1. A jealousy-inducing Melissa & Doug ice cream counter — it’ll be tons of fun to play ice cream shop with your kids, for sure, but they *always* get to be the ice cream maker! When is it gonna be YOUR turn to scoop the ice cream cones?! It looks so fun!
The wooden ice cream counter comes with eight ice cream scoops, six toppings, two cones, cup, scooper, tongs, wooden spoon, reusable menu card, and six pretend dollar bills.
Promising review: “Fun toy set for a creative toddler. My newly-turned-3 year old daughter instantly fell in love with this set! She loves seeing how high she can stack the ice cream cones and pretending to serve Mom & Dad her creations. She’s been obsessed with climbing things around the house and we *desperately* needed a distraction to get her to stop, and this is working so far — she plays with this thing for HOURS!” —West Family
Get it from Amazon for $51.99.
2. A SunPrint paper kit sure to spark the interest of artistic souls and clever kiddos. Gather leaves, flowers, and the like on your next nature walk and set them up on this kit while it sits in the sun. Then watch your natural craft come to life!
3. A set of 24 wood building blocks with see-through rainbow acrylic panels — create fun structures and shapes against your window and watch as the sun projects the block colors all around the room! This is the sort of toy that’ll bring simple, everyday magic into your playtime routine.
Promising review: “Fun educational toy! My 2-year-old daughter has been obsessed with shapes and colors. She loves looking through them, then naming the color and shape. She also loves building with them. They are so beautiful which is a huge plus for me. Oh and I’m pregnant and very sensitive to smells, and did not notice a chemical smell on our set.” —Amanda S.
Get a set from Amazon for $29.96.
4. A Melissa & Doug reusable puffy sticker activity book — this is gonna be such a hit with your kid you might become jealous of a sticker sheet. Kids love stickers. Stickers with a storyline? Even better.
The set includes three reusable puffy sticker activity books with dress-up, princess, and mermaid themes. Each book comes with 65+ reusable puffy stickers.
Promising review: “These are perfect sticker books for younger kids and toddlers because of the puffy stickers. The stickers aren’t very sticky, but that’s why I like them. My 2-year-old can play and play with them and I don’t have to worry about them damaging my coffee table! Also, they make great gifts and are wonderful to bring on planes or to restaurants to keep kids busy!” —RaeK
Get a set from Amazon for $19.99.
5. A super durable wooden pretend play magnetic cutting set for pint-sized chefs who could spend all day working on their fine motor skills. Chop ’til you drop!
This set comes includes 26 items of food including fruits, vegetables, fish, burger, bread, ice cream, steak and more! It also comes with a cutting board, two knives and a storage bucket.
Parents, please supervise as some of the smaller pieces might be a choking hazard.
Promising review: “I’ve seen a lot of wooden food cutting sets over the years, but this one is the best by far. First of all, the pieces connect by magnet rather than velcro. The Velcro sets tend to stop sticking once they’ve been used for a while. This one has well-made and sturdy pieces with some unique pieces like dragon fruit and spring onion. My personal favorite is the grapes, which can be pulled off the vine in groups of two (too big to choke on) and stuck back together. It also comes with a cutting board, two knives, and a little vegetable peeler. My 3-year-old loves this set and has been playing with it over and over. Well worth the money.” —Michael Bower
Get a set from Amazon for $32.99+ (available in two styles).
6. An indoor-friendly scavenger hunt game sure to save the day when said day is cold, rainy, dreary, and dull. Rather than coming up with specific objects, this game gives your kids a chance to be extra creative by finding things that are “scratchy,” “warm,” “fuzzy,” and more!
Promising review: “These are a lifesaver for us during the quarantine. My 7-year-old is enjoying challenges that I time, having to find five things to match five cards in five minutes. There are also two games with instructions that are fun. My kiddos are being so creative finding things. My son found a compact mirror and breathed on it to steam it up for ‘steamy.’ Hooray for igniting thinking skills. Grandma gets involved finding silly things that make the kids crack up. I love the bag they come in and that it’s a compact card game that can be played anywhere.” —Jami Lilo
Get it from Amazon for $9.99.
7. And a smaller set to get bored toddlers on a mission to discover all the *treasures* around the house. You’re gonna be pleasantly surprised by how long it takes your kid to find these objects. That’s some prime nap time just for you.
Promising review: “A must-have. My 2-year-old son is obsessed. Always asks to play ‘find you’ game LOL. Then we play it and every option on the game he actually thinks really hard then says ‘come on mommy’ and runs me through the house to find the object. Highly recommended from a mom of four.” —Britney bansley
Get it from Amazon for $12.99.
