Buying gifts for my kids, nieces, nephews and my kids’ friends is something I both love absolutely and dread fiercely…
My problem is, I get sucked into hopping from one popular toy to another and looking at the reviews forever.
If you don’t want to go down that path this holiday season, we’ve done the work for you!
Here are the most popular gifts for your little ones, their friends, nieces, nephews, grandkids and more.
And the best part?
They are all from Amazon, they all have a 4+ rating from tons of reviews and most are available through Prime shipping, so even if you are shopping at the very last minute, you might still be able to get them in time!
Many of these I gave to my own children. A lot of them I specifically picked because we use them in the toddler room at my Montessori Preschool (the ones for ages 3+ are used with supervision). Some of these are “classic” enough that you may have played with them when you were a toddler!
Editor’s Note: Also check out our other guides
Alright, here we go –
Toys for Infants
Servin’ Up Food Truck
Of ALL the toys I have ever owned (and there have been many), this is by far the most fun my kids and I have ever had. From infancy, the food items are fun to let your baby grasp and slobber on. As they start to stand, this is a sturdy enough platform to pull themselves up. Then there’s ALL the amazing learning to be done: the sorting cookie trash bin, the food items, the colors of the smoothies, the sizes, the open/closed sign! And the music is amazing; it’s super fun to dance and sing along. Also excellent for sibling play or parent/child connection because one can order while one eats. Truly endless joy.
White Hot Duck Bath Set
This set is great from the time of your baby’s first bath. The white-hot duck tells you if your bath water is over 104 degrees, and the little boats and toy are a great addition to bath time for infants and toddlers.
Fisher Price Stack & Sort Set
Here are two classics combined into one package! Great for dexterity development, motor skills, shape and color recognition. The rings are great to bang, chew and throw too (as well as stacking of course).
Softscape Foam Climber Set
If your little one is crawling, this is a fun set that is soft and low to the ground–it’s so much fun to do baby obstacle courses! Great for developing those little muscles.
Oball
Easy to grasp and throw, the Oball is a great bendy toy for babies to interact with. It can squish easily and is super lightweight; the 32 holes make it very easy for little fingers to hang on!
Glow Light Bar
If you’re okay with lights and sound, this three-language light up bar may be a fun addition to baby’s tummy time! There are animal sounds as well as classical tunes and full songs in Spanish, French and English.
Fun Baby Toothbrush
Brushing teeth is an everyday affair, so why not make it even more fun? These are training toothbrushes for babies and there are some cute options including a unicorn, dragon, shark, octopus and the classic banana! Because it’s a teether, you don’t have to be afraid to just let your baby chew on it as well. You can even freeze it to help numb teething pain.
- Development of healthy habits
- Development of fine motor control
- Development of hand-eye coordination
Caterpillar Toy
This is fun for a little music and some different textures for a baby to explore. A simple toy with some crinkly, musical fun!
Floor Mirror & Contrast Art Book
Give your baby something amazing to look at during tummy time — him or herself! It also comes with a high-contrast flip book of fun images to keep baby engaged.
- Supports cognitive development
- Encourage curiosity
- Develops eye-tracking skills
Stacking Cups
Stacking cups are great for baths and playtime. With a modern color scheme and fun-shaped various holes in the bottom of each cup, these will delight any play area or bathtub.
- Promote hand-eye coordination
- Develop motor skills
- Introduce shapes and colors
Stacking Rings
This stacking set offers more than the norm — each ring is different, providing a range of tactile development opportunities! There’s a squishy ring, a rattling one and many different bright colors and textures.
Musical Egg Shakers
These cute little eggs are easy for babies to hold and they make a pleasing sound when shaken. It’s a classic Baby’s First musical instrument.
- Develop a sense of cause and effect
- Develop rhythm if shaken with music
- Build gross motor skills
Teethers
Baby’s first instinct is to put things in their mouths. Which is why Baby’s first gift is usually a teething toy. This bundle of teethers has different grips, textures, and sounds to keep your little one interested all during that dinner out.
- Bright primary colors young babies can see
- The grips encourage fine motor development
- Patterns on the toys give them practice with eye tracking
Pop-Up Surprise Toy
This is a classic that even I remember being in my childhood toy bin. You turn the keys, put the buttons, flip the switch, and *POP* out comes the smiling face of an animal friend.
