Good Presents for 2 Year Old

I've found that the best toys require manipulation and imagination. Here are the best toys we've bought/received that have stood the test of time for our two girls who are 7 and almost 4:

A big set of blocks of all different shapes and colors

Lincoln Logs & a big tub of Leggos

Art supplies (easel, paints, clay, brushes, crayons, butcher paper, etc.)

Cranium fort building kit (amazing toy! so easy and so fun!)

Wooden puzzles (Melissa and Doug are the best I've found)

The toys that have not worked for us are the ones that you push a button and watch them do something. It gets boring after a few times because there's only one way to play with it - and no imagination required. YAWN!

Hope this helps!

My daughter loves dollhouses. We have a couple but the Melissa and Doug wooden dollhouse is just the right size and comes with furniture and people. Good luck!

A kitchen! They have a red one at Costco right now so your boy can play with it when he gets older too. Stear away from the Rose Petal Cottage. They outgrow it too quickly and have to play on their knees. Dress up clothes would be another idea. Or target has an adorable doll station that has a hi-chair, changing table, etc. Our daughter has a different version and still at 3 years old, plays with it. Here are some links:

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11287412...

http://www.target.com/Battat-Baby-Doll-Care-Center/dp/B00...

They really love anything they can do themselves and use their hands a lot. Books, puzzles, cars, figurines, kitchens, trains, musical instruments. You can get some craft stuff, too, but that requires a lot of your supervision, so may be used considerably less. My son's favorite 2nd birthday gifts were his books, Bee Bop Band and Microphone (both are Parents brand sold at Target), Leap Frog Fridge Phonics, a GeoTrax set, and his Veggie Tales DVDs and CDs have come up in ranks to join his beloved Baby Einstein DVDs. He also loves playing with kitchens, so we're hoping he gets one for Christmas. Also, his older boy cousins have handed down their Thomas the Train and GeoTrax sets as well. Something to keep in mind for your little boy on the way.

My son loved the Leap Pad. The books go in age ranges so it is something that lasts a long time. My son now 11 still uses it for learning Spanish.

LITTLE PEOPLE, LITTLE PEOPLE and more LITTLE PEOPLE.
I love these toys because there is so much diversity. There are dinosaurs and cars for boys and princesses and doll house for girls. For each of the grand kids first Christmas my parents bought the farm. We added pieces each b-day and Christmas until they were about 5. My 8 year old will still play with them if his younger cousins are there.
They allow for pretend and imaginative, are nearly indestructible and no problem leaving them around when the littler one is up and about.
At least take a look and see if there is something you think she would like or get started with presents for the new one.
Good Luck

Anything educational...especially the toys made by the company called Melissa and Doug (you can find them at Target, Barnes & Noble or Geppetto's). Also a play kitchen set that has the appliances...it works really well to hold his attention and still does and he is almost 4. What does not hold his attention is DVD's, but books and music work well also. Good luck to you and best wishes.

My girls are 3 & 4.5 and absolutely love small plastic animals: dinosaurs, safari animals and horses. They have had them for about a year and a half and still play with them every day. They love the Schleich brand of horses & safari animals and slso have Animal Planet brand for more safari animals and Mega Toob for their dinosaurs. They also have a jungle (Toys R Us) and purple stable that all of their animals live in. These toys are great for play together when bb brother gets a bit older too.

a play kitchen. we got one for my dd for christmas when she was 2, she is almost 4 now and it is still one of her favourites. also a doll & accesories is very important with a baby on the way. my girl loves to hold her doll and will feed/change him etc when i am taking care of her little brother. dress up clothes are also a hit. those were the best ones. everything else would hold her interest for a little bit, but wouldnt last long.

We had a little blow up ball pit. Both my kids loved it. You can find them at TRU or Target. Buy toddler puzzles at a teacher supply store-they are big and chunky with wooden handle. We also loved the leapfrog line of toys.

I got my daughter a kitchen set and she LOVES it. Another thing someone got her is the Fisher Price Princess Castle. She plays with that all the time. Both are great for imaginative play.

You have gotten some great ideas - just chiming in to support. My daughter loves her baby and stroller - also, when around a mother with infant, she wants to push her stroller with them and be just like them, so I think it will help when her new sibling arrives. Her kitchen is another favorite - she got that for her 2nd birthday and she loves to cook with it. Those are by far the best, but I will add that a too-too and the Disney princess shoes are very helpful - my daughter loves to care for her baby and cook in her too-too and heels!

The younger the child, the more child centered the toys should be....in other words, items that challange a child's immagination. I read that when a child is under 2, a toy should be 10% "toy" and 90% "child's imagination" with the ratio changing in small increments as the child ages. At that age BLOCKS are supperstars! My kids loved Duplos, (a giant lego) and wooden blocks. Sock puppets or finger puppets were also big hits. I started a dress up box around 2 1/2, cast off old purses, hats, jewelry etc. anything gaudy is well loved (just be careful of long things that can get cught and cause chocking). My youngest swears that she can still remember my playing with blocks on the floor with her at age 3 - she was compelled to build a "home" for everyone of her wild animal figures (the solid kind you get at museum stores are lifelike and wonderful). Hope this helps, Love, L.

Bath toys are an often overlooked but fantastic gift idea! Bath crayons, paint, squirty toys.... there are a ton of fun bath toys available.

