There are SO MANY toddler toys out there that it can be totally overwhelming when your family and friends ask for a list of things to get your busy toddler. I rounded up the best of the best for ages 12m-3y and put them all in this guide for your to easily shop from (+ send your fam/friends)! Yay!
BONUS: check out my master store list here if you are interested in shopping directly through my store affiliate links. I SO APPRECIATE IT when you do – especially this time of year! Let’s dive into it.
Gift Guide FOR TODDLERS
*JUST A NOTE: I do make a little bit of affiliate income off of your purchases through my links. I SO appreciate every time you make a purchase – because it helps keep Blonde & Ambitious up and running. It adds NO extra cost to you. Thank you for helping to support my little space on the internet.*
UNDER $25
We love this book! Jack has it in several iterations – animals, bugs, vehicles. They really are reusable and Jack has used them over and over again for 2 years now!
Leap Frog Learning Friends 100 Words Book
This is another gift we have LOVED for Jack!!! He goes through it all by himself and repeats the words and points out the objects/items he knows. It makes sounds and noises that he recognizes!
I love this! We are working on numbers with Jack so this a great option to help your little one with their counting (and they work with any Duplo set)!
These are great for toddlers on the younger end (think 12-18m). They are really awesome sensory toys that keep kids entertained for a long time while building their fine motor skills.
All moms cheer when we see “mess free” on a marker set. These really are mess free so your little ones can explore their creativity without ruining your home or car!
Jack LOVES painting and these are awesome for his little hands! They are easy to use and brightly pigmented! Plus they are washable.
We have this in our bathtub right now! Jack loves to pour water in it with his little cups to make the wheels spin.
Every time they put the right car in the puzzle spot, it makes a noise!
We have this, too! I love toys that really focus on fine motor skills and different techniques. This requires your toddler to put each of the shapes in the right spot and hammer them down!
Stainless Steel Pot + Pan Play Set
I don’t know about you but Jack LOVES to play with my pots and pans – so we got him his own set to play with! He loves it, of course – and he gets to “help” mommy in the kitchen.
We love this thing! Jack LOVES trying to figure out the locks and we really love how much this toy helps him work his problem solving skills.
Crayons are great for obvious reasons – but why not personalize the whole experience?!
UNDER $50
Stacking toys are fun, and this one is a riot. The trick is to SPIN the stackers down the pole.
This made me laugh – Jack is always wanting to “work” with Adam and I during the work day so he would LOVE this!
We love our magnatiles!! Jack is a big fan of magnets and he has a super fun time creating new combinations of tiles.
Every kid needs a good pair of rubber boots in the snowy and rainy weather. These are super cute and relatively inexpensive!
We have this and LOVE it! I bought this for Jack on his first Christmas and at 2, he loves spelling his name out. I plan on buying for Noah, as well!
Jack is a HUGE fan of this play tunnel. I’m pretty much a huge fan of every thing Lovevery but this tunnel is a big hit. It’s easy to fold up, is stain resistant and provides hours of entertainment (for my kid and the cats – HA)!
Large Wooden Grimm’s Style Rainbow Stacker
These are definitely all the rage right now – rainbow stackers seem to be the nursery staple at the moment. They promote fine motor skills and development and look pretty to boot!
Jack is really into coin counting so this is a really pretty addition to his play room .He gets to play with the money and practice his counting.
Musical Instrument Set, 22 Pieces
Musical instruments are ALWAYS a good idea! Kids LOVE them and I am all about promoting a good love of music.
Jack got this from his aunt a while ago and he still loves to play with it. He practices putting the ball in the basket and kicking the ball into the net!
We have the Llama and Jack sleeps with it in his crib every single night. He is a HUGE fan of how soft it is. 10/10 from my toddler!
Ok – this subscription kit is AMAZING. Not only is it perfect for the little science lover in your life (from littles all the way up to big kids), but it’s fun for parents to take part in, too! We have a bunch of kits for Jack and while he doesn’t fully understand the science behind them JUST yet – he LOVES doing the experiments with me. I point out everything he CAN understand like color changes, states of matter, cause and effect. I loved science as a kid (as evidence by my literal degree in biochemistry) and I want to instill that love in my kids early on! You can click here for 50% off your first course (or just use code BLONDE50), and if you order before December 16th you have a before-Christmas guarantee!
UNDER $100
Jack loves his balance bike! This one is fun because it’s retro, so it’ll look cute while also being functional.
A must have for kiddos with LOTS of energy!!! These trampolines are great because they don’t take up a ton of space, and they give your kid a place to jump that isn’t your couch.
We have this set in our basement playroom!!! It’s great because while it totally works for our 2y/o, there is also room for him to grow into it so we won’t have to replace it right away as he grows.o
If we had more space, I’d absolutely snag this for Jack! I might get it for my parents basement play area! It’s great and functional.
We have been toying around with getting J a tablet for travel purposes only and this might be the year! We are pretty strict about screen times but all bets are off on long car rides and plane rides!
Our Hatch sound machine is probably my favorite purchase for babies/toddlers of all time. We have used Jack’s since we brought him home from the hospital to help him sleep and we LOVE IT. He can’t sleep without it now and it also helps him sleep longer and keeps him from hearing the going-ons in the house after he’s gone to bed.
I love this too – great for kids who are super into art!
The play kits are some of our FAVORITE things. We LOVE opening ours every 3 months for J and we are already planning on signing Noah up for his own boxes after he’s born.
This block set is AWESOME. We have two so there are TONS of blocks to play with. It is pricey for a block set – but these are heirloom pieces. They are meant to be multi-generational in their lasting power!
Love this guitar. Like I said above, we always think music is a good idea!
