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With Christmas right around the corner and Walter having just turned 2, I have been spending a lot of time researching the Best Gifts for Toddlers. Of course, he already has some favorites and I’ll be sharing those, as well as some amazing new finds with you here.
It’s so much fun watching the daily development and discoveries of a little one. His eyes just light up when he learns something new and he will often say, “Again, again!” with excitement. We took him to a Christmas tree farm recently for a tractor-wagon ride and to meet a real live reindeer and he just kept saying, “Wow! Wow!” with every new thing.
HOLIDAY IDEAS EVENT GIFT GUIDES
I’m super excited to have joined up with some of my favorite blogging friends to present you with a whole variety of fantastic gift guides today. Welcome to the 5th annual 12 Days of Holiday Ideas event, hosted by Shirley of Intelligent Domestications and Erlene of My Pinterventures.
Between November 11th and December 6th, there will be hundreds of new ideas shared by over 55 co-host bloggers. You’ll find the kickoff collection of 50+ Holiday Ideas as well as all of this year’s talented participating DIY and foodie blogs here.
Download this year’s November and December calendars with all of the topics and dates coming up!
We are hosting a BIG GIVEAWAY from our sponsors this year. Be sure to scroll all the way down for more information and to enter to win!
BEST GIFTS FOR TODDLERS
There are over 50 toddler gift ideas here. All of them are under $50 (with the exception of the Radio Flyer convertible stroller/tricycle) – most are under $30. I think you’ll find something here for every budget.
I’ve also tried to look for items to fulfill each of the major types of play that toddlers will engage in: active, role play, creative, fine motor development, noisy play (sounds and music), bath toys, and books.
ACTIVE PLAY
Getting outside just for some running around or playing catch with a ball is a lot of fun for toddlers and an easy way to get in some active play. These are some of our other favorite active play toys:
Little Tikes Little Tikes 3-in-1 Sports ZoneLittle Tikes Cozy Coupe 30th Anniversary Car
Fisher-Price Bounce and Spin Puppy
Radio Flyer Deluxe EZ Fold 4-in-1 Stroll ‘N Trike
ROLE PLAY
Like most toddlers, Walter is BIG into role playing right now. He loves to act out things he sees in his every day life as well as things seen in books. This is an important part of a toddler’s development, so it’s great to have some items around that will encourage this in them.
Note: Walter is starting to get a bit tall for the stroller so the shopping cart is a good option in place of that. Many of the other stroller toys are too flimsy for a toddler. We like the baby doll that can go into the bath. It then doubles as a bath or pool toy and allows for even more role play.
Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Servin’ Up Fun Food TruckMelissa & Doug, Let’s Play House! Dust! Sweep! Mop! Pretend Play Set (6 Pieces, Broom, Mop, Duster, and Organizing Stand, Great Gift for Girls and Boys – Best for 3, 4, 5, and 6 Year Olds)
Baby Doll Bathtub Set Featuring 10 Inch All Vinyl Doll, Blue Bath Tub, Washcloth, Toy Soap Bottle and Shower Gel, and Rubber Hippo, The Best Doll Bath Toy Set for Kids
Fisher-Price Brilliant Basics Stroll-Along Walker
Little Tikes Shopping Cart – Yellow/Red
Fisher-Price Little People FIS-DWC31-9993 Caring for Animals Farm Set, Red
Fisher-Price Little People the Helpful Neighbor’s Garage
3 Bees & Me Dinosaur Toys for Boys and Girls – Set of 4 Toy Dinosaurs for Kids
Woby Push and Go Friction Powered Car Toys Set Tractor Bulldozer Mixer Truck and Dumper for Baby Toddlers
Barnyard Animals With Sounds Carrier Set by Animal House
FINE MOTOR PLAY
Fine motor development is accelerating at this age so it’s important to have lots of items to encourage it. Walter is very into colors and shapes so these toys have the added bonus of allowing him to work on his understanding and vocabulary with these concepts too.
The puzzles and puzzle/shape type toys also encourage problem solving as the toddlers learn to try different solutions before finding the ones that work.
Melissa & Doug Wooden Building Blocks Set (Developmental Toy, 100 Blocks in 4 Colors and 9 Shapes, Great Gift for Girls and Boys – Best for 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 Year Olds)Melissa & Doug Shape Sorting Cube Classic Wooden Toy (Developmental Toy, Easy-to-Grip Shapes, Sturdy Wooden Construction, 12 Pieces, Great Gift for Girls and Boys – Best for 2, 3, and 4 Year Olds)
Melissa & Doug ABC/123 Wooden Blocks (26 pcs)
Melissa & Doug Beginner Wooden Pattern Blocks Educational Toy (5 Double-Sided Scenes and 30 Shapes, Great Gift for Girls and Boys – Best for 3, 4, and 5 Year Olds)
Melissa & Doug Classic Wooden Peg Puzzles, See-Inside Alphabet & Numbers, and Fish Mix & Match Colors, 3-Pack (Great Gift for Girls and Boys – Best for 3, 4, and 5 Year Olds)
Melissa & Doug 3-Puzzle Wooden Jigsaw Set – Dinosaurs, Ocean, and Safari (24 Pieces Each, Great Gift for Girls and Boys – Best for 3, 4, and 5 Year Olds)
Melissa & Doug Wooden Latches Board (Developmental Toy, Sturdy Wooden Construction, Helps Develop Fine Motor Skills, Great Gift for Girls and Boys – Best for 3, 4, 5 Year Olds and Up)
Melissa & Doug Wooden Peg Puzzle 6 Pack Numbers, Letters, Animals, Vehicles
Melissa & Doug Deluxe Pounding Bench Wooden Toy with Mallet (Developmental Toy, Helps Fine Motor Skills, Great Gift for Girls and Boys – Best for 2, 3, and 4 Year Olds)
Mega Bloks Lets Build Sesame Street Buildable Playset
IQ Toys Matching Egg, Toddler Match an Egg Toy, Set of 12 Color and Number Eggs
Learning Resources Smart Snacks Shape Sorting Cupcakes
Learning Resources Smart Snacks Rainbow Color Cones, Color Identification, Fine Motor Toy, Ages 2+
CREATIVE PLAY
When my daughter was little, by 2 1/2, cutting, gluing, and painting were some of her favorite things to do. Walter, on the other hand, enjoys some creative activities but his high energy makes it hard to sit down and do much of this for any length of time.
