Top Ten Toddler Toys

It’s time for this year’s toddler gift guide! Between Julie and I, we’ve had a toddler at Christmas every single year we’ve written gift guides. And… I’ll have a toddler next Christmas and Julie the following! By now we’ve tried out quite a few toddler toys. This list started out much longer, but I narrowed it down to 10 toys that are actually played with a lot in our house, even by my toddler that prefers sticks and rolls of toilet paper. These are what I’d recommend as the top ten toys for toddlers this year:

1. Kidtrax

Kidtrax ride on vehicles are tons of fun and they have a 6V version that are perfect for toddlers. Tommy has a ride on Kidtrax CAT Bulldozer and loves it. They have great toddler quads and an adorable Mini Cooper (keep an eye on the 12 Days of Toys for a chance to win one).

 

2. Corolle

I’ve included Corolle in almost every gift guide I’ve written. I think their dolls make great, classic gifts for kids. For toddlers, we love the Mon Premier Doll line. There’s even one that can go in the bath.

3. The Land of Nod Teepee

There are so many great gifts for toddlers from The Land of Nod. Their teepee is well made, easy to fold and store and is played with every single day in our house. My kids play with it both inside and outside. Right now you can enter for a chance to win one in our 12 Days of Toys. 

 

4. Driven Recycling Truck 

This is one cool truck. There are noises, real life rubber wheels, mini recycling cans and more. We love Driven toys and their trucks are so much fun. You can find them at Target. 

5. Storybook Castle 

The Manhattan Toy Storybook Castle is a really neat gift for toddlers. Of all of the gifts on the list, this is the best one for “younger” toddlers (it’s great starting at 12M). It’s also a toy that looks really nice in a nursery or playroom and doubles as decor. It’s all wood and really well made. There are four sides of castle-themed activities like gliders, gears, bead runs, a snapping crocodile and more. The Storybook Castle is geared towards supporting motor development.

6. Hucklebee Game

This is the coolest game for toddlers! It’s like a card game/board game you can actually play with toddlers. The cuddly bug comes with tons of cards that indicate different ways to interact with Hucklebee. I should note I am not a big board game person, especially kids games, but honestly really like Hucklebee!

7.  Melissa and Doug Shopping Cart 

Alex got the Melissa and Doug Shopping Cart when she was a toddler. Since then, every toddler that comes in our house loves to play with it and now her little brother (a toddler) plays with is every day. It’s well made and looks real.

8. Play Kitchen

I don’t have a favorite play kitchen, but highly recommend one for this age. We’ve played with many different brands and in my opinion kids love them all. They’re fun for toddlers and grow along with the child. My 5 and 6 year olds still play with our play kitchen all the time.

9. American Plastics 

I really like American Plastics because they are affordable, well made and made in America. Their Gigantic Dump Truck and Gigantic Front Loader are amazing for kids that like trucks. They are light enough to push around and big enough to really play: think filling a dump truck with toys, blocks etc.

10. Bizzy the Mix & Move Bot

Each year VTech comes out with more awesome toys for toddlers. This year, we are loving Bizzy the Mix & Move Bot. Kids get to easily build their own robot with different “robot parts” and accessories.
There’s also music, dancing and more. It’s a really fun toy!

5 Other Great Gift Ideas for Toddlers:

1. Clothes: Zutano

Zutano is my favorite for gifting toddler clothes and accessories. They have adorable hats and gloves that are perfect for toddlers. They are one of the few lines that  I can always count on for ordering the gloves attached to each other by a string.

2. Music: Laurie Berkner

For a music CD or buying tickets to your toddler’s 1st concert, I’d recommend Laurie Berkner. We took the girls to a concert years ago and still listen to the cds. We just got the new Laurie Berner cd: Superhero and it’s been a great source of car entertainment for our toddler lately.

3. Monogrammed: Beaufort Bonnet 

The Beaufort Bonnet Company is my favorite place to find monogrammed gifts. There are great dollar outfits, knit hats and more.  A bonus is that the customer service and quality is outstanding.

 

4. Gift That Keeps on Giving: Green Piñata 

Green Piñata Toy Share in a toy rental subscription service that delivers educational, toxin-free toys right to your door. Get up to five age-appropriate toys every month from the best brands, keep them as long as you want, and return them for a new set! To read our review of Green Piñata, visit this post.

5. Pajamas & Books

My favorite pajamas to give toddlers as gifts are Tea Collection. For a few of our favorite books for toddlers, visit this post or this post for holiday books.

Toddlers at Christmastime as so much fun. There’s so much to entertain them and so much excitement to share with them. Plus, even if they don’t like their gifts, they’ll definitely love ripping all the wrapping paper off and making a mess with it!

For another fun list of toddler gifts, visit this post.