Gifts for a 1-year-old boy — ideas he’ll love

No time for the whole list? These are our four favourites for a 1-year-old boy: the blue Little Dutch walker, for the first steps and then for driving blocks around; the Grimm’s wooden truck, big enough to push with two hands; the Trixie Mr. Dino wooden push stick, which walks along with every step; and the Little Dutch peek-through book Farm, with holes to look through and animals to find together. Four gifts you can’t go wrong with.

A small gift for a one-year-old boy, for the Sinterklaas shoe or as an extra with a bigger present. Everything below costs less than ten euros.

With up to 25 euros you’ll find a wooden car, a puzzle, a cuddly toy or a picture book. Everything below has been picked for a 1-year-old boy.

A walker gives support for the first steps; a push stick or a pull-along figure turns walking into a game. Whoever still wobbles pushes, whoever walks steadily pulls something along behind. A tricycle that grows along is for the boy who’s already steady on his feet.

Around one, knocking down is even more fun than building up. Big, light blocks and a rainbow to stack are made for exactly that, and in a spiral tower the ball rolls down again every time. A box of big building bricks grows along: putting in and taking out now, building in a year’s time.

Crawling after a ball is quite a workout at this age. Soft balls to grab are safe indoors, a crawl tunnel turns the living room into a playground, and a balance board is a step, a bridge and a rocker in one.

The first puzzles are inset puzzles with one big piece per shape: one piece, one hole. Animals and toys work best, because you can say something about them straight away. Magnetic SmartMax animals are the next step: heads and bodies that click together.

Wooden cars are the most popular toy of all at this age: pushing, holding, putting them in a box and taking them out again. Choose sturdy vehicles without small loose parts, big enough for a small hand. A fire engine or a bulldozer soon becomes the car that goes everywhere.

A cuddly toy that goes to bed now often stays for years. Choose a sturdy, washable one without loose parts. An activity cuddly toy with a rattle and crinkly fabric has a little game built in.

At one, a book is mostly for touching: opening flaps, stroking the touch-and-feel patches, pointing at what there is to see. Choose sturdy board books with big pictures. A funny book about a little toot or a goodnight book for bedtime gets read a hundred times — and that’s exactly the point. (These books are in Dutch.)

A first birthday can bring a new outfit too: a jumper with a hedgehog, sturdy cargo trousers, a corduroy cardigan or a coat for outdoors. We’ve gone for size 86 (Dutch sizing, roughly 12–18 months), which fits most one-year-olds until well after their birthday; you choose the size yourself on the shop’s page. With wellies he can splash through puddles on his first steps, and a couple of iron-on patches make trousers that soon wear thin at the knees look cool again.