What's on your list for your young toddler?

[GanderingGoose]

Just wondering what's on your list for your younger toddlers? DD will be 18 months at Christmas and so far we have got her.

Fisher price dolls house
Sticker book
Replacement pens and crayons
Jigsaw
Toddler encyclopaedia

She loves her hot wheels cars so was thinking about a garage. But we can't find one suitable for diecasts that's not flimsy plastic. We already have stickle bricks/Duplo which she loves.

She also keeps pointing and reaching for those large Disney toddler dolls/animator style dolls when we're out and about. She loves her baby dolls/pram/cot but I'm worried she might be a bit small for these ones (although she's pretty good at not putting toys in her mouth).

Interested in ideas myself. My daughter will be 19 months Christmas. She has a piker triangle and fisher price seesaw she loves.

Considering a learning tower to get her involved in cooking. Possibly a Tonie box or yoto player although not sure if she is a bit young. She loves little figures so also thinking of some Happyland bits.

Friends with similar aged kids have recommended a scuttlebug

My DD loved putting toys to bed (covering them in a blanket and saying good night) the Christmas she was 20 months so we got her a small wooden cot with a doll, she wasn't that interested in the doll but everything got put in the cot!

I’ve just sat down with the Smyths catalogue and my 2 year old DN to look at all the different toys in the toy shop. He was very taken with a Hotwheels dinosaur that shoots cars from its mouth, but I got some very good ideas for other things I didn’t originally think he’d be bothered about.

2 year old girl:
Tiny ballet shoes and outfit.
Sticker/activity book with a pen/wipe built in for letter/number writing practice
little orchard games? the ones where it's a shopping trolley you have to fill up with cards

Love the idea of a cot for dolly - she has this at grandmas but not at home.

I'd definitely recommend a leaning tower to anyone considering it. We got ours when DS was 18 months old (recently turned 2) and it gets SO much use! Also he recently for his birthday got a scooter and a balance bike and is loving both would recommend both of those too!

So far for Christmas we've got

• Leapfrog Leapstart along with some books
• Wooden bits and bobs for his kitchen (which he got for his first Christmas, again, it gets used so much so would recommend if you don't have one and have the space!)
• Wooden cars
• Playdoh

Will be adding

• bucket of dinosaurs
• car playmat
• new bath crayons

But still looking for different ideas!

Things we got for DD for Christmas/birthday when she was about to turn 2:

Playmobil 123 house and figures
Duplo number train
Postbox game (this was very well loved!)
Duggee wooden pairs game
Basic doctors kit
Baby doll and cot/blankets/bottle
Dinosaurs and animals
Playdoh and basic tools to go with it
Aqua drawing mat
Melissa and Doug lock board
Melissa and Doug sound puzzles
Monkey Around board game

My DD was almost 2 last Christmas and biggest successes were:

• tea set (number 1 present randomly given by a man I'm a carer for!)
• playmobil 123
• books
• art things

Things that were also good at that sort of age:

• kitchen tower
• figures from favourite TV shows
• animal figures
• scuttle bug

Oh we also recently bought the Tomy Toomies Barista Bath toy after seeing it recommended a lot and it's very quickly become a firm favourite!

Ooh a learning tower- thanks for reminding me. DD enjoys watching us cook so I think she'd really like to be able to join us at the counters.

I found Disney rubber ducks in the works earlier for £2 each. Picked up 2 as a cute stocking filler.

Yoto and a tower were great buys for us at that age. I would hold off on a lot of things as they got very overwhelmed with lots of gifts and then didn’t really get to play with them all. Also, a year on, omg the waste is ridiculous!! I wish I had just got a couple of things second hand (as in got two extra presents second hand and that was it)! They grow out of the plastic crap (and wooden crap!) so quickly and our shed looks like an abandoned toy store and although I know I need to get rid, the thought of having to list things and sell/give away seems like another chore. A lot of the time people don’t turn up when you try and give it away and I just see a shed of landfill!! Definitely having a more sustainable Christmas this year - not just for the planet, but for my mental health!!

At this age with our 4 we always bought them one new toy and then wrapped up their favourite toys. They were always so happy with their own toys it was worth it! Saves getting loads of stuff and then have the money towards a holiday or something more fun. Mine always had too many things already and st that age they like empty kitchen cupboards more than toys.

