Buying a gift for your 1-year-old niece is easy but it is also hard.
It’s hard because you want to send a message to your sister or brother that you care and it’s easy because a 1-year-old is not that fussy. Wait a few years before she looks at you with the ‘hey Uncle, I know you got this from WalMart’ look of contempt.
So, what are the best gifts for a one-year-old niece? We looked for more than 60 hours at 15 gift for niece ideas, to answer this tricky question for your big present to your niece. We looked at the very affordable, the not so affordable options and frankly high price choices that are all likely to appeal to your niece and be appreciated by your relatives. We have ideas for all seasons and all kinds of play. We also have some ideas that might not have occurred to you at all.
Before looking at our full list, here is a bit of science, namely evolutionary biology.
Pink or Blue? – Don’t be ‘PC’ or ‘Woke’ with a birthday gift for your niece
There is a lot of topical gender politics discussed today and there is an idea that we should not gender stereotype toys for girls or boys. The argument goes that Pink and Blue are just wavelengths of light (correct) and that – say dolls or digger trucks should appeal equally to either an infant girl or infant boy (not true, as we shall see).
It’s been a popular trend to avoid ‘gender stereotype’ toy choices. However, there actually is a scientific basis for the idea that girls prefer dolls and boys prefer other kinds of objects, especially tools. Humans are primates – naked apes and repeated tests on monkeys and other apes consistently show, when offered the choice of playing with either a doll or a truck, monkey or ape females typically pick the doll and monkey or ape males the tool or the truck. Now, monkeys and apes clearly have not been socially conditioned by TV or by some male-dominated Human set of beliefs.
This ape choice, which extends to human children, isn’t just because – as some feminist writers have argued -that pressure from society is the cause, or that there is patriarchy that defines women’s roles. This is actually about evolutionary biology. In many experiments, male adolescent monkeys who have not been ‘socialized’ to do so by anyone, just prefer to play with the same kinds of ‘get things done’ toys that human male infants do, while female monkeys – like infant humans – prefer dolls and other related types of toys that are linked to childcare or nurturing. Simply put, the theory of why this is so is that Darwinian natural selection has made these two different behaviours. It is a useful evolutionary adaptation.
So, that’s all a long way of saying – buy infant girls toys or other nurturing toys (pet toys for example) that infant girls like and don’t be tempted to be ‘woke’ or ‘politically correct’ and buy them a toy that appeals more to a boy. That said, young nieces often end up with piles of dolls or teddies that they play with a few times then get bored with, So, rather than just reviewing dolls and toy puppies, we have added some more interesting and stimulating first birthday gift ideas for niece to our recommended list.
Birthday Gifts for 1yo Niece
So, here is our full list of 15 unique gifts for a niece.
1. VTech Musical Rhymes Book in Pink
Best 1st birthday gift ideas for niece with music
- Gets your sibling’s tot interested in the book habit
- Plenty to keep a 1 year old amused
- Music and sound as well as words
- A bit brash
Verdict: A simple but fun toy that is a sure hit.
2. Kidzlane Jumbo Floor Piano Mat
Best musical floormat for niece
By age 1 your niece should be happily crawling and maybe walking too. So, check out this really great birthday or Christmas gifts for niece.
- Works with crawling infants and walking older child too
- Stimulates and early interest in music
- If you take care of it this will last years
- You need plenty of space 🙂
Verdict: A fun and exciting floor piano that is bright and massive and can be crawled on walked on or played with. and is a great 1st birthday gift ideas for niece.
3. Just Smarty Story Telling Toy with Lullabies and 5 Fairy Tales
Best lullaby toy for niece
One of the issues with rated reviews is how to compare dissimilar products for different uses. Playing in the garden is different than playing on the beach, or in the evening, etc. So, we like this interactive story toy because it has many uses but specifically because it can work well getting that 1-year-old niece to be and happily asleep. She can select which story or song and off she goes to sleep (hopefully).
- A top pick that can be used for go-to-bed storytelling or musical lullabies
- Interactive so your niece can select the story or song, which promotes cognitive development and growth
- Reasonable cost and good quality
- Includes popular songs and stories like the Three Little Pigs, Beauty and the Beast, The Ugly Duckling, Cinderella
- Not so appealing to the very young niece – maybe
Verdict: This is a versatile gender-neutral toy for a baby niece which is a great interactive addition to your nieces’ bedroom.
4. Baby GUND Animated Flappy the Elephant Stuffed Animal Plush
Best animated toy for niece
This totally charming elephant is a handsome chap who is happy to sing and to play. He’s very huggable too so very likely to go down well with your 1-year-old niece.
- Plays hide and seek
- Friendly and engaging
- Great to hug and hold
- Will need regular battery changing and do not put him with his batteries in a laundry washing machine when he gets grubby
Verdict: We just fell in love with this Elephant. We want someone to buy us one.
