Best Gifts for Babies and Toddlers, Tested and Approved by Our Own Kids

Featured successful this article

• A Crib Soother

  

  Photograph: Nicole Kinning

  Baby Einstein

  Sea Dreams Soother

  The Baby Einstein Sea Dreams Soother has been successful rotation successful our location since time one. It’s portion sensory toy, portion sound machine, and doubles arsenic a tummy clip prop pinch its glowing lights and gentle motion. At night, nan instrumentality attaches to nan crib and plays lullabies pinch a soft glow. I emotion that it combines aggregate uses into 1 machine, truthful it’s a mini but mighty instrumentality that gets a batch of usage during some playtime and bedtime. —Nicole Kinning

• A Cute and Functional Teether

  

  Photograph: Nicole Kinning

  SweeTooth

  Ice Cream Cone Shaped Baby Teether

  The SweeTooth Teether feels a small extra, but it’s wholly worthy it. Shaped for illustration an crystal pick cone, it’s conscionable nan correct size for small hands to grab, and it happens to beryllium nan teether my girl reaches for each time. Maybe it’s nan subtle saccharine vanilla scent that reels her in—can you blasted her? Bonus: It’s easy to cleanable and dishwasher-safe, which makes maine emotion it almost arsenic overmuch arsenic she does. —Nicole Kinning

• Sip-and-Squeeze Cups

  

  Photograph: Nicole Kinning

  730 Project

  Honey Bear Straw Cups

  I skipped sippy cups altogether and went consecutive to straw training pinch this Amazon dupe of the Honey Bear cup. It’s elemental but effective: Give nan vessel a small compression to thief your babe study really to usage nan silicone straw. It fits neatly successful a diaper bag’s vessel pocket, and it made nan modulation to straw cups beautiful seamless. It’s besides easy to return isolated and clean—no fussing pinch mini pieces—and it’s sturdy capable to past nan occasional roughhousing aliases chewing. —Nicole Kinning

• A Car Seat Toy

  

  Photograph: Nicole Kinning

  Kids Preferred

  Goodnight Moon Soft Book

  This Goodnight Moon soft book is 1 of those things I picked up connected a whim, reasoning it wouldn’t make a quality successful my day-to-day life arsenic a mom. Boy, was I wrong! This crinkle book has kept my babe entertained connected countless roadworthy trips, successful restaurants, aliases immoderate clip I recognize I hide to battalion a small distraction for her successful nan diaper bag. It’s packed pinch textures, sounds, flaps, and moreover a teether connected nan corner, and it clips correct onto a stroller aliases car seat. Selfishly, nan condensed communicative is besides nostalgic for maine (I grew up pinch nan classic), while my girl conscionable loves to grab, chew, and crinkle to her heart’s content. —Nicole Kinning

• A Baby Bottle Washer

  

  Photograph: Nicole Kinning

  Grownsy

  EaseClean Bottle Washer Pro

  A babe vessel washer is worthy each penny. I said it. In fact, I wrote a full guideline to them, and this was my apical pick. This gift mightiness beryllium geared toward parents, alternatively than babies, but let’s beryllium honest: The little clip spent washing bottles, nan much clip you get pinch your baby. The Grownsy’s heavy interior fits everything from 8-ounce bottles to pump parts, truthful you tin load up a day’s worthy of cogwheel astatine once. With customizable lavation modes, this instrumentality softly and efficiently handles each nan activity of cleaning grimy bottles without soaking, scrubbing, aliases chapped hands. —Nicole Kinning

• A Beautiful Swaddle Blanket

  

  Photograph: Nena Farrell

  Mushie

  Muslin Swaddle Blanket

  This swaddle was nan superhero gift of my babe shower. My boy utilized it each time for his first 2 years. He was a summertime baby, and receiving 2 of these from his aunt was an absolute necessity to person thing to wrap him successful without making him excessively sweaty. We were perpetually utilizing it arsenic a furniture betwixt him and america truthful that we wouldn't conscionable sweat each complete each different erstwhile he wanted a interaction nap. These swaddles were ample capable to thief screen his babe car spot from sunshine successful nan car aliases stroller, and now that he's a toddler it's still large capable to usage arsenic a summertime broad for bedtime. It's wintertime now, and we're still utilizing these swaddles arsenic 1 of his blankets astatine bedtime. I can't rave capable astir them. If you're giving these arsenic a gift, drawback 2 truthful that Baby will person a backup erstwhile they spit up connected nan first one. There are a ton of pastel colors and tiny prints to take from. —Nena Farrell

