We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed and its publishing partners may collect a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page.
1. A hedgehog named Spike that helps build motor, counting, and sorting skills by fitting peg-shaped pieces into its back. Just don't ask him if he knows Sonic.
2. A set of Magna-Tiles for recreating the works of children's author Eric Carle while building 3D versions of beloved characters like "The Very Hungry Caterpillar."
3. A classic Lego set so your little one can build all kinds of things and let their imagination run wild.
4. A set of handcrafted, nontoxic constellation blocks to learn the symbols, names, hemispheres, and scale of magnitude for 16 constellations in the night sky.
5. An Educational Insights "Design & Drill Bolt Buddies" rocket, because there's no better way to get kids into STEM than by building a spaceship for an astronaut and his puppy pal and using the eco-friendly packaging as a play set.
6. A "Silly Poopy's Hide & Seek" game (from the makers of What Do You Meme?) that actually involves hiding a fake plastic poo that talks and gives clues to its whereabouts.
7. A "Learn-A-Lot Avocados" game, because one's love of guacamole's main ingredient should start at an early age. Plus this toy really helps with the old color identification and matching skills.
8. A two-sided, A-frame art easel with chalk board, magnetic dry erase board, storage, and paper feeder for aspiring artists who are still experimenting with their preferred mediums. Plus it's a great way to teach kids about writing "thank you" notes!
9. A 12-pack of durable and sustainable all-natural pure beeswax crayons that are nearly unbreakable and even come with a money-back guarantee. You better bee-lieve it!
10. A durable, indoor/outdoor ride-on "Up & Down" Roller Coaster to make every day of play (no matter the time of year) a "great adventure" thanks to nine feet of track (as well as an expansion pack for even more room to roll.
For ages 2–5 years
Promising review: "The item is light enough to take apart and move or store. My 2-year-old grandson loves this not just for riding down in the car itself, but he also uses the ramp portion for his own entertainment (i.e., racing his toy cars down it, or trying to use it like a balance beam). It's very sturdy and I feel it is worth every penny spent." —PL
Get it from Amazon for $139.99.
11. An inflatable (but sturdy), easy-to-clean "Bouncy Pals" unicorn hopping toy to help kids learn to balance and develop some core and leg strength in the most magical way imaginable.
For ages 18 months to 4 years
As one reviewer notes, it's technically an alicorn (due to the wings) and not just your run-of-the-mill unicorn.
Promising review: "It was super easy to inflate, came with an extra 'plug,' and is cute enough to give a T-rex a cavity. The material is VERY sturdy…reminds me of what you would make an inflatable raft with…really tough! My granddaughter loves it, even just to sit on and watch tv. The cover is easy to clean (by hand, allow to air dry) and not difficult to put back on and zip. I’m pretty sure it will be around for a long time!!!" —Athena L.Stallman
Get it from Amazon for $32.99.
12. A Playmobil Noah's Ark, because toddlers tend to lose a thing or two and this play set comes with pairs of figures (doubles!) that can be played with on land and sea (but preferably not thrown into the air).
13. A three-wheeled micro scooter with an adjustable handlebar to grow with your toddler as they improve their balance and motor skills while whizzing by at seemingly breakneck speeds. Also includes a two-year manufacturer's warranty.
14. A solar-powered Pretend and Play calculator cash register that makes a "cha-ching" noise every time it opens and will introduce concepts of math and finance to your kids as well as soon-to-be-outdated-in-their-lifetime concepts of cash and coins.
15. A 22-piece shaking, tapping, beating, and blowing wooden instrument set to serve as your toddler's very own beat-lab, just as long as they don't actually beat anyone with their new musical toys.
16. An 18-piece Fisher-Price "S'more Fun" campfire play set that trades all the danger of wood-chopping, roaring-fires, and grizzly bear attacks for kid-friendly wood accents and soft fabric. Plus no marshmallow and chocolate stains!
17. A horn-honking, headlight flashing remote control race car with three removable driver figures for toddlers to get their first taste of simplified RC-fun with forward and reverse left functions.
