These are the toys my daughter is loving at 12 months old, and I wanted to share what we actually like about each one. If we were sitting together talking about what our babies are playing with lately, these are the ones I’d tell you about!
From stacking cups and blocks to simple toys that encourage hand-eye coordination, language development, and open-ended play, these are some of our favorite toys for this stage.
Melissa & Doug K’s Kids 2-in-1 Talking Ball
We love rolling this ball back and forth together. It’s soft instead of hard plastic, which I personally find a little less gross when she inevitably decides to lick it. Baby priorities, right?
There’s also plenty to talk about as we turn it around, from the different colors to the pictures on it. It’s been a fun way to practice words while we play.
It does have a talking feature, but I chose to leave the batteries out. We like to keep things pretty low-stimulation at home, and we’ve enjoyed it just as much without the sound.
Practice your letters and numbers! (Amazon Affiliate)Melissa & Doug Geometric Stacker
First off, this is such a beautiful take on a classic toy. In the beginning, my daughter mostly wanted to take the pieces off and move them somewhere else. That alone kept her interested!
As she started trying to put the pieces back on, it became a great way to practice hand-eye coordination. I love getting to watch her figure it out a little more each time.
See how your kids stack up! (Amazon Affiliate)Fisher-Price Little People Forest Friends Carry Case
Honestly, you can’t go wrong with Little People. The little animals are adorable, and we love practicing their sounds together.
She’s also perfectly happy just holding them and looking at them. Sometimes that’s all she wants to do!
We definitely plan to keep adding to her Little People collection as she gets bigger.
Find Your Forest Friends Now! (Amazon Affiliate)The First Years Stack & Count Stacking Cups
The simplest toys really do tend to be the best. These are probably the ones my daughter reaches for the most!
You can stack them, nest them, put little toys inside, and find all kinds of other ways to play. They don’t look like much, but they get so much use in our house.
First Year Stack (Amazon Affiliate)Infantino Squeeze and Stack Block Set
These are so fun. Fair warning: you might buy one set and end up wanting three!
We love building towers for her to knock over, and it’s such an exciting moment when they start trying to build their own.
You can also set little toys on top or use the blocks to build things for them. Between these and the stacking cups, we have plenty of building—and knocking down—to keep us busy.
Build Now (Amazon Affiliate)What Makes a Good Toy for a 12-Month-Old?
At this age, we’ve found that toys don’t need to be complicated to keep our daughter interested. Some of her favorites are the simplest toys in our house—the ones she can stack, carry, knock over, explore, and play with in different ways.
Every baby is different, but for us, toys that encourage exploration and give her room to figure things out on her own have gotten the most use.