
The early years are a golden time for a child’s brain development. Toys that stimulate thinking are very beneficial for the nervous system during this period. Let’s explore with AVAKids some smart toys that are good for 1-year-old babies!
Brain Development Characteristics of a 1-Year-Old

When a baby turns 1 year old, their brain develops very rapidly, and its size can double compared to when they were just born. At this time, nerve cells have grown and connected, thereby receiving what the baby hears, sees, or feels. This helps the child develop cognitive abilities.
With brain development, babies also become curious and enjoy exploring their surroundings. One study shows that a 1-year-old has a memory four times greater than that of an adult. Therefore, while observing, the baby can understand and imitate actions like clapping, waving, picking things up, etc., or babble their first words.

Fisher Price 19 GRR45 Macaron Rattle Toy
The Impact of Toys on Child Development

The period from 1 to 2 years old is a time when babies are very curious and interested in everything around them. They also like to touch toys and experience them for themselves. Therefore, early exposure to toys will help develop their brain, motor skills, and stimulate the senses to develop better.
Parents should buy educational toys such as puzzles, musical toy sets, etc., to help babies develop their brains, thinking abilities, hearing, and color recognition. To train their physique and help hand-eye coordination, parents can let their babies play games like train sets, baby walkers, ball pits, etc.
See also:
- Top 10 Safe and Intellectual Development Toys for Infants
- Top 7 Toys for 9-Month to 1-Year-Old Babies for Overall Development

Duka DK580001 Multifunctional Shape Sorter Drum Toy
Top 7 Smart Toys for 1-Year-Olds
1. Puzzles

This type of toy will effectively develop a child’s creativity. The child also has to visualize the finished product before playing, so it also helps enrich their imagination. In addition, the child’s grasping ability and hand joints are also well-developed during the process of assembling the pieces.
There are many types of puzzles on the market, such as bead puzzles, magnetic puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, paper toys, etc., with diverse designs and eye-catching colors. Therefore, parents can freely choose toys suitable for their beloved child.

Antona Magic Square Assembly Toy (69 pieces)
2. Lego Toys
Assembly toys, especially Lego toys, are extremely popular and loved by children. The gameplay is very simple; players just need to assemble the blocks together according to a template or in a shape they create themselves. Lego toys have two types: Lego toys for girls and Lego toys for boys, so parents need to consider this before choosing.
This type of toy will help children maximize their creativity. They also have to constantly think about how to fit the blocks together correctly. Assembly games also help form patience because children need a lot of time to complete a satisfactory “work.”

Antona Happy Farm Assembly Toy (290 pieces)
3. Musical Toys

Some common musical toys for babies include toy tablets, rattles, toy pianos, etc. The common feature of these items is that the baby can hold them in their hands, and the toy will make music when the baby shakes it or presses the buttons.

Duka DK81047 Giggle Phone Toy
4. Bath Toys

Many 1-year-old babies often dislike bathing and show discomfort, even crying. In this situation, bath toys for babies with cute and lovely plastic animals are a quick solution to the problem, helping the baby be more interested and “cooperative” when bathing.
Parents can teach their children to distinguish between animals or imitate their sounds. Parents can also practice counting the number of animals with their baby so that they can learn while playing during bath time. In addition, these plastic animals can often make fun sounds when touched, which will stimulate their hearing.

POLESIE PLS-35677 Sand and Water Play Set No. 35677 – Random Color
5. Shape Sorters
1-year-old babies don’t need to be exposed to games that require too much thinking and have many complex details. Simple shape sorter sets such as squares, circles, triangles, etc., are more suitable for their age, helping them distinguish colors and develop their brains.

Antona Shape Sorter Drum Toy
6. Baby Walkers, Ride-on Toys

This is a toy that is extremely suitable for active babies. Baby walkers will help babies learn how to balance early on and support them to walk more steadily. In addition, this item also supports good hand-eye-foot coordination as the baby has to use their hands to hold the handlebars firmly while practicing walking.

Autoru Rabbit Baby Walker – Random Color
7. Ball Pits, Balls
Playing with balls helps develop motor and coordination skills. Specifically, this game requires the baby’s eyes to focus on watching the ball roll, their hands to be agile to hold and pick up the ball, and their whole body to maintain good balance so they don’t fall when running after the ball.
When buying toy balls for babies, parents should choose soft and light plastic balls so that the baby can easily grasp them. With balls, parents can also flexibly change different games so the baby doesn’t get bored, such as throwing the ball into a basket, kicking the ball, distinguishing ball colors, or counting the number of balls, etc.

Antona No.311 Ball Toy – Random Color
Some Notes When Choosing Toys for Babies
When buying toys for a 1-year-old baby, parents need to keep the following in mind to ensure the baby’s safety:
- Use safe, impact-resistant materials: Parents can prioritize buying toys made from materials such as plastic, fabric, wood, or stainless steel. For plastic toys, ABS plastic should be used. This is one of the safest, most durable, and most widely used materials today in the production of baby toys.
- Choose toys with high safety: Buy toys with smooth surfaces that are difficult to break because sharp edges can injure the baby. Solid toys with few small parts are a reasonable choice. Also, if the toy has batteries, the battery compartment must be secure and difficult to break when impacted.
- Choose toys from reputable brands: There are many toy products on the market with unknown origins and no quality guarantee. Therefore, parents should buy toys from major brands that are committed to using safe materials and have undergone rigorous testing, such as Antona children’s toys, Winwintoys, etc.

VBCare VBC-J94-01 Piano Toy