Do you have toddlers that are always on the move? Are they always eager to climb the sofa or stand on the kitchen table? Or maybe even climb all over you?
If yes, then you need to get your little one a climbing toy so you don’t always have to yell at them or risk having them fall from unsafe heights.
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Climbing toys are designed differently to suit different ages. In this post, we will consider the best climbing toys for 1-year-olds, the benefits of using these toys, and things you should consider when purchasing a climbing toy for your little one.
Best Climbing Toys For 1 Year Olds
- LAZY BUDDY Kids Slide
- ECR4Kids SoftZone Foam Big Building Blocks
- Ecr4kids Crawling Tunnel Maze
- Children’s Factory Up & Down
- Simplay3 Young Explorers Adventure Climber
- SURPCOS Crawl And Climb Foam Play Set
- Step2 Game Time Sports Climber And Slide
- ECR4Kids Peek-a-Boo Caterpillar Climbing Toy
- Eezy Peezy Monkey Bars Climbing
Before considering their features and why they made the list, here are things you need to look out for when choosing a climbing toy.
What To Check When Choosing Climbing Toys For 1-Year-Olds
Materials
Babies are known to put almost everything into their mouths. So,when choosing a climbing toy for 1-year-olds, you have to make sure that it is made up of chemical-free materials.
Size
One-year-olds are still small, so it’s important to consider their heights when choosing climbing toys. Look for toys that are well sized appropriately so your child can find them comfortable to reach and grip.
Stability
Look for a stable climbing toy that will not easily tip over because one-year-olds are just learning how to get their balance, so buy a toy that won’t cause trouble instead of creating fun.
The Best Climbing Toys (Features, Pros and Cons)
LAZY BUDDY Kids Slide
LAZY BUDDY is made of sturdy material that is safe to use. It is triangular, having four-footed panda baffle pillars. The handles are designed to look like a bear’s hands and ears which helps kids to have a good grip. Its cute windows under the slide can serve as a kid’s playhouse.
The height of the stairwell is suitable for the legs of a 1year-old child.
Features
- Cute windows
- It is phthalates-free
- A 3.5” stairwell height.
- Has a basketball hoop.
- It has an anti-slip pattern
- Has a stable triangle design
- A four-footed panda baffle pillars
- Has a reinforced pad at the bottom
- The handles of the slide are made like bear ears and hands.
Pros
- It is durable and safe.
- It is easy to assemble
- It is made of high-quality materials.
- It is excellent for babies from 12 months and above.
Cons
- It is short in height
- Kids will outgrow it quickly
ECR4Kids SoftZone Foam Big Building Blocks
This set of chunky, bright, and soft blocks are the building piece for imagination. Playing with these blocks will help toddlers develop creativity, fine and gross motor skills, spatial reasoning, and other sensory skills
Features
- It is made of foam
- Has engaging colors
Pros
- It is safe to use for infants
- It develops a child’s creativity
- It is designed in different sizes
- It helps children to learn color identification.
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Cons
- Older kids may not enjoy playing with it for long.
- The foam material poses a threat of suffocation to infants hence the supervision of an adult will be required.
Ecr4kids Crawling Tunnel Maze
Children of preschool and daycare ages can play safely and explore new heights by going through tunnels and climbing up steps
Due to the size of these climbing sets, it is often found in daycares though you can consider using one at home by using the playroom.
This product is not like the other foam climbers because it includes crawling tunnels which helps in developing sensory skills and aids critical thinking since children have to think about each movement.
Features
- It has bright colors
- Has climbing steps
- It has crawling tunnels
Pros
- It is spacious
- It aids critical thinking in children.
- Its bright colors are attractive to kids
Cons
- It is expensive
- There are no instructions on how to assemble it.
Children’s Factory Up & Down
If you want a soft play zone, the Up & Down 2 Piece Playset is an excellent option to introduce to your little one. The foam blocks are covered with a soft vegan leather material that can easily be wiped clean with soap and water.
The foam pieces are securely attached with hook and loop fasteners that prevent foam shapes from splitting apart while in use. It is safe to use for toddlers because of its softness.
Features
- Made of foam
- Covered with artificial leather
- Velcro strips are used as fasteners
Pros
- It is easy to clean
- It is safe to use for toddlers
- It helps to develop coordination and balance in children.
- The foam blocks are well attached to accommodate the roughness of kids.
Cons
- Kids may get boring quickly
- Children will outgrow it soon.
