If you’re on the hunt for the best toddler gifts for birthdays, Christmas, or any occasion, you’ve come to the right place.
In a rush? Scroll to the very bottom and get the TL;DR compact list of recommendations!
As a mom who’s been through the toddler trenches, I’ve seen which toys stand the test of time, and which “it toys” of the season were only played with a few times before getting left at the bottom of the toy bin.
I’m always trying to find new ways to have fun with my kiddos, AND I want to keep my house from becoming overrun with too many toys.
Do you feel the same?
My husband and I got tired of all the clutter and decided to start looking for gifts for our children that would last a long time, didn’t have an insane amount of small parts, and would also be really fun for them to play with.
These are our favorite toddler-tested, mom-approved picks!
Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you purchase through them. But rest assured, I would *only* recommend toys that we love and use every day.
—
Best Toddler Toys for 1 Year Olds
1. Ball Pit
A Ball Pit is an absolute winner when it comes to keeping toddlers busy. This one was my daughter’s favorite present at her 1st birthday party.
Crawling, rolling, and flopping into colorful balls is endless fun for little ones! It also encourages those early motor skills while keeping them entertained for hours.
We keep the top off of ours and use it to play ball pit basketball, seeing who can throw the most balls into the pit through the top!
2. Ride & Push Horse
This Ride-A-Long and Push Horse Toy is hands-down one of the most adorable toys – it was my son’s favorite first Christmas gift!
It’s a ride-on horse that doubles as a push toy – the ultimate mix of active play and imaginative adventure.
My kids still trot around on it, pretending they’re off to the races! Now that they’re bigger, they’ll push each other around, too, which is very adorable to watch.
3. Warm Stuffed Animal
This Warming Hippo Stuffed Animal is a sweet gift that’s perfect for cold nights or calming an anxious toddler. There are other types of animals, too, if your kiddo already has a favorite!
It’s a stuffed animal with a microwaveable insert that makes it warm and cuddly. Is there anything better than cuddling with a warm stuffed animal in the winter?!
Bonus: my kids still use this one as a bedtime buddy years later.
4. Pushing Walker Toy
This Pushing Walker Toy with Telephone is perfect for little ones learning to walk! (And recommended by physical therapists to replace the ones where your baby sits inside and walks)
This classic walker toy comes with a telephone and keeps toddlers entertained as they push, pull, and pretend to make calls. Funnily enough, the spinning cylinders on the front were always my kids’ favorite thing to play with.
The best part about this toy is that It’s fun for the kids to run around with even if you take the batteries out because the noise gets to be too much. Ask me how I know 🙂
—
Best Toddler Toys for 2 Year Olds
5. Hippo Piano with Flying Birds
This Hippo Piano with Birds is a super cute musical toy that has birds that pop up as your toddler plays the piano, adding a whole new level of fun to their musical exploration.
It’s a gift that helps with coordination and is just plain fun!
The birds can sing notes, say the names of the notes (like do-re-mi), and make bird sounds. There are so many options for kids to explore music.
6. Ice Cream Cart Shop
This Ice Cream Cart was the huge hit of my daughter’s 2nd birthday. Every single kid was in love with this toy (including an 11 year old – but she’ll deny it if you ask her lol)
An ice cream cart with pretend scoops and toppings is a gift that keeps toddlers (and even bigger kids) busy for hours. They can push it around, ring the bell, and serve up cones of endless fun.
We haven’t even started using the order cards or fake money yet. When my kids are a little bit older we’ll be able to use this toy in a whole new way!
7. Wooden Tracks with Cars and Trains
These Wooden Car Track and Cars with Magnets are a minimalist dream!
Toddlers (and parents) love connecting the cars and zooming them down the track.
The durability of this toy has been impressive—it’s still going strong after years of races and crashes.
You can find these on Amazon, at IKEA (pictured above), and usually on Facebook Marketplace from parents of kids that outgrew them! (We bought the IKEA one, and then found a huge set on FB for $20! Now it is not quite minimalist but it is very fun.)
8. Color Wonder Markers and Paper
These Color Wonder Markers only color on special paper, which means no mess! Your toddler gets to create masterpieces, and you don’t have to worry about marker on the walls.
You can find a color wonder set for all kinds of characters (Bluey, Spiderman, Blue’s Clues, Paw Patrol, Disney characters, etc.) or get the plain paper.
We also have a travel case for ours so the kids can bring them on long road trips. They stay entertained, and I don’t have to worry about crayon or market on my car. Win-Win!
9. Water Magic Pens and Books
These Water Magic Books and Water Pens are similar to the Color Wonder Markets, but they’re reusable!
And there’s only “pen” to keep track of, so we love these for travel, sitting in the bleachers during older siblings sporting events, airplane rides, or even just keeping busy at home.
Add water to the pen, and the colors appear like magic! When the book dries out, the colors disappear and the kids can paint some more.
Or if you have a fussy toddler, take the book to the bathroom and a few seconds under the blow dryer (or hand dryer if you’re in public) will have it blank and ready to go again!
10. Bubble Lawn Mower
The Bubble Lawn Mower is a hit outdoors (and accidentally indoors once…).
Toddlers love pushing it around and seeing the bubbles float into the air—perfect for birthday parties or backyard play.
