'Tis the season? Join the conversation and nail your holiday shopping list. Learn about age-appropriate gifts, educational toys and more. Led by Natalie Gentile, Tinyhood Baby Gear Expert and founder of baby gear and registry consulting service, King Kidlet.
Hi! We have a couple trips coming up and it would be great to have a few small new gifts that will keep the kids occupied while we travel. Kids are two and four. Any ideas for either gifts or stocking stuffers that are small enough for travel? We have a lot of sticker books already. Also my two year old is very active:)
Thanks!
We'd love some gift ideas for our daughter. She is 7 mo old -- looking for something somewhat educational and fun -- and eco-friendly / chemical free. She loves cups so maybe something in the building theme would be great. Oh, and something that she can use now and still enjoy as she gets older and becomes a toddler would be great too! Thx!
Here are some great eco-friendly/chemical free building toys for your 7 month old!
B.Toys B One, Two, Squeeze Blocks are the perfect first building toy. They are soft and easy for small hands to hold and also safe for chewing on as they are both BPA and Phthalate free. And as your daughter gets older, she’ll learn to stack and build with them!
https://www.target.com/p/b-one-two-squeeze-soft-blocks/-/A-51333288
Green Toys is another great ‘green’ toy company. They make these stacking cups which are also great for the bath.
http://www.greentoys.com/green-toys-stacking-cups
Box Blocks work well as a toy that will grow with your child. They are multi-purpose, you can hide toys underneath them, flip them over to use as a drum, nest them and of course use them to build a tall tower.
https://www.landofnod.com/tower-of-babble-stacking-blocks/s156116
These toys from Kid O can be used simply at first and then as your daughter gets older, she can create with them in a more complex way.
https://kidotoys.com/products/hix
Yessss!!! Thank you for the suggestions. Forwarding to grandma now ;)
Hi! What educational toys would you recommend for an active 15 months old boy? We got books, stuffed animals, and other baby (infant) toys, but I would like for him to play with toys more appropriate for his age.
TIA
At 15 months, babies are moving on from their simple toys and are ready for more challenging and imaginative yet age appropriate toys!
For the development of fine motor skills, stacking toys are great such as this one from Melissa and Doug, simple puzzles and shape sorters. I just love this one from Kid O but there are many to choose from! This is also a great age to buy first blocks, Mega Bloks are perfect for little hands.
http://www.melissaanddoug.com/rainbow-stacker-classic-toy/576.html?cgid=shop-by-age-toys-for-12-24-month-olds
https://kidotoys.com/products/sort_a_shape_house
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mega-Bloks-Big-Building-Bag-80-Piece-Building-Set/21577914?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&wl13=3159&adid=22222222227015601251&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=40345063712&wl4=pla-78310713632&wl5=9004372&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=local&wl12=21577914&wl13=3159&veh=sem
Pretend toys are also fantastic for this age. Perhaps a baby doll and a stroller or a toy lawn mower he can push around!
https://www.amazon.com/Umbrella-Stroller-Swiveling-Front-Wheels/dp/B00THOFX4I/ref=sr_1_4?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1512416464&sr=1-4&keywords=boy+baby+doll+stroller
https://www.amazon.com/Little-Tikes-Gas-Go-Mower/dp/B01789JS4E/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1512416303&sr=8-3&keywords=toy+lawn+mower
Can you recommed a jumper for our 8 month old? Looking for a stationary one, not the kind that hangs on the door frame, but that also folds up for when not in use.
Two very good options are the Fisher Price Spacesaving Jumparoo (https://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Interactive-SpaceSaver-4-Position-Adjustable/dp/B06Y3RDT3V/ref=sr_1_2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1512409767&sr=8-2&keywords=fisher+price+space+saving+jumperoo) and the Skip Hop Explore & More Jumpscape Foldaway Jumper (https://www.amazon.com/Skip-Hop-Explore-Jumpscape-Fold-Away/dp/B075XP1VS2/ref=sr_1_1_s_it?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1512409858&sr=1-1&keywords=skip+hop+explore+and+more+jumpscape). Both are capable of quickly folding flat to store under your couch or a crib. The Fisher Price jumper comes at a slightly smaller price point and doesn't have as many bells and whistles as the Skip Hop jumper. But both play music, come with interactive toys and have multiple height levels for as your child grows.
Here are some travel toys that will be sure to keep your kids entertained!
The Land of Nod has really great mini gifts that would make good stocking stuffers and travel toys. Two in particular are this Plan Toys Mini Construction Set and these Mini Push and Go Cars for your active 2 year old to chase after :)
https://www.landofnod.com/plan-toys-mini-construction-set/s433697
https://www.landofnod.com/mini-push-and-go-color-varies/s177302
The Pretend Play World Traveler Set would make for a wonderful travel gift, especially for your 4 year old! It’s unique and allows for a lot of creative, open-ended play!
https://www.amazon.com/eeBoo-Pretend-Play-World-Traveler/dp/B01BCLG86U/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1511676078&sr=8-1&keywords=eeboo+passport&linkCode=sl1&tag=wwwmothermagc-20&linkId=654d46e97dc2b131d2bc0c072959b39b
And I absolutely love the portable playsets from Sago Mini. They are not only adorable but pack up small for travel.
https://www.amazon.com/Sago-Mini-Portable-Playset-Jinjas/dp/B01DOAUTTE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1512491747&sr=8-1&keywords=sago+mini
These are great ideas!