The Best Gifts for Toddlers (what both my boys love!)

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If you’re shopping for a toddler this Christmas (or birthday), this guide is packed with gift ideas that are fun for kids and approved by moms. With two little boys (Charles is almost two and Thomas just turned five), we’ve been in the toddler season of life for a while. These are the toys and gifts that have actually been a hit in our house – no loud, annoying toys that get shoved in the closet.

I’m sharing this guide early into the fall season to give you plenty of time to do your shopping, if you are a planner like me. Since I spend a lot of time working on holiday content as the season gets closer, I like to do my own Christmas shopping wayyyy early, so that I don’t forget.

Gifts for Toddlers

Educational Toys

Magnatiles Magnetic Building Tiles

These magnetic building tiles are a huge hit in the Adams household. Not only are they fun to use with Thomas, I also love seeing his little mind world while he builds with these. (And I love building with him too!) This set has 70 pieces, so you will have plenty to play with. He’s had his set for three years. And Charles loves to knock down his towers (which Thomas doesn’t love, but hey, that’s a second gift for you).

You could also grab simple puzzles for 2-year-olds to build those problem-solving skills and keep little hands busy.

Play-Doh + Art Easel

Play-Doh is always a win, even if the colors inevitably get smashed together. Pair it with an art easel or Lakeshore Learning art supplies for a Christmas or birthday bundle that keeps kids entertained indoors. Stickers and bubbles also make easy stocking stuffers to go with this theme.

Lovevery Play Kits

Thomas (and I) love these. Lovevery Play Kits are designed to be a subscription, and you get a new kit delivered every 3 months. You can also purchase the playkits individually rather than the subscription, but we LOVE the subscription.

The play kits have age-appropriate, adorable toys in each box (but not too many toys, thank goodness), and their quality is really nice. It’s convenient and fun to get toys that are made for your child’s age and to be surprised when the boxes come each month. This is a great gift suggestion for grandparents if they’re asking what to get their favorite grandkid! 😉

Books

We loveee books in our house, especially from PaperPie! I love the books they sell, and after buying a few from Amazon that were just so weird and poorly written, I will stick to this company! Their stories are well-written, engaging, and beautifully illustrated.

I also print our family photos in Chatbooks (Thomas calls them “picture books”), which have become bedtime favorites. Feel free to try code TERILYN for 20% off your Chatbooks order.

Active Play

Retrospec Walker Balance Bike

This little balance bike/scooter was one of Thomas’ favorite toys, and Charles took it over (second child alert). It’s perfect for 2-year-olds ready to ride. It’s sturdy, well-made, and comes in multiple colors. We use it indoors and outdoors. For bigger kids, the Strider balance bike is another great option. Gifts like this are always a big hit on Christmas because they can sit right under the tree, unwrapped and ready to play with.

Little Tikes Trampoline

It’s hard to beat a little trampoline. Kids love them, and honestly, I love them too (it’s a hit with toddlers who need to burn energy)! This Little Tikes Trampoline is under $100 and fits easily in a playroom. This one has a handlebar for safety and is small enough to fit in a playroom. 

The Nugget

The Nugget is a REALLY great investment for your playroom. It’s part furniture, part toy. It’s basically a play couch that’s made of 4 foam pieces that can be configured in a ton of different ways. Also, it’s super soft and squishy, so it makes a great place to plop down in our playroom, but Thomas also loves to climb all over it.

Kid’s Plastic Golf Set

Thomas has used this golf set so much over the past few years, and now Charles is obsessed (although we have to watch out for what he tries to hit sometimes). If your little one loves sports and playing with balls, this is a really fun toy.

Imaginative Play

FoxPrint Rocket Ship Tent

This is such a fun spaceship tent or fort for little boys or girls. I love the idea of reading Thomas or Charles books in one of these. And the price is unbeatable. It would be cute to have it set up as a surprise from Santa on Christmas morning.

Play sink

Thomas LOVED his Amazon play sink for two straight years, with or without the water! We used it outside when it was warm out, and we put it in the bathtub in the winter. The dials are all turnable, so it encourages kinesthetic development, and when he was little, he actually started drinking out of a cup better after playing with the cups in this set, even empty! This was a huge hit around 1 year-old, so if you have a little one around that age, snag this for Christmas.

Little People Sets

Classic Little People toys are timeless for imaginative play. Pair a set with a play couch like the Nugget for a bigger gift.

Wooden Train Set

This train table set is the cutest EVER! I want to get this for Thomas this year. Even if the tracks don’t stay perfectly connected, toddlers love rolling the trains around and setting up their own little world.

Keyboard Playmat

Even I want this keyboard mat! It’s huge so your kids use their feet to play each key. Fun, affordable, and so easy to roll up and store away.

Practical & Personalized Gifts

Christmas Pajamas

Holiday PJs make the season more fun – whether you do a new pair on Christmas Eve or enjoy them all December. We love Hanna Anderson (durable with cozy seams), LAKE Pajamas (the softest Pima cotton, but they run small), and Joy Street Kids (adorable prints and buttery fabric).

LAKE is actually my favorite brand for my own pajamas, and there’s just nothing like them! The quality is unmatched, and they use the softest Pima cotton (but like I mentioned, size up). I grabbed these holiday pajamas for the boys and a matching holiday pajama set for myself.

Montessori Toddler Tower

This is the exact tower we have in our kitchen for Thomas and Charles! They love standing in this to eat their meals, help me cook, or play at the counter. It’s a safe height and I appreciate that it’s aesthetically pleasing too!

I just got this foldable toddler kitchen stool for our place in Boone and love it just as much (and maybe even a touch more) because I can store it away so easily AND it has support feet that help it from tipping.

Personalized Kid’s Chair

Thomas loves sitting in his own chair. I love that it’s soft and easy to move from room to room.

Other fun personalized ideas: a wooden box for toy storage, a monogrammed backpack, or an art easel with their name.

Experience Gifts

Children’s Museum Membership

We love having memberships to local children’s museums. It’s the gift that keeps on giving all year – and makes for great outings with caregivers. We have memberships at both Kaleideum Children’s Museum in Winston-Salem and The Children’s Playhouse in Boone, and we ALL love going!! This is another great option for grandparents to give!

Tips for Choosing Toddler Gifts

• Think about age: what works for a 2-year-old may not be safe or engaging for a 4-year-old.
• Balance educational toys (puzzles, art easels, fine motor activities) with fun-for-fun’s-sake gifts (bubbles, stickers, trampoline).
• Look for toys that encourage open-ended, imaginative play.
• When in doubt, ask caregivers what would be most useful (sometimes simple is best).

Wrap Up

Whether you’re shopping for Christmas or a birthday, these toddler gift ideas cover everything from striders and puzzles to art supplies and play couches. The best gifts strike the balance between entertaining toddlers and encouraging their development. Most importantly, they create such sweet memories during playtime that both kids and parents will love.

For more gift guides, check out the posts below:

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