When it comes to surprising our toddlers with toys, it can often be hard to predict what they will adore and what will get a lot of use. But we're here to help you curb any shopping anxiety! From small items to bigger picks, we have you covered. Check out our favorite options this year. From educational to fun, these are the cutest items your toddler is sure to love this holiday season.
Magna-Tiles Arctic Animals 25 Piece Set
$39.99
from
Maisonette
Magna-Tiles have become such a hit with little ones and this Arctic-inspired set, which includes a magnetic seal, whale, penguin, and polar bears (mama and baby!), is a perfect addition to any playset. The kit encourages interest in STEAM learning and champions creativity.
Octoray Transforming HQ Playset
Kids can recreate the Octonauts adventures with new toys based on episodes from the new season of Octonauts Above & Beyond (now available on Netflix). The Octoray Transforming HQ Playset is a seven-piece set that includes the Octoray, removable Mini-Ray vehicle, 3" Captain Barnacles Figure, and three Creatures (Chinese sturgeon, giant panda, and Chinese giant salamander). The Octoray has an opening ramp, a moveable lift, and spinning engines, as well as over 25 sounds, phrases, and lights to keep kids entertained.
Munchkin Fishin' Toy
For some fun during bath time, check out this fishing bath toy. Your toddler can have a blast fishing while getting clean. The magnet bobbers are fun and help build eye-hand coordination.
SoapSox Kids Exfoliant Bath Scrub
Not only will this toy help your child get clean, but it is also fun to play with. It is shown here as a lion, but there are many options depending on what your child is interested in — like a turtle, elephant, or unicorn. Have fun playing in the tub with this one as your child has bath time.
Lego Duplo Town Farm Animal Care Building Toy Set
Toddlers are just the right age to begin learning how to build. This Duplo farm set is an ideal toy since the pieces are larger than classic Lego bricks. This set is a fun option for your toddler to work on their hand-eye coordination and begin having fun with building. Plus, it's cute.
Baby Shark Song Cube
If there's one sea creature that your toddler is likely to be super into, it's Baby Shark. This toy is adorable, soft, and plays the tune that your child loves. You can sing along as the toy plays the theme song.
Melissa & Doug My First Wooden Stamp Set
For toddlers who are a bit older, these stamps are a great addition to craft time. Your child can learn how to use these adorable farm animal stamps to bring fun to artwork and as a way to work on dexterity. It comes with eight wooden stamps and two ink pads.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Finger Puppets
For some great holiday fun, check out these finger puppets based on Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Your child will have fun playing with and acting out scenes from the movie with these super cute puppets! You even get to have the abominable snow monster join in on the fun.
Learn-A-Lot Avocados
These adorable avocados will help teach your child about feelings while improving fine motor skills. They can act out stories with these toys that are great for small hands. They also are wonderful for a matching game and helping kids recognize colors.
Hape Penguin Musical Wobbler
This adorable penguin toy will delight your toddler when he finds it in his stocking. It is colorful, wobbles, and plays music. What could be better than that? Your child can have fun batting him around and he will stand right back up. This penguin is a super cute stocking stuffer.
Melissa & Doug First Play Wooden Jumbo Knob Safari Animal Puzzle
There is pretty much no thing as starting a child too early on puzzles. Just be sure they have minimal pieces. This puzzle from Melissa & Doug is colorful, darling, and only has a couple of large pieces. It is appropriate for ages 12 months and up.
Coco Village Wooden Coffee Maker Set
$44.99
from
Coco Village
How often do you find yourself saying, "They just don't make things like they used to!" Well, this well-crafted toy coffee set is not only adorable, it's durable, which is ideal for our rough-and-tumble little ones — and our wallets.
7 Rolls Colored Masking Tape
Tape in all different colors has many uses when you have kids. You can decorate things with it or create roads or obstacles courses on the floor. By having all of these colors, you can do so much. Plus, the tape is easy to remove, which is good for parents, too.
Skip Hop Baby Bath Bee
Kids can never have too many options for bath toys. This one is great because they can squeeze water, play, and bathe at the same time.
Melissa & Doug Food Groups Wooden Play Food
$27.99
from
Melissa & Doug
This best-selling set features items from the five food groups for healthy pretend play, including watermelon, corn, milk, cheese, cereal, fish, eggs, and more. It's educational, fun, and colorful screen-free play. Yay!
Dinosaur Crayons
If there is anything more cool than coloring with regular crayons, it's coloring with dinosaur crayons. These adorable crayons will have your toddler smiling when she finds them in her stocking. Great for coloring or playing!
12 Pack Assorted Mini Plastic Vehicle Set
Another thing that you can never really have too many of are fun little cars. These are even more adorable because they have faces on them! There are 12 of them in this pack that features different vehicles. They are great for playtime and while traveling.
Elephant Warmies Stuffed Animal
Not only is this stuffed animal elephant super cute, it can also be a great calming tool for your child. It's cuddly, and contains dried lavender. When you heat it up, it can help relieve stress and reduce anxiety. In case your toddler isn't a fan of elephants, there's also a penguin and a giraffe.
Fisher-Price Little People Farmer & Animals Figure Pack
These sweet Little People figures, which include both people and animals, are easy for your little one to grab and play with to create fun stories. They are great for toddlers as young as 1, and are compatible with other sets by the company.
Melissa & Doug Cutting Fruit Set
This gift is also a great stocking stuffer for older toddlers, and helps work more with dexterity. Kids want to mimic everything we do, including some of the adult-only stuff, like cutting up food. With this set, your child can pretend to cut fruit right along with you.
Melissa & Doug Bowling Friends Preschool Playset
$32.99
from
Melissa & Doug
Because most toddlers love knocking things over and banging things up, this seven-piece soft-plastic bowling set is perfection. The six different character pins feature bright colors and raised textures, and foster early physical and social skills. Win!
My First Phone
With how much adults use their cellphones, it's no surprise that kids are always super interested in them. Why not get them something they can play with on their own instead? This kid-friendly cellphone has a magnifier screen and fun colorful buttons for them to play with.
Melissa & Doug K's Kids Pull-Back Vehicle Set
Going back to younger toddlers, we have this soft toy car set. These are safe for babies as young as 9 months old. They will still roll and can be fun for young and old toddlers alike. The set includes a family car, a school bus, a police car, and a fire truck.
Toddler Water Bottle
Staying hydrated is important, so getting your child his own water bottle is a fun idea for a stocking stuffer. These are the cutest ones and kids will love the animal theme. You can get a tiger, raccoon, bear, or frog. The bottle is stainless steel, so the water will stay cold.
Mini Silk Streamers
$10
from
Bella Luna Toys
This adorable wand comes in three varieties: heart, star, and rainbow, so you can pick the best for your child. Your toddler will have a lot of fun doing magic, playing pretend, waving the ribbon around in the air, or even pretending to fish with it!
*Psst: if you choose to purchase an item from this post, CafeMom.com may receive a small cut. Each item and price is up to date at the time of publication; however, an item may be sold out or the price may be different at a later date.
