I always find it super hard to find toys that are age appropriate and the kids love even after the initial excitement. Although we’ve been investing in some longer lasting toys recently, (those will be another post!) these are our tried and true fallbacks. Even better? You can find them at Target!
I have no idea if any of these are Cyber Monday deals but if they are, I’d definitely jump on them!!
(This post is in no way sponsored… I’m not cool enough for that :P)
Top Picks for Under 1 Year
Snap-N-Learn Matching Dinos– These little Dinos are so cute and our little one just learned how to rip them apart. We’ve had them since our older one was little and they’ve really held up with all the abuse!
Fat Brain Toys Dimpl– This is one of our favorites that spans and keeps the interest of both kids. It’s like a stress reliever popper, simply the best!
Fat Brain Toys Mini Spinny– We love the Mini Spinny for car rides and Target has a bundle with the ringlets for the holidays.
Stacking Cups– Stacking cups are our go to for water play, pretending to feed our stuffed animals, stacking and knocking down and stacking again. This is definitely a great stocking stuffer!
B. Toys 4 Pull-Back Toy Vehicles– These are so fun and great for little hands and mouths. There aren’t any small pieces that break off and they each make a different sound. Only downside is the loud clicking when they pull back and go :P
Primary Science Lab Activity Set– We love this for water play and sand or rice play. Our kids pour, scoop, and just discover using the different pieces. Although it isn’t intended for kids under 3, we’ve let our youngest play with it supervised since about 10 months. Our 2 year old has loved it since she was 1.5!
Fat Brain Toys SpinAgain– Oh man, this is a favorite! Not only is it cool that the pieces spin off the rod, but they make cool sounds when they clink together AND our kids are fond of using them as drums too.
Fat Brain Toys Orange Loopz– This is a great car toy and teether as well as a rattle! Not only is it a rattle, but its such a pleasant sound too.
Jr Gears Under Sea Building Set– We’ve had this since before our first was born! All of the pieces are big and safe for little hands and its fun that you can rearrange the gears and figures.
Top Picks for 1-2 Years
Spike the Hedgehog– This is a recent addition, we got it for our 1 year old and he loves it… so does our 2 year old!
Melissa & Doug Counting Shape Stacker– This is one of those that the kids love but can’t quite put back together before 2. A few of the shapes we have hidden because they’re just a little small for us to feel comfortable leaving out with a little one that puts everything in their mouth.
Fat Brain Toys Squigz– These are so fun for the bath, windows and just to build and pop! There is one size that we have tucked away from our 1 year old but they’re great otherwise :)
Melissa & Doug Deluxe Pounding Bench – This is a new addition and both of our kid are obsessed. They use it all the time!
Water Wow Books– We’ve loved these pretty hard for a while. Both kids love the water brushes, our older one loves actually using it as intended and our younger THINKS he uses it as intended :P
Crayola Color Wonder– I was critical at first of the color wonder stuff. It seemed like a waste to me but it has enabled us to introduce markers and not have to keep a SUPER close eye on our 2 year old while using them. We love that they have different themed packs to change things up!
Top Picks for 2-3 Years
Mega Bloks– I put this in the older category since younger kids aren’t always able to actually build with them, but we’ve found our younger one loves deconstructing! Our older babe loves building houses for her stuffed animal friends.
HABA Palette of Pegs– This is a great quality toy and its definitely going to be a favorite. We haven’t had it for long, but its easy for little hands to put the pegs in and stack them! It is smaller than we thought it was from the pictures but we love that its smaller and doesn’t take up a lot of shelf space!
B. Toys Projector Flashlight– Oh what a magical toy! This projector flashlight is a must have for all ages. The reels have little aliens and planets. Our kids absolutely love this… it goes everywhere with us.
Melissa and Doug Lacing Beads– These are definitely only for older kids, but man are they fun! We use pipe cleaners, and the included laces to make necklaces, bracelets and just all types of creations.
Mella Trainer Night Light Clock– This has been a life saver for our 2 year old who went on a nap strike AND started waking me up far too early. I did a lot of research on the different toddler clocks and landed on this one for the price and functionality.
Baby Bear Counters– I remember these from my childhood, they’re kind of a staple, right? These are great for counting and learning big and small! We haven’t used them as much with our younger one being super interested in eating them, but as he stops putting everything in his mouth, we will definitely be getting them out more often.
Books We’re Loving
My Mom is Magical– This is such an amusing little board book about all the silly things Mom is. Our daughter loves it and wants to read about “mom” all the time.
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom– This is such a classic and our kids LOVE it and can nearly recite it themselves.
Kiss Those Toes– Such a cute book for before bedtime about playing hide and seek and giving sweet kisses on different places.
Jesus Storybook Bible– This is a great version of the bible for kids. It reads far easier and more smoothly than a lot of other toddler bibles I’ve found.
Little Puppy Puppet Book– These are a favorite of our son’s. He loves trying to grab the figure while we read. Entertaining a one year old with a book can be challenging sometimes and this is a great book to keep them interested!
My Dad is Amazing – This is a great Dad version of the Mom one above! Super silly and lighthearted.