18. A Manhattan Toy wooden pony activity center with flapping ears, gliders, spinning dials, bead runs, a shape sorter, and letter recognition which makes total horse sense for your toddler.
19. A thoughtful (but still fun) Educational Insights Playfoam "Shape & Learn" counting set so kids can squish, squash, and sculpt not only numbers (based on the included flash cards) but whatever their burgeoning imaginations come up with!
20. A sports center that should inspire you and your kid to get up off the couch, stop watching Sports Center, and learn about numbers and counting through the scoreboard and all the gears and buttons. Also, please resist the urge to dunk on your child.
21. A 600-piece set of Plus Plus interlocking puzzle blocks (made in Denmark so you know that it's quality) for building flat or 3D creations that's less likely to injure adults who step on any errant pieces in the middle of the night.
22. A Fisher-Price "Laugh & Learn Smart Stages" Puppy or Sis with 75+ songs, phrases, and sounds that teach the kiddos about shapes, numbers, the alphabet, and parts of the body (by squeezing its ears, feet, and hands).
23. A Learning Resources "Peekaboo Learning Farm" with five barnyard finger puppets (and their respective colorful barns) for little hands to develop motor skills and little minds to begin to master some math.
24. A Yookidoo Baby Bath Spin 'N' Sprinkle Water Lab for sneaking some "science" into bathtime by turning the tub into a water park complete with "Googly Eyes" and spinning wheels.
25. Or an interactive floating octopus bath toy so they can have a splash-time pal that isn't your run of the ~bill~ rubber ducky. This tentacled friend is wayyy cooler, since it's equipped for ring toss.
For ages 18+ months
Promising review: "Awesome toy for bath time. My baby loves it. It doesn't let any water get in it, so it doesn't get moldy inside. The material is similar to silicone, so it's easy on the baby's gums when he chews it and no risk of it hurting him when he kicks around in the tub! Totally recommend! —Aaron Ryan Welch
Get it from Amazon for $7.53.
26. A Hape Quadrilla Super Spirals building blocks set for all the marble madness and Rube Goldberg goodness a kid could possibly enjoy.
27. A VTech "Touch and Learn" activity desk with five interactive pages and more than 200 "touch and learn spots" on each card, a music player, toy phone, and LED light-up display for nonstop learning and playtime. Also transforms from a desk into an easel and chalkboard for more lo-fi fun.
28. A Little Tikes rocking horse that'll keep the kiddos from falling forward or back whether they're galloping into the final furlong in the living room or just taking horsey for a quick ride in the backyard.
For ages 12 months to 3 years
Promising review: "If you want to win over your grandbaby, this is the gift! My grandchild was not quite a year old and she loved it. Immediately upon opening it, she wanted to get on it. She rocked and rocked on it. She would scoot the thing through the house and climb on it and set and play. Surprisingly, her older sister and brother also would sit on it and watch television. It has held up for almost two years while getting rained on, but they still sit on it and it still looks like new and has not faded or broke down." —becky harlow
Get it from Amazon for $34.69+ (available in two colors).
29. An eight-pack of popping tube sensory toys they can use to build shapes, letters, numbers, and everything in between, all with a simple *pop* into place!
For ages 3+
Promising review: "These are fun for kids of all ages. My grandbabies love them because they can hold them in their baby hands. They are brightly colored and flexible. Unlikely to hurt anything. Older kids like them for the noise they make when they are stretched or closing. They create long chains (they attach to each other) and wild twisty things. All in all, a good toy for this grandma to have in her house." —Katy
Get it from Amazon for $9.97 (also available as a four-pack).
30. A 10-pack of Play-Doh that there was no way in hell that you'd ever be able to avoid buying. Fortunately, it's all nontoxic, nonirritating, nonallergenic and the packaging is recyclable. But, yeah, it still smells like Play-Doh.
31. A 36-piece wooden pattern blocks animals jigsaw puzzle with patterns for creating animals, vehicles and whatever else your child's rampant imagination can come up with while "developing spatial awareness, color and shape recognition, hand-eye coordination, and problem-solving."