- Encourages fine motor development
- Helps with learning cause-and-effect
- Develops problem solving abilities
Crinkle Books
My kids LOVED crinkle books. They loved hearing the crackle and then feeling it crinkle in their mouths as they teethed on it. Plus it was a way they could interact with a book without it being destroyed in four minutes.
- Encourages auditory and tactile sense development
- Encourages fine motor control
- Encourages a love for books
Lamaze Cloth Books
Another book that is perfect for introducing babies to reading. The book has flaps to move to reveal the answer to the questions posed in the book. Mom and Dad can read while allowing baby to interact with the book.
- Encourages a love for reading
- Develops fine motor control
- Builds the concentration and focus muscles of the brain
Rocking Seat
It seems like no nursery is complete without an infant seat. This particular model promises to grow with your child and becomes a toddler rocking chair. I used mine when I needed to cook and my boys needed to play.
- Exercises gross motor control muscles
- Stimulates hand-eye reflexes
- Helps with learning cause-and-effect
Infant and Toddler Swing
Who doesn’t love a swing?? It’s often the favorite place to be on the playground. Swings are perfect for encouraging your child to get outdoors and work off a lot of pent-up energy.
- Encourages gross motor skills
- Helps to develop coordination
Bath Toys
Bath time is a great way to connect with your child. Bath toys can help with building that connection. This one can become a game for baby and parent to play together!
- Helps with hand-eye coordination
- Allows the baby to develop imagination
- Helps to build connection between parent and child
Puppets
Puppets are so much fun for kids and their parents! They allow for imaginations to flow and connections to develop.
- Encourages imaginative play
- Builds the connection between parent and child
Kick n’ Play Piano Gym
Another essential for any nursery is a play mat. They are great for babies just learning how to kick and move and for baby’s tummy time. The piano at the end encourages kicking and leg muscle movement. And it’s great for parents who need both their hands for a couple of minutes.
- Encourages neck muscle development during tummy time
- Develops hand-eye coordination
- Stimulates visual brain receptors
Activity Mat
This play mat is great for even the littlest babies. The enticingly colored toys hanging overhead encourage baby to reach up and touch them. The ball pit and the end is great for when your baby becomes a crawler and wants to interact more with the world around them.
- Encourages arm muscle development
- Develops hand-eye coordination
- Develops gross motor control
Crib Mobile
Crib Mobiles are ubiquitous because they help babies develop the eye muscles that help them focus. The bright colors and different shapes are attractive to them and the musical mobiles help to stimulate the development of cognitive skills.
- Develops cognition skills
- Stimulates eye coordination and development
Rattle and Sensory Teether
Not your typical teething toy. It encourages the baby to hold it with two hands instead of just one. There is also a mixture of textures – the smooth plastic loops and a cloth rattle in the middle. It’s also brightly colored and attractive to babies of all ages.
- Development of fine motor coordination
- Stimulates hand-eye reflex coordination
- Teaches cause-and-effect
Book Teething Toy
This book is so delightful! It has crinkle pages, silky tags, and soft fabrics for your baby to touch, rub, and chew on. The black, white, and red colors of the book are especially attractive to young babies who are still developing their sight and focus muscles.
- Development of fine motor skills
- Development of optic muscles
- Development of sense of touch
Developmental Bumpy Ball
Part rattle, part ball. This toy has big chunky arms on it that your baby can grasp easily. The arms are different, brightly colored fabrics and textures making each touch as new sensation.
- Development of fine motor skills
- Development of sense of touch
- Stimulates auditory development
Take Along Musical Toy Set
Numerous articles have been written about how great music is for babies. These toys help expose your baby to different classical music pieces. And they’re all conveniently sized so you can pop them in your bag and hand any of them to your child while they are in the stroller.
- Development of cognition skills
- Stimulates auditory development
- Helps to promote music appreciation
Take Along Stroller Clip on Toy
This toy is great for keeping your baby occupied while they are strapped into their stroller. It has multiple textures, colors, and sounds packed into one little toy.
- Development of fine motor skills
- Promotion of eye focusing muscles
- Development of sense of touch
Tummy Time Mat
Tummy time is the one thing I clearly remember my doctor advising me to do for my infant. But it could get so frustrating for him! The toys would roll away and holding your neck muscles up like that is hard work! This toy helps with all of that. Plus it’s got a mirror in it, which also helps with eye tracking development.
