After three kids, here are my all-time favorite gifts for Babies, Toddlers and Moms! These are my most used items for everyday life and would make great choices for gifts, baby registries and more.

Hi friends!

I wanted to share my all-time favorite gifts with you guys. In case you missed any my previous gift guides, you can check them out below:

• Small Business Gift Guide
• Kid Gift Ideas {Ages 4-7}
• Gift Ideas for Babies & New Moms {Baby’s First Year}
• Toddler Gift Ideas {Ages 1-3}
• Kitchen Tools For Kids
• Best Toys for Multiple Ages
• Gifts For New Moms
• Gift Ideas for Buys Moms
• Best Gifts For Husbands
• Best Gifts For In-Laws (or Parents)

*Originally posted 11/2019. Updated 11/2023.*

Some of you have asked what my absolute favorites are. I tried to make my previous guides very robust with lots of options at different price points but if I was really going to boil it down to my very favorite things, I could pretty easily pick my top 10 favorites in a few categories.

So, I rounded up my favorites for baby’s first year, the toddler years (mostly ages 2-4) and my current mama favs that I use almost daily. So here are my all-time favorite gifts for babies, toddlers and moms.

Some of the links below are affiliate links from Amazon and other places. That means that if you purchase through them, I earn a small amount at no additional cost to you! Thanks for supporting The Lean Green Bean.

All-Time Favorite Gifts

All-time favorite newborn items

1. Ergo Adapt – Hands down my favorite baby carrier. I have three of them and used them with all three kids. I love the adapt bc you don’t need an infant insert.
2. UpSimples Swaddle Blankets – These are THE softest blankets. Great for swaddling, spit up, lovies, cold weather covering, etc.
3. Lectrofan Sound Machine – A good sound machine is a must-have. I have this one in several rooms.
4. Newborn to Toddler Rocker – I used the rock and play with all three, but since it was recalled, this is my next most-used chair. It got plenty of use with all three as well.
5. Boogin’ Head Pacifier Clip & Zutano Booties – If baby takes a pacifier, boogin’ head is a must to keep from loosing them. But only one of mine really took a paci so I’d also recommend the booties. 
6. Gootensil – The perfect first utensil. Easy to load and great for them to practice with or just chew on when teething.
7. B’apron Baby – The best bib. It goes over the shoulders and ties in the back so they can’t yank it off their neck.
8. Summer Infant Popup Playyard – We used this ALL the time when we owned a gym while my oldest was a baby. Even now we use it in our living room to keep the baby away from the big kids when they’re building, doing train tracks etc. They have a newer model with a sun shade which is great for outside.
9. Laugh and Learn Table – All my kids have loved this. You can put it on the floor without the legs when they’re little and it’s great when they start to stand. Even my big kid still play with it!
10. Sit to stand walker – Another one that’s been highly used with all three kids when learning to walk!

Check out my Baby’s First Year Gift Guide here.

All-time favorite toddler gifts

1. Wooden train tracks – My oldest was non-stop trains from ages 1-3. Most of the brands work together so snag them on sale and build your collection.
2. Anything that encourages open-ended play and has more than one use: trucks/cars +babies/stuffed animals – great for any age. They don’t have to be fancy…the simpler the better so they can use their imagination
3. Play tools and doctor kit and vet set – our three most used “pretend” sets
4. Play kitchen – all my kids have loved this from age 1 and it’s still being use by my 9 year old
5. Duplos – skip the mega blocks big builders and just get Duplos. Big enough for 1-year-olds and my kids used them until they were 4 or 5 before switching to smaller sets.
6. Nugget – Great pretty much as soon as they start crawling but I’d say 2.5 or so is about the time mine started using on their own without needing parent help to set it up and move it around. Big hit from ages 3-6 and still being used by my older kids as well to make forts, cars and more.
7. Magnatiles and/or wooden blocks – Blocks are great for any age. Magnatiles are one of my favorite gifts for 2nd birthday because my kids started using them independently around 2.5. My 9 year old still builds castles etc for his army men with them. Get the 100 pack. Several of them. Just trust me
8. Scooter – Tricycles are great but if you only want to buy one, I’d go with a scooter for ages 2+. My daughter mastered it around 2.5 and with practice probably could have been good at it even younger.
9. Ultimate fort builder – easy to snap together but if you want to build some of the designs they suggest, you have to position the connectors a certain way so ages 3-4 might be a better age to start if no older siblings
10. Art supplies/playdough/water table/sensory bins – check this post for a list of our most used supplies

Find all my favorite Toddler Gift Ideas here.

