20 gifts for the toddler in your life, including TOYS and NON TOY gifts

I don't know about you, but Christmas shopping will be the death of me this year. Some years I feel like I'm killing it at the Christmas gift game. I find all the right things for people and I feel so good about what I'm giving them.

Some years though, I'm just clueless. I just assume that no one else wants to collect more STUFF in their home so I try not to give gifts just to give them. I always want it to be something they want, need, and can use. And now that I'm a mom I'm even more conscious of the gifts I give people's kids. Don't worry, I wont be buying your child a 500 piece art set, a drum set, or a toy that requires 2 hours of assembly with 17,000 AA batteries. So if you're in my position of feeling clueless when it comes to a toddler in your life, I present to you, a list of parent-approved and parent-recommended toddler gifts for girls and boys. There are a couple that can be boy or girl specific (I have a 2 year old boy who would throw a doll in the trash but would LIVE for a train or tractor) but most can be for any gender or interest. And I've even separated it into toy, and non-toy ideas. Enjoy!

*links may be affiliate links



Toy Gifts

1. Balance Bike
Gone are the days of tricycles and training wheels for toddlers. A balance bike is the newest and greatest toddler bike and it has tons of benefits that old school tricycles don't. The design of a balance bike encourages kids to use their arms and lift their legs when moving forward which not only helps them build up their strength, it also helps them to fine tune their motor skills, coordination and agility. The more a kid uses a balance bike, the more they're learning to support themselves and balance. Eventually they're pros when it comes to a regular bike and they can skip training wheels altogether!
Stryder Classic Balance Bike - $89-$109 (a fan favorite, very lightweight, comes in different colors)
Radio Flyer Glide & Go Balance Bike - $38 (this one is a really great price, and comes with a bell! according to some reviews it doesn't hold up to wear and tear as well as the higher price ones)

2. Trains, Trucks, Automobiles
My son lives for anything on wheels. Basically everyone knows if you want to get him something that he loves, get him tractors, construction vehicles, trucks, etc. Last year we got him a train table with wooden tracks and trains and now a year later he STILL plays with it daily. This year we're getting him more complex accessories for it (so he can farm WITH his trains, PERFECT!) and I'm so excited to see his face once its all put together! A lot of things fall under this category but here are a few that my son loves or would love:
KidKraft Waterfall Mountain Train Set & Table - $154
BRIO Farm Railway Set - $41
Maxx Action Construction Trucks - $14 (these are a HUGE hit with us. they fit in my purse so we can take them places to entertain him. they make noise, the headlights light up, etc, but they aren't huge and don't take up a lot of room like a lot of his other trucks do!)

3. Dolls, Doll Clothes, Doll Accessories
Okay this is so not my territory, but I think if I was a girl mom, my priority would be low maintenance dolls. I do not doubt that Baby Alive or whatever cool baby doll out there would be a HUGE HIT for a little girl, but I remember being a kid and having a doll that had food to be mixed, water to be added, diapers to be changed, and my mom basically nipped that in the bud super quick. So when I imagine if I had a daughter who was into dolls, I'd want simple babies that come with a few realistic accessories so they can play mommy.
Melissa & Doug Mine to Love Doll (this doll came highly recommended from What Moms Love and at $20 its a great price point!)
Doll Accessories

4. Kids Camera
This was actually recommended by another mom and something I'll be buying Kelley for Christmas. It takes photos and videos, comes with a memory card, its easy to use, and its made of a durable, shockproof, silicone shell so you don't have to worry about it being dropped. I think it will be fun to see what kinds of pictures Kelley takes!
OMWay Kids Digital Camera - $35-$40

5. Play Doh + Accessories
If the toddler in your life hasn't been introduced to Play Doh yet.. what are you waiting for!! Honestly, very few things keep Kelley busy, but there is just something about Play Doh that makes him sit at a table for 20+ minutes with minimal supervision. It can make a mess (little bits always end up on the floor) but for the most part its hassle-free for parents. And the play doh itself is usually so inexpensive that I don't mind buying more and more as we need it.
Set of different Play Doh colors HERE or HERE - $8-$15
Play Doh Starter Set - $6.99
Play Doh Dino Tools - $9.99
Play Doh Growin' Garden Set - $9
Play Doh Play n Store Table - $25 (Honestly this one seems like such a great thing to have, especially if you have multiple kids. I currently have a plastic container that everything is stored in but it would be so great to have one area where everything is stored and played with! Plus it seems like the table itself provides lots of entertainment)

