Top Ten Gift Ideas for Toddlers

Kitchens

My boys loved a toy kitchen from around 15 months when they started to get a bit steadier on their feet. They loved opening and shutting the cupboards on a toy kitchen and playing with the kitchen accessories. For some reason toddlers love to put things in and out of cupboards and a toy kitchen is perfect for this. Of course when they get older, kitchens are great for imaginative and pretend role play too. 

Ride on Toys

There are some great ride on toys suitable from around 1 year. By 18 months my youngest son absolutely love his Little Tikes cozy coupe car as well as all the other ride on toys he had at nursery and the toddler groups we went to. Ride on toys with storage at the back are always popular as toddlers love to put things in and out of the storage and carrry stuff around with them. My nephew just loved to carry round a tool set everywhere in his ride on. 

Drawing Toys

Many toddlers are interested in drawing with pens and crayons from a young age and there are lots of toys to facilitate this. An aquadoodle is a great toy and little ones use a pen filled with water to draw on a mat so there is no danger of drawing with crayons on the walls or on themselves. An art easel is another idea. We use our art easel outdoors to draw and paint without in the summer withouth having to worry about the mess inside. Check out this article on art easels for toddlers. 

Pretend Play

Toddlers are just starting to get immersed in imaginative and role play. There are tons of toys for toddlers to facilitate this. They include tea sets, playhouses, kitchens (see above), cleaning sets, tool kits, dressing up clothes, princess towers, knight castles, play food and lots more. 

Music Toys

Toddlers love music toys. Ideas include drums (what toddler does not enjoy banging on a drum), keyboards, toddler pianos, toy guitars, shakers and bells. 
Music toys are great for introducing new sounds and rhythm. They are also great for showing cause and effect which is probably why toddlers enjoy banging on the drum so much. 

Construction Toys

My eldest son absolutely loved buildng toys from a very young age and he can't be the only one as there are a huge range of construction toys aimed at kids from as young as 1. Very young toddlers will probably enjoy builidng a tower with some stacking cups or soft blocks. As they get older look for megablok toys and lego duplo. The great thing about these kind of toys is that the blocks are big and chunky so easy for little hands to control and manage. 

Trikes, Bikes and Scooters

There are trikes, bikes and scooters all aimed at toddlers of all different ages (from as young as 1 up to age 3). Very young toddlers will love to get outside on a trike with a parent push handle. A parent can use the handle to push tots around. Most of these types of trikes will develop into an independent trike as the toddler gets older. 
A balance bike is a really cool gift for a toddler. We got one for our son on his second birthday and it wasn't long before he was whizzing around. 
You can also get scooters for kids from as young as 1 or 18 months. 

Outdoor Toys

Little kids love being outdoors and there are lots of toy ideas for the backyard. Ideas include play tents, water tables, toddler swings, slides, tunnels, ride on toys and trikes, bikes and scooters (see above). 

Educational Toys

Lots of the toys already mentionned have educational value but there are some toys which have more learning value than others. Look for toys that teach numbers, phonics and letters. For example, the leapfrog phonic fridge magnets teach the letter sounds of every letter in the alphabet and toddlers love playing with them on the fridge. Sorting, stacking and matching toys are also educational. Also, don't forget jigsaw puzzles and books. 

Trains, Cars and Garages

My younger son absolutley loved playing with toy cars, trains and garages as a toddler. Bigger, chunkier cars are great for young toddlers as their little hands can control and maneuver.