Birthday Ideas: 11 Unique Party Favors for 1-Year-Olds


party favors for 1 year olds

A child’s 1st birthday party is one of the most memorable events for the parents. They always look forward to making it special with great party decor ideas and entertaining their guests with food and party favor bags for remembering the event their whole life. However, at some point, parents get stuck deciding the perfect party favors to thank their guests for attending their child’s most special day. If you are looking for some unique and fun-loving party favors for 1-year-olds, we have enlisted 11 unique ideas for you.

In general, people give puree pouch, shaker toy, or rattle, rubber duck, animal crackers, bath toy (e.g. sailboat), bubble board, books, and animal hand puppets as a gesture of thanking the incoming guests. And if you want to make the food at your kid’s 1st birthday party unique and memorable, try “baby buffet.”

Birthday parties for 1-year-olds aren’t meant to be expensive or challenging. You just have to follow some simple tips and tricks

What Are Some Great Party Favor Ideas for 1-Year-Olds?

What Are Some Great Party Favor Ideas for 1-Year-Olds

Celebrating a child’s 1st birthday is indeed an emotional moment for the parents. To celebrate this unforgettable year, parents always wish to gather as many guests as possible. For this reason, preparations are almost started a month earlier.

Finalizing the theme, sending the most attractive invitations, getting the perfect birthday cake, doing the decor, selecting a cool outfit for the 1st birthday boy or girl, and arranging party favors for 1-year-olds all things seem fun. But what you should put inside the goodie bag?

This is the question that frustrates most parents, as they are always looking for unique goodie bag ideas rather than going for traditional stuff like candies and toys. Not only this, choosing something safe and kid-friendly is a task but mandatory.

There are no hard and fast rules for celebrating a 1st birthday party, but looking for eye-catching and great ideas is a dream of many. However, a goodie bag is a traditional practice for the birthday celebration of toddlers. Kids love giving and receiving party bags.

Coming home with a party bag and looking for what’s inside and getting excited is a great feeling.

If you want your guests to go home with a smile on their faces and a goodie bag in their hands, here we have jotted down 11 unique items you can add to goodie bags. You can add stuff related to the party theme to make them more presentable and logical. However there are no hard and fast rules about goodie bag ideas, you can simply add anything you like.

But before getting goodie bag ideas, take some things into account.

  • What’s your budget?
  • What is the theme of the birthday party?
  • Where can you find everything related to your child’s 1st birthday party theme and stuff to add to in a goodie bag?
  • How many guests you’ve invited and what are their ages?
  • Will they bring kids with them?
  • How many children are going to attend the event?

11 Unique Party Favors for 1-Year-Olds

Now that everything is finalized, the theme of the party is decided and invitations have been sent, it’s time for some finishing touches like finalizing what birthday party favors to give away at your 1-year-old’s birthday party. Here, for your convenience, we have enlisted some fun party favors to make the birthday party more special and innovative.

Shaker toy or rattle

What can be a better party favor than a toy at a 1-year-old’s birthday party? Shaker toys, animal crackers, or rattles are the most appropriate giveaway ideas. Kids love playing with them when come home after attending the party and it will be a cute reminder of the party for them.

Rubber duck

It is a harmless and appropriate party favor for toddlers and kids. Even little girls love playing with them and having tea with them at their imaginary tea parties. You can get these rubber ducks at a dollar tree quite easily.

Bath toys (e.g. sailboat)

Bath toys are the best buddies of children in the shower, they enjoy playing with them while taking a bath. And you can easily get different kinds of bath toys like a sailboat or a swimming duck at a local dollar shop. Just make sure the party favor is safe to play with and not very small in size so your little guests can play with them with no worries. It is a fun and amazing summer party favor or a pool party favor.

Bubble board

The bubble board is another great party favor. It is inspired by a game called bubble wrap. A common name for a bubble board is pop-it. Kids love playing with such pop-its. Even grown-ups like and play with it in their free time. It is one of the relaxing party favors and takes away anxiety when played even for a short period.

Books

What can be a rewarding party favor other than books? Children who love books and enjoy reading them will like this idea of giving away books as birthday party favors for 1-year-olds.

Books are a remarkably fun way to thank the adults or children for coming to your child’s 1st birthday party.

A gardening set

Kids love gardening. It is a healthy activity and gifting a gardening set will spark the light of gardening among the kids, and they’ll remember this party favors their whole life.

Playdough

Playdough is an enjoyable, safe, cheap, and thoughtful party favor. You can even arrange these playdoughs in different shapes to attract kids. They can get their favorite playdough if they want.

Bouncy Balls

Bouncy balls are loved by kids of all ages. You can gift different colored bouncy balls as the 1st birthday party favor. But make sure they are of appropriate size and don’t cause any choking hazard among little kids.

Play Cards

Play cards are safe and the best 1st birthday party favor. You can find favors or play cards at local shops, at a nearby dollar store, or even online.

Water Bottles

Water bottles make the perfect party favor. Children love taking them to school, nursery homes, or playgrounds. Make sure the water bottles are child-friendly and with cute stickers on them.

Color Pencils

Kids love color pencils. They make a loveable party favor. You can get these pencils too at a local dollar store and wrap them in beautiful gift wraps.

What Not to Include in Goody Bags?

Goody bags are great party favors for 1-year-olds in terms of tradition and budget. You can add whatever you want and what is easily accessible to you. There is no hard and fast rule of what should be added and what shouldn’t. But these are some security concerns for other parents. So before making a goodie bag, one should make sure the things they’re adding to a goodie bag are both appropriate and safe.

After researching this topic and asking parents about what they would not want in their kids’ goodie bags at a 1st birthday party, we have compiled a list of what shouldn’t be added to a goodie bag:

  • Slimes
  • Permanent markers
  • Glitters and gum sticks
  • Loads of candies
  • Random dry fruits
  • Yo-yos
  • Bubble gums
  • Small balloons

Are Goodie Bags Mandatory?

Goodie bags are a great way of being thankful to all your guests attending the event, but they are certainly not mandatory. Instead, you can use tons of options as an alternative to a goodie bag that are cool and amazing.

What Are the Alternatives to Goodie Bags?

You can use the 11 party favor ideas we listed above as an unmatchable alternative to a goodie bag. They’re enjoyable and safe. And if you want to make your kid’s birthday party more fun and special, you can even order personalized party favors special to each person at your party.

Can I Do Activities Instead of Goodie Bags?

Of course. Even activities are more enjoyable, fun, and memorable compared to a goodie bag. Here are some party favor ideas you can use instead of goodie bags and let kids be involved in these activities. At the end of the event, you can give these best gifts to kids. They’ll take it with them happily to their home and remember the day.

  • Drawing or painting with canvas and colored pencils.
  • Plant seeds in little pots and take them home.
  • Decorating cupcakes with colorful whipped creams.
  • Painting a whole white shirt with hands and watercolors.

Final Verdict: Choosing the Best Party Favors for 1-Year-Olds:

Choosing the best birthday party favors for 1-year-olds can be challenging. But with a little research, you’ll be able to finalize what types of birthday party favors fit the 1st birthday party theme and whether the guests will like it or not. You can add more than one kind of fun party favors according to the age of the kids invited to the party. Kids enjoy activities, so try adding some fun-loving activities to make the party extra special for you and the guests. 

Stephanie Edenburgh

I'm Steph, a mom to 3 beautiful children and lover all things having to do with my family and being a mom. I've learned a lot raising my own children and working in education and healthcare roles throughout my career. Living in beautiful Southern California I enjoy documenting and writing about all of the hard work us mom's do on a daily basis.

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