The One-Year-Old Birthday Wishlist: An SLP’s Evidence-Based Guide

As a pediatric speech therapist, every time a child in the family has a birthday party, I am asked "What should I buy for them?" and "What helps in language development?" I decided to write this blog as a wishlist reference for friends and family members who have an almost one-year-old's birthday party coming up and don't know what to purchase.

The plus side is, I’m going to explain exactly why I chose certain toys for play and language development. That way, you can take that knowledge, apply it to any toy you're interested in, and decide for yourself whether that first birthday gift will be helpful for your little one's words or not!

When I look at toys for a first birthday, I’m not just thinking about today. I’m looking for toys that a child can use from now until they turn two. During this year, a child’s vocabulary typically grows from one or two words to over fifty, and they start putting those words together!

To help you choose, I’ve broken my wishlist into categories based on how they support that incredible transition and sprinkled in some explanations so you can also learn how to pick toys for your little ones!