Ideas for second boy, aged 2

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I'm going to leave big presents until nearer the time, but I'm trying to think of ideas and start picking up some bits for our two boys for Christmas. I have lots of ideas for our (will be) five year old, but I'm at a loss for our younger son, who will be two.

We already have a toy kitchen, thousands of vehicles, ride-ins, a tool bench, Duplo, a million books, lots of puzzles, musical toys, cuddly toys, Playmobil 1.2.3, a playhouse, a tepee etc. He is getting a scooter for his birthday, and will 'inherit' his brother's balance bike at skmepoubtover the next year.

Is there anything than anyone's 2-3 year olds love that I could think about, please?

TIA

DS will be 2 years and 5 months and Christmas and is also 2nd DC. I am going to get him a toy dyson hoover - he played with one at a playgroup recently and absolutely loved it and it's something we don't have already and is quite big to open!
DD will be just 5 - no idea what I'm going to get her either!

I would just keep gifts minimal if you already have everything. If I did buy some new things I'd think about getting rid of some of the hand-me-downs from older son, there is such a thing as too many toys.

Rather than excessive amounts of pressies, some people do the "something they want, something they need, something to wear and something to read" rule. So for example, that could be 1 toy he's been asking for, a lunchbox, a new outfit, and a book.

Thanks again. I never expected to be offered so many ideas.

Bayleaves I really agree with your point and we have just had a huge toy full as we moved house. We got rid of all the baby toys and most of the 'junk'/ unloved things then'. I think that is actually what is making it so hard - that DS1 had most of, what I would call, the 'staple quality toys' (wooden kitchen, wooden bricks, Duplo, wooden farm, pirate ship, castle, wooden trainset etc.). I should also point out that quite a few of these things were hand-me-downs from his dad and my brother, so it's not that he has necessarily been over-indulged). The point of me starting this thread was to try to avoid buying/ asking for more 'rapidly disposable toys', and looking for a couple more nice things, so that DS2 has some bit that are 'his'.

msGB thank-you for mentioning fire engines. I always really loved the Pintoy one when DS1 was younger, but we always opted for something else instead. Maybe we could get him the Grimms rainbow and with that, and the little firemen.

Wanders off to bury head in shame that I may have just sorted his Christmas presents, and it isn't even August yet!

If you've got wooden train sets do you have any of the wooden road sets? I can't remember who makes them but we had some that went down well. Bigjigs maybe?

DS loved Octonauts toys from about 3. He's 9 now and they still survive every toy cull! Not traditional wooden staples, but lots of play value and to this day DS knows lots about sea creatures.

We had a small low level 5ft trampoline at 2 which was a big hit and had a bit more longevity than those small ones with handles. Not much use if you have a big trampoline already though!

New dressing up clothes? Could get a few and parcel up in a trunk type storage box.

Do you have a puppet theatre? Some new puppets to go with that?

Thanks whatwould. I've never been sure if the wooden roadway would get much play, but it's interesting to hear that yours was popular. It would certainly give him his 'own thing' now that he is getting into the trainset. Will possibly ask my mum to get that, and he could have some vehicles in his stocking.

I would love to get a trampoline, but DH is convinced one of them would break their neck if we did ☹️.

IIRC the road stuff goes well with some of the pintoy buildings etc. And there's various accessories you can get - roadsigns etc.

I'm nervous about trampolines too, and we don't have a big one now, but the junior 5ft aren't very high off the ground and 2 year olds can't bounce that high on them.

I'm trying to think what else was popular at that age - do you have an aquadraw mat? There'll also be lots of new books, some orchard toy games out that you won't have already for smaller gifts.

More of a 'big' present but we have a nice wooden tower from TP toys - not the big huge ones, but a smaller compact one with a slide - suitable for that age just about but your eldest would like too if you don't have something like that already? DS is too big for it really now, but still plays in it. An earlier version of this one I think.

Do you do any baking/cooking with him? His own apron and some baking equipment? We have some kids baking stuff - from Lakeland I think, related to CBeebies 'I can cook'. Though I don't know if that still exists!

Sorry no real ideas for you. But can I ask what you got him last year?

DS2 will be 1 just before Christmas, I have few ideas on his list and MIL has just snatched the best idea off it (a mini micro scooter with seat)

We are big Grimms fans in this house, our rainbow and houses are used to creatively and DS loves them, definitely worth exploring

Or how about a dolls house? I saw a lovely, gender neutral, modular stacking house the other day which I was tempted by. My lovely sister has previously bought DS amazing wooden small world play sets- an Arctic explorer boat and a fire station with fire engine that I would highly recommend.

I felt very strongly against licensed toys but after DS was bought a couple of Postman Pat play figures I was converted- he adores them and has incorporated them into all of his small world play in a really imaginative way. For me, what's most important now is that they don't do the playing for him, rather than whether or not they relate to a tv show.

Other ideas... a teepee, Play-Doh, sand and water table, balance beam and crash mat (Ikea do a fab one), Aquaplay locks set, mud kitchen for the garden.

A piece of guttering (less than £5 from B and Q) was the best thing we ever bought our boys. Propped up against the sofa/bed/out of the window to whizz cars down. Eventually we bought a second piece so they could race.

Mobilo and magna tiles were also good investments.