This gift guide is for the 2 year old age range. You’ll see it is broken down into 3 categories (bed/bath, books, and toys). Each of these categories has 4 ideas that I think are 2 year old gift WINS! This list is meant to be practical, but the gifts are also exciting and educational.
Bed/Bath
Elmo Pajamas- these pajamas are fabulous! We bought a size 3T for our 2 year old daughter. She is 27 lbs and 34.75″ tall. They fit great and they will fit great for quite some time. The cuffed legs are great so the pants aren’t too long. Nice and warm for winter months, but not too warm. I am very glad we got these. And what 2 year old doesn’t love elmo!?
My Tot Clock– I can’t say enough good things about this clock. I wrote an entire post on it and I think I mention it to every parent I know. 2 year olds have either recently transitioned or are transitioning soon to a toddler bed. They are testing boundaries, and wanting clear expectations. This clock provides an easy to understand expectation. For the child that is fighting bedtime- this will help. For the child that is getting out of bed- this will help. For the child that wakes up early- this will help. This is soooo worth the money. If you know a family with a 2 year old, this is THE perfect gift. We started with it at 18 months and it’s been amazing.
Underwear and potty seat- If the 2 year old in your life isn’t potty trained yet, they will soon be working on it. We buy little boy underwear like these for our daughter…they are so much more comfortable and don’t bunch up if they are a little too big. Plus, you can find these with really great pictures and characters that will get them excited about potty training. The girl underwear was all princesses and that so isn’t our girl. The potty seat is by far the best we’ve seen. It stands on its own out of the way when not in use, and they love the security of the handles when going potty. I am all about functional gifts that parents will have to spend money on at some point- save them the time and money by gifting a gift they need!
Books
Elmo Big Enough For a Bed- I chose this book because it really helped our daughter with getting excited about the transition from a crib to a big girl bed. This is a great book for this age and will help with a big milestone that they are most likely soon to be making.
First Thousand Words- This is a book that my newly turned 2 year old just started really liking. It serves as a look and see book. The pictures are intricate enough that it is a challenge for them to find objects, but not too much of a challenge that they get frustrated. The ones we had been using prior to this are SO easy for her now. The added benefit of this book is that it is in Spanish. They make these for several languages. You can have fun finding objects, and learning English and Spanish at the same time. Great book for this age.
Where’s My Mummy?- This is another book that my newly turned 2 year old just started liking, and I really like it as well. It’s not only a fun book with a different twist, it is teaching about getting ready for bed- brushing teeth, washing up, etc. These topics are exciting and essential at this age. This book was a great find.
Go Dog Go- This was one of my favorite books as a child. It is now one of my daughter’s favorite books as well. Why I like it for this age, is that it teaches about up/down, in/out, big/little, colors, over/under, etc. These are concepts that 2 year olds are just starting to explore and understand. They will be able to visualize the concepts in this book and really participate. Great classic to give as a gift!
Toys
Stroller Toy- Any sort of real life push toy (stroller, shopping cart, etc.) is great at this age. I ended up getting my daughter both of those examples. Every time she’d see one in a store she was beyond excited. At this age, they love starting to explore the pretend world with what they do in real life. These toys are perfect for that- and they get a lot of energy out using them!
Train set- This is a great family gift. Anything that goes, is really exciting at the 2 year old age. Could be a train, could be a dump truck, or a fire truck. If it moves, it’s exciting! Couple it with a Thomas train book and you’ve got a gift to be remembered.
Jumbo Stuffed Animal- Carolne’s grandparents just purchased this for her birthday. It is pretty awesome! We made a little reading nook out of it, but it also fit great on her big girl bed for good snuggles. This is that gift that parents aren’t going to buy, but it will be a favorite and they’ll enjoy seeing their child have so much fun with it.
Alphabet Puzzle Blocks- The chunky wooden puzzles are suddenly too easy, yet the next step up is too hard that they lose interest. These puzzle blocks are a perfect medium. It engages the child long enough because they have to find the two matching parts of the puzzle, but it isn’t too hard for them to grasp and understand. The letters will simply engage them further since they are most likely learning the alphabet at this point in time. This will help to pair uppercase and lowercase sine they will most likely be good at one or the other, but probably not both yet.
When in doubt, don’t forget that parents don’t mind answering questions and giving ideas. And, all parents welcome the gifts that are needed- clothes, pull ups/diapers, shoes, coats, etc.
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