32. A three-chord Loog Mini acoustic guitar so you can start teaching your little punk kid the entire Ramones catalog. Comes with flashcards of chord diagrams and full access to the Loog Guitar app. Hey! Ho! Let's go!
33. A set of Blockaroo magnetic foam building blocks sure to "click" with the young builder in your life. Plus they'll take a beating but come back looking nice and clean after bath time play or a run in the dishwasher.
34. "Rock me, Amadeus!" A magic cube so kiddies can compose and remix some of Mozart's classical music masterpieces. It's baby's first beats lab but, like, totally classy and classical.
35. A four-wheeled, Hape "Scoot Around" ride-on" wood bike with rubber wheels that'll take it easy on your floors as your toddler develops motor skills as well as strength and balance (because wood ain't light).
36. A 112-piece "Build-a-Flower" toy set, because any aspiring botanist or florist needs to start somewhere especially when tracking dirt into the house is never the preferred parental option.
37. A built-to-last, no lead, no plastic, nontoxic, 14-piece magnetic wooden block set for kids to create all manner of creatures and objects that will serve as a soft introduction to all types of modern art.
38. A light-up "LeapFrog Pick Up and Count" vacuum with bouncing balls to teach your toddler to pick up after themself while making it seem like "fun."
39. A personalized superhero cape to get your kids into cosplay while encouraging them to create their own characters and stories. Plus, who doesn't look great in a cape?
40. An "itsy pack" of Clixo building toys combining origami, magnets, and building blocks for a completely new and unique way for kids to create and play.
41. A kids selfie camera with 32GB SD card, 8 mega-pixels, 1080P video and nearly 8K five-star reviews on Amazon! But the real gift here is not having to surrender your phone to future social media superstars of the world.
42. A durable metal Big Dig sandbox digger crane with 360° rotation for serious backyard, beach, or playground excavation projects. No permit needed! Just a great prezzie the kiddies will, um, totally dig!
43. A big, 'ol, 111-piece, made-in-the-U-S-of-A tin of real maple wood Lincoln Logs that were actually invented by the son of Frank Lloyd Wright and not by our 16th president. So you're giving the gift of American architectural history as well!
44. A Hand2mind Numberblocks MathLink Cubes activity set based on the award-winning BBC series that actually makes learning numbers and math fun (and musical) in the best possible way (kids learn, parents enjoy it too).
"1-2-3-4-5-Numberblocks!" is a theme song that I hear multiple times a day and have still somehow not tired of. Why? Because my kid loves it and so do I. Maybe it's the catchy tunes, maybe its the British accents, but this show gives every number a personality (some of my favorites include 8, 13, and 15 but you'll have to watch to find out why). So it's no surprise that the toys based on this show are just as fun and educational. I wish I learned about numbers and math this way instead of through flash cards and times tables. Lucky kids!
Get it from Amazon for $24.99.
45. A Bluey Mega Bundle Home & BBQ playset that packs four different rooms of fun in the Heeler house plus the barbie in the backyard! The best part is that the set combines the family figure four-pack (cue theme: Mum! Dad! Bingo! Bluey!) with the BBQ and home sets.
Promising review: "My kids love this Bluey house. It was cheaper to buy this set than the house on its own with the separate barbecue and family sets. My kids play with it all the time and they can be a little rough on the toys. They’ve held up extremely well although we’ve only had the set for a couple weeks. Mine was packaged in a separate box so the contents were hidden (which was great since my kids always come with me to the door)." —jmb
Get it from Amazon for $59.99.
46. A box of 72 mini dinosaur toys because sometimes gifts aren't about the quality but the quantity and what kid doesn't love a whole mess of thunder lizards?
Also great as cake toppers and party bag favors!
Promising review: "HI, we were quite amazed at the variety of dinosaurs included in our pack. We expected the usual three but got quite a variety of dinosaurs and we got three or more of each. The colors were fantastic. Bright vivid blues and greens and purples. The size was relatively small which worked well as my daughter used them as homemade Valentines for her friends. Overall, we were very happy with our purchase." —H. Bowen
Get it from Amazon for $9.99.
