The best wooden toys for 1-year-olds have come about with many features because of the wide range of innovations in design and aesthetics. Made of natural materials, including wood and non-toxic paints for ensuring child safety, these toys for one-year-olds are durable and sturdy. These wooden toys work on a simple mechanism and are great to enhance the creativity and imagination of children at a young age. Since they do not have electrical functionings or batteries, they demand the use of mental and physical capabilities that help in your child’s motor and sensory function development. Along with play, they are for learning too.
Top Picks
15 Best Wooden Toys For 1 Year Olds
1. Best Multifunctional:Hape Pound And Tap Bench With Slide Out Xylophone – Yellow
Give your toddler a musical adventure with the Hape Pound and Tap Bench. The multifunctional instrument can be played in various ways; tapping over the keyboard using the ball or pulling out the xylophone and playing solo. It helps improve your child’s motor and cognitive skills. The wooden musical instrument is made of non-toxic finishes, water-based paint, and has rounded edges, making it child-friendly. This video will help you make an informed decision about your purchase.
Pros
- Helps audio recognition
- Promotes dexterity
- Develops problem-solving skills
- Develops grasping and hand-eye coordination
Cons
- Doesn’t come with a handle for carrying the toy
- Sound quality could have been better
2. Best Strategically-Designed:Top Bright Wooden Car Ramp Racer
A bright and colorful car race track is all you need to bring that excitement to your child’s face and sparkle in their eyes. The strategically-designed wooden toy helps develop your child’s thinking skills, observation skills, self-recognition skills, and physical movement. The fast-paced cars slide smoothly from one track to the other making for an exciting play. The wooden toy car ramp racer is made of high-quality BPA-free wood and non-toxic water-based paint.
Pros
- Meets the ASTM F 963 and European EN71 safety standards
- Wheels are secured, buckled with axle
- Stimulates visual senses
- Wheels maneuver smoothly
- No assembly required
Cons
- Parking lot may look tiny
- Tiny cars may pose a choking hazard
Do remember3. Best For Hand-Eye Coordination:Battat Wooden Activity Cube
Image: Battattoys Battat Wooden Activity Cube offers your little one five ways of having fun while learning—playing with the beads, opening tiny doors to find a new wooden animal figurine, spinning animal letters, rotating tiny cubes, and zig-zagging tiny circles. The 18-inch tall cube is made of heirloom-quality wood frame and is durable. This one is crafted to introduce your little ones to farm animals. Watch this video to get a detailed review of the product.
Pros
- Stimulates hand-eye coordination
- Teaches count
- Boosts color recognition
- Encourages sorting
- Doesn’t require any assembly
Cons
- Paint may chip off
- Base may be a bit fragile
4. Best Safety:Play22 Wooden Train Set
Bring home this 12-piece wooden toy train set that exhibits tiny and thrilling wooden engines, coaches, cargo cars, tanker cars, and more. This bright and colorful wooden train set features rounded edges and is put together by magnets. The wooden vehicle set meets the ASTM F963 safety standards, making it one of the safest and best toys for color recognition and motor skill development.
Pros
- Compatible with wooden train sets of major brands
- Lead-free
- Smooth wheels
- Easy to grasp
- Includes a storage box
Cons
- Some train parts may be flimsy
- Magnets could have been stronger
5. Best With Wheels: Radio Flyer Classic Walker Wagon
The Classic Walker Wagon is your toddler’s very own push walker and carriage puller. Made of original wood and natural paint, this wagon is safe for children. The 10.41lb wagon with flexible wheels helps encourage babies to crawl or walk. Moreover, the carriage area with removable stake sides is big enough to fit up to 35lb of weight and can carry your baby from one place to another. Here’s a video to help you learn about this wooden balance toy.
Pros
- Has resistance clickers, which prevents wagon from moving quickly
- Comes with furniture-friendly bumper
- Smooth handle for convenient holding
- Doubles as a toy storage
Cons
- Paint on the toy may not be chip-resistant
- Turning the wagon may not be easy for the little one
Quick fact6. Best For Fine Motor Skills: JCREN Wooden Apple Threading Toy
There is more to the toy than what meets the eyes. Simple yet intricately made of sustainable wood, JCREN’s wooden apple threading toy helps children develop their hand-eye coordination. The bright red apple filled with pores and holes and the green caterpillar with a thread are the two elements of the toy. Entangling the thread keeps children engaged while developing their fine motor skills.
