What are some good birthday gifts for a 1 year old boy?

With our kids I found that at one year old they prefer the box over whatever is in it.
Also they were obsessed with phones and the buttons on them. So perhaps you could have a win-win of a toy phone in a box?

Little Tikes has great toys for toddlers and are usually indestructible.

Something fun, or something practical?

I’ve noticed on baby boards that kids all usually get the new toy for their birthdays, at the same time. You can easily check toysrus.com and see what the best sellers are.
I’d say get him an activity table, we got one for my son and it helped him learn to walk. This toy http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2293345 is perfect.

I agree with @jonsblond, Little Tikes stuff is great. When my kids were starting to walk they loved things they could push or pull.

I smiled when I saw “my son” in your post! I hope the whole thing is going well for all involved.

I agree with @SuperMouse about push toys

If he’s not walking around now, he will be soon, and the chances are good that he’ll think pushing things is the best thing ever.

When I was very, very small, I liked my big plastic blocks with letters on them. They were grooved and moulded and thin. I remember they were thin because I liked to chew on them. :O. I can’t find a photo, but that’s probably because those blocks were from ca. 1970. I also had the traditional wooden alphabet blocks that I didn’t chew on.

I also liked my popcorn push toy, which was like a snow globe on wheels with multi-couloured plastic balls inside and a mechanism that caused them to bounce around inside the globe. It made the most wonderfully annoying sound.

I’m with Dog. Wrapping paper, ribbons and small boxes, all preferably edible.

@SuperMouse I still have the sandbox that I bought for my son 16 years ago. I love how the colors hardly ever fade on Little Tikes toys. Our sandbox is still as green as it was when we bought it. My daughter just outgrew it so it will probably become a planter next year.

Plush toys and teddy bears! =]
I agree with @jonsblond!! =)

@jonsblond – I am all about Little Tykes toys! (or Step2)...they are a great value, generally indestructible and children love them!

@RandomMrdan – Anything that they can push, pull or use to stand with, is usually a great toy for this age. Also, they (Little Tykes) usually has some simple type of ride on toy, that can double as a push toy – my son had one. It was red, really basic – I remember some yellow accents and their standard blue accents – he loved it and played with it for years. The Cozy Coupe is a standard; however, it will be hard for the little one, right now.

I do hope all is going well for you and your new addition! My continued best wishes to both of you! And Happy Birthday to mini-RandomMrdan!

I, too, agree about little Tykes toys with one caveat – my son’s pink and yellow three-wheeled scooter from Little Tykes made the most gawd-awful sound. In self defense we had to trim off the little strip that vibrated when the wheels turned.

Toy shopping carts are also popular, and you won’t go wrong with a soft ball of some sort.

My son’s favorite toy of all when he was one was his Poppin’ Pals toy, where you turn, press, slide or otherwise move knobs to make Sesame Street characters pop out.

The first birthday is for the parents, to celebrate getting through the year. It’s the second one that the little guy will notice. So it won’t matter to him. Do you want to get him something he can enjoy right now or something more like a keepsake you can show him years from now?

He will be walking soon. One of those popcorn-popper or lawnmower toys with the long handle and wheels and the large popping beads inside will be fun for him when he’s on the hoof, as long as the sound won’t drive you nuts.

@SuperMouse yeah, I think things are going well, maybe not for all parties involved. Her and her boyfriend have broken up. But her and I are fine, and I see him normally 2–3 times a week, and help her out with buying clothes, diapers and things of that nature.

Thanks everyone so far with the suggestions!

@RandomMrdan mini RandomMrdan is a lucky little boy!

BOOKS are always a wonderful present for children of any age. My 4 nieces and nephews have always loved books since they were babies! There are some great books for 1-year-olds with heavy cardboard pages that are practically indestructible. Bright colors and animal themes are good for that age. The reader can have fun making animal noises to keep the little one engaged.

@loriruth I agree. There are some wonderful touch and feel books with animals that my daughter loved. The white rabbit got quite dirty!