A Minimalist List of Toddler Gear for a One-Year Old
Somehow, my “baby” is now over two years old. I started writing this post when she turned one and am just finishing it. I now deeply understand how time acts differently the minute you become a parent. It’s all relative to this little creature who is growing way too fast.
I was thrilled that so many parents-to-be have found this ridiculously long post helpful: The Minimalist Baby Registry for Parents Who Kind of Hate Baby Stuff. This is the sequel to that encyclopedia of baby stuff —a slightly less intense encyclopedia of toddler stuff. There are, of course, certain items from the original post that we still use as well so feel free to read another million words over there if you like.
P.S. This post is not sponsored but it is full of affiliate links, but I legit own all of this stuff and like it!
a few tips on one-year-old baby/toddler stuff
1. What's right for me might not be right for you.
I wrote this in my other post too, but feel like it’s worth reiterating that there is not some “best” way to parent, nor is there a “best” list of magic kid stuff that’s going to be magical for every kid. Obviously I think I have some worthwhile advice or I wouldn't be writing this post, but my kid, my lifestyle, my budget, my tastes, my city's weather, my laundry schedule are probably different from yours and that's okay!
2. Keep borrowing, begging, recycling, reusing.
You can find all this stuff on Amazon or at Target—or (even better) at smaller shops in your communities or online. But you don’t have to buy everything new. Hop on Craigslist, Facebook marketplace, ask friends, etc.
3. Everything is temporary.
The phases pass so quickly. As far as toys and books go especially, we rotate things in and out every so often because toddler interests ebb and flow. There are a couple of dresser drawers dedicated to toys and books she got bored with, but will probably love next month.
Stuff for a one-year-old baby (toddler?!)
All the things.
Eating + Drinking
One-year-olds are basically people who eat and drink like tiny adults now. It’s wild!
Every parent I know owns these. They aren’t entirely spill-proof, which is the only part that annoys me sometimes when they are thrown or dropped. We stopped using bottles almost entirely around 12 months and transitioned to cups and these have been great.
Nilou likes drinking out of straws, so we got her this Contigo Kids cup that has a spill-proof straw contraption. It’s seen a lot of mileage. It’s so nice for the car and travel, especially.
regular cups
Here is a secret: kids get more coordinated by the minute and they can learn how to drink out of regular cups that you already own.
We graduated Nilou to this booster seat at about 13 months (a little earlier than what’s recommended—15 months). Eating right at the table seems to help her with her manners and it saved us dining room space because we never wound up getting a stand-alone high chair.
toddler utensils
These toddler utensils have seen quite a bit of use. We only have two forks and two spoons and that’s worked well for us.
unbreakable dish with suction
This one has a marble look to it, and we’ve used it for nearly every meal since Nilou started eating. It’s the only kid dish we owned during the early eating phase.
Weird thing to include here, I know. But these little cartons of milk from Organic Valley are awesome to throw in the bag when we know we’re going to be out for a while. We use them on flights and day trips and out biking in our city. It’s just really convenient to not have to bother with a cooler for fridge milk.
Sleep
We transitioned Nilou out of the Snoo bassinet and into a crib at about six months without much trouble. Around one year, she would sleep about 11.5-12 hours almost every night unless she was teething or going through a growth spurt—and we know we are very fortunate in that regard.
This smart light is like a night light, okay-to-wake light, lullabye player and soothing sound machine all in one. I actually just got the adult version of this, which is maybe even more amazing. It’s called the Hatch Restore and it helps you create and stick to a bedtime routine (built-in reading light, sleep meditation, white noise and gentle sunrise alarm).
Bedding
You start to acquire more bedding as kids get older. Nilou loves this soft llama blanket, and it’s a perfect weight for all year round. We double-up in the winter with this heavier knit zebra blanket, too (though it is often kicked off). Nilou didn’t really have a pillow until she was almost two, but eventually we got her a toddler pillow—they are smaller and flatter than a normal pillow to keep them comfy and their necks safe.
Bath Stuff
We started putting Nilou in the regular bathtub right after she learned how to solidly sit up on her own. We never had a baby bathtub other than the Puj infant bathtub that fit in the sink.
bath faucet cover
Not totally essential, but I got nervous about safety when N started her wobbly dancing routines in the tub.
Bath toys
Nilou loves these IKEA Mula stacking cups in and out of the bath (best $2.99 you can spend!), these foam letters that stick to the tub (the girl knows her ABCs!), a rubber dinosaur she got at a birthday party and this rubber duck. Judging from the excited shrieks during nightly bath time, she would’ve loved anything as long as she got to be in the water (and still does).
potty chair (maybe?)
I’ll probably do a longer separate post on potty training (LOL, never thought I’d use that sentence, but there it is!). N didn’t get interested in the toilet until about 18 months and we officially potty trained her at two years old, but we had the gear ready in just in case she was some sort of early potty savant. In our house, the ladder seat that goes on top of the regular toilet has been more successful than the stand-alone chair (which we bring on road trips and for camping).
Sickness + Health
You can use your HSA/FSA card on all of this stuff, by the way.
We like the electronic kind like this one.
nasal aspirator
The constant stream of daycare colds are no joke, and the bulb they give you at the hospital doesn’t work as well as this thing. An actual aspirator is super necessary. And super gross.
Boogie Wipes
I thought these were kind of redundant with wet wipes, but they are actually very useful and much more gentle for constant runny noses and face-wiping.
