Toy Holiday Gift Guide
We have curated our top favorites as developmental and play specialists!
Check out our recommendations, send to your friends and family, and happy holidays!
The Crinkle Fish: This doubles as a book AND a toy! I love that it has little flaps to encourage reaching and grasping, a teether, a squeaker, AND a mirror. It’s a great toy for the car, tummy time, and while sitting on your lap!
The Soft Black and White Book: A soft cloth book is a must have for baby. Place it on their chest when they are in the play gym and they may grab it and bring it to their mouth. High contrast images are excellent to keep attention as baby’s eyesight increases, and you can machine wash it. SCORE!
The Ankle and Wrist Rattles: These are SO cute! They help baby turn towards their hands and they help teach cause and effect when they are on their ankles. Baby will move their legs and hear the sound, which motivates them to keep kicking and moving their feet!
The Infadent Finger Brush: Getting in baby’s mouth early is important! You can use this soft brush to help baby get used to the feeling of toothbrushing (which can literally start at 5-6 months if baby pops a tooth on the earlier side!) It will also help them get used to the feeling of teethers in their mouth (which I recommend introducing around 3 months of age). Oral play is a good thing! Pop a finger brush on and get in there gently!
Avocado Stroller Toy: Are we shocked? I love this toy in particular because of it’s size and it doubles as a shaker! Imitating shaking is usually one of baby’s first motor imitation skills. Plus you can hang this from your play gym bar too or carseat handle! It’s nice and long so baby can go to town swatting at it!
Kick + Play Piano Gym:Yes, it busts out the most annoying tunes and it’s not aesthetically pleasing, BUT it’s a great toy! For tummy time, kicking those feet in the play gym, reaching for toys, you name it- it does it! It’s a registry staple and great for babies 0-6 months. Remove the piano once baby can sit up, and your little one will play with it for well over a year.
Crinkle Taggie: What is it with babies and tags? This toy is great for tummy time once baby can reach or just in the car to keep them occupied! The crinkly sounds and textures motivate them to keep touching it and exploring.
Contrast Book: We know that babies cannot see so well early on, so the higher contrast the toys, the better! It keeps baby’s attention and helps them scan the pages. Soft books are also easier for baby to hold and explore.
The Hungry Caterpillar Carseat Toy: It plays the CUTEST song “You are my Sunshine.” And the different tags, teethers, and little mirror motivate baby reach and grab.
Wooden Play Gym: Especially if you have smaller spaces, a wooden play gym bar is great! You can easily move it from room to room, and just add a blanket under baby’s back and you’re good! Hang anything you want from the bar to easily change out what baby is looking at and playing with.
Tummy Time Water Mat: This viral mat really does keep baby’s attention! As they move and lay on it, the pieces inside move around and keep baby’s attention! As they get older, they will tap and reach for the mat too. Great bang for your buck!
See Me Floor Mirror: This is my favorite floor time mirror for a few reasons! It has a little rolling ball at the bottom so when baby reaches for it, the ball spins! It also has crinkle components and the mirror is large, so baby can see themselves well.
Nuby Teether: This is my favorite first teether for baby! It is easy to hold, doesn’t go back too far in the mouth, has subtle bristles that give some texture, and it comes with its own hygienic carrying case.
Baby Einstein Musical Toy: Perfect for 3 months and older, this rattle plays the best classical beats and motivates baby to keep hitting that big button to hear more!
Rolly Poly Owl: We have this and love it to engage baby in sensory play with bouncy balls, glowing lights and fun songs and sounds.
Avocado Guitar: A FAVE! Baby will love to try and spin the avocado pit, push the light up buttons, and hear the riffs on the guitar. It’s been a favorite for my littles from 3-18 months!
O-Ball: This is a classic gift for a little one under 6 months. It supports grasping (a skill we expect to emerge between 3-4 months of age and refine closer to 6 months), and it’s colorful design is great for a little one’s eyesight. For just a few bucks, it’s a great toy!
VTech Crinkle + Roar Lion: This colorful lion can provide tactile stimulation with different tags, rings, and crinkle sounds.
