apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

wooden blocks
table and chairs
wooden train
soft balls (ikea has some plush balls just the right size!)
fisher price ring stacker

I'd say any stacker would fit the bill.

We're really happy with this one from Fisher Price:

http://www.fisher-price.com/fp.aspx?st=2341&e=detail&pcat=bubrilliant&pid=38607

Endless possibilities!

For both my children, I used a storage tub for the books. I have a bin that is 21 long x15 wide x6 deep. The children flip through them and they can put them away themselves easily. I recently got a bookshelf for my daughter (5) and she has so many of those thin scholastic books, I bought some magazine holders to put them in. My toddler still uses the bin system and is quite good at cleaning up his books.

My first one love her push cart and played with it daily from 8 months to 2 years. My daughter received a big bin of quatro sized legos and a wooden train set on her first birthday that have seen lots of action with both children over the past 5 years.

My first wasn't so keen on balls, but my littlest can't seem to get enough of them.

Both children received growth charts as gifts. My 5 year old loves hers. I regularly see her studying it seeing how she's changed. The 2 year old hasn't noticed his really. It is probably something they'll enjoy as they get older.

I agree with the children's table and chairs. It is nice for them to have a place of their own like that. Both our kids have bean bags in their rooms in their reading nooks which they to go and have some quiet time so I have to say a chair of ones own is nice too.

Yes there are plenty of things for 1 year olds. I would not call anything an essential bcs every child is different. Some like certain things more than others.

Regarding the chair on the list, I bought one from Piccolino which is a modern looking one (prefer to the PB one) I have to let you know that they are for children over 2 years old, bcs what a year old can do with it, can endanger themselves. I let my son sit in it and now after having it for two months he understands that it is for sitting in, but a few weeks back he thought it was for climbing up the walls and therefore fall. Anyways, a good rule of thumb is never leave your 12 month old unattended, which I am sure you do, so you should be good.

my daughter is almost 1 and these are her faves:

brightly colored wooden blocks
a good solid push toy with a place for her "baby"
letter and number flashcards
books, books and more books

In response to Anusha73, we have purchased PB My First Anywhere Chair for both of our girls when they turned one, and have never had any problems. The girls both love them, my oldest is now 5 and still sits in hers. The smaller size is perfect for a toddler. I would completely disagree that they are for 2 years and up, at least in reference to the PB Anywhere Chair.

The growth charts from Rag and Bone Bindery are lovely.

Re: the IKEA walker

We have one for our kids, and it is a cool retro design, but terrible as a walker. It is too light, and tips if the beginning walker grips the handlebar too hard unless it is weighted down with something very heavy (we found we had to use hardcover books).

We eventually got them a heavy wood walker, and saved the IKEA one for later.

I would add a Wheely Moo or Wheely Bug to that list, as well as Spiel and Holz stacking toys (the rainbow, waves, etc.).

Eeboo has lovely wall charts.

http://www.geniusbabies.com/eeboo-growth-charts.html

DS just turned 2.

His (and our) top five favorites from the last year, most of which are non-Chinese, non-toxic and high quality:

Haba Jumbo Pegboard
http://www.amazon.com/Haba-2225-Jumbo-Peg-Board/dp/B0002HYEPS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1246311846&sr=1-1

Stacking and Nesting Blocks
Cheaper version: http://www.amazon.com/eeBoo-Read-Me-Tot-Towers/dp/B001FND36O/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1246311916&sr=1-9 or wooden version http://www.amazon.com/Square-Color-Sorting-Creative-Blocks/dp/B000Y2IQ2S/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1246311822&sr=1-8

Blocks with alphabet & animals
http://www.amazon.com/Uncle-Goose-Blocks-Classic-Wagon/dp/B00000J50C/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1246312013&sr=1-3

Stacker
http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-567-Geometric-Stacker/dp/B0006IRTU0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1246312057&sr=1-1

books!

He still uses all of the above.