• A Tummy Time Playground

  

  Courtesy of Target

  Tiny Love

  Tiny Love Super Mat

  My favourite point to do erstwhile my boy was really mini was spot him connected different colorful blankets and play mats and watch him acquisition nan kaleidoscope of intermezo 2 inches from his face. His favourite play mat was a hand-me-down from my ain childhood, but I've been testing Tiny Love's massive, beautiful mats pinch my champion friend's baby. The Super Mats are ace for a reason: They're huge! We're talking complete 3 feet connected 1 broadside and conscionable nether 5 feet connected nan other. But that intends plentifulness of room for Baby to wiggle and explore. The mat is bully and soft, too, which is awesome to gift to a friend pinch hardwood floors. There's tons of built-in entertainment, for illustration a small reflector and chewable attachments, which Baby tin study to crawl to arsenic they explore. —Nena Farrell

• A Pacifier Sanitizer

  

  Courtesy of Munchkin

  Munchkin

  Mini Portable UV-C Sterilizer+

  If your favourite babe is simply a pacifier lover, gift them this small sanitizer truthful Mom and Dad tin support those pacis cleanable connected nan go. It comes pinch a small strap to hook it onto a diaper container and uses UV ray to sanitize nan pacifier successful astir a minute. It's a useful gadget to person connected nan spell aft nan pacifier is dropped yet again. You'll still request a swipe useful to cleanable disconnected immoderate existent ungraded aliases grime, but I loved utilizing this to consciousness for illustration I astatine slightest tried to get free of unseen germs. —Nena Farrell

• Fun (and Sturdy!) Board Books

  

  Photograph: Nena Farrell

  "Never Touch A..." Board Books

  Look, babies destruct books. I can't show you really galore books successful my son's room nary longer person covers, aliases person ripped-off flaps and straight-up eaten-away corners. But 1 of nan sturdiest book bid my boy has loved is this colorful 1 by Rosie Greening. There are a fistful of different ones, each pinch akin titles: Never Touch a Spider, Never Touch a Dragon, Never Touch a Polar Bear … nan database goes on. It's each astir ne'er rubbing a definite animal aliases animal unless it's doing thing silly that they'll only find successful nan pages of this book. These books are awesome for truthful galore reasons: Nice and short! Fun and colorful! Lots of sensory parts to nan pages! Hard to rip! My boy sewage 1 arsenic a gift, and now I'm conscionable continually adding much to our collection. —Nena Farrell

• A Toddler Tower

  

  Photograph: Nena Farrell

  Guidecraft Jr.

  Contemporary Kitchen Helper Step-Up Tower

  I waited excessively agelong to get 1 of these for my kid. He was still into it astatine property 2 ½—it was his favourite spot to eat dinner, operation cupcakes, and moreover tie aliases usage Play-Doh astatine our room island. But I missed retired connected really we could've had each this benignant of nosy truthful overmuch sooner. Especially since this Step-Up Tower from Guidecraft is nan caller inferior version, and it's slimmer than nan accustomed one. That slimmer size makes it easier to adhd to my kitchen, letting it fresh successful nicely size-wise without causing immoderate obstructions, and nan smaller size makes a smaller kiddo consciousness much secure. The building is designed for 18 months and up, and if I person different kid, this building will beryllium fresh and waiting connected their half birthday. —Nena Farrell

• Cuddly Jellycats

  

  Photograph: Nena Farrell

  Everyone has heard of Jellycat stuffed animals these days; moreover nan teens want their own. They make a awesome gift for newborns and toddlers, first arsenic conscionable a small buddy they tin look at, and yet a snuggly friend for bedtime and sofa cuddles. Don't beryllium acrophobic to get a nosy Jellycat conscionable because it's for a baby, either: My boy has half a twelve of these, but his number 1 favourite is Grizzo Gremlin. —Nena Farrell

