Holiday Gift Guide for Toddlers
Our favorite toys for 2 & 3 year olds
Toddlers are the perfect combination of fun and crazy. At this age, my son really loved puzzles, building toys, play pretend toys, and toys that helped him get out all that energy – and my daughter is the same way! In this holiday gift guide for toddlers, you’ll find our favorite toys for two and three year olds. And most of these toys are still played with today. I’m sure you’ll find something on this list that your toddler will love for many years to come.
Toddler Gifts
Melissa & Doug Disney Wooden Peg Puzzle Set
I love these peg puzzles from Melissa & Doug. They are the perfect beginner puzzles for 2 year olds.
Melissa & Doug Jigsaw Puzzle Bundle
These Melissa & Doug jigsaw puzzles are great for older toddlers. We bought our son the dinosaur puzzle at age 3, and it was a huge hit!
CreateOn Sesame Street Colors with Elmo
Most toddlers love Magna-Tiles and Sesame Street. Put them together and you’ve got this Elmo set from CreateOn. We purchased this set when my son was 2, and both of my kids now love playing with it.
Playskool Mr. Potato Head
Another classic toy from our childhood that my child loves today is Mr. Potato Head. This toy is best for kids ages 3 and up due to the small pieces.
Melissa & Doug Cutting Fruit Set
Play food has always been a hit in our house. This set from Melissa & Doug is nice because it’s durable and made from wood. It’s now my daughter’s toy, and is holding up pretty well!
FUNERICA Cash Register Toy
If you’ve got play food, your toddler will probably ask to play pretend grocery store. And then you’ll need a toy cash register. This one is nice because it also comes with a set of play food, pretend money and working microphone.
Little Tikes Shopping Cart
And since you can’t play pretend grocery store without a shopping cart, you’ll to get a toy shopping cart. This classic shopping cart from Little Tikes is nice because the plastic doesn’t ding furniture and it fits nicely into a corner of a room.
Little Tikes Cozy Shopping Cart
Another cute shopping cart toy is this Cozy Shopping Cart from Little Tikes. My daughter loves putting her doll or stuffies in the Cozy Coupe part, and all of our refrigerator magnets in the cart part. Fun for hours!
Playskool Sit ‘n Spin
Some toys are a classic for a reason. What I love about the Playskool Sit ‘n Spin is that it gives my son the thrill of spinning in circles without the chaos of constantly crashing into furniture.
Sesame Street Home for the Holidays Book
I love that this book teaches about all of the holidays celebrated this season. It’s great for ages 3 and up – plus what toddler doesn’t love Sesame Street?
Llama Llama Feelings Book
I try to help my kids learn how to name their feelings during the toddler stage. So I grabbed this book for Savannah, who also loves Llama Llama.
Bouncy Pals Zebra Hopping Horse
My daughter loved the animal hopper toys at our local pumpkin patch, and when we saw there was a zebra hopper, we scooped one up for the holidays.
Green Toys Tea Set
Another play pretend toy we purchased for our 2 year old is this tea set from Green Toys. I am looking forward to many pretend tea parties!
Play-Doh Unicorn Theme 13-Pack
My daughter loves Play-Doh, and I can (mostly) trust her not to eat. We grabbed her this fun, sparkly unicorn-themed play-doh kit.
Kids Knife Set
My daughter loves to help in the kitchen, so for her second birthday, I got her this kids knife set to help make lunch or cut up vegetables for dinner.
Big Gifts for Toddlers
Step2 Rain Showers Splash Pond Water Table
It might seem odd to gift an outdoor toy during Christmas in the Midwest, but hear me out. Saving something special for warmer weather gives your kiddo something to look forward to – and you’ll be a head of the curve purchasing a water table before everyone else does come spring time. We’ve had this water table for over 4 years, and it’s still in great shape and gets tons of use!
Step2 Whisper Ride On Push Car
My son loves this ride on push car so much that he still asks to sit in it for family walks, even though he barely fits anymore. This is one toy you will get a lot of use out of.
Little Tikes 3′ Trampoline
I was hesitant to dedicate space in our house to a mini trampoline that would be out all the time, but I’m glad I did. It was an easy way to help my son burn off some extra energy, and now it’s back out for my daughter now that she is 2!
BRIO My First Railway Train Set
If your child loves toy trains, BRIO sets are worth the investment. There are a ton of different, imaginative sets that all connect with ease. This high-quality toy will last for years, even with repeated abuse from little ones. This BRIO First Railway Train Set is a great first set to gift your little train enthusiast.
Montessori Busy Board
We are updating the toddler busy board my husband made for our daughter this year. For a less DIY version, check out this Montessori Busy Board for toddlers.
Little Tikes Jr. Jump ‘n Slide Bounce House
We purchased our bounce house as our big pandemic quarantine purchase. While the original bounce house that we purchased is no longer available, this bounce house from Little Tikes is super popular, and one of the top rated ones on Amazon.
Little Tikes Cape Cottage Playhouse
All your toddler needs is a simple playhouse to let their imagination run wild. My mother-in-law got my daughter this playhouse for her second birthday, and she has a blast playing in it! There are also lots of tutorials online on how to customize this playhouse, if you’re into that!
Hape Outdoor Mud Kitchen
My mom bought this mud kitchen for Savannah’s second birthday – and both kids enjoy playing with it! Our mud kitchen has gotten a lot of use, no matter the season!
Thank you for checking out my holiday gift guide for toddlers. I hope you are able to find the perfect gift for your two or three year old in this list of toys my kids have loved so much.
If you enjoyed this gift guide for toddlers, make sure to check out my full collection of holiday gift ideas for kids, including Gift Ideas for Babies, Gift Ideas for One Year Olds, Preschooler Gift Guide, School-Aged Kids Gift Guide, Hanukkah Gift Guide and Stocking Stuffers Guide.