Pros
- Designed as per EN71 safety standards
- Develops problem-solving skills
- Non-toxic paint
- Comes in a gift-ready box
Cons
- May be a bit heavy for some
- Thread may fray
7. Best Interactive: Melissa & Doug Stacking Train
Melissa & Doug Stacking Train is nothing but a combination of a few geometrical shapes that can be formed into a complete structure. It comes with 15 different colored pieces and promotes interaction and engagement in children around the age of one. The wooden building block made of a strong wooden construction is specifically built for babies to explore. Sit with your baby and build three types of train structures using these multi-shaped blocks.
Pros
- Improves dexterity
- Wheels move smoothly
- Helps your child with stacking
- Develops problem-solving
Cons
- Internal sides of the cube may be slightly rough
- May contain tiny parts
8. Best Compact:Toyventive Wooden Kids Activity Cube
The multi-functional activity cube comes with the goodness of five toys combined in one. This lightweight and compact toy is one of the best wooden toys for one-year-old babies as it has a learning clock, shape sorter, abacus, and spinning gears on all four sides of the cube. The bonus is the top of the cube that has maze-like spirals with beads that make playing fun and interactive. This toy has passed all the safety standard tests.
Pros
- BPA-, lead-, and phthalate-free
- Promotes color and pattern recognition
- Teaches counting
- Develops problem-solving skills
Cons
- Small blocks may pose a choking hazard
- Tiny fingers may get stuck in the curves
9. Best Pet-Themed:Melissa And Doug House Pets Jumbo Knob Puzzle
Get your little one this house pet jumbo knob puzzle that has colorful illustrations of house pets. Matching these simple wooden puzzle pieces can help improve hand-eye coordination, develop thinking skills, and encourage physical movements. Let your child explore their full potential with this funky, colorful, and insightful puzzle game. The activity board has matching pictures underneath, with each extra-thick puzzle piece featuring a jumbo knob so that the toddler has a better grip over it.
Pros
- Easy to grab
- Encourages pattern recognition
- Ideal for beginners
- Helps identify animals
Cons
- Edges might be slightly rough
- Paint may peel
Point to consider10. Best For Auditory Reception:PlanToys Wooden Solid Drum
How can a child’s play routine be complete without some drum rolls? This wooden drum set by PlanToys is your child’s melodic friend that helps them relate to music, understand rhythm, and improve their auditory reception. The drumming and musical tones can bring a smile upon the little one’s face.
Pros
- Combines fun and learning
- Soothing sound
- Easy-to-hold drum sticks
- Smooth finish
- Chip-resistant paint
Cons
- Has no loop or strap to wear the drum
- Stick may not be durable enough
11. Best For Two-Handed Play:Manhattan Toy Skwish Natural Rattle Toy
The Skwish Natural Rattle Toy is made of sustainable high-quality rubberwood, and the smooth stick ends with beads form a flexible puzzle-like structure to excite the baby. Squishing, pressing, and playing with the rattle toy can help develop hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. So, let them hold the rattle and shake it to their heart’s content with that smile and excitement over their face.
Pros
- Lightweight design
- Well-crafted finish
- Pleasant sound
- Encourages two-handed play
- Splinter- and chip-resistant
Cons
- May not be easy to clean
- May be smaller than you expect
12. Best Open-Ended:Grimm’s 6-Piece Wooden Rainbow Stacker
Brightly colored unvarnished blocks that can be combined to form a rainbow, or used separately as an open-ended toy— that’s what you get from this six-piece Wooden Rainbow Stacker. The pieces of this wooden stacking toy form a colorful rainbow that brightens up your child’s world. The blocks are designed as per the US and European safety standards and protect the child from any choking hazards. The arches can also be used to build bridges, tunnels, fences, or flowers, making your little one’s imaginations run wild.
Pros
- Suitable for open-ended play
- Child-friendly material
- Easy to hold
- No sharp corners
Cons
- Size may be small
- Colors have no protective coating
13. Best Simple:Elite Montessori Object Permanence Box
If you are looking for an intriguing yet simple toy with Montessori learning benefits, get the Elite Montessori’s object permanence box. The child has to drop one of the two colored balls in the box from one hole and watch it come out from the other. Repeated attempts leading to the same outcome teach the child about object permanence while refining their fine motor skills.
Pros
- Smooth finish wood material
- Has coating to protect the wood
- Doesn’t have any sharp corners
- Available only in two colors – original and red
Cons
- May not hold the baby’s interest for prolonged hours
- May need adult supervision
14. Best Attractive Design:Hzone Wooden Jigsaw Puzzles
The high-quality puzzle blocks in attractive designs and colors are specifically made for children aged below one year. These puzzles, made of certified wood and ASTM- and CPSIA-approved, are safe to use and help stimulate sensory and brain development, improve patience levels, and develop hand-eye coordination. Mix them all up and get excited seeing your child solve the puzzle.
