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. Silly Poopy's Hide and Seek — which is pretty much exactly what you'd think it is. It's a rainbow-colored, light-up poop-shaped toy littles can take turns hiding throughout the house. It'll shout out clues and play a song when it's finally found!
What Do You Meme? is a small business that sells card games/toys, plushies, and pool floats.
Promising review: "This game is HILARIOUS. My kids love playing with it and taking turns hiding it (8, 6, and 3 years). They all think poop is funny and run around yelling 'Silly Poopy, where are you?' It keeps them busy for at least half an hour at a time and they leave me alone. Also? It's pretty durable. I found it outside in my garden in the 20-degree winter weather. I guess my 8-year-old left it out there for a few days. It also gets thrown down the stairs and Silly Poopy just keeps on giggling and having fun." —Adele
Get it from Amazon for $12.99.
2. 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
Get it from Amazon for $13.99.
3. A pack of spill-proof Munchkin snack catchers so your kiddo can grab a lil' treat whenever the mood strikes without making a crumbly mess all over your rug.
Promising review: "After having my 18-month-old crush her graham crackers in the bag and then toss it all up in the air covering herself and everyone and everything in graham cracker powder (including the interior of my car), I had enough. These cups are a godsend! They are the perfect size for her hand and she can’t just yank the top off. She likes the independence they grant her and my husband likes not having to strip her car seat and have the car detailed over cracker crumbs." —Shawny
Get a pack of two from Amazon for $5.96+ (available in three color combos and in two count sizes).
4. 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
Get it from Amazon for $12.99 (available in three styles).
5. 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
Get it the haunted house version for $35.99 and the fairytale version for $27.99, both from Amazon.
6. 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
Get it from Amazon for $31.49.
7. 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
Get it from Amazon for $7.99.
8. 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
Get it from Amazon for $24.99+ (available in three colors).
9. An InnyBin for tots with an endless amount of curiosity — it comes with chunky shapes for them to push through the elastic bands and into the cube. (We love fine motor skills!)
Promising review: "I ordered this for my 2-year-old's birthday who has Down syndrome. He absolutely loves putting things inside of other things. This toy out of many he received for his birthday was the absolute best. He will literally play for hours with it!! He definitely enjoys this!! Great buy, great toy!!! Y’all did amazing on this!!!!" —Ruthie Brenneman
Get it from Amazon for $29.95.
10. A rainbow-colored saucer swing that'll quickly become your kid's favorite place to hang (literally).
Maximum weight is 260 pounds.
Promising review: "Very, very sturdy and easy assembly. We had a reunion and this swing kept the kids busy for hours. I definitely will be buying another." —msbakwudhic
Get it from Amazon for $39.99 (also available in a smaller size).
11. A Toniebox Audio Player Starter Set, which is essentially a tiny stereo toddlers can control all on their own just by swapping out which character magnetically sits on top of it. Each individual figure tells different stories and sings different songs — it's a great way to keep kids entertained without a screen.
This toy has bought me so much time. My son adores his — even though he's only 1.5 he has had no problem understanding how to turn the Toniebox on, change the volume, and place different characters on top to tell various stories. He's a big fan, as am I! It can also be used while it's charging, so there's no need to worry about your toddler having a meltdown if they want to play with it while the battery is drained (phew). This specific kit comes with the Toniebox as well as Tonies figures of Woody, Lightning McQueen, Simba, Winnie the Pooh, and Playtime Puppy.
There are so many different Tonies you can add to keep the fun going — check 'em out.
Get it from Amazon for $154.99.
12. A construction-themed folding play set complete with kinetic sand, a dump truck, a working crane, a wrecking ball, and bucket attachments to keep kiddos entertained for houuuuurs — it even includes a carrying kit to contain the mess to one space (ideally).
13. A pack of Mega Bloks for wild toddlers who love nothing more than making towers and then knocking them down like they're a tiny King Kong terrorizing the city.
The set includes 80 building blocks and a storage bag.
Promising review: "My 2-year-old son and 1-year-old daughter absolutely love these! They spend hours playing with these and as a family me and my husband and the kids build things together. The great things about them is that they are large so they aren't a choke hazard. My daughter will sometimes try to put these in her mouth so we are happy that we don't have to worry about that with these jumbo-sized blocks. The blocks are colorful and are made of good-quality plastic so you don't have to worry about small pieces or worry about them breaking and being harmful. These are highly recommended and very much worth every penny. Probably the best toy I have bought for my kids in a while." —Dee
Get a set of 80 from Amazon for $14.99.
14. A castle tent with sheer drapes and starry lights to create an enchanting royal hideaway for the princess in your life.
