1 Year Old Birthday Gift

Give a gift that keeps on giving! Give the gift of experience... a membership to OMSI or the Zoo or even the Children's Museum. Its good for the whole family for the whole year. Everybody gets to use it, even you!

Start a 529 educational savings account for him and deposit a monthly amount each month even if it is only 25 dollars.

At that age my son, (now 4) LOVED his little lawn mower. We actually had a couple different ones. A cheapy plastic one that clicked and made noises that the handles folded over on (great for taking along on trips or to the park). Another one had "popcorn" things that popped and made noise. A third one you put bubble solution in and as you mowed it blew bubbles all over. There are so many different types out there.

For my daughter's 1st birthday I gave her a box of kleenex and a couple of rolls of toilet tissue:) She loved it and went to town with them. After she had pulled all the tissues out I got a tub of water and we had lots of fun making paper pulp dough:) It is now a tradition and she will be 3 this month. She is excited about the upcoming box of tissues:) Of course she got all the other stuff like clothes and toys from family members. But for myself I like to try to give her experiences she will remember instead of toys she will outgrow:)
Just wanted to share my story, good luck finding the perfect gift:)
ps- I don't know if he has a wagon yet, but they are wonderful to have around. Radio Flyer makes a really nifty one that has seats for two that fold down when not needed.

I would cast my vote for some form of a push toy.

If I could go back in time and get my 1yr old daughter the perfect gift at the beginning of summer, it would be a Little Tikes climbing/sliding cube/toy for outside. You can find them on Craigslist for around $50 and it is well worth the money! My friend has one and my daughter and her son (20m and 2 yrs) play on it for hours going around and around up and down the slide.

like this one:

http://portland.craigslist.org/clk/bab/1156144186.html

Nice thing about them is when he grows out of it you can re-sell them for almost as much as you paid for them.

On the less expensive side I would go to IKEA and get a tent ($15) and a play tunnel ($17). My daughter has loved both, especially the tent!

A plasma car

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_t?url=search-alias%3Dto...

This toy saved my life with my super active little guy. We've had ours for nearly 6 years now. It's been the neighborhood toy, with everyone now having had one from they time they were very little (typically age 1-2, until today, with the oldest kids still riding them being 8-ish). While they start of slow/safe/silly... as he gets older and starts "scooching" it, and racing, and going down hills... you'll want to get a helmet. They're *very* maneuverable, and nearly impossible to roll over, but the sheer speed the 3 year olds get up to is enough to cause a coronary. They're great winter/summer toys, because they can be ridden inside the house as well as out. You can even take them to a bike/skate shop and get rollerblade wheels put on so they aren't noisy.

Anyhow, I obviously love this toy. I usually suggest it for the 2 year old b-day, because most kids aren't great walkers until 1 1/2, but your grandson sounds like he's probably already running. Which is the perfect stage for these things. In the beginning, it actually slows them down a touch. Then, of course, they figure out how to make it go warp speed, and it's time for a helmet.

Have fun!

A water table (tactile table) would be fantastic. It's fantastic to fill with water and play with during the summer. During the winter months you can fill it with rice, dried beans, or during fall with leaves. I teach at Gymboree Play and Music and I can not stress to you how much enjoyment that table brings to all the children. The great thing about it is that it is as popular with the one year olds as it is for the 3 year olds.
Cheers!
T.

When my kids were younger.. They loved their Elmo sprinkler that spun around.. We bought it at Target.. or a little blow up pool.. also maybe a 529 college plan.. In stead of toys (or both) a little bit of money for college.. Is so helpful for the parents as the kids get tons of toys for their birthdays and christmas ect.

You could get a special toy like a rocking horse, pull,push, or scoot toy, or a porch swing for his age.
If you live in the area a play date at the park every Saturday morning
Swim lessons with Grandma at a local pool.
Sandbox with a giant truck,other sand toys like stacking measuring pouring cups, and grading forks would fun for lots of play time.

