Best toys for 2-year-olds: our guide to the best gifts for little ones

LEGO is a brand that has established itself as a children's classic, loved by adults and children equally, and their Duplo sets for toddlers are no exception. Promising hours of safe, creative play, your child can let their imagination run wild and create all kinds of structures and creatures.

Popular amongst Mumsnetters, this starter box is our pick for the best DUPLO set. It has 65 classic bricks, two figures, a car, windows, a roof, two loaves of bread and some flowers, which can all be conveniently stored in their Lego-shaped storage box (to avoid any feet-related accidents).

The set even includes a starter booklet full of ideas, helping inspire them and bring their imagination to life. The only problem is they'll love it so much they'll want to add more sets to the collection!

Read next: The best books for 3-year-olds, according to Mumsnetters

Cheap and cheerful, these brightly coloured stacking toys stack inside of each other for easy storage, whilst offering a wide range of educational benefits including colours, counting and construction.

Lamaze Pile and Play Stacking Cups are an ideal toy for two-year-olds and make a fun and educational toy both in and out of the bath. With 8 cups in the set that can be stacked on top of each other, children will love creating towers, aligning each cup in reverse size order before knocking them down and starting all over again.

Ideal for developing your toddler’s hand-to-eye coordination, these budget-friendly cups can also help build an awareness of colours and encourage children to count from 1-8 as they add each cup.

Read next: The best trikes for babies and toddlers, as recommended by Mumsnetters

There’s something mesmerising about magnetic tiles - perhaps its the satisfying click as they fit together, or the infinite shapes and structures that can be made with them. Whatever it is, plenty of Mumsnetters say their two-year-olds get absorbed in these for longer than other toys - leaving them to grab a cuppa or go for a wee in peace. 

Most magnetic tile sets are usually for ages 3 and up, but we found this bargain set which is suitable from 2 months. Learning how shapes fit together and experimenting with 3D shapes will develop your child’s creativity, as well as nurturing their problem-solving abilities.

Related: The best STEM toys for kids of all ages

With a removable board for feet, the Cozy Coupe has been a much loved toy for generations, initially pushed along by a parent, before allowing your toddler to control the movements themselves, moving their feet Freddie Flinstone style to navigate around their surroundings. Instantly recognisable, it's a real classic that will be played with over and over - plus they're easy to re-sell. That's why we think it's still the best toy for a 2-year-olds.

A fun ride-on toy with wheels that spin 360 degrees, the Cozy Couple can encourage even the most reluctant of 2 year olds to go and play outside, imprioving gross motor skills whilst encourtaging creativity, imagination and communication skills too.

This original design Cozy Coupe comes with an ignition switch, opening fuel cap, working horn and easy open door and can easily With a variety of different designs to choose from, you can even pick up a police car, princess, black cab or dinosaur version to help bring your child’s interests to life.

For fun, fresh air and five minutes' peace, check out our round-up of the best outdoor toys for kids.

If your two year old is car obsessed, they’ll absolutely love this two-storey interactive garage from Vtech Toot Toot, a fun and entertaining toy that encourages imaginative play and refines those fine motor skills.

With one musical car included, children can navigate up and down the ramps to the turning station, petrol pump or electric meter, before heading to the shops and getting squeaky clean at the local car wash. Drive over one of six Smart Point locations across the garage to trigger lights, sounds and music - be warned though, the music is incredibly catchy, so parents will soon find themselves singing it in the shower.

Read next: The best train sets for toddlers and children

Happyland is a much-loved brand from the Early Learning Centre and comes well-recommended for two-year-olds within the Mumsnet forums. The small but hardwearing Happyland characters can encourage imagination, creativity and role play, as they use the pieces to act out different scenes and stories.

The Happyland Farm playset comes with fifteen pieces including 2 friendly characters and six adorable animals as well as a pen, stable and tractor. We love the interactive sounds that can be played by pressing the buttons on the roof.

Read next: The best books for 2-year-olds, as chosen by Mumsnetters

With realistic colours and lovely quality, tactile wood, this ice cream set from Melissa and Doug is a thing of beauty. 2-year-olds love to play either side of the counter, and it’s a fun and easy game for them to play with teddies, siblings, friends and parents. 

The clever scoop is easy to use for little hands, and the set comes with a toddler-friendly menu. Kids love to stack the ice cream scoops and add toppings to make tall and delicious-looking creations.

Related: The best stairgates for a safe, toddler-proof home

If your 2-year-old loves getting crafty, drawing or painting but the thought of getting the paints out around your cream carpets just isn’t practical, Aquadoodle is a great solution.

This portable fold-out mat comes with a water pen that allows children to get creative without any mess, creating watermarks on the mat as they run the pen across the surface. The water fades completely once dried, allowing the mat to be reused over and over again.

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There’s a lot to be said for a stuff-free birthday gift. Especially when it comes to toddlers, Mumsnetters often recommend experiences over toys, so we wanted to include this in our round-up. 

A season ticket to a local zoo or attraction is always welcome, or if you’d like to leave your options open one of these vouchers from Buyagift. Little ones love a special day out and their parents will thank you for one less toy to add to the mountain.

Read next: The best toy storage solutions for a clutter-free home

If you’re looking for a large kitchen for your toddler that comes with plenty of accessories, this Smoby Tefal model is the perfect choice. Designed to look to mimic a real-life kitchen, it has a range of fun extras including a Magic Bubble function on the hob which boils water and pasta that changes colour in the water.

It has all the standard features you’d expect plus a fridge, table, espresso machine and recipe book, as well as 40 accessories, including pots and pans, sauce bottles, salt and pepper shakers, cups, and food items – more than enough to keep your child busy for hours! The kitchen is large enough for two children to play with and the worktop can be adjusted to suit children as old as eight. Although, it is pretty hefty so make sure you have the space prior to buying!