Promising review: "I purchased this tent for my granddaughter who is 4. She really loves it and spends hours playing in it with her dolls and baby sister." —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $39.95+ (available in three colors; clip the coupon on the product page to save $6).
15. A pack of oversized sidewalk chalk they'll be *so* excited over they might just forget to pester you about extra screen time — encourage them to create all kinds of art in your driveway or leave funny messages for passersby.
Urban Infant is a Chicago-based small business run by a brother/sister duo making unique and useful parenting products.
Promising review: "Our 1-year-old loves these. It was his first time using chalk and he had no trouble with them. They are pretty thick; doesn't matter how he holds them, there will be contact with the surface and there will be color!" —JW
Get it from Urban Infant on Amazon for $11.95 (also available in glitter chalk).
16. GeoSafari kid binoculars kids will love using to get *up close and personal* with nature without actually getting all that close — a must-have for littles who are curious but a bit skittish about bugs and what-not.
Promising review: "I bought two of these as gifts. If your child likes the outdoors or looking for bugs, anything like that, then these are a must-buy. The children I gifted these to loved them and used them right away. They're a nice color, durable, and easy for little hands to hold." —melissa
Get them from Amazon for $11.24.
17. A wooden ramp set with two cars and three spinning color wheels that'll leave your tyke in awe — you can count on them spending AT LEAST five minutes placing the cars/wheels at the top and watching them zoom down. It'll also help them learn about cause and effect and work on their hand-eye coordination.
Kiwi Co. is a woman-owned small business that makes an array of toys and subscription boxes to help kiddos learn while having *so* much fun. My son has this toy (and a handful of others from the brand) and we love it! He gets a real kick out of watching the wheels spin and seeing how fast the cars fly down the ramp. It's a simple toy, but sometimes those are the very best.
Get it from Kiwi Co. for $59.95.
18. A classic Little Tikes slide you may have had when *you* were a kid — it's extremely easy to set up and will provide your mini-me with hours of fun (just wait until they discover they can climb back up the slide all on their own).
My son got this as a gift for his first birthday and he loooooves it. It took my husband literally five minutes (if that) to put it together, as it's only two pieces. It's been very durable in the few months we've had it outside and it's very simple to clean (we use the leaf blower to quickly get rid of any debris from the trees above). It's a simple toy but it brings my kid so much joy!
Get it from Amazon for $34.88.
19. 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
Get them from Amazon for $7.99.
20. An incredibly useful sandbox with a lid that opens up to double as benches for kiddos to sit on while they play.
Promising review: "I ordered this for my granddaughter's fourth birthday. It was easy to assemble and has that great cedar smell — it's also lightweight, but well made. My granddaughter, along with her 1.5-year-old brother, has already gotten a lot of play time in the sandbox. They love it!! It is beautiful and my son loves the fact that it closes up to protect the sand then opens up for benches for the children to sit on. He has sent me a couple of pictures and videos of them playing in it. I highly recommend this sand box." —lisa burroughs
Get it from Amazon for $95.99+.
21. Stackable counting cups for your tyke to play with on the kitchen floor, which will hopefully buy you enough time to prep their fancy meal of puréed delicacies.
Promising review: "I saw these recommended by some mom influencer on social media and they had good ratings here, so I got them as a small gift for my baby. Didn’t realize these plain cups would become her favorite thing. She’s 7 months and doesn’t even try to stack them. But she likes unstacking them and chewing on them. She likes these more than the more intricate or expensive gifts we got her. So I guess her rating is 5 stars. Mine is 5 stars for the price, durability, and easiness to clean. Also it keeps her quite occupied, which is a feat in itself." —Amber Scott
Get them from Amazon for $7.02.
22. A Nugget couch featuring four adjustable pieces your kiddos can arrange into all kinds of creations — a rocket ship, a ramp, and castle, whatever! If you're lucky maybe they'll even take a nap on it...dream big.
I recently got one of those for my *very* active son and cannot wait to put it to use. Every parent in my life swears by this, so if you have enough room in your home definitely consider ordering one. The cushion covers are machine washable (a must for any item a child is going to lounge on) and come in SO many colors you'll absolutely be able to find one that matches your decor.
Promising review: "What a great product! Perfect addition to our son’s room as it can be furniture, fort building blocks and an extra bed if you need it for a friend. Love our nugget!" —Kristen N.
Get it from Nugget for $249 (available in 18 styles).
23. A large race car–shaped crayon toddlers will have a blast racing across their coloring books and craft paper. Vroom, vroom!
art2theextreme is a woman-owned small business that makes fabulous crayon creations. I've given them as gifts and am planning to put a whole bunch in my son's stocking this year! Their packaging is a 10/10 and the crayons work fantastically. What more could you ask for?
