When checking out the best gifts for 1-year-olds, you want to look for toys that are colorful, educational, and most of all, safe. Since kids grow so stinking fast, you also want to find toys they won’t get bored of too quickly.
Luckily the team at The Krazy Coupon Lady is staffed with parents and editors who’ve been involved in years of toy testing, so we’re pretty familiar with what kids like or completely ignore. And you already know that we’re only on the hunt for toys that give us the most bang for our buck or deals that’ll save us a few dollars. So we did some digging.
Overall we found that Walmart had the best prices on toys for 1-year-olds. Sometimes the savings was just $1 better than Target, but it’s something!
Fat Brain Toys also has great deals on toys for 1-year-olds, but if you’re shopping online, it’s worth taking a minute to compare prices. Specific toys were cheaper on Target (and then you can use your Target RedCard for an extra 5% savings) or Amazon. In this case, you can save yourself the $5.99 shipping charge from Fat Brain Toys.
Here are the best gifts for 1-year-old boys and girls, plus tips on how to save on them. Also download the KCL app to see any current Amazon deals, or text AMAZON to 57299 and be the first to know about deals that go live.
1. Baby Water Mat
This water-filled mat ($27.99, Amazon) makes tummy time more fun. The movement of the water beneath your baby will help them develop their muscles as they work for better balance. Just be sure to keep an eye on them while playing so they don’t fall asleep on the mat.
“Such a great tummy time mat.” — Amazon reviewer.
2. Carter’s Just One You Baby Girls’ Animal Print Sleep N’ Play
These onesies ($12, Target) feature a two-way zipper that reaches from collar to ankle, making them easy to take on and off. Plus, getting two onesies for $5.10 a piece is not a bad deal.
- Sold at: Target
- Lowest Price in 12 months: $10.20 at Target
“The Sleep N’ Plays are soft and easy to get your baby in and out of. I love all of the designs and you really can’t beat the price.” — Target reviewer.
3. Carter’s Sleep N’ Play
The holiday prints of these onesies ($20, JC Penney) are on major clearance right now, with some as low as $2.99. Considering these are originally $20, that price is a steal.
- Sold at: JC Penney, Carter’s, BuyBuyBaby
- Lowest Price in 12 months: $2.99 at JC Penney
“It’s very cozy and warm, but not so much so that he sweats.” — Carter’s reviewer.
4. Bright Starts Tummy Time Prop & Play Activity Mat
If your baby isn’t big on tummy time, consider this play mat ($29.99, Amazon). The plushy mat helps prop up little ones to make tummy time easier. It also has a mirror, rattle, and other toy attachments.
- Sold at: Amazon, Target, Bed Bath & Beyond
- Lowest Price in 12 months: $14.99 on Amazon
“Honestly, I feel like all moms should have this.” — Amazon reviewer.
5. Fisher-Price Baby’s First Blocks with Storage Bucket
Shape-sorter toys ($9.97, Walmart) are great fun for little ones. And if you shop at Walmart in store or online, you’ll save $1 over Target prices and $2 over BuyBuy Baby on this classic Fisher-Price toy.
“Everything is baby friendly and too large to fit inside the child’s mouth but small enough to hold and chew on.” — Walmart reviewer.
6. Melissa & Doug Deluxe 10-Piece Alphabet Nesting and Stacking Blocks
Toddlers giggle like crazy when stacking toys tumble down. Build them back up and knock them down again for big laughs. Save $3 on this stacking set ($11.99, Walmart) versus the regular prices at Target and Kohl’s. This item isn’t eligible for any Kohl’s coupons, but you can use Kohl’s Cash to buy it. That option may save you money spent out of your own pocket.
“My son is autistic and this is one of his favorites during therapy sessions!” — Walmart reviewer.
7. Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Farm Animal Puzzle Electronic Baby Toy
We love this multifunction toy ($12.41, Walmart) that makes animal noises and has a puzzle-piece feature. If you’re a Walmart+ or Prime member, you can save on shipping.
“When I say this thing is an underrated hit, I’m not exaggerating.” — Amazon reviewer.
Related: Amazon October Prime Day dates are confirmed. Check out all the Prime Day Baby Deals we know about now.
8. Melissa & Doug 75 Multicolored Wooden Blocks
The brand has high-quality toys that often come at a premium, but we’ve discovered ways to save on Melissa & Doug. We found the best price for this 75-block set at Target ($13.59, Target). There are similar 100-piece sets that retail at Walmart for $16.16, on Amazon for $13.59, and at Kohl’s for $27.99.
“These blocks are great quality and endless fun!” — Target reviewer.
5. Lamaze Puffaboo Elephant
With ears that make a crinkle noise and squeaker in the belly, this elephant toy ($14.95, Fat Brain Toys) is very engaging for 1-year-olds. Fat Brain Toys has a flat $5.99 shipping fee, so this would be a good place to order toys for several kids on your list, making the shipping fee more worthwhile. We also found this toy on Amazon, but it had the same price. If you sign up for the emails at Fat Brain Toys, you might get early access to sales or discounts.
- Sold at: Fat Brain Toys, Amazon, Walmart
- Lowest price in 12 months: $14.95 at Fat Brain Toys
“This elephant is so adorable and never fails to get a giggle when squeezed!” — Amazon reviewer.
6. Fat Brain Toys Baby Toddler and Learning Toy MiniSpinny
While this mesmerizing spinny toy is from the Fat Brain Toy brand, it’s actually $3 cheaper at Target ($12.99, Target). Partner the lower price with your RedCard 5% discount and you’ll rack up even more savings.
- Sold at: Fat Brain Toys, Target, Amazon
- Lowest price in 12 months: $12.99 at Target
“My baby LOVES this toy!” — Target reviewer.
7. WhoopsyDoo Bead Coaster
Little hands will be all over this colorful beaded toy. It’s exciting to see a wooden bead maze coaster toy ($9.95, Fat Brain Toys) for less than $10. Even when you add in the $5.99 shipping fee, this creative toy is still $3.05 less than the retail price for a similar item we found on Amazon. However, we’ve seen the Amazon version discounted from time to time. If you catch a sale price on Amazon and have free shipping with your Prime membership, you can end up saving more that way.
- Sold at: Fat Brain Toys
- Lowest price in 12 months: $9.95 on Fat Brain Toys
“This is the perfect size for a baby. [It] suctions onto a high chair, which is great.” — Fat Brain Toys reviewer.
8. Green Toys My First Tugboat, Red
Make a splash at bath time with a tugboat toy ($12.99, Green Toys) that also pours water. The price for this toy was better at Green Toys than it was at Amazon, though the free Prime shipping may make a difference.
- Sold at: Amazon, Green Toys
- Lowest price in 12 months: $11.54 on Amazon
“Fantastic bath toy.” — Amazon reviewer.
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