Read next: Our pick of the best play kitchens for kids

It’s a playhouse, it’s an easel, it’s a shop, it’s a den… cardboard playhouses like this one from NOVECRAFTO have so much play potential. Let your child loose with some felt tips or stickers to customise the playhouse, pop some of their favourite toys inside and voila - hours of fun. 

This one is made of good quality cardboard that should last pretty well, and it’s easy to assemble. Naturally, it won’t withstand getting wet or being leapt on, and pets might try and chew its edges. When it’s eventually time to say goodbye to the cardboard playhouse, it can go straight in your recycling bin.

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Wooden train sets have been around for years, but children still love building tracks and watching trains go around. BRIO’s My First Railway Beginner Pack has been designed with toddlers in mind so they can start creating tracks as young as two years old.

The 18-piece pack makes a simple circular track easy enough for toddlers to build and it comes with a wagon that makes a fun noise as it goes around. There’s also a colourful bridge and ascending track so children can watch the train go up and down.

The great thing about BRIO is you can buy lots more tracks, trains and accessories to connect together so children can keep on creating and expanding their own little world, it’s also compatible with most other brands, helping you expand your collection without breaking the bank. We think this is the best train set for 2-year-olds.

Screen-free entertainment with cute and engaging characters, the Toniebox Starter Set is a popular audio player made specifically for children aged 3 plus.

With padded sides for protection, this portable child’s speaker works with Tonie characters (sold separately) that can play content such as stories, music and activities once placed on top of the Toniebox. Children will love selecting their own characters and deciding what to listen to next, whilst the hand-painted characters make a fun toy to play with in their own right.

The Toniebox Starter Set comes with one Creative Tonie included, a cute character that can be loaded with up to 90 minutes of audio of your choice. You can even record yourself reading your child’s favourite bedtime story - a great way to help them drift off to sleep.

Want to know more? Read our in-depth Toniebox review.

Sand and water tables are popular amongst Mumsnet users and their toddlers, especially in the summer months. Perfect for keeping cool and getting outside, some parents report that their two-year-olds even play withn it during the winter too.

Versatile, portable and easy to set up, this double-sided sand and water table includes moulds, a sand rake, a scoop and boats to enable hours of outdoor, screen-free fun. The set is brightly coloured can even be left outside in all weather thanks to the handy storage lid which will protect the sand from the elements.

The only downside is that sand is not included, so you’ll need to purchase play sand separately!

Travelling with a 2 year old can be challenging, but this small and portable audio player for kids can certainly take the stress out of car and plane journeys.

With an audio port for headphones, children can select from a range of Yoto cards (sold separately) and choose from a selection of stories, music, activities and even meditations to help keep them calm and comfortable during travel without relying on tablets.

The Yoto mini is small, lightweight and easy to carry, whilst providing educational and entertaining audio to listen to on the go.

Intrigued? Read our full Yoto Mini review.

Attaching to the side of the bath or tiles, the Tomy Toomies Foam Cone factory is a fun, interactive bath toy that can banish boring bathtimes for good, using water and bubbles to bring your child’s imagination to life.

With three cones included, your 2 year old can simply pull the lever to fill one of three plastic cones with white fluffy foam, creating fun ‘ice creams’ for siblings and family members that can have ‘sprinkles’ added on top. Children will love taking orders, communicating with parents and placing their creations along the side of the bath.

Loads of moving parts and two characters make this set perfect for imaginative play. The tipper truck can fit DUPLO bricks or other small toys, while the excavator has a movable cabin and shovel.

The two vehicles are very easy to put together with just a few large pieces each. Your little one might like to combine the pieces with the rest of their DUPLO collection to personalise the trucks, or play with them as is - they're fun either way. DUPLO is pretty easy to clean, so these trucks would work well in a sand pit.

The ultimate open-ended toy, there's no limit to what these colourful arches can become, given a little imagination. While there are many stacking rainbows at lower prices available - like this one from Jaques of London - Mumsnetters agree that none of them can hold a candle to the Grimms rainbow.

Because of its great quality. size and versatility - not to mention its impressive resale value - the Grimms Rainbow is a cut above the rest. The coloured arches can be animals, houses, boats, sculptures, fences, tunnels, bridges... the possibilities are endless. It's very good looking too, so even once it's eventually grown out of, it'll look good on your mantelpiece.

This budget-friendly dinosaur toy has already been put through its paces by one Mumsnetter, who sings its praises for being 'chuck-and-bash proof'! With detailed colouring based on museum pieces, this chunky T-Rex is sure to please young dinosaur fans.

Standing at 36cm, you're going to want to make sure you have room in the toy box.  Though there are no sharp edges to worry about, you'll still want to make sure that it won't be used as a weapon against annoying siblings. Reviews state that it's robust enough to withstand rough treatment from lively children. Perfect.

It’s great to get creative but drawing can sometimes get a bit messy, with paper, crayons and pen lids flying everywhere - hardly ideal if you’re stuck in a cramped train compartment or plane seat. To minimise hassle while travelling, consider a magnetic scribble board, which uses a magnet pen and metal filaments under a screen to draw ‘magic’ pictures which can be erased in a flash.

This mini Megasketcher Magnetic Scribble Board measures just 31 x 3 x 25cm, making it ideal for chucking in a hand luggage bag. Your little artist can draw to their heart's content with the attached pen and use the star stamp to decorate it. Once they’re finished, simply wipe clean with the ‘magic eraser’ and start again for hours of fun during your trip. No ink, paper or battery is required - perfect.