If you live somewhere that is sunny during the summer time, a bounce-house is a great idea! Not one of those $400+ ones, but they make smaller ones to hold 1 or 2 small kids. My daughter got one for her first birthday (also walked from 8 months)...any busy body little one would LOVE this! If you really want to spoil him, they have a larger one at walmart.com for less than $200.00. Here are a couple links to show what I am talking about:

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=1072...

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=1096...

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=1076...

We always love the presents that are things to do! Zoo and Children's Museum passes are great! Music and Gymboree or Little Gym type classes are also a huge hit!
As for toys, I have to second the sand and water table idea. My daughter got the Step 2 Naturally Playful sand and water table when she was about 18 months old and still plays with it at 4! We keep it out on the deck and she loves it! It was worth every penny!
A toddler swing for outside that they can hang from a tree (if they have one) is also a lot of fun for that age group.
At that age she also LOVED bubbles. Anything having to do with bubbles thrilled her. The Gymboree bubbles are great as are Gazillion (Target and TRU). They hold up long enough for kids to chase them!

Some of our favorites that we still use at almost 3 years old (and even our 10 year old) and have given as gifts:

Soft Play Climbers (our son still is absolutely thrilled with our set but you do need space to set up).
Round seesaw with handles (jumps on this from the time he was 1…loves it and has been a huge help in balance and coordination skills).
Plasma car (rides around our dining table….we have wood floors. Does not work on carpet. Our daughter has one too and even the adults participate in plasma car races…a great investment)
Naturally Playful Sand and Water Activity Center (by Step2…this item is something we use indoors and outdoors and fill with a variety of items throughout the years)
Naturally Playful Woodland Climber (currently inside, downstairs…a great addition to active play)

We found these items online through craigslist and sensoryedge.com. There are many items on my wishlist but the above items have helped with those busy days or days we can’t be outside. Good luck!!! If I can be any additional help, please feel free to contact me. I love giving useful gifts that last.

As a Mama to a very active two year old I suggest a tunnel... you can get it at target for about $20... they are great because they fold up and can be put anywhere.. between the washer and dryer would be a good place... but it is great for outside on the grass during the summer and easy to put away during the winter!

Good luck!!!

What about the little trike that is metal and is red and white, I can not think of the name brand. I got it for my daughter and she is still using it at the age of 4. And it can be saved for his sibling and when he has his own children!

I agree with a membership to the zoo or something like that. Swim lessons (check out Swimbabes.net, survival swim for infants and toddlers) are always great too. Gymboree classes, Children's museum, OMSI (they have a GREAT toddler area) are all things that the family will have fun with over and over. Good Luck!

My sister and I had our families first grandkids within a month of each other. My parents had the same question x2. We had them get a Radio Flyer wagon, so trips to the zoo, park and so on were easy to hall everyone and everything.

Here is a link to the version we got:
http://www.amazon.com/Radio-Flyer-2700-Pathfinder-Wagon/d...

It's a blast and we had the kids pictures with it too (we waited until after their birthdays to do the pictures).

Good luck!

C.,
I second the train table! They are great fun and will entertain for years!!

---And as a Mommy I love what my Mom does for all the kids on their birthdays---bonds. My grandmother opened me up a savings account when I was born and would put money in it every year on our birthday and Christmas. Nothing big, usually whatever age we were is what she put in on our B-days and a lil' more for the other holidays. She did this for all her grandkids and when they turned 18 and graduated highschool we had fun money...or responsible money...whichever we wanted. I loved it!

K.

With summer around the corner, we always love outdoors gifts -- the one HUGE hit in our family is STEP 2's Water Wheel table for fun on the deck, lawn, anywhere outside really. The best $35 we ever spent - years of fun!!! They sell it at Toys R Us. Here is a link: http://www.toysrus.com/product/prodpop.jsp?LargeImageURL=...

