The 12 Best Baby Toys for 1-Year-Olds in 2021

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Our Top Picks

Best Overall: Battat Wooden Activity Cube at Amazon

"Baby will stay engaged with this activity cube, complete with a wire bead maze, spinning blocks, and sliding knobs."

Best Puzzle: Melissa & Doug Safari Jumbo Knob Puzzle at Amazon

"Kiddos can practice their problem solving skills with one of these puzzles, made in just the right size for little hands to grasp."

Best Sorting Toy: Fisher-Price Baby’s First Blocks & Rock-a-Stack at Amazon

"This set features two classic toys that let kids sort, stack, and work on identifying colors and shapes."

Best for Sensory Development: Edushape Fun Z Balls at Amazon

"Ideal for sensory play, the set features three, textured balls that can be bounced, tossed, or rolled."

Best for Standing: Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Around the Town Learning Table at kohls.com

"When tummy time is over, little ones can stand and play with this table that's divided into four stimulating play sections."

Best for Walking: VTech Sit-to-Stand Learning Walker at Amazon

"Complete with five piano keys that play music, the walker also encourages creativity and aids baby as they take their first steps."

Best for Stacking: Fisher-Price Brilliant Basics Stack & Roll Cups at Amazon

"In addition to all the fun, this toy will also help kids work on color identification, spatial awareness, and problem solving."

Best for Fine Motor Skills: TOMY Toomies Hide & Squeak Eggs at Amazon

"It doesn't have to be Easter for 2-year-olds to have fun with eggs—crack these open to find colorful toy chicks."

Best for Language Development: LeapFrog Learning Friends 100 Words Book at Amazon

"Along with being full of activities to strengthen fine motor skills, it can be played in either English or Spanish."

Best for Imaginative Play: B. Toys by Battat One Two Squeeze Baby Blocks at Amazon

"Promote baby's imagination and creativity with these baby blocks, which can be stacked, sorted, or even chewed."

At around 1-year-old, kiddos start leaving the baby stage and entering the toddler stage, which opens up a whole new world physically, emotionally, and developmentally. Suddenly all those toys they loved six months ago are irrelevant and it’s time to stock up on some new options that better suit their age.

So, if you’re not sure where to start, here are some of the best toy options out there for 1-year-olds.

Our Top Picks

Best Overall: Battat Wooden Activity Cube

With five different play surfaces, this cube will keep children 12 months old and up occupied and engaged. It features activities including a wire bead maze, spinning blocks, sliding knobs, little doors to open and shut, and rolling wood blocks with farm animals to match up. The cube is also mindfully designed with curved corners to help avoid bumps and bruises.

Best Puzzle: Melissa & Doug Safari Jumbo Knob Puzzle

Tots 1-year-old and up can practice problem-solving and hand-eye coordination with one of these adorable wooden puzzles. Each piece is cut from a thick piece of wood and has a large knob on top that’s just the right size for little hands to grasp to help them guide the piece into its place. There are a variety of style options, too, like farm animals, colorful shapes, and fish.

Best Sorting Toy: Fisher-Price Baby’s First Blocks & Rock-a-Stack

With this set, you get two classic and beloved toys that let kids sort, stack, and work on identifying colors and shapes. Both toys are made for children 6 months old and up and are made with plant-based materials that are easy to wipe down for cleaning. The Rack-a-Stack comes with five colorful rings in varying sizes and Baby’s First Blocks come with 10 colorful shapes and a carrying case with cutouts on top.

Best for Sensory Development: Edushape Fun Z Balls

These balls are safe for tots 9 months old and up and are fantastic for sensory play. The set comes with three balls, all of which are different colors, made from soft plastic, and designed with various textures. They’re great for bouncing, tossing, and rolling, and are easy for little hands to grasp.

Best for Standing: Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Around the Town Learning Table

Little ones get to stand up while they play with this table that is broken into four play sections including a zoo, puppy house, market, and farm. Each section has different activities that let kids push buttons, flip switches, spin toys, and more. The table has lights and sounds, includes a little toy phone for interactive play, and has three stages to meet your child’s developmental needs. Tots between 6 months and 3 years old are the perfect age to enjoy this table.

