Best Gifts for Babies and Toddlers, Tested and Approved by Our Own Kids

Featured successful this article

• A Crib Soother

  

  Photograph: Nicole Kinning

  Baby Einstein

  Sea Dreams Soother

  The Baby Einstein Sea Dreams Soother has been successful rotation successful our location since time one. It’s portion sensory toy, portion dependable machine, and doubles arsenic a tummy clip prop with its glowing lights and gentle motion. At night, the instrumentality attaches to the crib and plays lullabies with a brushed glow. I emotion that it combines aggregate uses into 1 machine, truthful it’s a tiny but mighty instrumentality that gets a batch of usage during some playtime and bedtime. —Nicole Kinning

• A Cute and Functional Teether

  

  Photograph: Nicole Kinning

  SweeTooth

  Ice Cream Cone Shaped Baby Teether

  The SweeTooth Teether feels a small extra, but it’s wholly worthy it. Shaped similar an crystal pick cone, it’s conscionable the close size for small hands to grab, and it happens to beryllium the teether my girl reaches for each time. Maybe it’s the subtle saccharine vanilla scent that reels her in—can you blasted her? Bonus: It’s casual to cleanable and dishwasher-safe, which makes maine emotion it astir arsenic overmuch arsenic she does. —Nicole Kinning

• A Modular Play Couch

  

  Photograph: Nicole Kinning

  Nugget

  The Original Play Couch

  As seen successful our guide to the Best Couches, the Nugget is 1 of those gifts that earns its keep. It’s adjacent parts play couch, climbing gym, and speechmaking nook. And small did I cognize that erstwhile we got one, I’d walk mode excessively overmuch surface clip looking astatine antithetic configuration ideas. With an almost-toddler and a corgi that sheds similar nobody’s business, I’m beauteous picky astir fabrics. The Nugget’s microsuede is not lone incredibly soft, but it’s casual to vacuum and spot clean. My girl already climbs connected it, uses it arsenic a table, slides down it with my help, oregon conscionable lounges. I can’t hold to spot however she grows with it, and however my husband—a self-proclaimed nonrecreational fort builder—makes the astir of it. —Nicole Kinning

• Sip-and-Squeeze Cups

  

  Photograph: Nicole Kinning

  730 Project

  Honey Bear Straw Cups

  I skipped sippy cups altogether and went consecutive to straw grooming with this Amazon dupe of the Honey Bear cup. It’s elemental but effective: Give the vessel a small compression to assistance your babe larn however to usage the silicone straw. It fits neatly successful a diaper bag’s vessel pocket, and it made the modulation to straw cups beauteous seamless. It’s besides casual to instrumentality isolated and clean—no fussing with tiny pieces—and it’s sturdy capable to past the occasional roughhousing oregon chewing. —Nicole Kinning

• A New Bath Set

  

  Photograph: Nicole Kinning

  Coterie

  The Skin Essentials

  I emotion “disposable” gifts for small ones. Bubbles, markers, paint, play dough—anything that won’t adhd clutter but inactive feels special. The Skincare Essentials Set from lauded diaper institution Coterie fits perfectly successful that category.

  The acceptable includes 3 products: a soap, a lotion, and a coconut oil-based diaper pick (adorably called Bun Balm). The diaper pick is affluent and silky with conscionable capable gaffe to dispersed without being greasy. The soap lathers beautifully, and a fewer pumps successful moving h2o crook the bath bubbly without overdoing it. And arsenic for the lotion—let’s conscionable accidental I often drawback myself stealing a dollop for my ain hands and face. A acquisition that some babe and genitor volition appreciate!

• A Busy Board

  

  Photograph: Nicole Kinning

  Fat Brain Toys

  PlayTab Modular Activity Board

  This sensory acceptable is genius: It’s a woody committee with magnets and a assortment of attachable tiles, each with its ain sensory enactment (think squeakers, flip switchers, roller balls, and dials). The tiles don’t adjacent person to connect to the board, making them cleanable for on-the-go play. I often flip 1 of the tabs successful my small one’s wagon oregon diaper container for speedy amusement erstwhile we’re out.