C.,

Go with Leapfrog toys!!! We got a multifunction drum for my son when he was 1 and now that he's 5 1/2 he still tries to steal it from his sister and play with it. It teaches the ABC's, 1-10, and does lots of music stuff too. My 2 year old plays with it too.

Leapfrog, like Osh Kosh B'Gosh clothing really grows with the kids, and is durable.

That's my two cents' worth,
Melissa

Mickey Ride-on Plane
http://www.target.com/Mickey-Plane-Ride-On-Toy/dp/B000EX0...

I got this for my daughters who are 1 and 2 1/2 and they both love it. It has different buttons to push, the propellers spin but have soft foam blades and has light-up lights. It needs three AAA batteries about once a month with regular use. My girls aren't real rough with it, but pull on the yoke really hard. Its been holding up well and seems durable. It was probably the best Christmas gift of the year for both of them. We keep it inside but it could outside as well.

A sandbox, a covered one. Books, books and more books. Big trucks. Building blocks. Money to go into a 'pre-paid' college account, in Washington State it's a GET account, so you're paying for his education beyond high school now. He and his parents will thank you for that one!!!

Celebrate!!!

There are so many great ideas posted. This past Christmas we got my daughter (then 19mo)a blow up ball pit shaped as a dog (TOYS R US). She LOVES this thing and so do all the other little visitors we get. It came with about 50 balls and we bought another pack of 100(could probably use more but she is happy with it the way it is). They come in many different styles, we chose this because the nose is a tunnel.

Depending on where he lives, you could get a membership to a zoo or children's museum. That's something he could enjoy all year. I know most places have "grandparent" memberships so you could take him whenever you like. :-)

For 169.00 and a trip to Toys R Us, you can get the best gift ever. They have a complete trainset that has everything they need for many years of fun. It includes a table with drawers to store their train gear..The table is about a foot tall and prob 4x5 in dimentions. The kit includes all the wooden track, trains, people, lights, trees, construction/crane equipment, cars, bridges, etc..
I bought it for my daughter at about a year old and she plays with it all the time. I bet a boy would probably love it even more because she splits her time with her "babies"
Good luck in your search

A friend of ours gave us a pound-a-ball toy when our daughter was little. It has now been played with by her younger brother and countless pint-sized visitors. There's something so satisfying about hammering those balls through the holes over and over again. I even kind of like it! It is just a toy, but its one of those ones that gets used a lot.

Reading some of the suggestions rang a few bells for me. Think simple; simple is better for everyone. Things that store small, like the tunnel or a few boxes of tissues (or rolls of toilet paper) are fun. Also consider a little plastic 'water mill' that can be used in water tables or sandboxes--pour the water in and watch the wheels spin. My son loves his. The suggestion of a coverable sand/water table is also great...these are invaluable entertainers when all else fails. Don't be afraid to pick up a small child's bucket for hauling around big rocks, too. All of these were very popular with the children I worked with during my years as a toddler teacher.

One thing that hasn't been suggested is books. Books are great because they can go anywhere with us, don't get outgrown so easily and frankly, they are just wonderful. Our son loved Marjorie Flack's "Angus" books...clear illustrations and language and very sweet stories, and understandable at an early age. Or a "Quiet Book" for trips...this will keep little fingers busy, but he'll probably be more ready for it later.

Oh, I almost forgot...a couple of smaller-sized (but not too small) orange traffic cones. I can't believe how popular and fascinating these are to very young children.

Or a purely pragmatic gift in this economy...a trip/gift certificate to REI for a new pair of good, solid kids water-friendly shoes. There are Keen's at around $35 at the high end; we bought our son Teva's for about $26. This might seem like a frivilous expense, but they stay on and don't cause blisters; I'm willing to pay a little extra to miss out on a lot of heartbreak, and they are durable enough to pass along to any younger siblings, should they appear!

I'd say some kind of ride-on toy.

I recommend a water/sand table. We got one for my son when he was between 1 and 2 years old, and he STILL uses it and is 4. It's a wonderful, long-lasting gift!