Buying baby and toddler gifts can be difficult. They outgrow baby items so fast, and then they get stuck in that weird space between 18 months and 3 years where baby toys are too babyish and regular toys are too complicated or dangerous. Many people resort to buying clothes, but that can be tricky, too. Most parents I know have clothes for their infants and toddlers still with tags on because they just have SO MANY…and let’s face it, children that age attach to a favorite shirt or two and they end up with very few shirts in the actual rotation. Here are some ideas for babies that aren’t infants, but still need baby-safe toys!
Play All Day Elmo
We have had a variety of “Big Elmos” in our house over the years. We had Big Elmo from Sesame Place, who was my middle son’s BFF until he had a night leak all over Elmo that could not be fixed. We then got a big Elmo that hugged. He was not as soft as first big Elmo, but he hugged my son back. At almost 5, “Big Elmo” still sleeps with him. Now the baby is starting to recognize Elmo, and I want him to have an Elmo of his own. As a Play Like Hasbro Ambassador, I had the opportunity to try out the Play All Day Elmo and he is my favorite “Big Elmo” yet! My middle son is bummed that Play All Day Elmo is his little brother’s new bestie, and I can see why! Elmo plays a bunch of his favorite games with him (Freeze Dance anyone?) and will react when he is tickled squeezed. My favorite part though is that Play All Day Elmo has SO MANY WORDS! Since my 2 year old is right on the cusp of a span of crazy big language growth, I like that Play All Day Elmo has 150 words and phrases to contribute to my baby’s vocabulary!
PlaySkool Fold ‘n Go Busy Elephant
The Playskool Fold ‘n Go Elephant was a favorite in our house. Toss it in your purse, lay it on the floor…it is a toy and activity mat all in one. As soon as one of my friends saw it, she had to have it – so now it is at her house…but we loved our time with it! See a bigger review here.
Weebles
All three of my kids have been obsessed with their Weebles playsets.
Y Bike
My toddler learned to walk with the Y Bike, and now he sits on it and zooms all over the house. This is a high quality “walk behind and ride upon” alternative!
VTech Sit to Stand Alphabet Train
We had the chance to review the VTech Sit to Stand Alphabet Train this fall, and it became an instant classic in our house. It has tons of sounds, buttons, and ways to ride it, but my 2 year old’s favorite part is dropping blocks (or Hot Wheels cars) down the chute and watching them fly into the container under his seat.
Leave a Reply