I was shocked when I took the polls to Instagram to see who you found the hardest to shop for and the response was TODDLERS! For me, this seems like the easier age group. They are able to start telling you what they want, have more narrowed down interests and are more into the holiday season.
I am very excited to share my gift ideas for toddlers. Like I said in my previous Christmas Gift Guide for Baby's, I am not here to tell you not to go overboard. When it comes to our kids, we will do whatever we can for them. What I am here to do, is help advise you on items that may be a more worthwhile purchase and a better "bang for your buck".
Here are my tips for shopping for toddlers:
Take them to the stores and let them shop around. See what they gravitate towards and show interest in. Take photos of those items and save them in a folder on your phone. I do this a few times leading up to Christmas to see if Lily gravitates towards the same items or changes her interest. Taking photos allows me to keep a log of items and then watch for them to go on sale. It also helps me keep gift ideas for family members who I know will ask what to get the kids.
For bigger items on your kids list, if you aren't comfortable or even able to afford to purchase them ask family to chip in together. Kids don't need a lot of toys, but if there is one thing on their wish list that is expensive it doesn't hurt to have grandparents, aunts, uncles etc. all chip in to make that dream come true.
Ask for toys that are slightly advanced. This allows you to have a stockpile of toys and games that you can pull from throughout the year as your child grows and develops.
Now that I've shared my go to tips for shopping for toddlers here are some gift ideas that we thought were great!
Puzzles and Board Games
Some board games are too advanced for the toddler age group but you'd be surprised how many ways you can change up a game to work for a toddler and then their understanding will develop over time. Some of our favourite board games are Matching Games, Hungry Hippos, Jenga and Kerplunk. Puzzles are also really huge in our house. We started off with the wooden puzzles, especially the Melissa and Doug ones that make noise it really helps to keep young toddlers interest. But now, have transitioned to 15-40 piece puzzles for Lily.
Experiences
You can never go wrong with an experience! Whether its passes to an indoor playground, a concert or live action play, or seasons passes to a zoo these are guaranteed to please. Some of our favourite local places are PlayVille, Jungle Hut, Splistville Bowling, Duran Place for Kids & Flying Squirrel. Another great experience idea is hiring someone like the Slumber Fairy to come and set up in your house. Lily and I had the most memorable night together during our Slumber Party and it would be a great family experience.
Clothes Clothes may not be the most exciting gift to receive for some but I always recommend purchasing clothing in the next size/season. Even if you gift one outfit and one toy item it balances it out a bit. Toddlers grow out of and can wear out their clothing so quickly so its nice to have items ready in the next size up. I recommend items like t-shirts and pants because they can be worn in a variety of season.
Arts & Crafts
These make great gifts because it is something that parents can put away and pull out on a rainy day when those busy toddlers are itching for something to do. A lot of arts and crafts at this age still require a lot of help but that doesn't mean that they aren't fun! Even if you buy just a bunch of random art supplies i.e. paints, paint brushes, paper, markers etc. and let their imaginations run wild they will have so much fun.
Dress up Items
When Lily turned 2 she started getting more into dress up. What I love about gifting and receiving dress up stuff is typically it can be worn for a long time, especially the accessories. A lot of the dress up costumes are made to fit kids for 2-3 years so there is lots of room for growth. And if you have more than one child you know that your other kids will get some use of it as well. Our favourite place to purchase Dress Up items is from Great Pretenders. They have a HUGE selection of costumes and accessories that are high quality and guaranteed to spark your child's imagination.
Another one of my favourite make believe play shops is the Little Lily Shop. They make the best pretend makeup products I've ever seen! Lily is always watching me do my hair and makeup and wanting to play, so this is the perfect gift for that child in your life who wants to be just like you! Our favourite is the pretend makeup and her pretend hair straightener!
Some of our other favourite purchases for the toddler age group:
- toddler table and chair set (our set is from AH! Woodz which I've linked here! We love that it is Montessori style and sturdy)
- Books two of my favourites for toddlers right now are "My I Am Song" by Kelsie Josephs and "Nothing But Yet" by Jason D'Rocha
What are some of your favourite purchases for toddlers you've found? If someone was to ask you what to get the toddler in your life what would you say?