Simplay3 Young Explorers Adventure Climber
This kids’ playset slide is wide, having easy grip side rails. The handles of the ladder make it easy for kids to climb.
Features
- It is colorful
- It has grip side rails
- It has a ladder with handles, open doors, wheels, and a playhouse.
Pros
- It is safe and durable
- It is easy to assemble
- It is attractive to children,
Cons
- Older children will not enjoy using it
- Babies will outgrow it quickly
SURPCOS Crawl And Climb Foam Play Set
The fun foam play set is made up of six blocks of different shapes which allow kids to experiment with different shape combination and this in turn stir up their creativity.
It has a unique design that differentiates it and children will have great fun playing with it. The foam blocks can be arranged into any desired shape which enhances the hand-eye coordination and motor skills of kids.
Features
- It is made of foam
- Has an eco-friendly pearl cotton
- Has six different shapes of foam blocks
- The outer surface is covered with a soft synthetic leather
Pros
- It is safe to use
- Excellent for young toddlers
- You can have time for other things while your child gets busy with this playset
Cons
- It costs more than the value
Step2 Game Time Sports Climber And Slide
This product is a combination of four toys in one. The toys include a slide, climbing stairs, a crawl-through space, and a basketball hoop.
It helps to develop kids’ gross motor skills while they have fun all day.
Features
- Bright colors
- Rounded edges
Pros
- It is safe to play with.
- It is easy to assemble
- Helps kids to develop gross motor skills
Cons
- It is sometimes unstable
- The instructions are not clear
ECR4Kids Peek-a-Boo Caterpillar Climbing Toy
This climbing toy is designed like a giant caterpillar and it comes in sections you can piece together to form a climbing toy for toddlers.
Features
- It has bright colors
- Comes in different sections
- Designed to form a giant caterpillar
- Has circular windows to make climbing easy
- A hollow space inside the caterpillar for kids to scramble and crawl through.
- The legs of the caterpillar are designed to make the toy stable.
Pros
- The color is attractive
- It builds the sensory skills in kids
Cons
- The plastic screws can pose a choking hazard.
Eezy Peezy Monkey Bars Climbing
This classic toy is made of plastic material that protects it from sunlight. The monkey bar comes as a set of plastic connectors and tubes which you will have to couple together.
Features
- It is made of plastic
- Comes in a set of connectors and tubes
Pros
- It is stable
- It has light weight
Cons
- It is not easy to assemble
- Its metal clips are not durable
Benefits Of Climbing Toys
Numerous benefits come with using climbing toys for 1-year-olds. Some of them include:
Confidence Booster
One of the great things climbing toys does to kids is to boost their confidence.
When a child can get to the top of a height, he or she will feel confident and proud so much that he will want to try again.
Toddlers can hold onto the side rails as they practice their sideways steps. Later on, such a child will take a bolder step towards crawling across the slope angles and soon will become an expert in using the toy, even ready to try a more technical one.
Excellent For Gross Motor Skills
The climbing frame encourages unique movements such as crawling back and forth, balancing on top, as well as climbing up and down. These toys will engage your baby’s arms, legs, and core which helps in strengthening the joints, and muscles, and also help to maintain balance.
These gross motor skills are transferable into their daily life, as physical movement helps children to stay active and healthy.
Improves Body Control
Absolute control over the body will help your child to be able to respond adequately to impulses from the surroundings.
For instance, children walking up a stairway, bending their knees, and raising their feet to match the height of the next step. These are skills your little one will practice while using the climbing frame.
FAQs
Toddlers that love to climb should be allocated a safe place to do so with a piece of equipment designed for climbing having a safe weight limit, a safe area to land in case they fall, as well as adult supervision.
Climbing will help your toddler to develop his physical strength and gross motor skills, build his confidence as well as make him independent.
It also helps to keep them busy while you engage in some profitable activities.
Yes! There are several climbing toys for 1-year-olds like Children’s Factory Up & Down and Ecr4kids Crawling Tunnel Maze.
Once your baby is beginning to climb upstairs on all fours. They can crawl the stairs from around 9 months. As long as you stay nearby to help and prevent them from falling.
Final Thoughts
Instead of constantly repeating “don’t climb on the sofa” you should invest in climbing toys that will burn off excess energy in your kids, as well as develop their sensory and motor skills. Climbers build their physical strength and confidence, and this usually has a positive effect on other areas of their life.
Choose a suitable one from the climbing toys for one year olds listed above, and watch your super active and energetic toddler grow up strong and healthy, while having fun.
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