• An Early Start connected Lego Love

  

  Courtesy of Target

  Infantino

  Super Soft 1st Building Blocks

  These aren't existent Lego bricks. These building blocks, which person a Lego look, are made by Infantino from a ace soft, squishable integrative (BPA-free!) that's easy to stack, squeeze, aliases moreover chew on. It's a nosy sensory artifact arsenic good arsenic a chance to study to stack and build Lego-style without needing to interest astir crisp corners aliases Baby eating nan pieces. My boy mostly wanted maine to build worldly he could sound down, but I'm hoping nan early vulnerability leads to a emotion of Lego and building that we tin bask together for years to come. —Nena Farrell

• Baby’s First Barefoot Shoes

  

  Courtesy of Vivo Barefoot

  We're large fans of barefoot shoes astir here, and it turns retired babies tin bask them conscionable arsenic overmuch arsenic adults. My boy loved Vivobarefoot's Pluma Knit shoes correct aft he sewage nan bent of walking. These shoes were bully and comfy to propulsion complete his chunky feet, and he utilized nan barefoot texture to his advantage to study to climb up nan descent astatine a ridiculously early age. He noticeably slipped little erstwhile wearing these, truthful I highly urge them for caller walkers. He had these correct aft turning 1 successful a size 6, but they travel successful smaller sizes if nan babe you're shopping for will beryllium stepping sooner (or has less-fat feet than my kid!). Plus, these shoes get a ton of compliments connected nan playground. —Nena Farrell

• For nan Gamer-to-Be

  

  Photograph: Nena Farrell

  Fisher-Price

  Game & Learn Controller

  We play a batch of video games successful our house, truthful it's nary astonishment we wanted to snag this babe video crippled controller for our kid. But it's been a awesome artifact to bring for agelong drives aliases erstwhile waiting astatine a edifice for nan nutrient to travel out. There are 2 settings—Learn and Game, per nan name—each pinch its ain group of sounds, truthful it doesn't get excessively boring to usage repeatedly. It's mini capable to propulsion successful conscionable astir immoderate diaper bag. My boy has liked this type a batch amended than nan akin remote power artifact ($15). —Nena Farrell

• An Adorable Record Player

  

  Photograph: Nena Farrell

  Fisher-Price

  Classics Record Player

  This small grounds subordinate is for 18 months and up, but that didn't extremity my boy from playing pinch it arsenic soon arsenic he could belly-worm his measurement complete to it. The Fisher Price Record Player comes pinch 5 colorful records, each playing 2 songs, and is sturdy capable to past nan following: changeless chewing from a teething babe connected some nan records and nan player, said records being ripped from nan subordinate mid-song aggregate times, and an chartless number of bumps and throws to nan instrumentality itself. My individual favourite opus is “The Ants Go Marching.” It's a bop. —Nena Farrell

• An Indoor Balance Bike

  

  Photograph: Adrienne So

  Made for ages 10 months to 2 years old, nan Early Rider Bella Velio is an indoor equilibrium motorcycle that's nosy for nan small ones and beautiful capable that nary 1 will mind it's been abandoned successful nan mediate of nan rug again. The monolithic wheels are easy to maneuver while still providing plentifulness of situation for a toddler to study really to enactment upright and spell successful nan guidance they want. The debased floor plan intends they won't person acold to fall, and starting indoors wherever there's soft carpet is little stressful connected Mom and Dad. —Nena Farrell

• A Foam and Water Table

  

  Courtesy of Little Tikes

  Little Tikes

  Foamo 3-in-1 Water Table

  I bought my boy a h2o array for his first birthday, and he's loved it some summers of his small life. I really bought him nan Step2Rain Water Table ($85) and added connected this rechargeable h2o pump ($17) truthful that h2o would perpetually rainfall down. But if I could spell backmost successful time, I'd get him nan Foamo 3-in-1 Water Table instead. It's sewage a bubble instrumentality and a foam instrumentality built into it, and fto maine show you: Toddlers spell crazy for it. My son's friend has one, and he has ne'er been truthful focused (or quiet, praise be) arsenic erstwhile he's playing pinch foam connected this h2o table. It's designed for 2 and up, but my 1-year-old was obsessed. —Nena Farrell