5. Baby GUND Flora The Bunny Animated Plush
Second best-animated toy for niece
We can’t mention Gund’s elephant without a mention of Gunds Bunny. Slightly less charming but it’s a close-run thing.
- Plays with the child when you press one paw
- Sings to the child when you play the other
- Works well as a pair if bought with the Gundy elephant
- Also great for your niece to hug and hold
- The Elephant wins in the charm race by a nose (or a trunk)
Verdict: Any 1-year-old niece will be happy with this bunny.
6. Woby Hip Hop Dancing Walking Swing Goose
The best toy for future girl hip-hop rappers
OK time to get down with the street. None of these middle-class cutesy toys here, this is a rapping hip-hop goose. Yes, a rapping hip-hop goose. It’s a niche market but some 1-year-olds will just love this toy. We really like it too – full marks for originality and for fun. Noisy toys are great for distracting and entertaining bored 1-year-olds. These goose toys (there are several) have cool swings, rocks and raps. Who can argue with that? Well worth considering this goose.
- A unique gift that’s a mile away from the usual presents
- Generates some energy and excitement for the more boisterous niece
- Lots of fun to be had with the different styles of play supported
- Choice of colors – blue red and green so buy more than one and have a flock
- Your sibling might say ‘you bought her a what?’. Hard to explain but fine when they see it
Verdict: If you are looking for a different kind of birthday or Christmas gift, this is about as different as you can get. We love it, as it makes us laugh.
7. Baby Singing Funny Owl Toy
Best Furbie alternative
Do you remember Furbies? They are a bit too old for a 1-year-old niece. However, this singing Owl is squarely targeted at 1-year-olds and any Neice will be enchanted by this ultra-lovable bluebird. It is quite Furbie-ish as it is both sound and touch-activated. We like it, in fact it is a hoot. See what I did there?
- Promotes great interaction between your 1-year-old via touch and sound
- Very funny and super-cute
- Will still be interesting as the child grows a bit older
- It might scare you in the middle of the night – switch it off when your niece has gone to sleep
Verdict: A straightforward fun package for your niece. We all need an Owl in our lives.
8. Kiddolab Activity Table for 1 Year Old
The best lower-cost activity center
Once your niece can sit up and play, she needs a table to play on. So this very affordable play table might be just the thing. It’s just the right height, easy to wash and strongly made. The simple piano is great and there are other moveable objects too. It also works just as a table for some activities.
- Ideal for a 1-year-old niece who can pull themselves up to sit
- Bright attractive colors
- Fun interactive shapes
- A basic piano to hammer away at
- Not expensive at all
- Some more expensive play table rivals have more activities
Verdict: A nice, simple, basic gift idea that won’t break the bank and will entertain.
9. Intex Sunset Glow Baby Pool
Best affordable paddling pool for the garden
If your niece’s birthday happens to fall around summertime – or she is lucky enough to live in Florida or southern California any time of the year, then this widely and wildly popular yet affordable garden paddling pool is a great toy. For the low price, it’s well made and just the right size at 34 in x 10 in. If you can think back to your childhood, if you had a paddling pool back then, on a hot day wasn’t it just a great place to have fun?
Why not create some new memories? 🙂
- Simple and basic but does the job and great value for money
- Why not have a birthday pool party for your niece
- If you live in Miami, or San Diego it’s a great Christmas present too
- A toy that will last several summers
- Not much use as a gift in latitudes like Chicago or Detroit in the winter
Verdict: There are lots of paddling pool options out there, we like this because it is a quality product at an affordable price. If you want to be a great uncle, buy them an electric inflation pump too, to avoid all that manual work blowing it up.
10. Le Papillon Pink Princess Tent Kids Ball Pit
Best indoor tent for niece
OK, if you don’t live down south in the US of A and you want some indoor play fun for your niece, why not do some camping play indoors? This is a great little tent that can also be used as a ball pit (balls are not included)indoors all year round and also outdoors in summer. Lots of fun to be had for not much money if you live in chiller northern climes.
- Works well year-round in Vancouver, Vermont or Victoria as an indoor play area
- Escape the winter Michigan, Maine, Manhattan and Montreal Misery by staying indoors
- Great for make-believe, peek a boo and ball pit playing
- Pets will love it too, in fact, your Cat won’t be able to resist
- Not as strong as some real tents
Verdict: Easy to set up and lots of pretend camping fun to be had.
11. LOJETON 3pc Girls Princess Fairy Tale Castle Play Tent
Best girls play castle
If you want to spend a little more than on a tent, then pay more and get more – in fact get a whole fairy castle with tunnels, a tent a ball play area, and more.
