Very ignorant about toys - what's good for a 2 year old?

[MerryMarigold]

Ds is nearly 2 and madly into balls. He has loads and plays with them all the time. He also enjoys playing with Megabloks at his Gran's house. I recently bought him a set of coloured cotton reels and he can concentrate on those for ages too. He hates jigsaws!

He doesn't really have many toys (mostly gifts), but it's his birthday in Nov and I am at a loss as to what to get him...his grandparents are buying Megabloks. I'd like to get him something which does NOT involve balls and which will help concentration, but which is also fun and not TOO educational. He likes putting things into things as well. Totally stuck and would appreciate some recommendations.

Aqaudraw is good.

My DS loves cars - in fact he is cars mad! For his 2nd birthday, a friend bought him a little Noddy remote control car which is aimed at 2+. There are only 2 buttons on it and even though he hasn't quite grasped what he has to do, he can spend ages on the kitchen floor with it.

I have also started a craft box for my DS and he has loads of paint, glue, paper, card, sponges, etc. and every weekend we get it out for about an hour or so, and he loves getting all in a mess and making pictures.

Wooden railway set? You can get good ones at IKEA - put several small sets together to get a decent-sized track (we have 3 small ikea sets in total, cost about £15 in all and includes track and trains). Great fun to fit together and you can work out lots of different permutations, which my 2yo DS is just starting to enjoy doing with me, but as they get older it's something they can do on their own. Then you can play with the trains on the finished track.

If no ikea to hand, I think Tesco and ELC have similar.

My ds has a noddy remote control car too, and he loves it He also loves his wooden trike and trailer, he rides on it on and off all day, and puts things in and out of the trailer. Early Learning Centre do it He also likes his drum and xylophone, in fact anything he can bash to make a noise.

thanks for ideas. like the craft box idea, but more for my benefit! (ds spends hours making his crayons stand up in a row, rather than colouring...). He has a wooden trainset which someone got him from charity shop, but not shown a lot of interest in it yet (too similar to a jigsaw I fear).

Duplo Duplo and again I say Duplo. Get some with lots of figures - or buy them separately. Get a nice big baseboard and plenty of duplo - Ebay is good as it will make your money go a bit further than buying new.

Regarding the train set, first WOW getting wooden trainset from charity shop is good going: I am jealous. Second, my DS loves his traintrack (so do I!!) but you do need a few different trains to stimulate interest and also play alongside him at first.

If he hates jigsaws and fitting together, get a board and either glue or nail the track down (use little panel pins if nailing) in a circuit so he doesn't have to build it, just drive cars.

Little diecast toy cars are also good. Get a few different ones. My DS's favourite game with these is car "falls over" (he turns it upside down) and then another car picks it up. It only took a few goes to teach him and now he plays it on his own.

Little People or elc Happyland sets , garage/cars perhaps, or a Duplo set.

Right, don't laugh, but my ds is almost two and this is his favourite toy.

It keeps him occupied for up to three hours at a time and has done so for around two months now

He is sitting on my knee feeding right now and when he saw the picture, he unlatched and said "saiya" (salad) with a huge grin.

I bought it around 5 years ago and little did I know that it would receive more use as a toddler entertainer than as a salad spinner.

duplo is great, and stickle bricks (although dd 2.2 is bored of those). The little wooden blocks are great too. Jigsaws are a bit much, but very soon he will start to want them you can buy some really simple ones.

I personally hate the toys that buzz and zing that needc tenthousand batteries. So i dont buy those now and ask family not to. DD has a cooker which she loves to pretend cook on, and a tea set. She also is mad on trains, anything thomas the tank and she is happy. She has the tesco wooden train set, its only a tenner and its really great. She seems to have inherited her mums dislike of dolls and no matter how i try and interest her she doesnt want them, fair nuff

What she likes more than anything though, is to be given a big box, or little box, with bits and peices in it. Pegs, conkers, stuff like that - OK so might not feel so good to buy a child a box of conkers, but great to go collecting.

Oh and my personal favourite, play doh, you can get some great sets at the moment with all the cutters etc and they are reasonable.

Chalks, paints, cutting and sticking, stickers, and books, dd loves books, drives me mad, has to have about five read to her every night

Oh yes, forgot about these. I totally second playdoh, toy kitchen stuff and most definitely the salad spinner - you wouldn't believe what goes round in ours!

ds2 is 2.4 and i've told people many times that if it's got wheels you can't go wron

tractors, cars, buses, trains.... obsessed

i admit to totally ignoring the >36 months guidelines - he loves the small diecast vehicles

if he likes putting things in things how about a shape sorter? there are some nice ones around, with flashing lights and god knows what.

he may also like a tea set

also one of those push along trolleys filled with wooden bricks if he doesn't already have one?

Plastic food and a toy kitchen are still the most played with toys in this household (ds 2 1/2, dd 4yrs)

my ds got bought a thomas lap top for his 2nd birthday and had done wonders for his concentration

also wooden train set is fun toy kitchen any thing that can create roll play is good kiddie remote control car

i also have crafts paints pens play doh my ds adores play doh

some good ideas here \link {http://www.mamatoto.co.uk/CAT_ListCategories.aspx?cid=66\here}

i'd say the tool box / construction table would be good ideas

DD2 was 2 on monday. We got her an easel which has been fantastic so far - the white side is magnetic so lots of fun with letters, then the black side for chalks. No messy paint yet!

another vote for Tomy Aquadraw, and also the colouring mats - here are my present of choice for all 2 year olds!

duplo
first train set

here

Great recommendations. Now have too much choice, so will be able to give ideas to people who ask as well!

The blackboard and chalk is a brill idea, as is Playdoh and toy food (may stimulate more interest in food as he currently finds it very boring). Will also get some different trains for his track. Also the Happyland - I had Weebles and remember them being my favourites so something along those lines would be good to start collecting.

Ds 2:4 had a teaset bought for him a couple of weeks ago, it is now probably the most played with item in his box at the moment... I'm sick of tea now though

oh this sandwich making set is really good and entertains them for ages here

LEGO!

My DS is 2 in November also, has been bought (from others)things like washing machine, ironing board & buggy with a doll as is obsessed with anything household....i have also bought him a Bob The Builder Bike