Best Gifts for Babies and Toddlers that Parents will Love

Feel confident choosing the best baby and toddler gifts, whether it is a gift for new or expecting parents, newborns, babies, one year olds or two year olds. The holiday gift guide below shares parent and kid-approved toys and books. The truth is most parents dread the junk that fills their home after Christmas, birthdays or the birth of a new baby. Give an educational toy or children’s book that parents, infants and toddlers will love.

1. Montessori Toys

Contrary to popular belief, most kids do not like playing with shape-sorting toys and stacking rings, try this colorful coin drop box instead. As a parent who loves wooden toys, but who also has two children that enjoy throwing toys across the room or at each other, I appreciate this coin drop version of the more well-known ball drop, as a wooden ball can quickly turn into a weapon of mass destruction in the hands of a baby or toddler. Unlike other baby toys that will only be used for a few months (or not at all), the box and coins can be used for multi-purpose make-believe learning games for years. Older children can use the coins for color matching scavenger hunts. The drawer can be used through teen years as a pretend cash register, or for storing secret notes, sharing family conversation starters at the dinner table, protecting keepsakes or even saving real money in a more “mature” piggy bank. You really can’t go wrong with any educational Montessori toy, but here are my favorites:

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2. Melissa and Doug Toys

Melissa and Doug makes beautiful toys that parents and kids love. For endless hours of make-believe play, my favorites include:

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3. Green Toys

The best gifts have staying power. Green Toys makes beautifully-hued, indestructible, dishwasher-safe, BPA-free, phthalate-free, PVC-free, non-toxic toys made from recycled plastic that are perfect for imaginative pretend-play. Every toy can be used inside, outside or in the bathtub and will remain family-favorites from infancy through elementary school. Here are just a few of the toys that will make you wish you were a kid again:

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4. Not-Too-Noisy Books

The more loud and annoying the toy, the more kids seem to love them. However, I, like many noise-fatigued parents, promptly donate any battery-operated noise making gift. The only exception to this is my all-time favorite series of nature sound books. Instead of the more common sirens, beeps and revving engines that fray nerves and steal sanity, the Little Book of Animal Sounds Series brings peaceful nature sounds into the home. The following books are guaranteed to keep babies, toddlers and older children delighted while teaching real animal sounds and fostering a love of nature and the outdoors:

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5. Board Books

Babies and toddlers love short, durable board books. Sandra Boynton’s simple and bright illustrations and short and sweet text keep kids delighted and engaged. Board books always make a great gift because they don’t take up space in toy-cluttered homes and apartments and they can be enjoyed again and again while fostering calm, family bonding moments. They are also the best teaching and learning “toys” for kids. The truth is, most learning games and flashcards for kids, simply do not engage kids like a simple picture book. Here is a list of the most popular children’s board books for babies and toddlers:

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Lauren Martin’s Website is reader-supported. While I am not paid to promote specific products or brands, I do earn a small commission from Amazon when you click on affiliate links on my site and make a purchase. Therefore, every opinion and product recommendation on my site is completely unbiased, genuine and sincere, based on my personal experience and knowledge gained as a parent and educator.

Choose from any of the top toys and children’s books for infants, babies and toddlers to give the best gift for 0, 1 and 2 year olds to help kids and parents agree that their favorite Christmas, birthday or new baby gift came from you!