Zarbee’s Naturals Baby Cough Syrup
This stuff works. And she didn’t seem to mind taking it. Zarbee’s also makes a natural chest rub that’s like Vicks.
sunscreen
We’ve tried a few sunblocks and my favorite right now is this Aveeno one.
Carseat + Stroller
We used the Nuna Pipa infant car seat and loved it for the first year. After that, we switched to the Britax Click-Tight Marathon—one for each of our cars. It’s really easy to install and seems comfy and secure for Nilou. It’s solid.
I included this in my baby post, but the Baby Jogger City Mini GT is still our main stroller that we use most of the time. Love it. It’s a super smooth ride, folds up in one motion and Nilou gets excited to ride in it so I think she loves it, too.
I don’t think this is totally necessary because we could absolutely use the Baby Jogger stroller for everything (especially now with COVID), but the Mountain Buggy Nano has been all over the world with us. It can be used with an infant car seat, and folds down small enough that you can stow it in the overhead compartment on planes. My husband keeps it in his car now so that we don’t have to transfer the other stroller back and forth.
Baby Carriers + Biking
Other items to carry and cart toddlers around.
After Nilou grew out of her favorite Solly wrap (the best for newborns), the classic Baby Bjorn lasted us into toddlerhood. Nilou is a peanut of a person, and this was especially great for traveling and dog walks because our dog cannot handle the stroller and is constantly bumping into it. We found a like-new one on Craigslist when she was a baby.
Not everyone would find this useful, but if you do a lot of hiking, it’s super comfortable and my husband is obsessed with it. The weight limit is 48 lbs, so you can use it for a very long time.
Thule Yepp Mini Child Bike Seat
Yes, yes and yes! This bike seat attaches to the front of the bike, which is a bit different than most other bike seats for kids. Nilou LOVES bike rides more than almost any other activity, and this is one of the best investments we’ve made.
Joovy Noodle Bike Helmet
Safety first!
Baby Clothes
The baby clothes just seem to multiply like rabbits printed on a pair of baby leggings. We are constantly transitioning clothes from one bin to another as she outgrows stuff, inherits stuff, accumulates stuff. But here are the basic essentials.
pajamas
I’d recommend 4-5 pairs of cotton pajamas. I like Owlivia Organic (heavier cotton for fall/winter), Burt's Bees (lighter fabric and not as high-quality, but very affordable), Old Navy (they run slim) and Parade Organics (just right). After Nilou start eating more solid food at about 6-9 months (therefore having more solid bowel movements and less blowouts), onesies became less convenient than separates but that’s just a personal preference.
basic tops + bottoms
Easy T-shirts, leggings/shorts are great. Everything winds up covered in food (particularly turmeric, for us) so white is a huge mistake. We are lucky to have a lot of hand-me-downs from cousins and friends so we haven’t actually bought that much, but most of Nilou’s basics are from Old Navy, Target and Gap.
swimwear
Nilou started swim lessons at 6 months and is obsessed with the water. She rocks a suit from Old Navy, and they have nice options for regular suits as well as rash guards for more sun protection.
outerwear
Winter for us was in the 6-12 month phase, so we wound up finding a really cute sherpa bunting from H&M for Nilou’s first winter. Just make sure to find coats/buntings that are carseat-friendly. Once kids hit a year and are walking around, buntings are not practical anymore so we switched to a puffer jacket, snow pants and snow boots from Target. For spring and fall, she had a sherpa-lined jean jacket, a polar fleece and a little polka-dot raincoat that we would rotate through—we got the most use from the polar fleece (she certainly didn’t need all three). They also need hats and mittens that STAY ON like these.
Toys + Books
Books
My daughter loves books. In fact, “book” was her first real discernible word! Her second word was “again,” immediately following the reading of any given book.
Around a year old, her favorites included all the Emily Winfield Martin books (The Wonderful Things You Will Be, Dream Animals, Daydream Animals), Chu’s Day, Llama Llama Red Pajama (I have mixed feelings about this one because the mom in the book is doing dishes in pearls and an apron even though the book was published in 2015… but Nilou wants to read it constantly so I give in), Peek-A-Who?, Where’s Spot, Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See? and Goodnight Moon.
walker or activity table
A walker or activity table of some sort helps babies cruise around as they are learning how to walk. We borrowed something like this from a friend and it is not cute, but it was Nilou’s favorite thing for a few months. My mom keeps this Baby Einstein music activity table at her house and Nilou also loves that.
teethers
Nilou still likes chewing on this banana toothbrush, the Nuby Teethe-EEZ and Asian soup spoons. We also keep this Comotomo teether attached to her carseat with a pacifier clip and she likes that, too.
rattling toys
This Manhattan Toy contraption is a rattle that also looks like a piece of modern art and it was very popular around year one. We also have a couple of egg shakers.
building/destroying toys
I mentioned these in the bath section, but the $2.99 stacking cups I bought at IKEA are a huge hit. We also have a simple set of wooden blocks that she mostly likes to knock down as I build towers.
musical toys
The musical toys are definitely a favorite for this baby. She likes this multitasking Hape Pound & Tap Bench with Xylophone and one of those annoying electronic toy keyboards.
stuffed animals
Nilou was not super into stuffed animals at one, but she eventually started making friends with hers later on: a stuffed tiger that she talks to in the morning in her crib and a puppy lovey (that looks like our dog, Georgie). She’s also into a little felted panda that she got from some KLM flight attendants on her first flight. I’m pretty sure it’s a Christmas ornament, honestly.
The end. This concludes the long-winded series of baby gear recommendations for parents who kind of hate baby stuff. Anything you think I missed or that you found really useful around one-year?
