Here are nine categories of toys for 1-year-olds that experts recommend starting with. Loveys Our Pick Gund Baby Spunky the Dog Huggybuddy This is one of the softest loveys you’ll ever feel.

Toybrary owner Liza Wilson said 1-year-olds become engrossed in figuring out how to hook, snap, click, or slide each latch. “The best baby toys are sensory, like this,” Wilson said.

The Montessori system of education values learning through play in early childhood development. That's because Italian physician and educator Maria Montessori believed that children are innately ...