Welcome to Day 9 of 30 Days of Gift Guides. Today I am sharing the best gifts for toddlers. This age group is one of the most fun to shop for because 2 to 3-year old kids are so full of enthusiasm and wonder.
If you’ve just discovered 30 days of gift guides, you can find the others here. Each day in November I am sharing a new gift guide to help you find the perfect gift for EVERYONE on your list.
Best Gifts for Toddlers
Bath time was my favorite time of day with my kids when they were toddlers because they had so much fun (and desperately needed it after playing like a toddler all day). I was thrilled when my BFF gave my daughter and adorable hooded towel as a gift because then our fun time extended after the bath.
These towels from Yikes Twins are thick, soft and large enough to wrap around your toddler like a blanket. The orange monster is a fun unisex design, but there are a lot more to choose from.
Of course, not all kids love bath time, which is why Soap Sox make a perfect gift for toddlers. These cute critters make getting clean fun. If, like me, you love getting coordinated sets, they even have some Soap Sox designs that match some of the Yikes Twins towels (e.g. alligator, duck, and shark).
One of the reasons I really looked forward to bath time when my kids were toddlers is that they always got extremely messy, especially at meal time. That’s why I love these Cibo placemats. Kids love the fun design, but the easy-to-wipe surface and crumb catcher that hangs over the edge of the table is really a gift for mom.
As children develop their fine motor skills, they are fascinated by being able to put things together. Toddlers aren’t quite ready to tackle Legos but this is a great time to introduce bigger, chunkier pieces they can handle. This Mega Blocks set is perfect for little hands eager to build.
For environmentally-conscious families, you might prefer this Tegu magnetic wooden block set. It’s all wood and sustainably sourced from Honduran hardwoods. As an added bonus, your purchase helps fund tree planting, child education, and holistic employment in the Honduras.
Todders’ sense of wonder makes them fun to play with and watch, but it also means big messes. This waterpark play table is a great way to encourage their childhood curiosity and eagerness to play without leaving you with a big mess to clean up. It’s only water, after all!
Another fun toy for toddlers that won’t make more work for mom is this Loops n’ Swoops Amusement Park from Fisher-Price. As long as the exit ramp is pointed in a safe direction, this should provide hours of safe, mess-free entertainment for your favorite toddler.
Our train set was a favorite for all four of my kids as toddlers. It was also the first thing any of our friends’ toddlers played with. If you have a space large enough to leave it set up, that’s great. But my kids had just as much fun with it when we kept the pieces in a bin and they had to construct a new track each time.
My kids loved stuffed animals but I always thought they just took up a bunch of space. I am a big fan of the Learn to Dress monkey though since he is useful beyond being toted around or sitting on a shelf.
Not only will monkey accompany your child wherever he or she wants, but he also helps them learn to develop skills like buttoning, tying, and zipping. Hurray for teaching kids to be independent!
One toy that was so popular with my toddlers that we kept it so that the younger children of our kids’ friends can play with it is the Leap Frog Fridge Phonics Magnet. Little ones just LOVE this toy! And after well over a decade, ours still works just fine.
Toddlers like to imitate mom and dad. They pretend to talk on the phone, cook dinner, and drive to work.
If you spend a lot of time on the computer, chances are they are trying to climb on your lap and “help” you work. If you’d rather not let your toddler bang away on your personal computer, this Leap Frog laptop is a wonderful alternative and it’s chock full of activities and games he or she will love.
In our case, my kids were also always trying to help daddy in the garage. Rather than let them play with his very expensive tools, we always had a set specifically for the kids. For toddlers, this twist & drill set is an even better choice since it’s designed for tiny hands.
There are literally thousands of books that are appropriate for toddlers but my family’s very favorite books for this age group are from Sandra Boynton. Full of cute characters, fun rhymes, and just the right dose of ridiculousness, these are just as fun to read to the kids as they are for kids to hear and look at.
I hope you found some ideas for your favorite toddler. Remember to check back each day to find more gift ideas for the other people on your holiday shopping list.
Nice mix of toys and useful things that are still fun for the kids. I always enjoyed when someone would buy my toddlers something useful, ie… Feeding or bathing fun, so in 2 months they didn’t bore of it and I was now trying to sell it at a garage sale!