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Buying gifts for a toddler who has everything can be quite the challenge! We’ve put together a list of helpful non-toy gift ideas for toddlers. You are sure to find some inspiration on what to get the toddler in your life other than another toy!
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Child-sized furniture makes a great, practical gift for toddlers. It allows them freedom and independence while building confidence. The furniture can be used for everything from playing to eating snacks or even meals! If you’re not the parents though, we recommend checking with them first before buying something this large.
A child-sized table and chair set is something sure to get many years of use! We have and love the weaning table and chair from Sprout Kids. Our toddler uses it multiple times daily for snacks and coloring. We like that the chair is light enough for toddlers to maneuver and all of the surfaces wipe down withe ease. Target also has several stylish options for child-sized table and chairs.
A full-length mirror is another great piece of furniture/decor for a toddler to have. If your toddler doesn’t have a mirror in their room, consider getting them one! They love being able to independently look at themselves, their outfits or just make silly faces.
Though it might be considered a piece of furniture, we think a kitchen helper stool is worth a separate mention! A kitchen helper, often referred to as a learning helper or kitchen tower, provides a safe place for a toddler to stand at counter-height to help in the kitchen! We love our kitchen helper from Sprout Kids! It allows our daughter to safely work alongside us in food prep, cooking and clean-up! She has even become much more enthusiastic about washing her hands since she can stand up there on her own while washing.
Yes, a mini fridge! We know it might sound crazy, but this is one of our most used and favorite products for our toddler! Ours is from Ikea, but any mini-fridge would work (Target has a great selection)! This allows toddlers to access their own food. You can keep it stocked with snacks and food just for your toddler to enjoy. They will love going and grabbing snacks throughout the day on their own. Make sure to place it in an area that is easily accessible for them. This does wonders for their independence and confidence!
A straw water bottle is a must-have and makes a great practical gift! We like this one – it’s stainless steel and doesn’t leak! Our daughter has been able to open it independently as well since she was one! It also comes in a variety of color options.
Another great gift to give in conjunction with the cup (or even on its own) is a silicone name label. If you’re sending your child to preschool, you will likely need to label their cups. We like these silicone bottle labels from Mabel’s Labels. We like that it’s removable and easily washed. You can customize the color and picture/icon. Even if you’re toddler isn’t in school yet, these labels are still great to have for name and letter recognition.
Toddlers love engaging in practical life activities right alongside their caregiver. Skip the ‘toy’ vacuums that hardly work, and get this vacuum instead – the FeatherWeight by Bissel. It’s an adult sized-vacuum but the top portion of the handle can be removed. When removed, it becomes a bit bigger than a handheld vacuum making it a fully functional mini vacuum cleaner that is perfectly sized for a toddler to use! Plus it’s super lightweight, as the name implies so a toddler can easily carry and handle it!
In our house, you can never have too many arts and craft supplies. Some of our toddlers favorites are:
If you’re looking for something a bit more unique, consider a Green Kids Craft box. It’s a curated box full of crafts and activities. They have specific boxes for ages 2-4! They have various themes of boxes you can choose from, or you can opt for recurring/subscription boxes.
Toddlers likely won’t get too excited about shampoo, but give them some bubble bath and watch their face light up! We’ve purchased and tested lots of non-toxic bubble bath for kids including the popular Everyone and trending Alaffia brand. Our favorite hands down is the Alaffia bubble bath! It can be found at both Whole Foods and Target.
Make brushing more fun with a character toothbrush or some new toothpaste.
We recently purchase the Oral-B electric toothbrush with the Frozen II characters for our toddler (even though it says 3+). It works much more efficiently than a manual toothbrush and the recognizable characters make brushing more fun. Our 2.5 year old can even hold it and use it herself (though we always go in after her!).
Toothpaste is great to pair with this. We have been using the Hello brand as we like the non-toxic ingredients (they do have both fluoride and no-fluoride options).
If your toddler doesn’t have a hairbrush (or hair brushing is a struggle!), consider gifting a new one! We bought a Disney princess Wet Brush since we have a Disney fan in the house. Wet Brush also has plenty of other colors and designs that your toddler will be sure to love.
You can never have too many books! At least that’s our motto! (Note: we do a book rotation so not all our books are out at once!).
Clothes and shoes are another great practical gift. Consider sizing up in everyday clothes or shoes.
Also consider gifting specialty clothing items, like a fancy outfit (think family photos!), cold weather items or swimming suits.
If you like to take your toddler to local museums/zoos/themeparks/etc. or attend classes (gymnastics, soccer, karate, etc.), then consider giving them as a gift. Great for parents or extended relatives. We love the idea of gifting experiences over things!
If your child is in preschool, consider making your toddler’s gift a contribution to their classroom. Simply ask the teacher what they need for their classroom. Many schools also participate in Scholastic, where parents/relatives can buy books through the school for the school (win-win!).
Asking for gifts for your child’s classroom is perfect for generous relatives when you truly don’t want any more ‘stuff’ brought into your home.
Money towards a college fund is also a welcome gift!
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