  Since my girl started playing with this set, I’ve already noticed her dexterity improving, and she can’t get capable of exploring each the antithetic textures, movements, and sounds. The champion part? Multiple tile packs are available, truthful adding a caller acceptable makes it consciousness similar a full caller toy. —Nicole Kinning

• A Car Seat Toy

  

  Photograph: Nicole Kinning

  Kids Preferred

  Goodnight Moon Soft Book

  This Goodnight Moon brushed publication is 1 of those things I picked up connected a whim, reasoning it wouldn’t marque a quality successful my day-to-day beingness arsenic a mom. Boy, was I wrong! This crinkle publication has kept my babe entertained connected countless roadworthy trips, successful restaurants, oregon immoderate clip I recognize I hide to battalion a small distraction for her successful the diaper bag. It’s packed with textures, sounds, flaps, and adjacent a teether connected the corner, and it clips close onto a stroller oregon car seat. Selfishly, the condensed communicative is besides nostalgic for maine (I grew up with the classic), portion my girl conscionable loves to grab, chew, and crinkle to her heart’s content. —Nicole Kinning

• A Baby Bottle Washer

  

  Photograph: Nicole Kinning

  Grownsy

  EaseClean Bottle Washer Pro

  A babe vessel washer is worthy each penny. I said it. In fact, I wrote a full usher to them, and this was my apical pick. This acquisition mightiness beryllium geared toward parents, alternatively than babies, but let’s beryllium honest: The little clip spent washing bottles, the much clip you get with your baby. The Grownsy’s heavy interior fits everything from 8-ounce bottles to pump parts, truthful you tin load up a day’s worthy of cogwheel astatine once. With customizable lavation modes, this instrumentality softly and efficiently handles each the enactment of cleaning grimy bottles without soaking, scrubbing, oregon chapped hands. —Nicole Kinning

• A Beautiful Swaddle Blanket

  

  Photograph: Nena Farrell

  Mushie

  Muslin Swaddle Blanket

  This swaddle was the superhero acquisition of my babe shower. My lad utilized it each time for his archetypal 2 years. He was a summertime baby, and receiving 2 of these from his aunt was an implicit necessity to person thing to wrapper him successful without making him excessively sweaty. We were perpetually utilizing it arsenic a furniture betwixt him and america truthful that we wouldn't conscionable sweat each implicit each different erstwhile helium wanted a interaction nap. These swaddles were ample capable to assistance screen his babe car spot from sunshine successful the car oregon stroller, and present that he's a toddler it's inactive large capable to usage arsenic a summertime broad for bedtime. It's wintertime now, and we're inactive utilizing these swaddles arsenic 1 of his blankets astatine bedtime. I can't rave capable astir them. If you're giving these arsenic a gift, drawback 2 truthful that Baby volition person a backup erstwhile they spit up connected the archetypal one. There are a ton of pastel colors and cute prints to take from. —Nena Farrell

• A Tummy Time Playground

  

  Courtesy of Target

  Tiny Love

  Tiny Love Super Mat

  My favourite happening to bash erstwhile my lad was truly tiny was spot him connected antithetic colorful blankets and play mats and ticker him acquisition the kaleidoscope of amusement 2 inches from his face. His favourite play mat was a hand-me-down from my ain childhood, but I've been investigating Tiny Love's massive, beauteous mats with my champion friend's baby. The Super Mats are ace for a reason: They're huge! We're talking implicit 3 feet connected 1 broadside and conscionable nether 5 feet connected the other. But that means plentifulness of country for Baby to wiggle and explore. The mat is bully and soft, too, which is large to acquisition to a person with hardwood floors. There's tons of built-in entertainment, similar a small reflector and chewable attachments, which Baby tin larn to crawl to arsenic they explore. —Nena Farrell

• A Pacifier Sanitizer

  

  Courtesy of Munchkin

  Munchkin

  Mini Portable UV-C Sterilizer+

  If your favourite babe is simply a pacifier lover, acquisition them this small sanitizer truthful Mom and Dad tin support those pacis cleanable connected the go. It comes with a small strap to hook it onto a diaper container and uses UV airy to sanitize the pacifier successful astir a minute. It's a useful gadget to person connected the spell aft the pacifier is dropped yet again. You'll inactive request a hitch useful to cleanable disconnected immoderate existent ungraded oregon grime, but I loved utilizing this to consciousness similar I astatine slightest tried to get escaped of unseen germs. —Nena Farrell

• Fun (and Sturdy!) Board Books

  

  Photograph: Nena Farrell

  "Never Touch A..." Board Books

  Look, babies destruct books. I can't archer you however galore books successful my son's country nary longer person covers, oregon person ripped-off flaps and straight-up eaten-away corners. But 1 of the sturdiest publication bid my lad has loved is this colorful 1 by Rosie Greening. There are a fistful of antithetic ones, each with akin titles: Never Touch a Spider, Never Touch a Dragon, Never Touch a Polar Bear … the database goes on. It's each astir ne'er touching a definite carnal oregon carnal unless it's doing thing silly that they'll lone find successful the pages of this book. These books are large for truthful galore reasons: Nice and short! Fun and colorful! Lots of sensory parts to the pages! Hard to rip! My lad got 1 arsenic a gift, and present I'm conscionable continually adding much to our collection. —Nena Farrell

• A Toddler Tower

  

  Photograph: Nena Farrell

  Guidecraft Jr.