8. A rainbow-colored saucer swing for adding a fun ~spin~ on the furniture in your playroom.
9. A pack of no-spill paint cups with lids that’ll keep any leftover paint from drying out. These’ll let your pint-sized Picasso have a ton of fun, without making a major mess.
The set includes 10 cups and 10 color coordinated paintbrushes.
Promising review: “These are the perfect size for a toddler (2-years-old) the cups are not too big or too small. We fill the cups up with about a half inch of paint. When we finish painting we put the kids on and put them away, the paint hasn’t dried out on us yet and they’ve sat unused for a week at a time with a quarter inch of paint in them. My son gets so excited when he see us pulling these out. I would buy these again. We haven’t had any spills with these but I think if you were to fill them up (a few inches) with more paint that you could have a spill. The matching color lids and brushes are great for helping kids learn to match.” —Krys
Get a pack of 10 from Amazon for $19.99.
10. A set of five plastic pipes can keep your kiddo entertained in the bath long enough that you can actually get them clean. Washing your child without a tantrum will no longer be just a ~pipe~ dream!
Amazon
Promising review: “Our 18-month-old adores these. His older sisters (five and seven) have also been enjoying them in the tub. They work great and stick really well. The only negative is that we have temper tantrums now because baby boy wants to take a bath all the time. We can’t get him out of the tub now!” —JKinSD
Get them from Amazon for $15.49+ (available in two colors).
11. A pair of GeoSafari Jr. binoculars your observant, baby birdwatcher is sure to adore.
Amazon
Promising review: “These are absolutely the best for preschool-aged children. There is no need for adjustment. You just look into the binoculars and see a clear image. My son used these this past summer for getting a closer look at the hummingbirds at our feeder. We also took these with us on nature walks. He really enjoyed using them, and after a full summer’s use, they are still in great shape. Anything that makes a child curious about nature and the environment gets an A+ in my book.” —Rachael P.
Get it from Amazon for $9.49.
12. A whale bath toy for kids who need some extra entertainment when taking a bath. This wacky whale lights up and starts spouting water the minute it gets placed in the bath. Which is, ahem, ~whaley~ cute.
See why this parent says this toy is a hit with their 7-month-old on TikTok.
Promising review: “My grandson LOVES this! He has so much fun! Loves the colors and how it squirts the water. Really cute for a 1-or 2-year-old. Heck I think it’s fun and cute! Definitely a must-have for bath time!” —Faye
Get it from Amazon for $11.99+ (available in six styles).
13. A pack of Crayola Globbles (sans sticky residue) that’ll cling to the wall and slowly drop down…tricking your kids into being patient after they’ve thrown these as high up as their little arms can manage.
Promising review: “Amazing toys! My 1- and 2-year-old LOVE them! They scream ‘sticky balls!’ and run around throwing them on the fridge, windows, cabinets, walls, etc. Easy to wash and air-dry, and don’t lose their stickiness! My new go-to gift! Love them!” —Rachel
Get a pack of six from Amazon for $10.69 (also available as a 16-pack).
14. A pack of parachute toys — these may become your new favorite thing if your kids are full of energy. Have them drop these, run down the stairs, and retrieve them, and then run back up all those stairs to do it again. Over and over. Or, at least until nap time.
Promising review: “Durable and NO tangling! Leagues ahead of dollar store parachute men. Used for a game at a birthday party where 7-year-olds threw them off a balcony and tried to land in a corresponding colored circle for a prize. They LOVED it. Very satisfied.” —Sarah
Get a pack of four from Amazon for $7.19.
15. A pack of puffy window clings with 27 reusable ocean critters, so your tiny traveler can decorate the window of a car or airplane until they finally drift off to Dreamland (or you make it to your destination — whichever comes first).
Promising review: “I was influenced by a mom I follow on Instagram to purchase these. I bought them to keep my almost 2-year-old occupied on an 8-hour flight. She definitely liked sticking them on the plane windows and walls. They are highly durable and you can use them over and over. I initially thought they were a little expensive for stickers, but I realized that they last a long time so they are worth it!” —Roberto Fratarcangeli
Get them from Amazon for $9.99.
16. A budget-friendly 3-in-1 sprinkler, splash pad, and wading pool decorated with colors, letters, and numbers so learning isn’t just an indoor activity. Plus, this thing looks so satisfying that on a hot day you might just join in with your kids!
Promising review: “Big enough for three kids under 5 to play on, so easy to set up, best $10 I have spent! Would have easily paid $20 for it. I’m sure we’ll get a few years’ use out of this.” —Haynes Humphries
Get it from Amazon for $19.99
17. An open-ended marble run set for inquisitive kiddos who would love creating a massive marble run all on their own — no rulebook included!