- Hours of fun for your niece
- Exercise, fun and a safe confined play area all in one great place
- Needs lots of space – no use for that boho Brownstone in Greenwich Village
Verdict: If your brother or sister has the big enough space inside their home, and you are happy to pay, get a princess castle. It’s a great gift.
12. VTech Pull and Sing Puppy
Best interactive pet-themed toy
Kids love pets but real pets are messy, expensive, and need a lot of attention. So, you wouldn’t give a 1-year-old niece a real puppy and expect them to care for it. Hopefully. The alternative is this clever robotic style pet that does a similar job. Your niece can take care of it and take it for a walk and talk happily away. Some of the fun of her own pooch but none of the mess, vets bills and pet insurance for your relatives to pay for – pet ownership a fraction of the usual cost.
- Get your niece started on pet ownership
- Suitable for 1 year old but also will be interesting as she gets older
- Affordable and well-constructed
- A real puppy is still better if that’s what you really want
Verdict: A thoughtful and fun choice for your niece.
13. Lebebe – wooden Baby Walker, Kid Shopping Cart Walker
Best wooden toy for niece
One thing that sometimes bothers child development experts is the sea of plastic that we expose children too. Kids need different sights and sounds but also different textures to touch. What’s more, it is a topical subject that plastic pollution is becoming a serious problem with discarded non-biodegradable kid’s toys part of the growing pollution issue the planet faces.
So, why not get your niece a wooden toy like this fun and well-made shopping cart walker. It is great for shopping role play and also a practical aid to your niece learning to walk. It’s a great place to store favorite toys too, which of course can be given a ride around in other kinds of role play.
Yes, it is a bit old school but we really like this classic Lebebe design and recommend it.
- A versatile toy for many kinds of role play
- Promotes standing up, walking and more
- Eco-friendly construction
- A bit heavier than a plastic equivalent
Verdict: We like wooden toys and people should mix them in with plastic toys to create variety and be kind to the planet.
14. Prince Lionheart Wheely Bug, Ladybug, Small
Best ride-on toy for niece
This wooden ladybug ride-on toy is a big hit with kids and is a very popular toy worldwide. The Prince Lionheart range includes ride-on wooden pigs, bees, tigers, mice and more, but we’ve opted for the ladybug which is a lovely looking toy and has a high niece appeal. Your 1-year-old niece will be happily zooming around the house, with envious adults wishing there was a version big enough for them too.
- Upmarket toy fun when you want to splash out
- Great for exercise and generally having fun
- Small and large versions
- Many other animals in the range – maybe buy two?
- A bit pricey
Verdict: A really classy wooden toy with a great design that would grace any home and could be a family heirloom.
15. Ambosstoys Toddler metal Scooters
Best high-value investment toy for niece
Long after plastic toys end up in landfills, this next toy not only can still be used but if kept long enough will become a valuable collector item. Amboss toys make a range of award-winning handmade metal scooters for 1 year old and upwards. There are two different blue versions, yellow and red but we have followed the stereotype and gone for rose (pink). It is fun to ride around on and great to look at.
This is a really well made and very impressive toy that could be a great long term investment too if it is well cared for. Keep it long enough and it will get a good price on Antiques Roadshow 2088!
- A really lovely toy that the whole family will enjoy
- A future design classic
- Keep it well looked after and it with become a valuable heirloom
- If you really want to invest, buy several
- It needs to be taken care of to keep its value
Verdict: If you have the money and you really do want to take a long term view, not only will this delight your niece today but hopefully her daughter and even her granddaughter. Even though this is last on our list, it could easily have been first. A fantastic gift idea.
The best Gifts for your 1-year-old Niece
After the full list, here are our top 3 birthday gifts for a 1-year-old niece:
Best 1st birthday gift ideas for niece with music: VTech Musical Rhymes Book in Pink.
It’s a great idea to get kids loving books from a young age. So this interactive musical book is an ideal birthday gift for a 1-year-old niece.
Best musical floormat: Kidzlane Jumbo Floor Piano Mat.
By age 1 your niece should be happily crawling and maybe walking too. So, check out this really fun floor piano that is massive and can be crawled on, walked on, or played with. It will last years and is a great 1st birthday gift ideas for niece.
Best lullaby toy: Just Smarty Story Telling Toy with Lullabies and 5 Fairy Tales.
This gender-neutral toy is a great addition to your niece’s bedroom as it can be used for go-to-bed storytelling or musical lullabies.
So, that was our top 3 special niece gifts.
Gift Ideas for Niece 1st Birthday
In our list, we have gone from tens of dollars up to many hundreds of dollars on a very wide range of ideas for a 1-year-old niece. We went beyond the standard fare of dolls and teddies to bring you some unique ideas and some great left-field choices.
We hope you have found these ideas interesting and thanks for reading. If you have any comments, we’d be happy to hear them.