Best for Walking: VTech Sit-to-Stand Learning Walker

This toy is designed for children between 9 months and 3 years old and can be played with on the floor, used as support while they work to pull up, or to help them balance as they master walking independently. It has two modes, music or reading, and plenty of opportunities to open little doors, press buttons, turn gears and even play with a pretend phone. They’ll love cruising around the house pushing this fun walker.

Best for Stacking: Fisher-Price Brilliant Basics Stack & Roll Cups

Children between 6 months and 4 years old can play with this toy that can be stacked, nested, or turned into a ball. It has 10 colorful pieces of varying sizes, plus a little yellow ball, that all work together to create fun towers and other configurations. In addition to all the fun, this toy will also help kids work on color identification, counting, spatial awareness, problem-solving, and strengthen fine motor skills.

Best for Fine Motor Skills: TOMY Toomies Hide & Squeak Eggs

Unlike a typical carton of eggs, children 18 months old and up are encouraged to crack all of the eggs inside. Each egg has a removable top with a colorful face that matches the chick on the inside. When your kiddo presses down on the chick, it squeaks which helps develop sensory and fine motor skills.

Best for Language Development: LeapFrog Learning Friends 100 Words Book

This book is full of little activities to strengthen fine motor skills, sound bites that teach science, letters, and numbers. All of the sound features can be played in either English or Spanish mode to further develop language skills. While younger kids may want to touch all the buttons and watch the lights, this toy is best for kids between 18 months and 3 years old.

Best for Imaginative Play: B. Toys by Battat One Two Squeeze Baby Blocks

Tots between 6 months and 3 years old can stack, sort, squeeze, toss, and even chew these blocks which are made from a soft molding foam. The set comes with 10 blocks in various colors that each have different images on all six sides including numbers, animals, and shapes. When they’re not being played with, the blocks stack nicely into a little plastic carrying case for storing.

Best for Music: Baby Einstein Magic Touch Piano

Little Mozarts in the making will have a ton of fun with this piano that has color-coded keys and three sheets of music that will guide them in playing melodies. The coolest part? The piano keys are all laid across a flat piece of wood, so they’re “magic.” This toy is best for budding musicians between 6 months and 3 years old.

Best for Active Play: Little Tikes Rocking Horse

For 1-year-olds with a little (or a lot) of extra energy, this rocking horse is a great way for them to get some of it out. It’s designed for kids between 1 and 3 years old and under 50 pounds. It’s tallest point stands just over 17 inches from the ground, it’s made from strong and durable plastic, and can be played with indoors or outside.

Final Verdict

At 1 year old, kid's toys should be fun and developmentally appropriate. Any of these toys fit the bill, but you’re sure to hit a home run with the Battat Wooden Activity Cube or the Fisher-Price Brilliant Basics Stack & Roll Cups.

What to Look for in Baby Toys for 1-Year-Olds

Ease of Use

Make sure your baby toy is easy to use for both you and your child. You want to make sure your baby can easily grab and carry the toy but also ensure that when it's time for playtime to end, you can easily wipe it clean and store it.

Hazard Free

Babies love to grab, chew, and throw things so make sure that the toys are made up of safe, non-toxic materials, have soft edges, and don't have any small pieces they could choke on.

Educational

Toys aren't only for fun, as you can find many that can help fine-tune your child's motor skills, sensory development, and more. The best baby toy will introduce them to different colors, numbers, textures, sounds, and much more.

Age

Always check the age range on the toys you plan to buy. While you may be excited to teach your little one new things, you want to find a toy that they will be able to comprehend and fully engage with.

Why Trust Verywell Family

Ashley Ziegler is a staff and freelance writer who covers lifestyle, home, parenting, and commerce content for a variety of platforms. She’s a mom to 1-year-old and 3-year-old daughters and an aunt to 3 nieces and 2 nephews ranging from 5 to 10 years old. In addition to regularly scouring the internet to find the best things for herself, Ashley spends multiple hours a week researching, comparing, and writing about products specifically for kids and families.