Promising review: "This is our second time ordering and loved the race car crayon this time! Perfect for a 3-year-old boy who is obsessed with cars! Quality is fantastic!" —Kaela Vance
Get it from art2theextreme on Etsy for $19.95 (available in three color options).
24. A slug-shaped fidget toy you'll likely find yourself playing with when your kid finally puts it down to take a nap — it's oddly enticing for reasons I simply can't put into words.
RexRoi3D is a small business based in Los Angeles that sells 3D-printed items.
Promising review: "I got the large size and he has immediately become one of my favorite fidget toys! It's got a nice weight and feels sturdy, a really good quality item" —Mio Leroux
Get it from RexRoi3D on Etsy for $6.36+ (available in three sizes and nine colors).
25. A Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Sports Baby Activity Center that'll quickly become any kiddo's favorite toy — it has basketball, baseball, a score board, and a snack stand all in one!
I got my son this for the holidays and he loooooves it! He has a blast spinning the scoreboard numbers and clicking the buttons to make sounds. He's a big fan of the concession stand items (oddly enough, the credit card is his go-to). As he grows a bit I'm sure he'll be shooting hoops and playing with the soccer net as well.
Promising review: "My 1.5-year-old LOVES this! He knows what buttons to push on it to get to certain songs. The score numbers play songs and sounds. The shape buttons play sounds. He learned to shoot hoops and kick a ball into a goal in less than a day with this game center. His older siblings love playing with the cafeteria portion. So far there isn’t much interest with the baseball bat but we have only had this a couple of days. Great purchase!" —Irene Estrada
Get it for Amazon for $37.49.
26. A wooden grocery store play set littles will have no problem playing creatively with — just prepare to hear them say "sorry, we're all out of oat milk" or some other too-adult comment they've likely overhead already while you were food shopping. Oops.
Promising review: "This is such a fun set and my kids play with it constantly. I love the pretend play and no screen time fun they have with it. Highly recommend it! The quality is great and it looks so cute and perfect in our play room." —Lindsey Iskierka
Get it from Amazon for $160.99+.
27. Handcrafted, nontoxic constellation blocks you and your mini-me can use to learn the symbols, names, hemispheres, and scale of magnitude for 16 constellations in the night sky. Will I pressure my kids into learning about their horoscopes? Yes, yes I will.
Uncle Goose is a small business!
Former BuzzFeed editor (and father of two) John Mihaly has these blocks:
"These are perhaps the most beautifully designed and interesting set of wooden blocks that's I've ever encountered. I liked them so much I bought them way before my kid would even be able to use them. Having nearly failed my astronomy course in college, I figured this would be a great way for us to learn all about the constellations together as I pretend to know what I'm talking about. So when my kid asks, 'Dad, where is Orion's belt?' I won't have to answer, 'Around his waist.'"
Get it from Amazon for $27.
28. A VTech Sit-to-Stand Learning Walker tykes will have a blast with thanks to the toys on the front and its ability to help them run wildly throughout the house.
Promising review: "Great for babies learning to sit. Keeps them engaged and looking upward. My baby is now standing and trying to walk and loves to pull herself up on this thing! The wheels have a resistance setting so it doesn't go too fast. Best on carpet when they're starting out. The front comes apart too, so even babies who don't like tummy time can have something to look at if you detach the front and put on the floor for them! Best toy that will last for stages of baby development!" —Meet The Jacksons
Get it from Amazon for $39.99 (available in four colors).
29. An interactive toy from Fisher Price that'll let you record your own fun sounds into it — it bops around and plays all kinds of sounds and phrases (75, to be exact!) to keep tykes groovin' and giggling.
Promising review: "This toy is better than expected!! Absolutely adorable!! My 8-month-old absolutely adores it! It springs up and down while playing music. There is a button on there where you can record your child’s name and it’ll repeat it back while singing and dancing! Highly recommended!" —A
Get it from Amazon for $30.49.
30. And a felt ocean wall with removable pieces toddlers can use to create their own underwater adventures — it comes with 40 sea creature shapes (!!!) and Command Strips to secure it to any wall in your home.
Em ls Crafty is a small business that creates exciting crafts for kids. She donates 4% of sales to RMCHF Mothers’ Milk Bank.
Promising review: "My kids love this — my 3-year-old loves putting the pieces up, and my 1-year-old loves taking them down lol. At first I thought it had too many of the tiny bubbles to keep up with, but those are their favorite part so I guess she knows her market" —Hallie
Get it from Em ls Crafty on Etsy for $59.20.
The reviews for this post have been edited for length and clarity.