Best Toys for Toddlers- Holiday Gift Guide

This post is sponsored by buybuy BABY. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own! Thanks for supporting brands that I love and that make this little blog of mine possible.

It’s December 1st!! I feel like it was just Halloween. I can’t fathom I am about to have a 2.5 year old and a 1 year old. So I’m a mom of 2 toddlers. When did that happen?! Gabby will be 1 on the 20th, and then Christmas 5 days later. It’s interesting to have a baby whose birthday is so close to a big holiday like this. We don’t want to overwhelm her with a ton of presents she doesn’t need, we want to encourage her learning and give her experiences. I’ve been researching toys on buybuy BABY and finally came up with this holiday gift guide for toddlers that will be great for both of my girls.

We’re not huge on gifting a bunch of items, but rather gifting meaningful things, activities, or adventures. I’m a big advocate for second-hand shopping when you can! I’ve also suggested activity gifts to those who ask what my girls need, like swimming lessons, gymnastics, zoo memberships, etc. But of course kids still want stuff to open on Christmas and toys are always a fantastic gift and can be meaningful. We opt for mostly wooden toys in our family because of a few reasons. It’s better for the environment, can provide open-ended play, and can also be passed down to generations if kept in good shape. I’ve rounded up some of our favorite wooden toys for toddlers and hope it helps you guys for your holiday shopping this year. buybuy BABY made it so easy for me to search for exactly what I was looking for in their Toy Shop. Just click on the link according to the number in the photo. You can also refer back to this Ultimate Toddler Gift Guide that I made last year which has a bunch of other great recommendations.

1. Wooden Airplane – we have this in the bus version and it’s a favorite over here. My daughter Layla started to play with this when she was around 18 months and still loves it a year later.
2. Wooden Mixer Set– How cute is this?! You could even paint it to match your playroom.
3. 75-Piece Bucket of Blocks– Wooden blocks are truly timeless. They can be passed down to other family members and are a nice open-ended activity.
4. Horse Stamp Set– I really love to gift these stamp sets because of the price and it contains colored pencils too. We also use stamps for play dough which my daughter enjoys so much! They have a larger set with more animals here.
5. Wooden Kitchen– wood kitchens look better than the plastic ones and you can always paint it to fix it up if it wears down over the years. We have a wooden kitchen and personalized it by adding paint and contact paper!
6. Take-Along Tool Kit– this little set includes 24 pieces including screws that your child can hammer.
7. Learning Tower w/ Chalkboard– One of the BEST gifts! My 2.5 and 1 year old love climbing and helping out at the counter. And this one includes a chalkboard, so cool!
8. Bear Family Dress Up Puzzle– Another favorite in our house!
9. Wooden Doll Family– we don’t have this but I just snagged it since we are giving my daughter a small dollhouse for Christmas this year.
10. Catch & Count Fishing Game-so good for hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. Also teaches counting and numbers!
11. Junior Ramp Racer– keeps kids entertained and is on constant rotation with my girls’ toys.
12. Shape Sorting Clock– Can’t you tell I love toys that are open-ended and multiple use? This is one of them! Learn numbers, to tell time, shapes, and even colors.
13. Toddler Scooter– Snagged this for my daughter this year for her big gift and we are so excited to give it to her. We got her a balance bike that she didn’t really care for, so I hope she likes the scooter! I’ve heard so many great things about this brand.
14. Pet Vet Set– This little set is adorable for pretend play.
15. Kid’s Dyson– We have the other version of this kid’s Dyson and every time we have play dates, the kids love using it. Literally all kiddos love this toy, even my 8 & 11 year old nephews!
16. Magnetic Hide & Seek Farm Board– This is so fun to open and find the animals.
17. Twin Baby Doll Set – You can never have enough baby dolls right?! This would be a great gift for even two siblings to share.

When in doubt, books are always appreciated and well loved by the kiddies. We rotate our books often so that the same ones aren’t on the shelves for too long and the girls don’t get bored with them. We have bought a lot of books from buybuy BABY because their selection is huge and it’s easy to choose different categories based on what you’re looking for.

Really hope this list helps out some parents who are stumped on what to get their little one this year!

xo,

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