  Contemporary Kitchen Helper Step-Up Tower

  I waited excessively agelong to get 1 of these for my kid. He was inactive into it astatine property 2 ½—it was his favourite spot to devour dinner, premix cupcakes, and adjacent gully oregon usage Play-Doh astatine our room island. But I missed retired connected however we could've had each this benignant of amusive truthful overmuch sooner. Especially since this Step-Up Tower from Guidecraft is the caller inferior version, and it's slimmer than the accustomed one. That slimmer size makes it easier to adhd to my kitchen, letting it acceptable successful nicely size-wise without causing immoderate obstructions, and the smaller size makes a smaller kiddo consciousness much secure. The operation is designed for 18 months and up, and if I person different kid, this operation volition beryllium acceptable and waiting connected their fractional birthday. —Nena Farrell

• Cuddly Jellycats

  

  Photograph: Nena Farrell

  Everyone has heard of Jellycat stuffed animals these days; adjacent the teens privation their own. They marque a large acquisition for newborns and toddlers, archetypal arsenic conscionable a small buddy they tin look at, and yet a snuggly person for bedtime and sofa cuddles. Don't beryllium acrophobic to get a amusive Jellycat conscionable due to the fact that it's for a baby, either: My lad has fractional a twelve of these, but his fig 1 favourite is Grizzo Gremlin. —Nena Farrell

• An Early Start connected Lego Love

  

  Courtesy of Target

  Infantino

  Super Soft 1st Building Blocks

  These aren't existent Lego bricks. These gathering blocks, which person a Lego look, are made by Infantino from a ace soft, squishable integrative (BPA-free!) that's casual to stack, squeeze, oregon adjacent chew on. It's a amusive sensory artifact arsenic good arsenic a accidental to larn to stack and physique Lego-style without needing to interest astir crisp corners oregon Baby eating the pieces. My lad mostly wanted maine to physique worldly helium could sound down, but I'm hoping the aboriginal vulnerability leads to a emotion of Lego and gathering that we tin bask unneurotic for years to come. —Nena Farrell

• Baby’s First Barefoot Shoes

  

  Courtesy of Vivo Barefoot

  We're large fans of barefoot shoes astir here, and it turns retired babies tin bask them conscionable arsenic overmuch arsenic adults. My lad loved Vivobarefoot's Pluma Knit shoes close aft helium got the bent of walking. These shoes were bully and comfy to propulsion implicit his chunky feet, and helium utilized the barefoot texture to his vantage to larn to ascent up the descent astatine a ridiculously aboriginal age. He noticeably slipped little erstwhile wearing these, truthful I highly urge them for caller walkers. He had these close aft turning 1 successful a size 6, but they travel successful smaller sizes if the babe you're buying for volition beryllium walking sooner (or has less-fat feet than my kid!). Plus, these shoes get a ton of compliments connected the playground. —Nena Farrell

• For the Gamer-to-Be

  

  Photograph: Nena Farrell

  Fisher-Price

  Game & Learn Controller

  We play a batch of video games successful our house, truthful it's nary astonishment we wanted to snag this babe video crippled controller for our kid. But it's been a fantastic artifact to bring for agelong drives oregon erstwhile waiting astatine a edifice for the nutrient to travel out. There are 2 settings—Learn and Game, per the name—each with its ain acceptable of sounds, truthful it doesn't get excessively boring to usage repeatedly. It's tiny capable to propulsion successful conscionable astir immoderate diaper bag. My lad has liked this mentation a batch amended than the akin remote power artifact ($15). —Nena Farrell

• An Adorable Record Player

  

  Photograph: Nena Farrell

  Fisher-Price

  Classics Record Player

  This small grounds subordinate is for 18 months and up, but that didn't halt my lad from playing with it arsenic soon arsenic helium could belly-worm his mode implicit to it. The Fisher Price Record Player comes with 5 colorful records, each playing 2 songs, and is sturdy capable to past the following: changeless chewing from a teething babe connected some the records and the player, said records being ripped from the subordinate mid-song aggregate times, and an chartless fig of bumps and throws to the instrumentality itself. My idiosyncratic favourite opus is “The Ants Go Marching.” It's a bop. —Nena Farrell

• An Indoor Balance Bike

  

  Photograph: Adrienne So

  Made for ages 10 months to 2 years old, the Early Rider Bella Velio is an indoor equilibrium motorcycle that's amusive for the small ones and beauteous capable that nary 1 volition caput it's been abandoned successful the mediate of the rug again. The monolithic wheels are casual to maneuver portion inactive providing plentifulness of situation for a toddler to larn however to enactment upright and spell successful the absorption they want. The debased illustration means they won't person acold to fall, and starting indoors wherever there's brushed carpet is little stressful connected Mom and Dad. —Nena Farrell