• A Truck They Can Build

  

  Courtesy of Amazon

  John Deere

  Build-a-Buddy Dump Truck

  This cool toy, made for 18 months and up, lets a toddler disassemble and reassemble a dump motortruck pinch an included artifact drill and ample screws that connect nan truck's pieces together. The hardest portion for my son, moreover now arsenic a 2-year-old, is remembering really to move nan drill's guidance to either put nan screws successful aliases out. It's a really cool artifact that will fulfill nan mind of immoderate budding builder aliases puzzle solver. —Nena Farrell

• Screen-Free Music

  

  Courtesy of Yoto

  Technically, nan Yoto Player (Read our reappraisal here) isn't for children nether 3 years old. My 2-year-old loved nan Mini, though, and I wish I'd gotten it sooner to usage arsenic a euphony container aliases storyteller successful his room during nan months of being excessively young to do much than tummy clip and different locomotion astir nan block. The Yoto uses cards pinch an NFC tag that you registry pinch nan Yoto app, and past they tin play a assortment of euphony and stories. My son's favourite cards are nan Super Simple Songs Collection ($35), followed by nan Moana soundtrack ($15) You tin moreover bargain blank cards ($18) and make your ain civilization playlist of content. While nan instrumentality is designed for ages 3 and up, location are still cards you tin bargain designed for babies and toddlers; you conscionable request to beryllium nan 1 clicking nan buttons. But earlier you cognize it, they'll beryllium nan DJ. —Nena Farrell

• Backup Crib Gear

  

  Courtesy of Kyte Baby

  Babies are truthful cute, and truthful gross. One infinitesimal they're sleeping peacefully, adjacent they've managed to spit up each complete nan furniture and themselves. Get your favourite babe an other mates sets of sheets for those nights erstwhile accidents happen, because nothing's worse than moving retired of sheets astatine 2 americium aft different spit-up aliases leaky diaper incident. I for illustration this group from Newton Baby ($40) since it's soft, organic, and comes pinch 2 crib sheets, positive location are tons of colour combos to take from for Baby's nursery.

  Another bully backup is other swaddles aliases slumber sacks, depending connected really aged Baby is. (Swaddles are for newborns who can't roll, while slumber sacks are for each different babe stages!) I really for illustration Kyte's gorgeous slumber sacks—they're bully and long, truthful my boy didn't turn retired of them arsenic accelerated arsenic he did Halo slumber sacks. I'd urge a 1.0 TOG weight for astir times of nan year, but 0.5 is awesome for summer, and 2.5 is bully for winter. —Nena Farrell

• Make Chores Fun

  

  Photograph: Amazon; Getty Images

  Melissa & Doug

  Toddler Toy Cleaning Set

  As soon arsenic my boy could locomotion and commencement grabbing things, he wanted nan room broom. My mom saved nan time by buying america this Melissa & Doug artifact cleaning group that gave him his ain pint-sized broom, mop, duster, manus broom, and dustpan. It's been awesome to placate him erstwhile he sees maine sweeping aliases for him to drawback connected his own. It besides useful good capable that I tin usage it successful spot of my ain broom erstwhile he won't springiness it back. Kids study fast, truthful don't make my correction and person a feline vessel nearby. They'll recognize nan mop is cleanable for dipping into it. —Nena Farrell

• A Play Kit by Month

  

  Courtesy of Lovevery

  Nervous you won't find a gift that's perfectly age-appropriate? Especially pinch really overmuch babies tin alteration betwixt conscionable 3 and 6 months, it tin consciousness intimidating to effort to find a artifact they'll emotion and beryllium capable to use. Lovevery's Play Kits are organized successful two- aliases three-month increments (e.g., 3-4 months, 5-6 months, 22-24 months), making it easy to nail a gift that's correct for their processing skills. My boy really loved nan toys he tried from nan various 1-year-old boxes, and nan options scope from newborn to 5 years old. —Nena Farrell