Gift Guide for 2.5- 3 year old

 

I'm always on the hunt for toys that are fun for my kids, inspire imaginative and creative open ended play but don't make noise and don't have a million little pieces. Here is what our favorite toys have been: 

Play Kitchen

Yes this is a bit of a big purchase and a bit of an eye sore but is also so much fun. We got the Dutkig play kitchen from ikea. I also bought play food from Melissa and Doug and play pots and pans for it as well. It is easy to go overboard with this. I tried to rein myself back in knowing that I would probably have to clean this up a lot over the next year so less is more. So far this has been a big hit-and its' been a hit for more than one kid to play with when friends come over. 

Dress up outfits 

This one took a little bit to grow on him. When he was 2.5 he was just starting to get into imaginative play. He was a little hesitant at first. Melissa and Doug makes great high quality fun outfits. We got our toddler a doctors/nurse practitioner outfit, a firefighter outfit and a police outfit. My husband also made the wardrobe for all of the outfits to go on. 

Magna Tiles 

I'm not sure why I haven't suggested these sooner but our toddler really got into them around this age. I actually prefer Picasso tiles rather than the brand magnatiles just because they are more basic. We also got him the magnetic cars so you can build cars and trains and he loves it. It's so fun to watch his mind at work building.

Trains 

Trains are a big deal in our house. He loves building train tracks and running his trains. The beauty of this is we don't need a ton of train track for him to have fun. Honestly we don't really give him a ton of it and it works fine. I would get really stressed out with how many pieces there were out when we let him have the whole set. I found it was just easier to put it in a small bin. He doesn't seem to mind. 

Flex Track 

This is a flexible car track that you can set up and run hot wheels cars on. It has suction cups on it so you can stick it to windows and doors and you can easily take it outside. This was a big hit for us. We've run races down our staircase, our dining room table, cough etc. Also very quick to clean up you can just roll it back up. 

Baseball 

This is a fun set to start introducing baseball. Although it can get a bit scary with a toddler with a bat :)

We liked that there was multiple ways to play and that the balls don't hurt if they hit you (which has already happened). 

Knife Set 

Our toddler was eager to help in the kitchen but we didn't want him to cut himself. We found these toddler safe knives that cut food but don't cut fingers. This has been really great for cutting skills and teaching food preparation and independence. 

Stomp Rockets

A fun outdoor gift. We like that you can aim the rockets in different directions. We found our toddler had to jump/stomp on them to really get them to go- but still tons of fun. 

Tonie Box

This is a bit of an investment but we have really loved it so far. They make great little gifts for easter baskets and christmas stockings. I also find that my toddler plays more independently when he's able to put on a tonie and listen to music while he plays. If you want more information on Tonies check out my next blog. 

Little People Sets 

These are great for pretend play. They are also quite durable so they can withstand toddler abuse. 

Favorite books/series 

Yes I know these aren't technically toys but I thought I would include our favorite book series if you are looking to branch out. 

1. Elephant and Piggy- Mo Wilhelms- I absolutely LOVE these books. They are quick reads but have so much emotion and are great at teaching basic life lessons 

2. The Piegon series- Mo Wilhelms- Also a big hit. Simple drawings but also teaching so many good lessons 

3. Llama Llama Series- By Anna Dewdney- Nice rhyming, nice pictures and has some really good topics like missing mama, having a babysitter, dealing with a bully, sharing etc. Helps connect with real life issues 

4. Pete the Cat- Kimberly and James Dean- I'm ehhh on these but my toddler really does like them. The ones where they literally write a song annoy me. The ones with a story are generally good with a good lesson. 

5. Construction Site series - By Sheri Rinker Duskey- these are a little long but they have good rhyming and very pretty pictures. Also is very informative about construction. I also like that some of the construction trucks are female

6. Pout Pout Fish- By Debra Dieson Still a really great series. Very colorful and fun for them to look at while also touching on important topics

7. Bear Snores on series-By Karma Wilson- Love the illustrations on this, the rhyming is fun too. 

8. Dr Suess's- cat in the hat, green eggs in ham etc. My toddler is just getting into these and really likes them. Sometimes they can be difficult to read- theres one in particular that was basically a whole tongue twister so I was like "never again" but overall fun to read.