Believe it or not, I found I prefered toys that made noise to be my favorite when I had a 2-1/2 year old and a newborn. If I heard the noise, then I knew that he was playing and where he was!

S.,

try DVD player, if he or she doesn't have one yet.

A.

My son loved books, legos, trains (all stuff to pass on to the next child). Hope this helps.

Here is what my 18 month old DD likes to play with.

Her kitchen, her baby dolls, her small stuffed animals, and anything that she can stack and see tumble.

Oh and her big brothers toys too!

I would take her to a toy store and let her walk through it and see which toys she gravitates to. I always have a hard time figuring out what to buy my 3.5 yo son, so every once in awhile I do this with him to see how his interests have changed. Unless the toy involves music or is a DVD, he prefers to play with real life stuff. He spent most of the day in Grandpa's garage yesterday playing with PVC pipes and joints and had a blast! And of course basketball he loves! And books!

If you want a toy that your kids will play with for a long time, I would get the kitchen and playfood. My friend gave us a small one that her kids no longer played with (they got a bigger one as a gift) and my kids love it! They will play with it everyday. And since they are different play levels, this is a toy that they can both play with, and they can play together. I often find my kids playing together nicely pretending to make food and they will play quietly together for 20 minutes at a time.

You should check out craigslist for gently used kitchens. These kitchens usually go for over $60 brand new. I've seen some on craigslist for $20-$50 that usually sell for over $100 brand new.

Another suggestion....a ride on toy. Maybe a small tricycle or a push toy that can later be turned into a ride on toy?

Or a wagon? Both my kids love being taken on walks and riding in their wagon. Just be sure to get one with a longer handle so you don't break your back pulling it. We have one made by Step 2. I got it off of craigslist for $30, retails for over $60.

The company Parents makes a toy that is a cube and there is a shape sorter on one side, a phone that has a dial pad on the other and makes noise, and a few other things that my son loved at his second bday. They have it at Target.

Good luck and congratulations!

Hi, My 2 year old daughter's favorite toys are a play kitchen, doll high chair, doll crib, doll stroller, and dress-up clothes. Play kitchens are great because they will play with them for many years and eventually her little brother will also play with it! A gift you will get your money's worth out of!

I have noticed that the learning games and toys are what my children liked the best. There are toys for the tv and computer which teach them the alphebet and counting, and there are the ones that go in their room.

Just look at what they play with and the shows that they watch. That is the best way to get something for them.

J.

Hi S.!

I have two daughters... a 3 y/o and a 5 y/o(6 in Nov.). They both love playing with a kitchen set. They also love horses, animals, bugs, books, and Discovery Toys!! I usually go for Discovery Toys and books, because they really enjoy them, and I know they're learning while they're having fun! Also, the toys from Discovery Toys come with a lifetime guarantee!! I am a rep with Discovery Toys because of their quality and learning value. I am also a rep with Usborne Books. If you'd like to take a look at my websites, they are:

www.discoverytoyslink.com/julieteutschman

www.ubah.com/X2988

I'm NOT recommending these companies because I rep for them... I rep for them because I recommend them! I truly believe they have some of the BEST products available. Please feel free to tkae a look and let me know if I can be of assistance! Mention Mamasource, and I'll give you a discount!!

Good Luck in your search for the right presents!!

~J. Teutschman

We bought a kitchen for DD when she turned two. Buy quality, I suggest a wooden one (Target or Cost Co.). We like the food with either magnets or velcro on them. Keep it simple then build onto to it- not too much stuff. Get her a toque (chefs hat) and apron.
We also do Little People. It is easy to add on to and pretty easy to store to. Have fun!!

Both my daughters got little strollers for their dollies when they were 2. They are now 7 and almost 4 and they are still rolling those things all around the house!

My daughter just turned two years old. Her favorite toys right now are: A Disney Princess Horse (A large plastic horse with long colored mane and tail which you can brush and style), a plastic tea set, the "Olivia" books, a doctor set, and various stuffed animals. She is really getting into dramatic play and likes to set up pretend situations. Anything that fosters that (i.e. her pretend kitchen, her doll stroller, her cash register, etc.) is getting lots of play right now. It is a very cute age!

A flashlight. Perfect gift for a 2 yr old. And those play forts are fantastic.

I also was going to suggest Little People. My daughter couldn't get enough of them at that age. Also, a baby stroller or toy shopping cart to push around along with some pretend food. Hands down, those were her favorites at that age and kept her busy. What a fun age -- enjoy!

Definitely a play kitchen.
a play vet or doctor set
A petite bike or ride-on toy
Leap frog magnetic talking letters
Leap Frog letter factory video
hand puppets and funny masks
Baby dolls (not Barbies or Pollys yet) - my daughters names all of them after her friends. Excellent baby sibling training!
Musical instruments - avoid the ones that play music, they are annoying and don't teach the child.
Art stuff,and an easel, specially finger paint and washable markers with supervision (she ate all the crayons) - no chalk yet.
Books, books, books.
Music cds music videos, learning videos
Wooden Puzzles, wooden shapes, blocks
toy tools, toy house furniture or even brooms and vacuums.!

I put away toys that don't hold her interest and show them up some time later - and when she gets a lot of presents, i do the same - she gets a lot more excited about the new toy.
Definitely, away with noisy push button toys - my rule is, if I can't stand the toy's music and sound - they are out the door! :)
Congratulations on the new baby to come and best of luck with all!

My favorite gifts to give and receive are books. Books, books, books. :)