So, because he doesn’t have as much practice as she did, he is not quite ready for some of art supplies she was using. You’ll have to decide what works for your toddler. Color Wonder is mess-free and Walter’s favorite!
Crayola Color Wonder Mess Free Coloring Activity Set, 30+ Pieces, Toddler Toys, Gift for Kids 3, 4, 5, 6Step2 Easel for Two | Kids Double-Sided Art Easel with Magnetic Letters & Numbers | 94-Pc Accessory Set Included
NOISY/MUSICAL TOYS
As you’re probably aware, toddlers LOVE noise. They love making noise, they love hearing noises, and they love experimenting with noise. That makes these toys really popular with little ones.
Fisher-Price Little People World of Animals See ‘n SayFisher-Price Laugh & Learn Smart Stages Puppy
VTech KidiBeats Drum Set (Frustration Free Packaging)
VTech Mix and Match-a-Saurus (Frustration Free Packaging), Green
Pinkfong Baby Shark Official Song Doll – Baby Shark – by WowWee
BATH TOYS
Most little ones love playing in the bathtub or kiddie pool. Walter will often ask to take a bath so he can go have fun splashing and pouring water. These are some of his favorite bath toys:
WowWee Pinkfong Baby Shark Bath Squirt Toy – 4 PackMunchkin Fishin’ Bath Toy
Boon Water Bugs Floating Bath Toys with Net 1 ea 2pk
Skip Hop Zoo Stack and Pour Buckets, Rinse Cups, Multi
BOOKS
I can’t even count how many times a day we read books together. Walter LOVES books. Typical of most toddlers, his favorites tend to be ones with rhymes or other fun language. He likes it when we can make sounds to go along with what’s happening in the book too.
Some of these have the added bonus of having texture in them which helps with the sensory stimulation for little ones as well. Check out our favorites here:
Never Touch a SharkNever Touch a Spider
Never Touch a Porcupine
Never Touch a Polar Bear!
Never Feed a Yeti Spaghetti
Bathtime for Little Rabbit
Poor Little Rabbit
Tickle My Ears (Little Rabbit)
A Mouse Cookie First Library (If You Give…)
Llama Llama’s Little Library
While You Sleep, Little Love (padded)
Sometimes I Like to Curl Up in a Ball BRDBK Edition by Churchill, Vicki, Fuge, Charles (2003)
Goodnight Moon
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
I Love You, Stinky Face
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (Board Book)
First 100 Board Book Box Set (3 books)
World of Eric Carle, My First Library Board Book Block 12-Book Set – PI Kids
On the Night You Were Born
Sheep in a Jeep (board book)
Kisses for Daddy
There you go! More than 50 ideas for toddler gifts ranging from $8-$70 with the majority of them being under $30. The majority of these have been tried and tested by Walter, either here at home or in one of his play groups. They are his ultimate favorites – the ones he wants to use over and over again.
More Toddler and Baby Gift Ideas:
Stocking stuffers for babies and toddlers
25 more great toddler toy ideas
Below, be sure to check out more great gift guides – everything from STEM toys to gifts for foodies to the best gifts for crafters and more! You’re sure to find some amazing suggestions for your holiday gift buying.
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Giveaway begins Nov. 8, 2019 and ends Dec. 6, 2019. Winners will be notified by December 13, 2019. Sponsors will ship each prize to the winner. There will be a total of six winners, one for each prize. Drawing is by random selection using the Rafflecopter widget.
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Super Mom - No Cape! says
I love all these ideas, especially the book ideas. Hubby and I decided years ago that we’d be the grandparents who always give books for Christmas and birthdays.
Cyn Gagen says
Me too! My little grandson just LOVES books and I’m always looking for new ones to get him.
Jenny says
Honestly, my kids have owned almost every single one of these toys or have had a very similar version of it. As a toddler, my daughter loved her little tikes cart and would race around the house with it. This is an awesome list for toddlers and these are perfect gift ideas for that age group.
Marie says
Great ideas here – that food truck is so ADORABLE and tempting to get my grandchildren. There are a few books here that I know they don’t have too! Pinned 🙂
Cyn Gagen says
Oh absolutely! It’s so cute. I will warn you that it’s shorter than a lot of other toy kitchens but as my grandson has grown taller, he just sits behind it instead of standing. He loves that he can serve food from it and pretend to drive it too. It has some built in sounds, the smoothies are in three different colors and sizes which have helped him with those concepts and there’s a built in shape sorter!
Erlene says
Nice list. I have a little nephew to buy for, so this will come in handy.