Num Num Spoons: These flat spoons are great! I like to use them without food during baby’s first few experiences in the high chair. Baby can practice bringing these spoons to their mouth and use them like teethers before puree or mashed solids are put on. Then, when they are introduced with food, baby is more familiar with them and more likely to accept bites!
Never Touch A Koala: You can never go wrong with books! I love these because of the fun colors and the way it integrates sensory play while reading.
Hedgehog Grasping Toy: A great first rattle and has pointed teether parts on top that are great for mouthing! I recommend introducing around 2-3 months once baby starts reaching for items in the play gym. Bringing a toy like this to their mouth is usually the first step for self-feeding (already, I know, how cool right?!)
Stacking Cups: These are great for grasping before baby can sit up and once they can sit better, build a tower and have baby crash it down!
Who Do You See Soft Book: This book is awesome because of all of the tails! Perfect for baby to grasp and bring to their mouth, and helpful for baby to practice turning pages. Plus, you can machine wash it!
Montessori Spin Drum: Perfect for baby who is sitting with support or starting to sit on their own. It prompts them to reach out and touch the spinner- so it’s great for working on sitting balance, as well as modeling words like “more, go, stop, spin.”
B. Toys Soft Blocks w/Silicone Inserts: I love these blocks! They’re soft to practice stacking, and the silicone inserts can be used as teethers, too.
Comotomo Teether: My all-time favorite teether! It is easy to hold and has finger-like stubs that are great for baby to chomp on, without them going too far back to constantly gag! I recommend introducing this one around 4-5 months of age and continue to offer in play as baby nears 1.
Activity Cube: We LOVE this cube- perfect for a new sitter, stander, walker, and toddler, too! Spin the sides while sitting, push the beads on the track while standing, and label the animals, too.
Spinning Suction Toys: We love these! Fun for the bath, or suctioning on a window or the high chair. Good for busy hands!
Maracas + Shakers: A colorful musical toy for baby 6 months and older! Model the word “shake.” As your little one grows into toddlerhood they will continue to play, too!
Bongos: Another musical toy that Penelope loved! Model words like “bang, boom, tap.” A fun toy for learning cause and effect, and engaging baby.
Farmyard Activity Cube: My daughter really liked this one! Baby can do hands-on play with crinkle pages, mirrors, and listen to melodies.
Pop-Up Toy: This is a great toy for baby who has started sitting up with support or who is pushing up high in tummy time! They can easily push down the pop ups and you can model functional words like “up, down, more, pop” and signs like up and down and clapping, too!
Tissue Box Toy: This is such a great toy for a new sitter, and for baby practicing pinching skills, too! Baby can reach in and take out a colorful “tissue.” Put it on your head and “sneeze” it off, too as a fun game.
Laugh + Play Car: Helps develop gross + fine motor skills, and fun pretend play. This got so much use in our home with Paul and now Penelope is loving it! A gift that can grow with your little one and last.
Wooden Ring Stacker: Introducing this toy around 6-9 months is great for baby to practice pulling the rings “off!” and as they get older they can work on putting the rings back “on.” Great for fine motor and speech-language skills!
Pounding Bench: This was one of Penelope’s favorites and Paul still plays with it, too! Great for functional play, practicing and developing fine motor skills.
Learn + Spin Aquarium: This is a great toy for a sitting or kneeling baby to “push!” The lights and music are motivating for baby to request “more.”
Laugh + Learn Piggy Bank: I like introducing this more precise type of shape sorter around 9 months of age as baby’s pincer grasp comes in and they understand the concept of “in.”
Sit-to-Stand Learning Walker: My favorite walker. Great for the sitting baby to learn and explore, then transitions to a walker.
Giant Spinning Stacker: This is a really fun toy for baby who is sitting, crawling, standing and walking! Help baby put the spinning rings on the top and watch them spin alllll the way to the bottom! Model “go, top, spin, fast, slow, more, all done.”
Learning Table: Great for a baby who is pulling to stand or cruising, as they can make their way around the table to play.
Melissa + Doug Pelican: I LOVE this pelican toy for modeling “eat,” following directions for “put in,” and imitating eating sounds like “mmm, mmmm, mmm.” It is constantly one of my best sellers in my Amazon storefront.
