2021 Holiday Gift Guide: Toddlers

I decided to focus the kid-centric gift guide on toddler age partially because that’s what we’re shopping for this year over here (2 yr old daughter and 2 yr old niece!) and partially because it’s a bit of a tricky middle ground between infant toys and more complex toys/board games/puzzles etc. Our general toy philosophy is to focus on items that have a broad or multi-use, and are open ended. I didn’t include it below but we got a starter wooden train set last Christmas that we’ve expanded for holidays and birthdays since - things like that are our go-tos! Though we are also big Bluey fans in this household, so none of that is to say that we’re devoid of characters here either… but hopefully these picks at least serve as an idea springboard for your gift hunting!

Magnatiles - we got our first small set a few months ago and I understand the hype 🙌🏻 We’re into any and all building materials/sets right now (wooden blocks, Duplo Legos, wooden train set) and this is a great addition to that type of play.

We are huge Kiwi Co fans and have done their subscription boxes since Katie was born, which are a great option if you’re looking for activities or something they can look forward to for the next few months. We started with the Panda Crate (0-2) and just recently transitioned to the Koala Crates (2-4). Kiwi Co also has a store front for non-subscription options, and these magnetic cars or this pop-up play mat are super fun.

Cookie stamp set - this cute set could be used for both cookies and play dough!

Bluey Family Car + Camper Van - for all the Bluey fans out there, this set has both their SUV and the camper van from the “Camping” episode (one of our favs!) plus some figurines. The vehicles and figurines are really great quality too. For those (like us…) who got the family car before the camper van was released, they now also sell just the camper on its own with Jean Luc!

Plan Toys Victorian Dollhouse - lots of doll houses can be investments, and this one is definitely a little on the pricey side. The good thing about it, is that doll houses (like blocks and wooden train sets) have a long life and this would definitely be a toy to last through at least early elementary school! It’s also something that can be added on to for subsequent holidays - not only adding dolls and furniture, but this particular doll house can also add a full basement segment so it can grow with your kiddo!

Pretend Doctor Kit - we’re finally dipping our toes into dress-up and more mimick-y play, so a solid pretend dr kit seems like a good choice for kickstarting our dress-up box.

Wooden Farm Animals - Perfect on their own, or when added to blocks/train sets etc. Le Toy Van is one of our fav brands for quality wood toys! Everything we’ve gotten from them has held up well.

Bath Crayons - We’ve been looking to expand bathtime play lately, and we love the regular crayons we have from this brand. A great stocking stuffer/smaller gift option.

Mickey & Friends Blocks - For fellow Disney lovers, there are a few of these new Disney block sets on Amazon (Mickey, Pooh & Princesses) that would make great additions to block sets, or good starter sets! Disney also has a cute Castle set on their site.

Pretend Cleaning Set - If you don’t want to hand over the real cleaning supplies to your toddler yet outside of a broom, this is a cute bundle that would go great with their play kitchen!

Rainbow “Nins”/Gnomes - As I mentioned, we love misc wooden figures to add to block sets/for random play and these would be a great stocking stuffer or to use as little gifts on different days in an advent calendar if you do a more involved set up over the course of the month.

Sumblox booster pack- Sumblox are a cool wooden block set that shows how numbers represent values in addition to sequence. Their starter set is a lot larger & allows more complex set ups (or bigger towers if they just want to use them for building!) but the 1-10 booster pack seemed like the best set for a toddler who is just starting out. You can also purchase the numbers individually to fill out sets/replace missing pieces.