Is your adventurous toddler making your heart skip a beat because of all the climbing he or she does? Little ones start climbing everything at around one year old.
While it can be a nerve-wracking experience to watch your baby turn into a daredevil, the best way to safely encourage this new form of mobile exploration is with climbing toys for 1 year olds.
Climbing helps your little one to develop their own physical strength and gross motor skills, as well as independence.
These toys are meant to be climbed on. The structure supports the weight of a rambunctious one-year-old and can even be used by older kids in some instances.
In this article, we’ll cover almost as much ground as your kiddo! We’ll discuss the best indoor and outdoor climbing toys that are guaranteed safe for your little ones.
Climbing toys for 1 year olds
As much as we’d sometimes like to keep our children in a bubble, so they are always safe, we simply can’t do that.
Children need to explore, and activities like climbing and outdoor play can help them gain confidence in themselves and build upper body strength, balance, and other motor skills that are important for development.
Lots of physical activity is suitable for a toddler.
Not only does it help them learn essential skills like running, hopping, kicking, and walking confidently, but it also wears them out so that they get better sleep. Who doesn’t want to sleep better at night?
Toddler climbing toys are specifically designed to nurture your child’s naturally curious nature and sense of adventure.
The best climbing toys are ones that challenge a toddler safely.
All of these toys should be used by toddlers and older kids only under the direct supervision of an adult.
Ensure your child falls within the suggested height, weight, and age limit of any climbing toy you may consider.
It’s not safe to purchase toys of this nature and allow a child too small to use a climbing toy under the pretenses of “they’ll grow into it.”
Best Indoor Climbing Toys
The following are some of the best indoor climbing toys for toddlers. While they may take some practice and some getting used to, these are an excellent way for your child to burn some energy on a rainy or cold day when you’re stuck in the house and to continue building those gross motor skills!
Pikler triangle and Pikler arch
These wooden climbing structures are used indoors and can be used in several ways.
The wood makes for sturdy construction, and they have dowels as rungs so that your little one can climb them, go across them, connect them to things, and use their imaginative play optimally.
The climbing arch can be placed on a floor in either direction. A child can climb over it and down the other side, or it can be flipped “upside-down” and used to rock in.
Pikler triangle and Pikler arch are versatile climbing toys kids love to use.
Nugget
Nuggets are a favorite climbing toy for all toddlers in separate pieces and are soft but sturdy.
You can build with them, relax, climb on them, and spend hours customizing this climbing toy so that the fun never ends.
This foam climber also comes in a version for babies, a wedge they can learn to climb on.
Monkey bars
Monkey bars are great for indoors and out. Eazy Peezy makes a small set for indoor use as a climbing toy.
It is put together quickly and can hold over a hundred pounds. The bright colors make it attractive, as well!
Caterpillar tunnel
A perfect climbing toy for young toddlers, many parents of smaller toddlers, choose a climbing toy such as the caterpillar tunnel because it reinforces hand-eye coordination and climbing through something rather than climbing up something.
Available in different sizes, these tunnels have windows so you can keep an eye on your little ones, and it’s so much fun for kids to explore their way through them.
Children’s Factory soft tunnel climber
Similar to the Nugget, this climbing toy has a different finish that can be wiped down easily. It velcros together so that structures can be built and will stay together.
This toy features a tunnel, an indoor slide, and stairs so your toddler can learn many different skills.
Little tikes indoor toddler slide
These are versatile and can be used indoors or outdoors. Small and able to fold up for more accessible storage space, the hard plastic slides offer smooth rides while encouraging learning to climb up the stepladder.
Little baby bum wheels on the bus climber
Named after the show of the same name, this is an adorable climbing toy for kids ages one and up.
It looks like a school bus and features a steering wheel, horn, and slide.
Older toddlers will also appreciate the chance for role play, as they can pretend to be bus drivers, school students, and more.
This climber is perfect for any 1-year-old and acts as a play structure and an activity center.
Eazy Peezy jungle gym playset
This miniature jungle gym has a slide, a toss target, and a ball pit that includes fifty balls, perfect for a playroom or a finished basement.
Your 1-year-old will love spending time indoors on a rainy day with this playset.
The ball pit and toss game will help improve motor skills, and they can climb to their heart’s content.
DEKOSH toddler playset slide and swings
A colorful indoor toddler set that is geared towards a younger toddler, you can also take it outdoors if you choose.