Pros
- Helps little one learn shapes and colors
- Non-toxic and eco-friendly water paint
- Smooth edges
- Easy-to-grab blocks
- Boosts fine motor skills
Cons
- May be smaller than expected
15. Best For Teaching Alphabet:Maxim Deluxe Wooden ABC Blocks
With Maxim Deluxe’s Wooden ABC Blocks, learning the alphabet has become more fun. The set of 40 blocks including the letters of the alphabet, numbers, and pictures helps your child start their preliminary studies right from home. The high-quality and brightly colored blocks are made of 100% non-toxic solid wood and stained with water-based eco-friendly paint, making them safe play toys for children.
Pros
- Meets ASTM safety standards
- Includes mesh storage bag
- Letters and numbers are embossed
- Easy to hold
Cons
- Some blocks may have sharp edges
- Blocks may be tiny
How To Choose The Best Wooden Toys For 1 Year Olds?
Product Size:
The size of the toy matters the most as smaller sizes can cause choking. Look for a toy that doesn’t fit your kid’s mouth to save them from the hazard.
Pointy Ends:
Wooden toys with sharp and pointy ends are a huge risk to kids below the age of 3 as it can badly injure their eyes, mouth, and other sensitive body parts. Always look for a toy that is sturdy with rounded edges for better protection from unnecessary accidents.
Product Quality:
Toys that are tested and labeled phthalate, PVC, and BPS-free are the safest for your 1-year-olds or younger kids. The paint applied over the toy must also be organic and non-toxic as kids often put their toys into their mouths.
Natural and Child-safe:
Toys that are made of plastic and other synthetic materials are harmful to toddlers. High-risk toys with magnets and other electrical chords and strings must also be avoided to keep the kids safe. Child-safe wooden toys made of organic substances like Melissa and Doug Stacking Train or Battat Wooden Activity Cube are a few of the best wooden toys for 1-year-olds.
Why Trust MomJunction?
Priti Bose specializes in creating content on children’s toys and games. Here, she has picked the best wooden toys for one-year-olds that are of high quality, durable, safe, and lightweight. These toys support your baby’s development besides being entertaining and engaging for your little one. In addition, the writer has provided a buying guide to help you purchase the one you like the most from the list.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Are wooden toys safe for babies?
Wooden toys made of natural wood are safe when crafted with no sharp edges, are free of burrs, and are painted with non-toxic colors. Besides, they should also be age-appropriate.
2. Do babies actually like wooden toys?
Yes, babies do like wooden toys not because they are made of wood, but because they are simple. Most of these toys promote open-ended play. While durable, wooden toys are more appealing to babies’ senses than plastic toys.
3. Can babies put wooden toys in their mouths?
Wooden teethers that are made of natural hardwood are safe, hard to chew, and can soothe babies’ gums. Yet choose a wooden teether that has a smooth finish and is free of harmful paints.
4. How do I sanitize wooden toys?
The best way to sanitize wooden toys is to either use a vinegar solution or baby dishwashing liquid. Just wipe and clean these toys with lukewarm water if they are not too dirty. Soaking or dipping the wooden toys in water and drying them in the sun will lead to expansion and contraction, which might damage the structure of the toy.
5. Are wood toys naturally antibacterial?
Natural wood has antimicrobial properties and natural wooden toys are less prone to mold, mildew, or bacteria, when compared to plastic and plush toys.
6. Are old wooden toys safe?
Yes, old wooden toys that are in good condition with no splinters are safe to play with.
The Bottom Line
Wooden toys have a nostalgic feel as they connect us to the old days when toys were mostly made of woodblocks. So, if you wish to invest in the best wooden toys for your one-year-old, this list could greatly help you select. Wood, an organic material, is believed to be safe for babies and toddlers. Furthermore, a wooden toy may not be equipped with any battery-operated source, inspiring thought-provoking and creative play in kids. Our top recommendations are the Hape Pound And Tap Bench With Slide Out Xylophone for cognitive and auditory stimulation and the Battat Wooden Activity Cube for engaging activities. The Play22 Wooden Train Set is also popular for helping with motor skill development. Choose an age-appropriate wooden toy for your little one and watch them have fun and evolve mentally and physically.
Infographic: What Should You Do If The Wooden Toy Is Not Burr-Free?
Upon arrival, always diligently check the surfaces of the wooden toy before handing them to your toddler. The edges and surfaces should be smooth to avoid splinter injuries and scratches. So, if you come across a rough wooden piece, check out the following infographic to learn how to make it child-friendly. Illustration: Momjunction Design Team
Get high-quality PDF version by clicking below.
Download Infographic
References:
- Smart Toys for Every Age.
https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/smart-toys.html
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