Press and Go Toy: This is a great motivator to get baby on hands and knees and moving!
Melissa + Doug Pull-Back Cars: These were a huge hit with Paul and continue to be. Pull them back and watch them go - a great motivator for littles learning to crawl. I love these because they grow with your little one!
Ark Y Teether: This is a tough teether, but great for building jaw strength! The shorter ends are great for biting on both sides, and they all have different textured ends. I recommend offering around 9 months as chewing skills continue to build for harder foods.
Busy Ball Popper: Great for practicing functional language! Use for requesting more, practicing early sounds, and working on fine motor skills.
Collapsible Crawling Tunnel: It fans out to be a big toy, but folds up to fit in the closet! This is a great indoor play toy to motivate baby to crawl. Pop some toys in there and encourage baby to get them and “bring them back.”
Laugh-and-Learn Car: Helps develop gross + fine motor skills, and fun pretend play. This got so much use in our home with Paul and now Penelope is loving it! A gift that can grow with your little one and last.
Animals Sound Puzzle: Perfect to motivate your little one to imitate! Remove the puzzle piece and put it back to hear the sound! Also great to work on pinching (15 month milestone)!
Matching Eggs: These are great for color and shape recognition and fine motor skills, and can also be used for pretend play while your little one makes breakfast for you!
B. Toys Instruments: Musical toys are a fun way to engage with your child and make different sounds! Model words like, “bang, boom, shake, tap.”
Melissa + Doug Wooden Blocks: This is great for starting to build and stack with your little one. I love this because it grows with your child, too!
Poke-a-Dot Books: These books are great for promoting finger isolation and pointing.
Learning Tower: A great way to get your little one involved in food prep! We love ours and it’s super easy to wipe down.
Latches Activity Board: Six different locks to practice problem solving and build dexterity. You can practice colors, numbers, and animals, too!
Take-Along Shape Sorter: Paul has this and it was a favorite toy around 2 years old. This one offers great opportunities to talk about shapes and colors, and I love how portable it is! A great toy to travel with.
Melissa + Doug Birthday Cake: We love this one and it’s on frequent rotation at our house. Paul practices serving us slices and pretends to blow out the candles. This one is great for practicing social routines and more pretend play! I recommend for 18+ months.
V-Tech Alphabet Train: This is such a versatile toy! The blocks go down the shoot and into the back of the train, and you can push them into the side of the train, too. Label the common objects on the blocks, follow directions for “in, on, down” and also ride on the train as a fun gross motor experience!
Pretend Play Food: Food galore for the play kitchen! An assortment of fruits and veggies and opportunities for pretend play. Also, practice slicing the velcro food.
Water Table: These are tons of fun in the warmer months and promote sensory play, too!
Cutting Fruit Set: This is one of the best cutting sets as the velcro sticks but isn’t super tight and the pieces aren’t too small to be too cumbersome. Perfect for 18 months and older!
Spike the Hedgehog: Work on fine motor skills and/or counting while you stick the “spikes” in the hedgehog. The spikes can be stored inside of Spike so it’s easy to store!
Melissa + Doug Smoothie Maker: One of Paul’s all-time favorites is this toy smoothie maker. I bought this for him at 16 months and he’s still playing with it now. Endless pretend play!
Toy Vacuum: This swivels and has light suction to help engage your little one in pretend play. This can help them feel involved in helping around the house!
Melissa + Doug Folding Barn: A barn with a handle and folds up! A barn is a fantastic pretend play toy, and since pretend play skyrockets around 15 months and onward, this is a great toy staple. Label the animals, prompt your toddler to imitate animal noises, and create play scenes together.
Take-Along Tabletop Train: Paul has and loves. It provides great opportunities to target functional language like, “go” and “stop.” Easy to travel with and occupy your little one, too.
Dust, Sweep, Mop! Set: Great for realistic pretend play, and for the toddler who loves to help!
Tool Box: Little ones can pretend play while practicing hand-eye coordination and problem-solving with this set. Paul has and loves!
Road Rug: Great for the transportation enthusiast. Use functional language like “stop, go, around” and practice driving to the store, school, home + more.
