Holiday Gift Guide 2024: Babies and Toddlers

It’s that time again: Gift Guide season. We’re sharing our top picks for the holiday gifts, so all you list girlies can prep before Black Friday.

To make the Child(ish) Advice cut, we use these criteria:

Is it cool and new?
Does it support child development?
What makes it stand out from all the rest?
What do the reviews say, specifically about durability and longevity?

Here are our gift picks for babies and toddlers, ages 0-3:

Babies

This year, we’ve combined our Infant and Toddler lists. Let’s face it; Christmas shopping for a baby is pretty much getting whatever is left from your baby registry or buying ahead for the next stage.

The first year of a baby’s life is a whirlwind of growth and development. They are taking in information and processing EVERYTHING about their environment, learning how to move their bodies and engage with their surroundings, as well as vocalizing their wants/needs.

Fisher-Price Baby Toy Soothe ‘n Snuggle Otter

Why We Love It: I am a sucker for stuffed animals, especially ones that have sensory components. This plush stuffie doubles as a customizable sound machine that helps comfort and soothe your baby. Its soft belly moves up and down in a rhythmic motion that mimics breathing, along with up to 30 minutes of calming music, sound effects, and soft lights. The otter is machine-washable; just remove the electronics.

Tiny Land Montessori Toy Set

Why We Love It: If you’re giving a baby toys, go with a set of open-ended items. Designed for babies 6-9 months, this durable developmental bundle includes a sensory ball treasure basket, object permanence box, mirror puzzle, stacking cups, and a parent guide to explain each toy’s purpose and playful uses. For added cuteness, it also comes with wooden milestone banners to celebrate achievements. As your baby grows, Tiny Land offers other toy boxes tailored to their developmental stages (10-12 months, 16-18 months, and 18-24 months).

Skip Hop Farmstand Let The Beet Drop DJ Set

Why We Love It: How stinkin’ cute is this?! This cause-and-effect toy is loaded with 30-plus play features including a light-up DJ bunny, songs, sounds and then some to encourage fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and pretend play as they get older. Place it on floor to help your baby with tummy time, sitting upright, or as a destination to crawl towards.

Fat Brain Toys InnyBin Shape Learning Toy

Why We Love It: This must be the most basic, yet most stimulating toy ever made. The design is simple: a cube frame with elastic bands. The objective is to put in and take out these six chunky blocks of varying shapes and textures from the structure. It’s like a shape-sorter sans the frustration of putting a shape in the correct hole, promoting fine motor skills, tactile exploration, experimentation, and problem solving. Bonus: it’s durable and easy to clean up.

Fisher-Price Baby Learning Toy Laugh & Learn Ultimate Playhouse

Why We Love It: There are many playsets on the market, but none modeled after a Mid-Century Modern home. It’s packed with engaging activities, lights, songs and sounds for baby and toddler “homeowners” to discover, fostering sensory development and imagination. Like many Fisher Price products, their Smart Stages technology allows the learning content to match your child’s developmental level.

Toddlers

As babies become toddlers, they start experimenting and refining their cognitive, motor, and social skills through play. This translates to more self-awareness, imagination, independence, autonomy, and tantrums *sighs*.

Battat Cloud Castle Foam Fort Building Set

Why We Love It: Imagination and heavy work are what this fort building set is all about. Recommended for children 12 months and up, the set includes a soft and foldable foam base, an arch, a half-sun, and 2 stairs. It’s got everything kids need to build elaborate structures, from forts to cozy couches. The foam shapes are easy for children to arrange, providing proprioceptive input to help them regulate and improve body awareness. The push/pull of these pieces also builds their strength. The covers are removable and machine-washable.

Fao Schwarz Bumble Bee Garden Sort & Match Set

Why We Love It: This year’s pretend play toys are exceptionally creative. This garden offers a range of fun sorting and matching activities that teach shapes and colors while fostering an interest in nature. Children can use the bumble bee tongs to ‘pollinate’ the three colorful play flowers with the pollen ball, enhancing fine motor skills. The set also includes four play vegetables and six ‘bug’ blocks that fit into corresponding slots in the garden box sorter, promoting visual motor skills and cognitive development.

Fisher-Price Rockin’ Record Player

Why We Love It: Vinyl records have made a big comeback, so why not let the kids join in too? This musical toy from Fisher-Price includes five colorful, double-sided ‘records’ that play 20 unique songs from various genres like country, pop, mindfulness, kids classics, and hip-hop. Just like a real record player, kids can place the player’s arm and watch the record spin on the turntable as it plays. Staying true to the authentic experience, Fisher-Price provides decorative sleeves for the records which can be stored in the included play rack. Since you probably won’t let your little one handle your own record player, this toy helps promote independence, self-regulation, and self-confidence.

B. toys Interlocking Balancing Beams

Why We Love It: Get your child to slow down and focus on body control with this balancing beam set. This colorful and versatile set includes 8 beam sections and 5 sensory step-stones to connect and build a balancing course. By lining up the “happy face” visual cues to lock the pieces in place, your kid can build so many paths and balancing challenges to spark creativity as well as improve their body awareness, postural control, motor planning, and coordination. The set stores easily by stacking the beams and stones.

Stocking Stuffers

Stocking stuffers for these age groups are pretty straightforward. Sensory toys are always easy to find, along with bath toys and fidgets. Things for the car and stroller or toiletry refills (toothpaste, sunscreen) are good things to fill up the space, too.

Babies

Toddlers

All of the linked items can also be found on our Child(ish) Advice Holiday Amazon Storefront.

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