47. A 14-piece, nontoxic Hape wooden tool box and accessory play set to lightly and gently hammer home the basics of building and repairing while fine-tuning those hand-to-eye skills. This prezzie will pay dividends when they're older and you need help with actual projects!
Includes: wooden tool box, hammer, screwdriver, wrench, three sets of screw and screw caps, board connector, two gears and plastic nail.
Promising review: "After watching his dad and me put together his new toddler bed, my son got super excited over 'helping' to fix things, but of course letting him use real metal tools wasn’t something I wanted to do just yet...so I was trying to choose between a plastic set of tools that were cartoonish styled, and this wooden set that was a little more expensive. I am soooo glad I got this set instead! It’s not been out of the box more than 30 minutes, and he has learned how to hammer in 'nails,' take them out again with the back of the hammer, use a wrench And screw driver in tandem to work a 'screw' and 'bolt,' as well as put gears on the side of the kit so that they spin each other. The tools are all very well made but not heavy, so there’s no fear of him breaking stuff if he decides to run around hammering things." —Khestra
Get it from Amazon for $19.73.
48. A washable plush Little Tikes dino pillow racer ride-on toy that's just like riding on a pillow, except that pillow is on four caster wheels, has an easy-grip handle, and is, you know, shaped like a non-specific species of dinosaur.
For ages 1.5+ years and a maximum 50 lbs.
Promising review: "This is the best thing I’ve purchased for my son in a while. Home run. He’s obsessed. He’s 23 months and very active, so I wanted to give him something that would burn some energy that was also safe. He hasn’t stopped smiling and riding this since I gave it to him earlier today. It took me 30 seconds to assemble. I’m just so thrilled I found this." —mcs930
Get it from Amazon for $50.69.
49. A two-sided Learning Resources "Big Feelings Pineapple" so kids can learn emotions (as well as their opposites) and express their big feelings (and little ones too). Adult bonus to this gift? You can store all the parts inside the pineapple!
Promising review: "We love this pineapple! It’s been a great help for us when we talk about emotions as a family. I really like the feelings poster (would love if it was a bit larger!) and I love that the pineapple has two sides. Learning Resources products are impressive! I also appreciate the online resources they have (free printables) that can be used with the pineapple. Highly recommend!" —Katie Shuknecht
Get it from Amazon for $7.99.
50. A three-in-one tent, tunnel and ball pit to transform any home into an ~exciting play zone,~ where little ones can crawl, explore and fling balls (don't ask!) for hours on end, while the grownups kick back with a glass of wine.
51. A personalized wooden name puzzle to add a little dose of cuteness to a toy shelf and help strengthen motor skills at playtime. Win-win.
52. A Lego Duplo car wash set that'll have your kiddo squealing "ka-chow!" with delight upon discovering they can build their very own Lightning McQueen and Mater and then push the toy cars through the "car wash."
This set comes with drivable models of Disney and Pixar’s Lightning McQueen & Mater from the Cars movies, plus a brick-built car wash with a movable washing arm, and a spinning tuning table for kids to carry out repairs using the wrench.
Promising review: "My nephews love their Lightning McQueen and Mater. Hopefully they will have more characters to play with soon." —SeniorGhostlyElectrolyzer
Get it from Lego for $29.99.
53. A Plus Plus Big construction building set packed with 15 "shapes" to construct the featured animal or anything minds can imagine and little hands can, well, handle. A big bonus to this gift? All the sets work together!
Promising review: "I got these for my 3-year-old for a seven-hour flight and two weeks of road tripping and she absolutely loved them! She played with them all the time and never got bored with them!" —Meetmow
Get it from Amazon for $9.99+ (available in multiple styles from animals to figures to a Christmas tree).
54. A two-sided Learning Resources "Big Feelings Pineapple" so kids can learn emotions (as well as their opposites) and express their big feelings (and little ones too). Adult bonus to this gift? You can store all the parts inside the pineapple!