All-time favorite gifts for kids ages 4-7

If your kids are no longer toddlers, I have lots of toy ideas for kids ages 4-7 here:

Kids Gifts Ideas – Ages 4-7

Mom Favs

1. Able purse – Hands down my favorite crossbody purse. I have 3 of various sizes and love them all.
2. Yeti Coffee Mug – To keep your coffee hot and also minimize spills and potential burns from little hands that are grabbing for your mug.
3. Stitch Fix – Since going shopping is hard! I also love my Lululemon Dance Studio Pants.
4. Slippers – On my feet every day for fall, winter and spring.
5. Pop Socket– A must-have for your phone.
6. Audible or Kindle Unlimited membership- When I have the time and energy to read for fun, this comes in handy for access to a lot of books and Audible makes it easy to listen to books while doing other things.
7. Food processor – Instant Pot – Air Fryer – Nutribullet : My four most used kitchen appliances.
8. Heating Pad – For all your mom aches and pains and also to make your bed warm and cozy.
9. Birkenstock Mayari – My go-to shoe all summer long. Stylish, comfortable and long lasting.
10. Dumbbells – You can get a great workout, even in your living room, with a good pair of dumbbells. 
11. Shark Hair Dryer – Saves so much time drying my hair
12. Airpods – Cannot live without them!

Find all my favorite Gift Ideas For Busy Moms here.

So there you go! I’m sure I forgot something but this should get you started!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Looking for the best toys for multiple ages? Here’s a roundup of toys that all of my kids have played with for many years. They’re great for entertaining a wide range of ages and perfect for keeping siblings entertained!

Hi friends!

When you have 3 kids, you find toys they all love out of necessity. No matter how much space you have, there’s simply not room for everyone to have all their own toys. A common question I get from parents who just had their second or third kid is for a list of toys that all of my kids play with.

I put together a list of my favorites. These are forever toys. The ones you can buy when your first kid is one or two and save until your youngest kid is heading to middle school! Some are expensive, but I think the fact that you can keep them around for many years gives them a lot of bang for their buck! 

If you want more gift ideas, check out these posts:

• Small Business Gift Guide
• Kid Gift Ideas {Ages 4-7}
• Gift Ideas for Babies & New Moms {Baby’s First Year}
• Toddler Gift Ideas {Ages 1-3}
• Kitchen Tools For Kids
• Gifts For New Moms
• Gift Ideas for Buys Moms
• Best Gifts For Husbands
• Best Gifts For In-Laws (or Parents)

So, here are my top 10 recommendations.

This post contains affiliate links where noted. That means when you purchase through my link, I receive a small amount of money, at no additional cost to you! Thanks so much for supporting The Lean Green Bean!

*Originally posted 10/2019. Updated 11/2023*

10 Best Toys for Multiple Ages

Play Cushions

Nugget Comfort

We got this when my older two kids were 4 and 2 and have used it daily since. I even have a whole Instagram highlight of the different ways we’ve used it. It’s great for obstacle courses, forts, watching tv, saving your couch cushions, monster truck ramps, and endless other things!

Magnetic Tiles

Magnatiles are my absolute favorite.

I always recommend people splurge on the name-brand ones because I feel they work the best…and also splurge on the 100 pack because you’re going to want as many pieces as possible. But if you’re on a budget, Picasso Tiles works fine too and they do work with Magna-Tiles – we have some of each kind and use them together.

I also recommend a magnetic board to build on (aff link). If you’re on a budget you can use an old cookie sheet!

Building Block Toys

Duplos

These really depend on the ages of your kids. I recommend skipping Megablocks and going straight to Duplos. With my kids, Duplos were great for the middle years – ages 2-5 – because they’re easy to stick together.

