Babies are fairly easy subjects for gift-giving. Maybe a soft little book, something for them to chew on, a play mat, and something musical and they’re set. But toddlers, well…that’s a whole other ball game. The world of toys really opens up for the 1-5 age set (more like 2-5, but I’m sneaking in a few things that could be good for 1-2-year-olds, too). That’s when they start to have a say in what they like and want to play with, interests arise (hello Frozen, Bluey, and Daniel Tiger!), and the roads diverge between educational and enriching toys to just pure entertainment.
All of that to say, if you’re buying a gift for a toddler, you’re going to face A LOT of options. It can be mind-numbing, but fear not, for I, a mom of an almost-three-year-old (HOW?!?) has your back. Today, I present to you my toddler gift guide, comprised almost entirely of vetted gifts that my household actually owns and my kid loves. These are the things she reaches for time and time again. If I got rid of all the other stuff in her play arsenal, she probably wouldn’t care as long as she has these things—I say that and, of course, she’ll end up looking for the most obscure ball she got in a birthday party goodie bag no doubt.
In our home, we tend to stick to open-ended toys for about 75% of my daughter’s options. That both extends the life of the toy (meaning, it can span more ages because a child changes how they play with the thing more easily), and also expands their brains and creativity. We do, of course, also have some character-based things, some very specific “electronics,” and plenty of “babies.”
I could have made this 50+ items long, but I edited myself down to some universal “home run” picks to help you check off all those little people in your life and get praise from their parents. And if nothing here rings your bell, hey…Playdough, stickers, blocks, a giant vat of bubble solution, or Hot Wheels are always solid bets, too.
I am not the first person to include Magna-Tiles in a gift guide for young kids by a long shot, but that’s because of one reason: they are amazing. Costly, but amazing. I was lucky enough to find a 100-piece set on major sale at Lakeshore last year for about $80 (normally $120), but you can pick from a bunch of different set sizes. My girl didn’t take to them immediately when we got them around her second birthday, but at around two-and-a-half, they have become a daily toy. We bowl with them, use them over a flashlight to see colors mix, build towers and robots and camels and car garages. They are truly an amazing open-ended toy. And if you’re gifting to someone you know who already has these, don’t overlook the immense value of a storage bin!
The other toy on nearly constant rotation in our home (and our car) is my Evelyn’s beloved Toniebox. She was obsessed with this thing from the moment she unwrapped it last Christmas (she was just shy of 2 at that point). It’s a screen-free speaker that works with little characters you place on top. They have musical Tonies, story-telling Tonies, bi-lingual Tonies, and so many more. A nice extension to this gift if you have the budget—or if the gift receiver already has a Toniebox—is a carrying bag and wired headphones. We have these two pictured and they’ve been so great for us.
I’ve never met a toddler who didn’t want their hands constantly in water or sand. We don’t have this exact sink (ours came in a Lovevery subscription box-keep reading) but it’s very similar. It’s great because you add water to an interior basin and it recycles it once it goes down the drain so it’s constant running water.
Another great sensory toy is kinetic sand, and while they sell it by that name in all different kind of cool sets, I recommend getting something more like this that comes with a bin and top to keep things under control and clean up super easy.
If you’re looking for a bigger ticket item that also happens to be big (kids love a large box, trust), I’d go the route of a very cute play kitchen or an art easel. We gave our daughter a similar play kitchen (hers is no longer available) for her second birthday and she can tinker with this thing for an hour.
And while we don’t actually have this easel because we don’t have room for it, our small tabletop easel is regularly out and I just know she’d love this one if we had it. It has a side for chalk and paint with a paper roll at top. I gave a similar one to my nephews over a decade ago and it was a constant in their playroom for years.
Not all beloved toys have to be spendy, and bonus points if they are portable. Like I mentioned at the start of this post, stickers are great (as are coloring books), but once they’re all plucked from their backing (or pages colored), the jig is up. So may I introduce you to reusable sticker books and Water Wow water reveal pads. These get heavy use in our home, but I also love to keep a few in the car, in the bag we bring to restaurants or outings that require keeping our toddler entertained, and on planes.
Some days at our neighborhood park, the patch of concrete near the slide structure looks like a scooter convention rolled in. And the Micro Kickboard is by far the most common one in the crowd. We’ve tried a few other brands via friends, and even got a hand-me-down Skiphop scooter from our Buy Nothing group, but nothing feels as sturdy and durable as this one. The wheels also have LED lights in them, and boy do toddlers love things with flashing lights.