6. Play Kitchen
I love this gift because its great for so many different ages. Kelley will be 3 in a couple of months and plays with his all the time. He also played with it a year ago when he wasn't quite 2. I have a 3, almost 4, year old niece who also plays with hers. There's a kitchen at my son's preschool and it seems to get lots of love from all the kids. Basically, every toddler likes to pretend. And cook you "soup" or "cheeseburgers" or whatever they come up with in their imagination. And then you get to pretend its the most delicious thing you've ever had. There's such a range of price points and types that I'm including 3 options. A regular, inexpensive plastic one that can be purchased at any Walmart, Target, etc (we got ours from Amazon), an Ikea kitchen that seems to be the most basic, standard, and a fan favorite, and then a pricer, but way more beautiful option that parents seem to love. The only downfall of the KidKraft kitchen is the assembly. Apparently it takes HOURS and more than one person so only get that one if you're ready to take on a task!
Step 2 Fun With Friends Kitchen - $74.99
Ikea Play Kitchen - $89.99
KidKraft Farmhouse Play Kitchen - $179.99

7. Cleaning Supplies
I don't know a toddler that doesn't love to vacuum, sweep, mop, etc. This is the age of helping and modeling behavior and out of alllll of your behaviors and actions that a toddler could mimic, I think cleaning is probably the best and most helpful one! A huge bonus is that the Dyson kid's vacuum actually picks things up! So your kids are helping a bit with the cleaning ;)
Dyson Kids Vacuum - $30
Melissa & Doug Dust, Sweep, & Mop - $24

8. Tool Set
Similar to the cleaning supply idea above, kids LOVE to help when building things. My son loves his tool set and it actually keeps him busy longer than other toys. And the best part is, when its time for my husband to hang something on the wall, fix a door hinge, etc, Kelley is right there with his tools feeling SO special that he's helping!
36 Piece Kids Tool Set - $20
Little Tikes Tough Workshop - $27.99
Step2 Deluxe Workshop - $99.99

9. Little People
This one is a little vague but just go to the Little People section of a store or website and I promise you'll find something the toddler in your life will love. My son has been playing with some Little People sets for almost a year now and he seems to like them more at this age than ever before. He's really into pretending right now so having his little people and animals play and talk in homes and barns or school buses just seems to be so much fun to him! I'll link some of our favorites below.
Little People Caring for Animals Farm - $26.99
Little People Big Helpers Home - $39.99
Little People Friendly School - $15

10. Magnatiles
Okay I never knew about these until we were out with a big group of adults + other kids. Kelley was, well he was being himself, and didn't want to sit and wait for food or do basically anything but get up and torture people at the restaurant. One of the other moms walked over and gave us a big handful of magnatiles and my life was changed forever. Basically they're just little thin, plastic, disc/block things with magnets in them that kids can use to connect and build things. The little magnets are just strong enough to allow them to make big, tall towers and houses. And they're so thin and lightweight that they're perfect to throw in a ziplock bag and bring with you places without taking up a lot of room or being bulky in your purse.
32-pc Magnatiles Clear Color Set - $49
15-pc Magnatiles Stardust (Sparkly) Set - $29.99


Non Toy Gifts

1. Cooking Tools 
My son (2.5) LOVES to help me cook. We make a lot of soups together where I cut the veggies and he adds them to the pot. He also loves to help pour and mix things. I've been thinking of getting him a set of cooking tools that are all just for him and safe to use. I found a lot of products from The Curious Chef and I'm so excited for him to open them so he can help! They have all types of kid-safe cooking utensils but I'm linking their nylon knife set below because I think having kid-safe knives to teach them how to cut and prepare is such a good idea! Obviously they are still sharp so parental supervision is so important, but they are designed for little hands so such a good learning tool!
Curious Chef 3-pc Knife Set - $9
Curious Chef Oven Mitt Set - $6.99
Curious Chef Measuring Cup - $12.49

2. Dress Up Clothes
Every time I pick up my son from preschool there are 2-3 little girls that are wearing princess dresses over their clothes every single day. Its no shocker that little girls like to dress up in pretend clothes but recently while at a children's museum I realized just how much my son loved it too! They had a firefighter station which was a huge hit with him. But they also had a little veterinarian room where he got to put on a vet's coat and take care of animals. He had SO much fun. And when we got to the doctors office / hospital room he was so excited to put on the doctors outfit and take care of babies! I decided that day to get him a few dress up clothes and accessories so he could do that at home!
KidsWay Doctor / Surgeon outfit - $19.00
Melissa & Doug Construction Worker outfit - $24.99
Melissa & Doug Veterinarian outfit - $23

