We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed and its publishing partners may collect a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page.
1. A Dyson Ball toy vacuum with the ability to actually suck up the crackers your kiddo crushed into your carpet — it's about time they started helping around the house. 😉
Promising review: "Our son is absolutely obsessed with our Dyson (the real one). Which is why we purchased this toy Dyson vacuum for his birthday. He's 2-years-old and he is really enjoying having his on 'working' vacuum cleaner!!! He seriously plays with it for hours during the day. Turning it on and off and pushing it through the house just like we use our real vacuum. I would buy this again! It was his favorite gift!." —Amazon Customer
Shipping info: Available on Amazon Prime with two-day shipping, non-Prime shipping options will still arrive by Christmas (see Amazon's full shipping information here).
Get it from Amazon for $24.99+ (available in three colors).
2. A pack of parachute toys they'll love tossing from the second floor and watching float down over and over without pestering you to help them untangle them — a win for you both!
Promising review: "I bought these for my 4-year-old nephew and 2-year-old niece for when they come to visit. Right out of the box, they were excited and loved tossing them up in the air and watching them fall. I was amazed as to how long it kept their interest and the different ways they played with them. They dropped them off the stair landing, off the couch, in the yard and held them behind them to expand as they ran. My niece liked 'dancing' with them and twirling it around. Good colors and very well made. Hours of fun and the best $7 I ever spent on a toy!" —hiker0811
Shipping info: Available on Amazon Prime with two-day shipping, non-Prime shipping options will still arrive by Christmas (see Amazon's full shipping information here).
Get a pack of four from Amazon for $7.63+ (available in two colors).
3. An activity pad to show little ones how to correctly use scissors — a skill we *all* could likely work on, TBH. It comes with safety scissors (obviously) and a book filled with mazes, puzzles, animal art, sequencing activities, and more!
Promising review: "Must-have for toddlers. My 3-year-old loves doing these cutouts, and I enjoy them as well. The pictures are vibrant and pleasing. The puzzles are fun. The scissors are wonderful for small hands." —Holly
"Must-have for your toddler needing to learn scissor skills! And they actually cut, so long as you are holding the scissors straight (which teaches your child proper form). Will have to eventually move on to a bladed scissor, but these are perfect for learning." —L. Anderson
Shipping info: Available on Amazon Prime with two-day shipping, non-Prime shipping options will still arrive by Christmas (see Amazon's full shipping information here).
Get it from Amazon for $7.99.
4. A LeapFrog 100 Words Book that'll interact with your eager-to-learn little one and teach them all kinds of useful words in both English and Spanish!
Promising review: "My 1-year-old loves to touch the different animals and hear the book say their name and animal sound. He’s got a good vocabulary, but we’re working with him to encourage more and more words. His doctor recommended teaching him animals and the sound they make, so this is great to add to what we’re already doing. Great toy that is fun and also teaches. They learn through repetition — and this was just what I was looking for! I also love that this toy will grow with him. He using the name/sound mode right now, but is also has a mode that gives facts for when he’s older and also has Spanish! 10/10 recommend." —Jessica Grace
Shipping info: Available on Amazon Prime with two-day shipping, non-Prime shipping options will still arrive by Christmas (see Amazon's full shipping information here).
Get it from Amazon for $13.99.
5. An arts and crafts kit chock full of everything and anything to inspire your little one to create a fun paper plate animal friend to hang with (so you can get some chores done, finally).
The set comes with 12 cute animal pattern cards, 12 colored paper trays, and 144 double-sided foam adhesives.
Promising review: "This craft kit is easy for a toddler to manage and creates cute animals. The double sided adhesive works very well." —Beachy1
Shipping info: Available on Amazon Prime with two-day shipping, non-Prime shipping options will still arrive by Christmas (see Amazon's full shipping information here).
Get it from Amazon for $12.99 (available in three styles).
6. A color-your-own-castle playhouse you might think is an eyesore but won't care because your kids will have a blast going full-blown Picasso on it! Hand them some crayons or markers and let them them transform it into their own royal residence.
Don't forget the markers and crayons!
Promising review: "My girls (2, 5) have spent hours and hours playing pretend in this castle. They work on decorating it gradually but often stop to just play. Easy to set up. Great price." —ElaFree
Shipping info: Available on Amazon Prime with two-day shipping, non-Prime shipping options will still arrive by Christmas (see Amazon's full shipping information here).
Get it the haunted house version for $38.44 and the fairytale version for $31.51, both from Amazon.
7. A Melissa & Doug ice cream station to encourage kiddos to indulge in some imaginative play — they can stack up the flavors and toppings and offer sweet treats to everyone in the house...delish!
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: "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 and 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
Shipping info: Available on Amazon Prime with two-day shipping, non-Prime shipping options will still arrive by Christmas (see Amazon's full shipping information here).
Get it from Amazon for $34.97.
8. A wooden puzzle that'll help jumpstart your tyke's brain and encourage them to problem solve without having their eyes glued to a screen.
Reviewers say this is a great toy for all ages — from 3–12.
Promising review: "Excellent for learning! Must-have! Such a wonderful toy/puzzle! Similar in some way to tangrams. Great for stimulating thinking and problem solving. My 3-year-old's teacher was blown away by her working the puzzle so easily." —tigerhax
Shipping info: Available on Amazon Prime with two-day shipping, non-Prime shipping options will still arrive by Christmas (see Amazon's full shipping information here).
Get it from Amazon for $9.99.
9. A set of 500+ puffy stickers any crafty kiddo would squeal with delight about — fear not, they actually don't leave any residue and unstick very easily!!!
Promising review: "Gave to my grandson when I babysit him. Got a sticker book to put them in. He loves them. Liked them so much bought another set for my granddaughter as one of her birthday presents." —J. Reulet
Shipping info: Available on Amazon Prime with two-day shipping, non-Prime shipping options will still arrive by Christmas (see Amazon's full shipping information here).
Get them from Amazon for $7.99.