Promising review: "My son has been obsessed with this pineapple since he was gifted it for Christmas. Really great way to introduce them to emotions and point out the key features of those emotions. Body language is a huge part of communication. He loves making all the different arrangements and was stoked to see that he could put a face on the front and the back. Very well made." —Nick Parisi
Get it from Amazon for $7.19.
We've also got you covered with recommendations for under-$15 parenting products with five-star reviews, BTW.
55. An Educational Insights "Design & Drill" Bolt Buddies fire truck that teaches the concepts of construction and engineering with a working but still kid-safe drill. Plus the eco-friendly packaging that turns the box into a play set is a bonus gift to Mother Earth.
Note: requires three AAA batteries (not included).
Promising review: "This Design & Drill Bolt Buddies Fire Truck has many layers of fun. My daughter loved to attach the wheels with the drill, put stickers on the truck, drill the bolts and use the fire and water attachments in different ways, configure and seat the firefighters and dog and use her imagination to 'drive' the truck and be a hero. The 'splash' drill bit is fun and I love that the firefighters' heads and hats are interchangeable and that they have different expressions. It's a nice-sized truck that can endure some heavy play. The box can be turned inside out to build a cool play set, and as a parent, I love that all the pieces can store inside the truck." —N. Min
Get it from Amazon for $29.99.
56. A lightweight but durable Ten Little recycled backpack made from (you guessed it) 100% recycled materials, with side pockets for water bottles and juice boxes and plenty of room for lunchboxes, toys, and extra clothes. Plus you can hide another present inside!
Ten Little's Everyday sneakers are amazing so I'm super psyched for their take on your little boo's first backpack!
Get it from Ten Little for $28.80+ (originally $36; available in three colors).
57. A Polly Pocket unicorn party play set with over "25 surprises to discover" including a stream of confetti (so watch out). It's like the gift that keeps on giving!
Promising review: "This is a perfect birthday gift! While yes cleaning up confetti is annoying, for a kid on their birthday the confetti is so special and fun! My daughter absolutely loved this set! Perfect for a kid into unicorns! Great price for a unique gift that looks like it cost more!" —Drbananakins
Get it from Amazon for $24.97.
58. A bean bag toss game for kids to develop the most important hand-to-eye-skills necessary for backyard good times. Folds up for storage and easy portability (like indoors).
Promising review: "I needed something that would keep my three-year-old busy while I cooked dinner in the kitchen. This thing is amazing. It fits nicely in my small kitchen, and I can even toss the bean bags with him while I cook. So we are interacting, he is entertained, and not tugging on my leg every few seconds. It also provides him something that he can do on his own. You can stand it up, or lay it down, and it provides two different levels of difficulty. It folds up really small and comes with a carrying case, so we can easily take it with us on vacations and such! I'm pretty happy with this purchase." —Jose Martinez
Get it from Amazon for $19.99+ (available in four styles).
59. A Melissa & Doug multisensory soft taco "Fill & Spill" toy for the young culinary entrepreneur to ensure that every (play) day can indeed be Taco Tuesday.
60. A bilingual LeapFrog Learning Friends 100 Words Book so that when kids touch each picture, they hear the animals teach age-appropriate words along with facts and sound effects in English and Spanish. Also great for parents trying to learn that second language too. (Like me!)
61. A developmental "Zany Zoo" wooden activity cube for refining those fine motor skills with five sides of fun featuring alphabet tiles, a bead maze, zigzag tracks, peek-a-boo doors, and more!
Think of it this way, if your life already looks like this one of these toddler toys might actually give you a few more minutes to catch your breath during the day.
For more toy and gift ideas for different age groups, check out these guides...
Best Toys And Gifts For 1-Year-Olds
Best Toys And Gifts For 3-Year-Olds
Best Toys And Gifts For 4-Year-Olds
Best Toys And Gifts For 5-Year-Olds
Best Toys And Gifts For 6-Year-Olds