We started with the one pictured above, but found that we actually prefer this version – where you pour the bubble liquid into a reservoir that closes. (I’ll get a picture of that one eventually… #busyasamother)
The first one we tried has a little reservoir in the front that you pour the bubble mixture into, but our toddlers are very bouncy with their pushing, and the bubble solution tends to splash out before many bubbles get airborne!
11. Sidewalk Chalk
There’s nothing quite like Sidewalk Chalk to bring out creativity.
Toddlers love scribbling their little masterpieces on the driveway, and when the rain comes (or dad shows up with the garden hose), it’s a clean slate for next time!
I even love playing with chalk again – did you know they have tie dye chalk, glitter chalk, and neon chalk?! They do! It’s so much fun!
—
Best Toddler Toys for 3 Year Olds
12. Gel Crayons
Gel Crayons are a must for any budding artist. Big blank papers give your toddler plenty of space to create, and the gel crayons are so easy to use – they feel like writing with lipstick! (I may enjoy this aspect more than my kids…)
My favorite part of gel crayons is that they wash off tile, clothes, and skin so easily. Win-win-win!
We like to get extra large sheets of paper for these – the crayons still end up on the tile anyway, but the huge papers are a lot of fun to color on.
13. Bluey Play Set
Okay, I know this doesn’t follow our rule of “Not having a million little pieces”, but if your toddler is into Bluey like mine are, then this Bluey House & Characters are a huge hit.
It’s perfect for imaginative play and helps them act out all their favorite scenes from the show… or put the dogs in the back of little dump trucks and drive them around… either way they’re a lot of fun!
If you have a Costco Membership, you can get the Bluey house, Car, Pool, and Playground set (plus a lot of characters!) for about $60 around Christmas. It’s the best deal I’ve ever seen for this play set and SO worth it!
14. Scooter
A Scooter is agreat way to burn off some toddler energy! (Just make sure you’re out of the way when they take off!)
Scooters help with balance and coordination, too! Even though it was a gift for my 3 year old, my 20-month-old has figured it out, and loves zooming around.
We also love these helmets, because safety first!
15. Symphony Musical Toy Orchestra
This Symphony Musical Toy Orchestra is by far one of the coolest toys my kids have.
And it was a hand-me-down toy, so it’s been in use for over 7 years at this point. Major Toys That Last Points!
The big base piece (which also stores all the instrument pieces!) knows which instruments have been placed on it, and will only play the music from those instruments.
As you add more instruments, more sounds come out, and pretty soon you have a whole orchestra playing. Or maybe just a guitar and a flute – whatever suits your fancy.
You can also press the buttons to find out which instruments are the melody and which are accompanying for each song. The demo button will play classic melodies, and it has tempo and volume control.
It’s recommended for kids 3+, but my kids started to really enjoy playing with it around 19 months old.
—
Best Non-Toy Gifts for Toddlers
16. Amelia Bedelia Books
These new Amelia Bedelia Books books are so much fun! Amelia Bedelia as a little kid is full of silly antics and misunderstandings, making storytime an absolute hit.
My 3-year-old can’t get enough of them, and she’s learning to read (or at least memorize fun stories)!
17. Kitchen Towers
Kitchen Towers are a game-changer if your toddler wants to “help” in the kitchen. (Chef hat and apron were a separate gift from grandpa!)
We have one that folds into a desk when not in use… so it’s really never not-in-use. (Our son is sitting at the desk version in the picture of the musical orchestra toy above!)
We have two and my kids use them multiple times, every single day, and I recommend this tower to everyone I know.
18. Step Stools & Foaming Soap
Step Stools for the bathroom are such a simple but useful gift for toddlers who are starting to use the bathroom themselves.
Toddlers love the independence of washing their own hands, and foaming soap makes it even more fun!
19. Sports Equipment
Sports gear is a great way to encourage physical activity.
Right now, my kids are loving the balance beam (maybe I watched too much gymnastics during the Olympics?).
They also have a blast with this t-ball kit that has three different ways to hold the ball.
20. Frisbee
Okay, so toddlers might not be able to throw a Frisbee just yet, but they sure love trying to catch it and chasing it when they miss!
It’s the chase that counts, right?
My family could spend an entire day in an open park with a frisbee or two. Bonus: Nap time is almost guaranteed after a day of running around!
TL;DR – Here’s the Quick List of the Best Toddler Gifts!
1. Ball Pit
2. Ride-A-Long and Push Horse Toy
3. Warming Hippo Stuffed Animal
4. Pushing Walker Toy with Telephone
7. Wooden Car Track and Cars with Magnets
8. Color Wonder Markers and Paper
9. Water Magic Books and Water Pens
11. Sidewalk Chalk
12. Gel Crayons
12.5 – Extra large sheets of paper
14. Scooter
14.5 – Helmets for Safe Scootering
15. Symphony Musical Toy Orchestra
17. Kitchen Towers
18. Step Stools & Foaming Soap
19. Balance Beam
19.5 T-ball Kit
20. Frisbee
These are some of the best toddler gifts that my kids have loved for years.
Whether you’re looking for birthday gifts, Christmas surprises, or just something fun for your toddler, these toys and non-toy gifts are sure to keep them busy all year long.
I hope your family loves them as much as mine does <3
xoxo, Angie
