr DD hasn't had the chance but DS had one when he was younger and LOVED it (lots of giggles!) but it is a bit tiresome to pick up all the balls when done playing, LOL!

(I would try and stay away from stuffed animals - I avoid them because they collect a bounty of them from both grandmothers!)

Good Luck!!!

Just saw the post about the Cozy Coupe - can't believe I forgot that one! Found one at a garage sale that DS loved and DD loves it, too!

Here are some suggestions for toys that have stood the test of time with my son:

I got this for my son when he was about 1 year old. He STILL plays with this, only now with his matchbox cars, and he is soon to be 4 years old:
http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Little-People-Racin-Ga...

Also, the Playskool Wheel Pals were a huge hit. We got him some when he was around 1 year. He still plays with them - now in the bathtub. Oh yes, they do work with the Racin Garage also... :)
http://www.amazon.com/Playskool-Wheel-Pals-Racin-Fleet/dp...

Lastly, we got this for him for his 1st birthday. We finally put it up about 6 mos ago. He STILL asks for it from time to time, even though he has a bigger, fancier version:
http://www.amazon.com/VTech-80-073800-Vtech-Learning-Lapt...

Hope this helps!

I bought and received lots of toys and they ended up playing with them once or twice, get bored. They got thrown all over the place, causing more work for me, not to mention the broken pieces. I finally put them up, got rid of them, and believe it or not, they resorted to the things around the house. So even if you do not buy another toy, he will find something to keep busy. A spoon, shoes, brush...this is bad for you but good for him, because he gets to use his imagination. Not only that, it's interesting and a challenge. They have more fun with what they see you use around the house, cause they want to be like you.

First off, that's the perfect age for a COZY COUPE! (He'll use it for YEARS!)

Playskools Busy Ball Popper (Our daughter got this at 10 months old and she just turned 5 and will still play with it from time to time.)

Kids do NOT need a ton of toys. If he's happy, then I wouldn't worry!

I agree with Cozy Coupe or ride on toys. My daughter's favorite toy was a push stroller. You can get lots of different push toys for boys too and it kept her busy for hours! In fact, the boys we would have over on playdates used to fight over the stroller too, so that is always an option! ;) These toys are especially great if he isn't quite walking on his own yet!

My kids loved the Fisher Price Barn. Give them a rainy afternoon and they were perfectly content.

I would limit it to around three or four. If you get more from family and friends, put some away and pull them out in a few months.

Have fun shopping!

At 1 our son was really into ride on toys...hours and hours of fun!

In fact, he is almost 2 and still rides them all the time!

Cars of any kind. My son got a Chuck the taking dump truck for his first birthday and at 21 months still loves it. Also at 18 months he got a whole box of hand me down hot wheels cars that he absolutely LOVES (they say 3 and up but as long as you are paying attention and check them for parts that may have broken off they are fine we have had no problems).

No matter how many toys you have, and you could have a 'store' in your home full of toys... a child, will STILL get bored sometimes. They can't possibly play with everything, nor everyday, or they won't play with it at all. They have their favorites... their interests in types of toys.
So, you will always have unused toys, or toys that just collect dust.
And, some kids just get to overwhelmed with so many toys, and they only play with a few of them.

Kids this age don't typically get "bored." They are pretty self-motivated and will find fun in anything. Even collecting leaves outside. Or pulling Kleenex out of a box, or banging on pots and pans.

We have tons of toys, mostly given to us as gifts from generous relatives. We have a 'store' in our home. Still, my kids have favorites. So then you regularly have to weed through them and get rid of it. Places like Goodwill, at least in my town, don't take kids toys anymore, because of all the recalls or possible recalls with them. So, we either donate them or have to toss them.

Get "toys" that are useful and creative. Or things for outdoors. Things that are fun/educational, or 'building' type toys. But for 1 years old, they may not have the dexterity for the more complex "building" type toys or the kind they have to assemble.

Puzzles are good too. Geared for his age. Or 'matching games' or 'memory' games.
Also books.
And "pretend play" type things.

Even with NO toys, a kid this age can do things, with things around the house. "Toys" per say, does not make a child bored or not. They also just explore a lot at this age... and with the parent. Just doing things.

Or, maybe instead of getting him more toys... enroll him in a Gymboree program or something. In my town, it is a REALLY great program for babies and Toddlers. It teaches them a lot. My kids loved it... and learned a lot from it. It is real fun.
Here is the link for it:
http://www.gymboreeclasses.com/index.jsp

all the best,
Susan