Toddler Gift Ideas {Ages 1-3}

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These Toddler Gift Ideas make perfect birthday presents, Christmas gifts or everyday surprises. Grab one for your son or daughter or one of their friends!

Hi Friends!

I’ve been meaning to write this post forever. Like…for the past year or so and considering Squish will be 3 years old in just 3 months (WHAT?!) I figured it was time to just buckle down and do it.

I get asked a lot about some of the toys and things people see in my photos and Instagram stories so I wanted to round up some of the stuff Squish has been loving for the past year or two and share it with you. Not everything in this post will be appropriate for every child between the ages of one and three but many of them will be.

Toys can be a bit overwhelming and it’s crazy to me how much kid stuff we’ve accumulated in just the past few years. One thing I did a while ago was clean out a lot of toys and really try to focus on keeping things that have multiple uses and encourage imagination. Things like blocks, trains, play kitchen etc that he can use every day but use in different ways! I love when he gets into his own little world talking and playing by himself and I can just sit back and quietly watch and listen.

So, if you have a toddler of your own or are looking for gift ideas, I hope this post is helpful! A lot of these ideas are great for boys and girls, but I do have a boy so some might be skewed a little more stereotypically “boy”. I did my best to break the ideas down into categories and link to specific products in many cases, although some ideas are just general and I didn’t provide a link. (Note- all the links below are Amazon affiliate links which means I make a small amount of money if you purchase using them, at no additional cost to you.)

Arts & Crafts

I’m a huge fan of having a robust arts and crafts station. Use Pinterest to find some fun, simple project ideas or just take a bunch of stuff out and let them go to town!

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 – to be used by parents of course
Stamps

Physical Activity

Little Bopper Bounce House (on sale for $170 right now) – great for hot summer days or long winters indoors
Radio Flyer Tricycle – they also have a 4-in-1 model that they can start using even younger
Strider Balance Bike
Little Tikes Trampoline
Styrofoam Glider Plane – Squish will run and retrieve this time after time after time
Wod Toys Barbell
Balls
Bubble mower
Traffic cones – great for obstacle courses, races, etc

Imagination

Monster Hunting Kit {Net +Flashlight + Spray Bottle}
Sensory Table – use for water, sand, dirt, etc
Play Kitchen – buy play food, a mini grocery cart, save product packages and make your own grocery store!
Camera – Save your old digital cameras you don’t use anymore. Also check garage sales, etc!
Chalk
Tools – we have about 3 different sets!
Doctor Kit – this one I’m linking to didn’t come with a doctor bag so i bought one separately but there are many sets that do
Dinosaurs
Baby dolls/stuffed animals/baby stroller – my girlfriends with girls say any sort of baby dolls and doll accessories (carseats, strollers etc are a hit)
Cars/Trucks/Fire engines – Squish especially likes dump trucks and garbage trucks that he can put other smaller toys into the back of
Guitar/Keyboard – anything that encourages music is fun (drums, maracas…)

Trains

Trains get their own separate category because they’re such an obsession in our house

Brio Train Track Pack – we set these up on the floor usually but also have a train table. Get a crane! Squish’s fav train accessory.
Train table – look for these tables and train sets secondhand on fb selling groups, garage sales etc.
Wooden Trains – you can never have too many
GeoTrax Remote Control Trains – we got a giant set of these secondhand from a friend. Then I went on ebay and bought a couple extra engines with remote controllers

Motor Skills

Wooden Blocks
MegaBloks
Alphabet Lacing Beads
Playdough
Water Wow Activity Books
Mr. Potato Head
Magna-Tiles – these are definitely for the older end of the age range. They can be a bit a little tricky to get to stick together so I think one year olds might get a bit frustrated
Remote control car
Puzzles

Other

Hiccapop Foam Bed Bumpers – if they’re transitioning to a big kid bed soon, we love these instead of the big tall bed rails
Pottery Barn Kids Sheets – there are plenty of places to get sheets but they have some of the cutest ones!
Reusable Sticker Pads
Water Bottle – toddlers love anything that’s “specifically theirs” so their very own watter bottle, lunchbox, backpack etc are always a hit
Backpack
Books – When in doubt, get books. There are SO many good ones out there!

If you’re looking for something more branded, here are some TV shows that are popular with toddlers. Any merchandise, games, etc featuring these characters would probably be a hit as well:

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
Doc McStuffins
PJ Masks
Paw Patrol
Anything on PBS – Curious George, Nature Cat, Daniel Tiger, etc

Whew! Ok well hopefully this gave you some fun new ideas. If your toddlers or toddlers you know have other favorites, let me know in the comments and i’ll add them to the list!

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