- Development of the neck muscles
- Development of eye tracking
- Development of sense of touch
Sit-Me-Up Floor Seat
This is great for babies that want to sit up, but don’t have the stomach muscles or balance necessary to do it successfully all the time. I can see using this on the floor next to the dining room table if they are rejecting the high chair. Plus it has several differently textured rings and toys connected to it, plus some of those great crinkle pages.
- Development of gross motor skills
- Development of fine motor skills
- Processing texture and auditory stimulation
Walker
This is more than just a walker. It’s also an activity center, complete with a 5-key piano on it. There is also a shape sorter and all kinds of buttons on it just waiting to be pushed! Walkers are great during that awkward learning to walk phase of toddler development. They keep the child stable and encourage walking practice.
- Development of gross motor skills
- Processing auditory stimulation
- Development of cognitive abilities
Learning Table
As soon as my boys were standing this toy dominated our playroom. They would cruise around it, pushing buttons and flicking levers. It’s a toy that encourages the development of both fine and gross motor skills. It also allows them to delve deeper into learning with sounds, pictures, color buttons, and letters.
- Development of cognitive abilities
- Development of gross motor skills
- Development of fine motor skills
- Development of hand-eye coordination
Wonder Wheel Activity Center
A deceptively simple toy that will keep a baby entertained for an absurdly long time. It can suction cup on to any surface so it’s great for keeping them occupied in their high chair while you finish your meal. And it’s little spinner encourage fine motor skills as well as hand-eye coordination to develop.
- Development of fine motor skills
- Development of hand-eye coordination
- Teaches cause and effect
Baby Jumper Activity Center
Babies love to jump! From the time you lay them on their backs they are kicking with their little legs. And when they start to stand they naturally start to move them to jump. This jumper helps to support their weight while they are giving their quads and calves a workout. Plus there is plenty to do! The seat is also an activity center with a rattle, spinner drum, and lots of animals to grab.
- Development of gross motor skills
- Development of muscles they need later for crawling and walking
- Teaches cause and effect
Folding Wagon with Canopy
Wagons are so great! They can haul everything you need for a picnic or a day at the beach. I also see them every time our town is having a parade. The kids have a place to sit and play in the shade while they wait. Plus there are no tired legs just when the fun is going to get started!
- Development of parent-child bond
- Encouragement of connection with world outside the family
Toys for Toddlers
Toys that Encourage Creativity
Spike the Hedgehog
Spike is an amazing toy for sorting, color recognition, counting and especially fine motor skills. He even acts as a storage for his own quills when you’re done playing so you don’t have pieces roaming around!
Fisher Price Little People Sets
There are many different little sets and all of the Little People are interchangeable. These are sturdy for little hands, and they can take the brunt of a toddler’s play.
Toy Vacuum
Kids love to imitate adults, and this vacuum is a great way to let your toddler join in the cleaning fun!
Squishy Blocks
A different kind of block that’s fun to squeeze, squish, stack and throw — these make for fun stacking toys that don’t hurt if they fall on your toes!
Play Together Piano
A baby piano that can connect to other Baby Einstein Together in Tune instruments so you can have a family jam session…or your toddler can play it alone! Rock out to the beats or play your own on the sensitive wooden “keys” this piano sports!
Green Toys Ferry Boat
Of all the bath toys I own, this has been the running favorite for 6 years. (And it’s also fun out of the bath!) Green Toys uses recycled milk jugs to create their simple and sturdy toys, and this ferry boat with a pull-out ramp and two little cars has provided hours of fun for my kids.
Cocomelon Singalong with Microphone
Microphones are made to amplify the fun! Here’s a little Cocomelon, 5-song speaker for toddlers to rock out with. Enjoy the lights and sounds that your kid can carry around anyhere they went to belt out a tune.
Mega Blocks
These chunky blocks are great for little hands. Building blocks are a classic toy that allows kids to express their creativity. These blocks are sized so that toddlers can easily fit them together and take them apart with a minimum of frustration.
Wooden Building Blocks
I don’t know of a toy box that doesn’t have wooden blocks in it. These blocks are brightly colored and have multiple shapes for maximum creative building and construction. I love that these blocks are neutrally colored as to be attractive for boys and girls.