This is such a great idea!! Definitely copying this at Christmas for our 3yr old!

That really is genius. Love it!

I’ve never heard of a learning tower, I drag the high chair into the kitchen so he can be with cooking if I’m doing something hot or dangerous otherwise DS stands on a low stool to play with bread dough or peel mushrooms etc.

He loves books so I’m up for ideas. We have lots that are older DD’s but I’d like him to have some of his own if anyone has ideas. He loves the acorn wood ones atm and Supertato - anything with doors or bright colours.

Other things I’m planning are an apron a new hair brush with his name on, slippers, a special tree bauble. Waiting for inspiration and trying to avoid too much disposable crap.

Years ago on here someone recommended buying stuff you know they’ll need in the year ahead like toothbrushes, shampoo etc and wrapping those up.

Those who say just to re-wrap existing toys, do you enjoy buying your children gifts and discovering their faces as they find new favourite toys? DD doesn't get toys outside of her birthday and Christmas (well the one of each she's had so far ) so surely a stocking and 5 medium-large gifts is hardly excessive?

I 100% go for buying second hand and so far 2 of her gifts have been pre-owned. It just seems that there are so many people here who can't wait to show off how little they've bought and are convinced children can't possibly cope with more than 3 things to open. I sometimes feel that in an effort to counter the excessive greed and consumerism that people miss out on simple joys of generosity too.

DD is two and will be getting:

Wooden train set
Some new bits for her toy kitchen
Books
Play Doh
Crafts
Puzzles
Wooden toy pizza
Melissa and Doug Sandwich Set
More Schleich animals
Duplo
A couple of new Tonies for her Tonie box
Stepping stones

I agree with you actually. We only have one child at the minute, but his little sister is due in the new year and the thought of taking away their favourites to wrap up and give back just makes me feel, I don't know, mean? I get everyone does things differently but I personally couldn't do it.

It was DS's birthday recently and I'll be honest, it did take him a few days to open his presents (it really wasn't a lot, we just let him do things at his own pace!) but I feel like that just added to the celebrations and made things feel special for longer!

But I will also be using his stocking for things he'll be needing in the coming months, a new toothbrush always excites him 😆

For our son's 2nd Christmas and birthday (his birthday is March) we asked people just to get him books or little toys. We and others that would spend more, grandparents etc, were asked to contribute to his climbing frame fund. The climbing frame was duly purchased in the summer after his 2nd birthday and stands in our garden today. Reckon it's got one or two more summers to go. He turns 12 in March 2025.

Got my DD who will be around the same age
Some sound wooden puzzles
2 of the Disney toddler dolls the ones in B & M are 18 months +

A baby doll and accessories for 18 months +
Dolls pram again age appropriate.
Some wooden role play toys like food and a till and a shopping trolly from smyths.

Stickers
Reusable sticker books
Tom Fletcher board books
Colouring items and paints.
Small table and chairs from Smyths and a play tent.

I think you’re being a little mean conflating that those who choose to be more sustainable and don’t want to overwhelm their child don’t enjoy seeing their little ones faces light up. They surely know their own child, and what works best for them. They’re not saying don’t get them anything, just putting in a couple of extra things to wrap that they know they love. They’re so young, they honestly don’t have a concept of Christmas yet.

I think each to their own really, you asked for ideas and people gave them to you, no need to be critical of parents just trying to do what they think is best for their children - definitely doesn’t mean others don’t love doing joy!

We got our 16 month old a possum play couch for Christmas last year. Tbh she wasn’t really ready to open gifts - her 2nd bday was the time she really enjoyed it! The play couch is practical (we sit on it while she play with other toys) but also amazing for her to jump and climb on. We’ve had older children (4/5) come over to play who have loved building dens/ ‘doing gymnastics’ too, so although it’s expensive it has longevity! (And will save our sofa!)

In terms of presents to rip open- this year I’ll be getting her some bits to go in the play kitchen, some tools for play dough, some stickers and maybe a few books.

A baby scooter or baby bike

My boy loves his toy baby

Oh yes one of our most successful 2nd birthday presents was a doll and buggy.