Complete with a toddler swing, a longer than standard slide, and a hoop to throw balls through, your child will most likely outgrow this fairly quickly but will have a blast using it until that moment arrives.
Wobble board
These wobble boards are great wooden climbing structures that are all about imagination and daring play.
Nothing more than a bent arch made of plywood and smoothed out, this board is wildly popular with toddlers and parents.
You can stand on it and rock, helping a child to develop a great sense of balance. You can use it as a ramp. You can flip it into an upside-down “U” shape and climb on it as well.
These are simple toys but have an endless amount of uses.
Outdoor climbing toys
When it comes to the outdoors and outdoor play, nothing beats climbing toys.
The best climbing toys for outdoor use have several activities in one toy, so your active toddler doesn’t get bored.
The following are some of the best climbing toys for 1-year-olds that can be used outside.
Bounce house
A bounce house is fun for everyone.
While your one-year-old may need some help and guidance at first, these are the perfect toddler climbing toys because they are inflatable for soft landings after a fall, and they can be taken down and put back into a small bag for quick and easy storage.
Not all bounce houses are the same; most come with variations of obstacle courses, including a climbing wall, basketball hoop, and slide.
Younger toddlers who aren’t ready for climbing can enjoy the bounciness of the structure, while young climbers can be entertained for hours.
Younger and older kids enjoy perfecting their climbing skills, and the basketball hoop helps with hand-eye coordination.
Step 2 naturally playful woodland climber
This is one of the best toddler climbing toys on the market today is another climbing toy that can be used indoors or outdoors.
It is made of hard plastic and features two climbing walls, a deck, and two steering wheels for imaginative play. The bottom portion can be used as a sandbox, ball pit, or storage, and the climbing helps with gross motor development.
Lifetime geometric dome climber
A smaller version of the climbing dome you’ve seen and probably used at a park, dome climbers are great for gaining confidence and working on climbing skills.
A dome climber is perfect for active play because it’s sturdy, has no sharp edges, and lasts a bit longer than some other climbing toys due to its weight limit of 600 pounds and steel construction.
Your 1-year-old and even your older children will enjoy hours in the fresh air on this climbing set.
Little Tikes tree house
This outdoor playset comes complete with a swing set. While this might be a little advanced for a 1-year-old, Little Tikes makes quality outdoor toys well worth the extra cost.
Geared more for children ages three and up, this is an excellent investment.
Styled like a tree house, it has a slide, swing set, a climbing wall, and a steering wheel.
It’s like having your private park in your backyard. Perfect for families with multiple children.
How to choose the best toddler climbing toys
When you start looking at playsets, obstacle courses, slides, and play structures for your toddler, there are a few things to keep in mind so that you can be sure that you are making the right selection for your family.
Setting
First of all, give some thought to where the toy will be used.
If you live in a small apartment, you probably don’t want to shop for large or clunky structures that you won’t be able to store easily.
If you live in a rural area with no park nearby and a large yard or outdoor space, you may want to focus on larger outdoor structures that will hold their value and grow with your child.
Consider where you are most likely to use a play structure before selecting.
Versatility
Every child likes a climbing toy, but versatility will get you further, especially when you’re looking at spending quite a bit of money.
Keep your child’s age and size in mind when looking for a structure for your little one to climb. Search for something that isn’t too far advanced for your kiddo, but also look for one that can still make climbing good fun when they’re a bit older.
There’s not much point in spending hundreds of dollars on a structure your child will outgrow or grow bored with within a few months.
Encourage the climb
We all want our toddlers to be safe. After all, it wasn’t long ago that they couldn’t even lift their heads, and we had to do everything for them. Even encouraging toddlers to brush their teeth can be a challenge.
As they grow, we have to allow them the freedom to take some risks in a controlled and safe environment.
Some of the structures in this article may have you scratching your head in disbelief that anyone would allow a child to climb such a contraption.
However, these are all highly rated and well-reviewed products. As long as you are right there and can keep a close eye on your toddler, they will most likely be perfectly fine.
Kids fall, and they get scraped knees and elbows. They get goose eggs and bruises.
Suppose we don’t allow these things to happen. In that case, our kids miss out on developing not only motor skills but also they miss out on an adventure, imagination, confidence, and a certain level of bravery.
Aside from contributing to the child’s development, playtime also allows them to spend all that energy so that they can sleep better at night.
Take time to review any climbing structures that you may be curious about or interested in, but be open to allowing your child to explore and climb.