Promising reviews: “My 5- and 3-year-olds (and me) have spent hours building towers and watching marbles clatter down these chutes, steps, gears and spirals, HOURS! And they’re not bored yet! It’s also educational learning the physics of slopes by experience. Plus, it comes with enough marbles so that losing a few doesn’t matter.” —Joyce Parker
“This is a really neat toy that has provided literally hours and hours of enjoyment for my 4-year-old nephew (and me!). The pieces fit well together, it is very sturdy and stands up well even on carpet. There are an infinite number of ways to build these runs, and this toy never gets boring. Highly recommended.” —Becca
Get it from Amazon for $34.99+ (available in four kit sizes).
18. A pop-up tunnel play set — your kids are gonna love crawling in and out of these obstacle course of tunnels. (BTW, it also has a ball pit!)
Promising review: “One thing my kids never tire of is hideouts and tents. I’m always hearing, ‘Mom can you build us a tent?’ So, instead of sticking blankets in drawers and hanging them from bookcases, I ordered this set. They play in them for hours and love them. This play set is great. It has three sections for them to sit and play in and three tunnels.” —Stephen schuresko
Get it from Amazon for $56.94 (also available in a princess version).
19. A foam pogo jumper that’ll delight extra active kids who are too young for a traditional pogo stick but would love nothing more than bouncing from place to place.
Promising review: “I ordered these as a last-minute addition to the pile of Christmas gifts my kids opened this year. These stole the show. I’m so glad that I found something to keep them active indoors! Five days later, they still haven’t put them down. We just ordered four more for friends/family!” —Joe C.
Get it from Amazon for $13.49+ (available in 17 designs).
20. Or the bestselling Little Tikes trampoline for parents who want exactly *no more* monkeys jumping on the bed but would still prefer their kids have a designated place to bounce…and keep bouncing.
Promising review: “I have a wild 3-year-old who has more energy in one day then I’ve had in my entire life. From sun up to sun down he is ON. Unfortunately, we don’t have a yard and we can’t always make it to the playground. We picked this up for him hoping that it would help him get some of that energy out on days that we’re stuck inside. We’ve had it for 8 months and it has been a lifesaver! I was worried about it taking up too much space in the living room but it’s not bad at all. It’s wide enough for him to jump comfortably, but not big enough to be an eyesore or get in the way. When I catch him trying to climb on the couch or run around too wildly, I just give him a quick reminder to jump on his trampoline instead. It’s a win for both of us since he has a safe place to let that energy out and I’m not scolding him because he’s jumping on things he’s not supposed to. He is about 40 lbs and 40 inches tall and he doesn’t seem to be growing out of it anytime soon. It was easy to put together and has held up beautifully! It’s never tipped over and we’ve never had any accidents with it. I am so thankful we picked this up for him because it helps keep all of us happy and sane.” —Ana
Get it from Amazon for $68.25.
21. A modular kids’ couch made with sturdy foam and easy-to-clean fabric so you can take your family’s play fort skills to the next level, while saving your own sofa from destruction.
Promising review: “This ‘couch’ is wonderful — exactly what we had been looking for. The covers are super soft and the color is gorgeous. We have built several different forts and tunnels so far and the kids love it! We had a tiny problem with one of the arches but customer service took care of it. I would definitely buy from this company again.” —Chris and Charly
Get it from Amazon for $188.99 (available in eight colors).
22. And finally, a talking, singing, rainbow poop, which, upon first glance, may not be the toy you want in your house. Think again! This thing plays hide-and-seek with your kids — which means a piece of poop just saved you from hiding inside the bathtub until your five-year-old finds you. Ugh, they are so bad at seeking.
Amazon
Look, potty humor is the funniest thing this side of the second grade. BTW, this runs on two AA batteries (which are included). To play someone hides the toy and it will, ahem, “fart” to give the seeker hints as to where it is. Once it’s found, it sings a victory song!
Promising review: “I was looking for a game to play at our 5-year-old’s b-day party, which had ages 5-15, and this was an absolute hit! All the kids loved it and we even got in on the fun for a few rounds. I can see this being very popular in our house on a regular basis. It’s nice to get the kids up and active looking for it rather than just sitting playing a game. Countless people of all ages can play. When it was just the two older boys they timed themselves to see who could find it faster. It was very entertaining just to watch them too!” —Lisa Meade
Get it from Amazon for $12.99+ (also available as an egg).
Reviews in this post have been edited for length and clarity.