3. Piggy Bank
This seems like such a simple gift but trust me when I say your toddler will LOVE it. Once Kelley started to realize that when he found money lying around, or when he was given money, he could put it in his piggy bank, it became so much fun! He's always on the hunt for pennies and other change (they're all called "pennies" to him right now) and he gets so excited to run into his room and put his money inside. I'm not sure how much money he has but its pretty heavy and its cool to think about him being a bit older and learning about saving / spending that money!
Cereamic Kids Piggy Bank - $14.99

4. Table and Chair Set
Someone got Kelley a great table and chair set for Christmas last year and it has been such a great gift. We use it as our play doh table, art table, sometimes he eats at it. We also use one of the little chairs to pull up to the coffee table for snack time some days. Its so perfect for his age and size and we get a LOT of use out of it. The other day I wrapped some gifts at the table and set him up with some watercolor paint and paper at his little table and he stayed busy the entire time! And since its for kids you don't have to stress or worry about too much about things like play doh and paint on it. Linking quite a few different options because I realized there are so many different tables with lots of different features and price points!
Your Zone Kids Dry Erase Activity Table - $30 (has a dry erase top!)
Tot Tutors Kids Wood Table & Chair Set - $62 (comes in different colors and has 4 chairs)
KidKraft Round Table and Chair Set - $57.99 (this one has a cool storage basket in the middle!)

5. Books
This is pretty self-explanatory but let me be clear - YOU. CAN. NEVER. GO. WRONG. WITH. BOOKS!!! As a parent, I love for my child to receive books as a gift because I know they will go to good use. We read books every single night before bed, usually two or more. And each week there are certain books that are huge hits, before moving onto a different one. So books are constantly in rotation and they never get old! If you don't know what to get a baby, toddler, or older kid, go with a book, trust me. Since there are a MILLION books to choose from and I can't choose just a couple, I made an amazon list of some of our current favorites that have stood the test of time.
Find our Favorite Toddler Books Here

6. Arts and Crafts
Another vague gift and this can be iffy because some art supplies and craft sets can be SO complicated and such a mess and take a whole lot of effort from parents and a whole lot of mess from toddlers. So I like to stick to really simple, mess-free things. Some of are favorites are linked below.
Color Wonder Markers + Paper - $20 (these are great because if you didn't know, Color Wonder markers and paints ONLY show up on Color Wonder paper. so no marker or paint on your walls, table, or rug)
Color Wonder Paintbrush Pens - $8.99

7. Backpack
I don't know if its all toddlers, but MY toddler has a recent obsession with backpacks. He loves to pack up all his tractors and trucks into his backpack when we go places. Its actually pretty convenient because then his toys don't take up space in my purse. So I think a cute backpack for all their toys and belongings would be a great gift for a kid who has it all!

8. Experiences
There are a lot of articles going around these days on why experiences make the best gifts, but its true. This could include memberships, lessons, classes, etc. Some great ones would be a year membership to the zoo or aquarium (most big zoos and aquariums are expensive!! sometimes the ONLY thing holding us back from going to these types of things is the price of admission for 2 adults + a child), membership to a local children's museum, passes to a theme park or water park, swim lessons, piano or other instrument lessons, mommy + me classes.. the list goes on and on. Do some research on what there is to do in your area, and then look at the cost of admission and what a season pass would be. I guarantee any parent would appreciate free trips to do things with their kids!

9. Bath Robe
Okay this sounds silly. What toddler would care about a bath robe? Wellll, surprisingly, quite a few. I actually have 3 other mom friends with toddlers around my son's age and each of them are getting their child a bath robe for Christmas! I'm not sure what it is but something makes them feel so cool and special when they get to wrap up in a robe after the bath.
Toddler Bath Robes

10. An Umbrella
For whatever reason my toddler has given us ONE idea for Christmas. There is one thing on his list. And that is a "rainbrella" also known as an umbrella. I think he sees them on tv a lot and is so fascinated with them. Whenever its raining he freaks and tells us he needs a rainbrella. And whenever anyone asks what he wants Santa to bring him, its always that one item. I remember REALLY wanting an umbrella of my own as a kid so I totally get it. Plus its a huge bonus that they're not that expensive and small enough that they aren't taking up room in your toy box!
Kids Frog Umbrella - $15.95

** because this post was written during Black Friday / Cyber Monday, some prices are subject to change

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