The Best Wooden Toys for 1 Year Olds

The first 12 months of a baby’s life is crucial for physical and mental development. During these months it is important to have the right toys that can stimulate your toddler, are safe and be durable. Wooden toys are the perfect choice when it comes to both safety and durability. Wooden toddler toys are light, non-toxic, affordable, stimulating and affordable. With so many great wooden toys for 1 year olds on the market, it can be challenging to know which one is best suited for your baby.  We have put together this guide that highlights the pros and cons of our favorite wooden toys to make your decision process a little bit easier. At the end of this guide, we will highlight our favorite toy that provides the best value. Enjoy!

 

Melissa & Doug Deluxe Chomp and Clack Alligator Wooden Push Toy and Activity Walker

Wooden Push Toy for 1 year oldsOnce your baby has reached 12 months old you can expect for them to begin reaching a number of different movement milestones. These milestones include:

  • Crawling forward on their belly by using their arms and legs
  • Pulling self up to stand
  • Walking while holding onto furniture
  • Briefly standing without support
  • Walking two or three steps without any support

Baby walking toys help encourage these movements by giving your child the added support that they need along with a bit of entertainment. Before you know it they will be walking all on their own.

To kick off the list we have the perfect toy for one year olds that are constantly on the move. The Chomp and Clack alligator push toy makes learning to walk an entertaining and interactive experience. The Chomp and Clack is designed to appear as if 3 alligators are sitting in a blue pool of water at the base of the toy and that the fish on the wheels are swimming in the water. As your toddler pushes the toy, the gators mouths chomp away with every step. When your 1 year old is not pushing the toy there are also spinning butterfly and ladybug beads that can be spun and played with.

The sturdy design and build of this alligator push toy improves hand eye coordination, encourages exercise and will be a whole lot of fun for your toddler. Learn More

Positives
  • Interactive
  • Entertaining to watch
  • Multi-purpose

Negatives
  • Only suitable for toddlers learning to walk

Hape Wonder Walker Push and Pull Toddler Walking Toy

Here we have another excellent wooden push and pull toy that has a slightly different design than the Chomp and Clack alligator push toy. The Hape Wonder Toddler Walking Toy is an activity walker that also serves as a toy storage container. If your 1 year old has many small toys that they enjoy playing with on a regular basis, the Wonder Walker is shaped to carry toys like a small shopping cart. As your toddler walks from room to room with the Wonder Walker all of their toys can come along with them. By placing their toys in the base of the walker your toddler can improve their organizational skills at a  young age.

This walker is fitted with moving knobs and a number of different activities to keep your 1 year old entertained in many different ways. This walker’s sturdy wood build ensures that this toy can withstand any type of ware for many years to come. We highly recommend this walker as an alternative to the Chomp and Clack listed above

Positives
  • Carries many small objects
  • Moveable knobs and gears
  • Sturdy wood design

Negatives
  • Not a toy that can be used past 3-4 years old

Melissa & Doug Classic Bead Maze – Wooden Educational Toy

Melissa and doug wooden bead maze reviewThis wooden toy has been a true children’s classic for many decades. The Melissa & Doug Bead Maze is a toy that is designed to encourage cognitive development, hand eye coordination, math skills to stimulate your baby’s mind. The maze comes with 18 different colored wood shapes for your 1 year old to work around a roller coaster of entangled wires.


The wire mazes are tricky enough to keep your toddler occupied without them getting easily frustrated. The solid wood base of the maze keeps the toy stable and ensure that the toy will last for years.  A few of owners of this bead maze have reported that their child loved playing with this toy all the way until they were 5 years old. Learn More.

Positives
  • Portable
  • Challenging
  • Suitable for 1-5 year olds

Negatives
  • Originally made in China

Glamore Shape Sorter kids toys Preschool Educational Wooden Puzzles

The Glamore Shape Sorter is a colorful spin on another classic toy. Shape sorters are an excellent way of improving your toddler’s early shape identification skill and hand-eye coordination. With 10 different shaped holes to choose from your 1 year old will be busy with this wooden toy for hours. On one side of the blocks are fun and bright colored patterns that stimulate the baby’s mind, and on the opposite side, there are numbers to help with counting. Once your toddler has correctly placed all of the shapes into the cube, the top easily comes off to empty the inside. The core block is constructed from synthetic basswood and lotus wood to ensure its durability.

To help keep your child safe, the small blocks are painted with a water-based non-toxic paint but they should not be soaked in water for cleaning. When you need to clean the individual blocks you can simply wipe them with a wet cloth. This is a must have for your child. Learn more.

Positives
  • Durable
  • Improves shape identification
  • Helps with counting

Negatives
  • Can not be soak washed
  • Not idea for humid environments

Classic Wooden Building Block Set- Hardwood Plain & Colored Small Wood Blocks for Boys & Girls
Woode Block Set Review

Here we have yet another classic toy that is intended to spark your 1 year old’s creativity. Wooden building blocks are also a great tool for your 1 year old to work on balance and encourage hand eye coordination. Cubbie Lee,  the creators of these blocks, is a company that specializes in creating wooden toys that are durable, affordable and educational. Unlike other wooden block sets on the market, the size of these blocks is specifically designed to fit in the hands of a 1 year old. The edges have also been smoothed for safe and easy gripping. Since the size of these blocks is fairly small it is recommended to supervise your child while they play to ensure that they do not attempt to swallow or chew on the blocks.

A great benefit of owning wooden building blocks is that they are not just for toddlers. Blocks like these can be used by your child for years to come without any deterioration of quality. Cubbie Lee is so confident in the quality of these building blocks that they have backed them with 5 year warranty. This is a toy that even parents can enjoy. Learn more.

Positives
  • Colorful
  • 100 pieces
  • Great toy for any age
  • 5 year warranty

Negatives
  • Supervision is required

 Hape Counting Stacker Toddler Wooden Stacking Block Set

The last wooden toy for toddlers on the list is another educational block set. This colorful stacking block set made by Melissa & Doug is designed to help your toddler understand spatial relationships ,how to follow directions, and improve on their counting. The numbers on the wood base match the color block that should be placed on the pegs, making it easy for your toddler to understand. In regards to safety, the blocks are painted with non toxic paint and the size of the blocks are well above choking hazard size.

Counting is an important skill to develop at a young age and this is the ideal toy to pair with any of the ones listed above. Learn More

Positives
  • Counting tool
  • Non toxic paint
  • Affordable

Negatives
  • Serves a single purpose

Conclusion

Hape Wonder Walker Push and Pull Toddler Walking Toy

As you can see there are a wide variety of different types of wooden toys for your 1 year old that serves a variety of different purposes. After careful consideration our team of editors came to the conclusion that the Hape Wonder Walker Push and Pull Toddler Walking Toy is our favorite. The Wonder Walker is an excellent wooden toy for promoting exercise and the carrying basket at the base makes moving your toddler’s toys from room to room a breeze. The added knobs and sliders also give the Wonder Walker additional value.

Regardless of the wooden toy that you decide to go with on this list, you will be receiving a mentally and physically stimulating toy that your child is sure to enjoy.

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