Christmas Gift List: No Fail Baby & Toddler Toys

Some gifts are better than others.  There is nothing I can’t stand more than to spend money an a toy that my child doesn’t touch after the first five minutes.

One trick I have used is to allow my child to play with their desired toy while shopping in the store.  If we make it to the register and they have forgotten about it or already tossed it to the side – we don’t purchase it!  *This doesn’t always work because some toys are too large for this experiment.

The following is a short list of toys that are used constantly in our home.  This list also contains toys that my child(ren) take even longer to grow out of.  As a matter of fact, there isn’t single toy on this list that can go a single day without being used in my home by our preschooler or our six and eight year olds!

Some toys are better than others –

these toys are no-fail gifts for Christmas this year!

Teach My Baby Deluxe Learning Kit

All of my little ones love their Teach My Learning Kits.  They are a daily use product in our home! We actually have two Teach My Baby Learning kits because baby girl has her own kit that she can play with whenever she wants, and I have a pristine condition set that I only allow to be used with me. I love the ability for her to have structured time and unstructured play with her learning kit.  She likes to walk around with the finger puppets and look into the mirror blocks.  She laughs at herself in the cutest way and then points at the “baby” on the other side.  It’s adorable!  Get your little one a kit and you will see for yourself the adorableness! We have been avid Teach My users for four years and never grow tired or bored with their program(s).

Wubbanub Infant Plush Toy Pacifier

My kids have loved these since we discovered them years ago!  Even though none of my bunch has ever taken to a plain pacifier, they have found comfort in the Wubbanub. My youngest daughter’s stocking was full of these little guys last Christmas.  They are a wonderful addition to our toy collection.  The pacifiers are medical grade silicone and BPA free!

SmartNoggin Noggin Stik

The NogginStik is the coolest rattle I’ve ever seen!  This is my daughter’s favorite, the go-to toy for her baby meltdowns!  It is no surprise that it won the 2012 Creative Child Magazine Award and 2012 Gold Award winner by the National Parenting Publications Award (NAPPA). No, it is not dishwasher safe, but can be gently cleaned by hand. Take a look at my six year-old learning from this great toy when she was a baby in the video below:

Oball

The Oball was something we discovered during a library playgroup.  I had never seen one before but when my youngest son was able to pick it up and toss it across the room at only a few months old, I knew we had a winner!  He loved being able to grasp this ball on his own and was completely tickled when he found himself throwing it!

Little Tikes 2-in-1 Snug ‘n Secure Swing

Baby or toddler + swing and you have success!  While I had little ones that didn’t enjoy our indoor standing swing, they a LOVE their outside swing and are prone to taking a brief afternoon nap in them too!  This is a wonderful addition to any backyard to have for outdoor playtime or to distract an unhappy little one.

Little Tikes Cozy Coupe

I don’t know a single kid that didn’t love their Cozy car!  These things are a timeless toy that are durable too.  My kids never tire of this great ride-on!  We use our cars inside, outside, and even use them in place of a stroller for family walks around the neighborhood. We own FIVE Cozy cars or trucks — they even love the one with a trailer too.  We keep it indoors so they can haul toys, books, and blocks.

Kinderfeets Chalkboard Balance Bike

We have cherished our Kinderfeets bike non-stop for FOUR YEARS!  This is another great toy that we have been known to use inside and outside.  The tires are easy to clean for the transition too!

100 pcs Fun Ballz

We have these balls all over our house and under our beds. Every child in my home plays with them on a daily basis.  Be it from the baby using them for grasping, or my teenagers having a ball fight, they get USED! They kinda drive me nuts sometimes, but I can’t deny how much fun the kids have with them.

Fold & Go Trampoline

My little ones love their indoor trampoline. We had our belongings in storage while we were traveling and the moment my toddler saw his on the moving truck, he wanted it down!  He can’t go without his trampoline!

Melissa & Doug Deluxe Standing Easel

Speaking of our travels… we took this with us!  I had dreams of my children painting in nature and being little artists… yeah, that didn’t happen. But my little ones did still get great use out of it even if my bigger bunch never got with the program. I love that I can take it completely apart for easy storage.  It is easy to clean and also used daily in our home!

Wooden Blocks

It doesn’t matter if you have a little girl who wants to build a castle or a boy who want a garage for his cars, wooden blocks help to make them happen!  This is one great toy that everyone in the home can get in on the action with!  Wooden blocks are great for family creative play and activities!

LEGO Duplo

Last, but certainly not least, my kids’ 100% Absolute Favorite Toy is LEGO DUPLO!  We have a Mickey Mouse and Batman set, but my kindergartner has her heart set on a princess set for Christmas this year (and I’m happy to oblige!)  I prefer LEGO DUPLO over LEGO JR (or LEGO) because my 10 month old loves to be in the middle of the action and it is safer for them to play with LEGO DUPLO in her presence than the other sets.  If you have children of varying ages, I believe the LEGO DUPLO collection is much easier on Mommy and Daddy to monitor than the tiny pieces that come with the other LEGO collections.

What is one of your family’s NO-FAIL toys?

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