It can be tricky to move to smaller legos with older siblings while you still have younger ones that they can be a choking hazard for. My oldest was happy playing with these until he was about 5.

Classic Legos

Starting around age 4 or 5, smaller lego sets can be a better choice.

Other options: Playmobil — Erector Set — K’Nex

Blocks

Jumbo Cardboard Blocks – a pain to assemble but once you only have to do it once. They’re sturdy and
kids will love to build with, knock down, crash into, jump over etc!

If you want something smaller, go with standard wooden blocks.

Fort Builder

Ultimate Fort Builder – We love this one from Lakeshore Learning and love it. This one  from Amazon is similar. These are easy to snap together.

The only thing to consider is that to make some of the designs in the booklet that comes with it, the red connectors need to be oriented a certain way (there are arrows on them) so I often need to help my kids (almost 3 & 5) set them up.

If they just want to build a big square or rectangle, or their own design, they can connect them however they want. Just throw a sheet over the top and voila!

If you want something easier, consider an Air Fort.

Train Tracks

Wooden Train Tracks – Most of the wooden tracks – Brio, Obrium, Melissa and Doug etc are interchangeable so I’d look for whichever brand you can find the best deal on and you can add more later!

You can set them up in endless patterns and can easily add to your first set to make longer and more complex tracks. They’re also great for traveling. I always pack a ziploc bag full in my suitcase with a few trains because you can set them up anywhere.

Play Kitchen

Step 2 Play Kitchen – There are tons of different models out there so you can browse around and find a design you love, one to fit your decor etc.

We got ours when my oldest turned 1 and all my kids still play with it daily. I highly recommend adding some food,  this shopping cart and cash register to the mix as well.

And then you can save your food and diaper boxes and set up your own grocery store like I did here. 

Doll House

Hape Doll House – I found mine on FB marketplace…a great place to look for any of this stuff, but both my older kids use it.

I’ve found it’s a common thing to have in preschool classrooms and both of my kids started playing with ours at home more after they were introduced to it at school.

Ours was from Plan Toys but this one from Hape is also great.

Occupation Toys & Dress Up Clothes

My kids love their doctor kit, vet set and all of their dress up clothes (order slightly big so they can grow into them and use for multiple years).

They also love their pretend tools, cleaning supplies and explorer set (binoculars, compass, flashlight, etc).

Obstacle Course Equipment

In addition to our Nugget, we also use a balance beam and floor dots to make homemade obstacle courses. You could also add rings, cones and bean bags!

If your kids are slightly older and you have the space, a ninja course can be great for multiple kids.

Sensory/Fine Motor

• Playdough – use it by itself, give them some scissors or butter knives to cut it with, use a rolling pin and cookie cutters etc
• Sensory bins – fill them with kinetic sand, water beads, dried beans or noodles, water, scoops, cups, spoons etc and let them go to town
• Whiteboard and dry-erase markers
• Spray bottles
• Water/Sand table

Arts and Crafts:

• Pipe cleaners
• Clothespins
• Straws
• Pom poms
• Washable paint
• Balloons
• Popsicle sticks
• Paint Brushes  
• Kwik Stixs Solid Tempera Paints – perfect for when you need something bolder than a marker but want it to dry quicker than regular paint
• Do A Dot Art! Markers
• Glue Sticks – I like the disappearing purple ones because they can easily see where they’ve spread the glue
• Markers
• Crayons
• Butcher Paper – for me this is so much easier than single sheets of paper because you can tear off as much or as little as you want each time
• Construction paper
• Scissors
• Hole punches
• Hot Glue Gun 

Physical Activity

• Mini trampoline
• Bounce house
• Roller coaster
• Scooters

General

• Vehicles – dump trucks, cars, construction vehicles, hot wheels…anything with wheels that you can build roads/garages/houses for
• Puzzles
• Balls
• Wooden blocks
• Dolls and barbies
• Little people and toy animals/dinos
• Marble Run (aff link)
• Board games

Want to save these ideas? Pin this post for later!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Need more ideas? Check out these Toddler Gift Ideas geared at ages 1-3, Kids Gift Ideas {ages 4-7} Or my Small Business Gift Guide.