Alllright, gift guide #4, here we go! I love this guide. It came together by surprise, actually. Initially, three of the gifts below were part of the Little-Big Girl Gift Guide, and I had titled that post, “A Girl Gift Guide.” But as I kept thinking of more toddler toys we could recommend, I decided to separate the guides and give our sweet, tiny kids and their cute toys their own space. Emmy, our resident toddler, totally approves of everything we compiled. She saw the graphic I made below and said, “Heyyy, there’s my art kit! There’s my phone! Ohh, there’s my baby! I love my baby. And there’s my backpack and my book and my…” 🙂 Read on for our 1-3 y/o faves!
1. FIGURINES // I think our girls’ favorite toys – of all the toys, through all the ages – is figurines. You can play a million different pretend games with figurines (that’s what our girls do, at least)! The girls are especially crazy about a vintage family figurine set from Ryan’s childhood. The whole “family figurine” concept makes them sing because they get to act out real life on their terms. I’d link our family figurine set if I could, but since I can’t, this Daniel Tiger Family & Friends figurine set is a perfect second recommendation. I’ve had this in my Amazon cart since last Christmas (I wanted to get it for Emmy then!), and I just need to snag it because it’s so cute. Emmy would eat it up.
2. MOBILE PHONE // Literally a mobile phone, haha, this classic phone toy is a recent addition to our playroom and Emmy is surprisingly obsessed. I didn’t think she’d love it as much as she does — she a more cell-phone like play phone, like this one — but she seriously loves this mobile phone. I think because she can drag it around?? And the eyes blink as it goes? And there’s a solid ring to it when she turns the dial? In other words, there is is more than one way to play with this phone – there is more than one way for her to use her imagination with it – and that speaks to our 3-year-old girl.
3. MINI MARKER SET // This Crayola Pip Squeak Marker Set is a winner art kit for toddlers. I got it for Emmy because she wanted to be able to hang with Olivia and Claire while they had their art kits out, which is at least once a day (see their big-kid art kits here), but I didn’t feel okay with Emmy having anything but washable markers, so this little kit hit the spot. Actually, Olivia and Claire often ask for “Emmy’s art kit,” too, because the chubby markers are easy to write with. It’s an all-around solid, creative-play staple!
4. A LITTLE BACKPACK // Each of our girls has gotten their own Skip Hop Animal Backpack around 2-years-old – Olivia has the panda, Claire has the unicorn, and Emmy’s backpack is that exact butterfly beauty up there. These backpacks are soo CUTE. They are designed so well. And not just aesthetically — they are durable, too. Our girls use them during pretend play at home and for traveling. I love them (the designer in me geeks out at how darling they are), the girls love them. I have my eye on this cute cat for Chloe!
5. BABY DOLL // Every home has to have a baby doll (or two or three or seven if you’re us, haha), and this little dolly is great one. She’s the perfect size – not too big, not too small – and her body is soft (she’s not 100% plastic). She comes in lots of different skin shades and eye colors, and she’s only $10.00! Emmy got the set of twins dolls last year for Christmas, and all of the girls have loved playing with them this year.
6. SENSORY BOOKS // We looove the “Touch, Think, Learn” books. I love them because they’re cute (the designer in me can’t be tamed haha!); the girls love them because they’re so fun to read. They’re effective little teachers, too. Emmy can has the opposites, shapes, colors, and numbers books down. I bought them in a set at our Costco last Spring, but they’re also available on Amazon, along with soooo many more books in the series. I wish we had them all!!
7. SMALL STUFFIES // Just like baby dolls, a few cute, squishy stuffed animals are a toddler must. I once put in some time to really research the best stuffed animals out there, and Aurora Stuffed Animals came up again and again and again as a winner, for both looks and price. So when Emmy earned a little puppy over the summer for saying goodbye to the binky, I got her this exact mini retriever and she fell in love. It has a sweet, small size and it’s perfectly plush.
8. TOY KITCHEN // We bought our little toy kitchen at a garage sale right after we started law school in Virginia, so I can’t share what we have exactly, but I had to still include a toy kitchen in the guide since it’s a staple for the girls and their pretend play. This toy kitchen is a darling option, ohhh my goodness! In fact while I was putting this together, the girls saw the picture of that purple kitchen and said, “Ummmm, Mom, we need a new little kitchen. Sorry, but that one is TOO cute.” 🙂 A little kitchen works for kids like figurines and dolls work for kids — they allow littles to reenact their worlds, but they are the boss. They are “Mom” cooking dinner in the kitchen. Makes them so happy. 🙂
Well! That’s all, folks. How I hope our tried-and-true suggestions via these gift guides can help you out during this gift-giving season! Thanks so much for reading along, and for being excited about what I’ve had to share (your feedback over on IG has been awesome)! It’s so fun to hang here with you all this week. Prep your carts, and good luck shopping the Black Friday sales!!
xoxo!