• A Foam and Water Table

  

  Courtesy of Little Tikes

  Little Tikes

  Foamo 3-in-1 Water Table

  I bought my lad a h2o array for his archetypal birthday, and he's loved it some summers of his small life. I really bought him the Step2Rain Water Table ($85) and added connected this rechargeable h2o pump ($17) truthful that h2o would perpetually rainfall down. But if I could spell backmost successful time, I'd get him the Foamo 3-in-1 Water Table instead. It's got a bubble instrumentality and a foam instrumentality built into it, and fto maine archer you: Toddlers spell brainsick for it. My son's person has one, and helium has ne'er been truthful focused (or quiet, praise be) arsenic erstwhile he's playing with foam connected this h2o table. It's designed for 2 and up, but my 1-year-old was obsessed. —Nena Farrell

• A Truck They Can Build

  

  Courtesy of Amazon

  John Deere

  Build-a-Buddy Dump Truck

  This chill toy, made for 18 months and up, lets a toddler disassemble and reassemble a dump motortruck with an included artifact drill and ample screws that connect the truck's pieces together. The hardest portion for my son, adjacent present arsenic a 2-year-old, is remembering however to power the drill's absorption to either enactment the screws successful oregon out. It's a truly chill artifact that volition fulfill the caput of immoderate budding builder oregon puzzle solver. —Nena Farrell

• Screen-Free Music

  

  Courtesy of Yoto

  Technically, the Yoto Player (Read our reappraisal here) isn't for children nether 3 years old. My 2-year-old loved the Mini, though, and I privation I'd gotten it sooner to usage arsenic a euphony container oregon storyteller successful his country during the months of being excessively young to bash much than tummy clip and different locomotion astir the block. The Yoto uses cards with an NFC tag that you registry with the Yoto app, and past they tin play a assortment of euphony and stories. My son's favourite cards are the Super Simple Songs Collection ($35), followed by the Moana soundtrack ($15) You tin adjacent bargain blank cards ($18) and marque your ain customized playlist of content. While the instrumentality is designed for ages 3 and up, determination are inactive cards you tin bargain designed for babies and toddlers; you conscionable request to beryllium the 1 clicking the buttons. But earlier you cognize it, they'll beryllium the DJ. —Nena Farrell

• Backup Crib Gear

  

  Courtesy of Kyte Baby

  Babies are truthful cute, and truthful gross. One infinitesimal they're sleeping peacefully, adjacent they've managed to spit up each implicit the furniture and themselves. Get your favourite babe an other mates sets of sheets for those nights erstwhile accidents happen, due to the fact that nothing's worse than moving retired of sheets astatine 2 americium aft different spit-up oregon leaky diaper incident. I similar this acceptable from Newton Baby ($40) since it's soft, organic, and comes with 2 crib sheets, positive determination are tons of colour combos to take from for Baby's nursery.

  Another bully backup is other swaddles oregon slumber sacks, depending connected however aged Baby is. (Swaddles are for newborns who can't roll, portion slumber sacks are for each different babe stages!) I truly similar Kyte's gorgeous slumber sacks—they're bully and long, truthful my lad didn't turn retired of them arsenic accelerated arsenic helium did Halo slumber sacks. I'd urge a 1.0 TOG weight for astir times of the year, but 0.5 is large for summer, and 2.5 is bully for winter. —Nena Farrell

• Make Chores Fun

  

  Photograph: Amazon; Getty Images

  Melissa & Doug

  Toddler Toy Cleaning Set

  As soon arsenic my lad could locomotion and commencement grabbing things, helium wanted the room broom. My ma saved the time by buying america this Melissa & Doug artifact cleaning acceptable that gave him his ain pint-sized broom, mop, duster, manus broom, and dustpan. It's been large to placate him erstwhile helium sees maine sweeping oregon for him to drawback connected his own. It besides works good capable that I tin usage it successful spot of my ain broom erstwhile helium won't springiness it back. Kids larn fast, truthful don't marque my mistake and person a feline vessel nearby. They'll recognize the mop is cleanable for dipping into it. —Nena Farrell

• A Play Kit by Month

  

  Courtesy of Lovevery

  Nervous you won't find a acquisition that's perfectly age-appropriate? Especially with however overmuch babies tin alteration betwixt conscionable 3 and 6 months, it tin consciousness intimidating to effort to find a artifact they'll emotion and beryllium capable to use. Lovevery's Play Kits are organized successful two- oregon three-month increments (e.g., 3-4 months, 5-6 months, 22-24 months), making it casual to nail a acquisition that's close for their processing skills. My lad truly loved the toys helium tried from the assorted 1-year-old boxes, and the options scope from newborn to 5 years old. —Nena Farrell