Plus honorable mentions for:

push toy like this
http://www.amazon.com/Plan-Toy-Walk-N-Roll/dp/B000RMPQKU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1246312123&sr=1-2

animal figurines like Schliech or Safari (both MIC but phylate free)

and some beautiful building blocks
http://www.amazon.com/Basic-Building-Blocks-Extra-Starter/dp/B0002HZLWI/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1246312262&sr=1-9

Besides the basics?

One of the BEST, and I mean BEST BEST BEST, purchases I ever made was a modular soft climber. You could just use pieces separately on the floor as an obstacle course for crawlers, bigger configurations for cruisers, and a one-set like a pyramid for toddlers to climb, walk, sit, and slide on. Or build blocks on.

I later paired it with a beginner's slide to make an indoor play gym.

Play food!

My son got the Ball Track Roll 'N Roll 'N Roll from Haba when he was just able to sit up. He "got" the idea of it immediately and has enjoyed it so much ever since (he just turned 3 and still loves it!)

http://www.oompa.com/cgi-bin/item/HA1132

I love the foam mats that link together. Once he got older I made a cube out of them and cut a hole for him to crawl into. We now have pit balls in those. Thought about getting more to make a bigger space for him. He also loves blocks, bats, balls and play phones. I heard that the PB chair flips over eaisly. My son also loves...and has for a long time.... PLAYSKOOL BUSY BASICS BUSY BALL POPPER

http://www.hasbro.com/shop/browse/?N=0&Ntk=All&Ntt=06104&Ntx=mode matchallpartial

my daughter was the lucky recipient of the little tykes yellow plastic shopping cart that my grandmother has had in her home for many years. that cart has been through several of my grandmother's grandkids and great-grandkids and has been a huge help in the just-learning-to-walk stage for all of them. added bonus - my now 3 year old is into "shopping" with her play food and taking her baby dolls to target in the cart.

Etsy.com has some of the best growth charts I've seen, you might have to search a little to go past the cheesy ones, but you will definitely find really cool growth charts, lI personally like this one for my 14 month old

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=23749656

my 1 years olds newest favorite toy is an empty bottle of Boost (with extra protein). She can sit for (what seems like) hours and just put the lid on and off.
She also loves light switches. And shoes.
...Perhaps I should take a closer look at the suggestions above. :-)

teeze-hahaha

but how does she reach the light switches?

I'm super-pleased to see that no one is recommending anything involving batteries, obnoxious noises, etc. (I work in a child development clinic, and it drives me CRAZY that parents of all classes and educational levels have bought in to the idea that toddlers need videos and beeping toys rather than hands-on stuff).

Sophia, by a little over a year, an average kid should figure out to use a simple tool, such as using a ruler or similar object to turn light switches on! (Also to retrieve items from under or behind something.) Right around a year, they'd likely need to have the tool visible in order to think of it. Closer to 18 months, most will think to get tools to do something they're really motivated to do.

Oh, I'd also add good-quality musical instruments that can be played correctly by a tot. Westmusic.com is my favorite source. African or Latin American drums are great, maracas, tambourines, a pentatonic xylophone. Go for low-end professional instruments and skip the toy instruments (which cost the same or more as real ones and are usually pieces of crap) as well as anything like a guitar or diatonic glockenspiel that they're not going to be able to play correctly. Toddlers love start/stop activities and soft/loud activities using instruments.

Oh, and this bookshelf:

http://www.organize.com/sling-bookshelf-natural.html

is great for toddlers, since the covers are all in view and it doesn't involve fine motor skills above their level like putting books in a shelf does. Also easy to make, if you want to use different wood or fabric.

Teeze,
When I was little, I loved light switches also, so my dad made me a toy that was basically a cube with light switches on three sides and three little lights on the others. It was the best thing ever!

eeka- the tool my daughter has found that helps her get to the lightswitches is my husband. She points and yells "light- light-light" over and over again and raises her arms in the air to him until he picks her up to reach them. I love jancolas idea. Sounds like a science project I did in 4th grade. She'd probably love it. I doubt my hubby would be able to figure out how to make it though. He's not so handy. maybe I'll get her a flashlight though!