Coffee Maker: I love this for acting out routines and taking turns. Paul loves to make my coffee in the morning!
Green Toys Tea Set: This has been one of Paul’s favorite toys. I love Green Toys because they’re so well made! A great set for pretend play!
Learning Tower: A great way to get your little one involved in food prep! We love ours and it’s super easy to wipe down.
Melissa + Doug Bake + Decorate Cupcake Set: Perfect for a birthday gift and perfect for pretend play too! You can model blowing on the cupcakes to cool them off, putting them in an oven to bake, and more. Label colors, practice turn taking and requesting, and feeding others, too!
Triangular Crayons: The triangular shape means they don’t roll off the table - and promotes writing-readiness.
Farmer’s Market Sorting Set: These are great for toddlers just getting interested in colors and double as pretend play food! Great quality- Paul plays with this all the time.
Magnetic Tiles: I love these for building and for no-mess artwork. If you have a magnetic garage door, you can let your little one create art there! Bonus: you get some time outside, too.
Bubble Mower: This is a great fun outdoor activity for pretend play and of course bubbles! Practice “mowing” and “water the lawn” with the bubbles that come out!
Melissa + Doug Wooden Farm Train: We have this, and Paul loves it! Use this for pretend play, learning colors, counting and more.
Sticker Book: You know that I LOVE these books. We also have the Animal Habitats and All Around Town and they are great for restaurants, doctor’s offices, waiting rooms, anything! So many pages, and each sticker page has a coloring page too- so it’s a coloring book and sticker book all in one.
Play Sink: Paul has this and LOVES it. Can wash dishes for hours. Plus, it comes with food and plates and the plates will change color when the water gets warm so you can check the temperature. GENIUS.
Duplo Lego Set: This little set of Duplo blocks is a great gift for a small holiday. It also is a great way to play pretend with a more concrete toy. Great for 18 months and older!
Hot Wheels Track: Paul LOVED this for his second birthday! See which car will go fastest down the shoots- practice waiting, model “ready, set, go” and let your little one choose their car. A great gift for a car loving little one.
Melissa + Doug Tea Set: This one is so cute! Great for imaginative and realistic play, and it holds up really well as it’s made from good nontoxic materials- plus made in the USA.
Melissa + Doug Slice and Bake Set: Practice serving cookies to family members, cooling them off by blowing on them, dunking them in a pretend cup of milk and so on! Any pretend play food item comes with endless opportunities to play.
Sensory Bin: These are great for pretend and sensory play! The Ice Cream Shop one is one of our favorites and the bin closes nicely for storage!
Abby + Emma Dress-Up: A great way for a little one to play dress up that doesn’t take up that much space!
Hape Dollhouse: We got this for Paul for Christmas and he loves it! It’s awesome for imaginative play.
Melissa + Doug Pizza Set: This one is so much fun! Easily put toppings “on top” of the pizza. Label, engage in pretend play, follow directions, and more!
Green Toys Car Carrier: Another one that Paul has and loves! Endless fun with taking the cars off and playing separately, or loading them up together!
Busy Board: These are great for combining fun and learning. Your little one can practice skills like buckling, zippering, etc. Something like this would be great to take out to dinner or church - busy hands for quiet time.
Toddler Cutting Set: This set is so cute for your toddler to help you in the kitchen! It easily slices things like bread, softer fruits and veggies and cheese. They will feel like a little chef next to you!
Tonie Box: This is a great alternative to screen time. Littles can listen to stories during “quiet time” or before bed, and different characters can be put on top to tell different stories (e.g., Lion King, Paw Patrol, etc.)
Lacing Beads: Perfect for working on precision fine motor skills and for identifying and labeling colors!
Ice Cream Set: A sweet set for pretend play- comes with so many ice cream add-ons to really make so many different combinations.
Magna-Tiles Set: This Safari themed Magnatiles Set is great for building and pretend play, too. Bring other safari animals that you have into play and add other Magnatiles to your collection as you want!
Melissa + Doug Fresh Mart: A larger pretend play item, your little one can re-enact going to the supermarket and checking out! Super fun way to play with foods that’s not a kitchen.
Hope you enjoyed these explanations of some great fun and functional toy recommendations across ages!
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