You know what else toddlers love? Rain boots. My daughter went through a phase where putting on her rain boots first thing in the morning and clomping around for hours was part of our daily routine. If I give her a choice between basically any shoe and rain boots, she’ll pick the boots 9 out of 10 times. They aren’t just cute though, they’re versatile! They’re great shoes for preschool where my kid always seems to be slathered in paint, mud, water, and shaving cream. Sneakers wouldn’t stand a chance.
This digital camera is on my daughter’s Christmas list this year, so we don’t have this quite yet, but we’re pretty excited about it. It’s for ages 3 and up so it might take a moment for her to acclimate, but she LOVES looking at pictures on our phones, and she gets so excited when my husband takes out his proper camera to take photos. They also have a version that prints out a photo similar to a Polaroid.
We aren’t an iPad family (no judgment at all for those who are) but especially when we’re on the go in the car or on a plane, it’s nice to have something small, mess-free, and tablet-like to entertain our kid. We recently added this LCD writing tablet to our travel toy stash and it was a hit! She scribbled on it, we scribbled on it, we put toys on top for her to trace, we write out letters and numbers and shapes for her to recite…it’s a load of fun for less than $20.
You can’t go wrong with a pretend kit of any kind, as kids this age love pretend of any kind (well, most of them do). This doctor’s kit is great because it all tucks away into a zipper bag so things don’t go spilling out everywhere. Bonus points if you add some actual bandages (we love the ones from Welly) because nothing seems to capture the attention of a toddler quite like a narwhal bandage.
Oh, the hours of quiet, calm fun we have with my daughter’s Star Belly doll. She received a unicorn from a friend on her second birthday, and since then, we’ve spent many hours lying on the floor of her dark bedroom, looking up at the ceiling at the projected stars and rainbows and butterflies. Hearing the most enchanted “wows!” coming out of her mouth is the sweetest feeling in the world. It would also be good for a child who might be nervous about sleeping alone in a dark room (it has a 20-minute self-timer).
Books! Books! Books! My mission in life is to get my kid to love reading, and so far, two years in, it’s working (jokes on me when she gets to decide for herself in a few years and likely won’t want to do anything I want her to do, ha). But anyhow, while we’re huge Eric Carle, Eric Hill, and Mo Willems book fans, another kid book series my girl LOVES as much as we do is the Pete the Cat collection. The stories can be a little silly but so much fun. Another story-time gold-star winner in our house is the 3- and 5-Minute Stories books. There’s one for almost any character or movie or show. We literally read the Daniel Tiger 3-Minute Bedtime Stories book every single night for like two months in a row.
Speaking of Eric Carle, matching games are a great introduction into the world of “board” games. We have like four different types of “memory” games and Evelyn never tires of them. Same goes for jigsaw puzzles, but heads up…get the magnetic kind! We have both traditional jigsaw and this magnetic trio and this one is far easier to keep together and all the pieces in check.
I’m SO excited about this light box we’re giving our daughter this Christmas. She uses a similar one at school and loves exploring all the things she can put on top. You can “color” with the tiles, create shapes from cards, and so many other things. It’s a gift that seems way pricier than it really is (it’s about $35) and is both fun and educational.
Something I just recently learned during a Parent Education talk at my girl’s preschool is that blowing bubbles is a calming activity rather than a stimulating activity, and kids need both “ups” and “downs” to their days to help keep them regulated. So anytime my daughter is all kinds of wild or dysregulated, out come the bubbles. This set makes different sizes (we’re fans of GIANT bubbles) so it keeps things varied.
Lovevery Play Kit Subscription (Or Gift)
And finally, far and away, the best toys we’ve gotten in all my daughter’s two-and-a-half years always come from Lovevery. We’ve had the subscription since her newborn days, and not only are the toys beautiful and sturdy, but they take away the weight and worry that I’m not giving Evelyn what she needs when she needs it. They have it all figured out from a developmental perspective, and include a booklet for the caregivers to learn themselves how to best play with their child with the toys provided, and how to “extend” the toys as well into older ages. The boxes are pricey but are the best investment we’ve made to her learning and engagement in terms of playthings.
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By the time I got to the bottom of this list, I thought of about 20 more things to recommend (play tents, play tunnels, stepping stones, dinosaur and animal figurines, silicone tea set!), but in all honesty, kids don’t really need *that* many things. Just like adults, there can be a paralysis of choice that happens when there’s too much to choose from, so keep that in mind! Please feel free to ask me for more specifics if you’re looking for them down in the comments, and I’d be happy to help in any way.
Good luck and happy gifting!
Opening Image Credits: Photo by Tessa Neustadt | From: Decorating For The Holidays – Family Friendly Style
