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. Crayola Globbles, a fun lil' toy they can use to burn off some steam when they need a quick mental break from their homework. Don't worry, they won't leave residue on your walls.
Promising review: "If you wanna keep children busy for hours, get these. You can’t beat this price for that many and they are reusable and washable. Just rinse them and rub them under the water and they are like new again. Our 1- and 3-year-old love them. Highly recommend these products." —E2j2c4
Get a pack of six from Amazon for $9.97+ (also available in a pack of 16).
3. 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 $9.99.
4. 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: "Scissors skills are important both in and of themselves and because it strengthens the hand muscles to be used for learning to write. My 4-year-old LOVES this book. We received it this week and she has used it for a couple of hours each day. Many of the pages are cutting things out and putting them together (four-scoop ice cream cone, pizza with pepperonis, the components to build a house or a car, puzzles). We've used tape or glue to put the components together. This book is interesting enough to have caught the attention of my older children as well, although I make them let her do the cutting. :D Would make a great gift as it is so unique." —Mom of 7
Get it from Amazon for $7.99.
5. Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza — a card game they can play together as a family. Hope their little ones are ready for endless giggles!
6. A Disney princess necklace activity set tiny fashionistas will be so excited to get their hands on to create their own baubles — be prepared to give them your full attention when they're ready to show 'em off!
Promising review: "My 3-year-old twins loved it, entertained for hours which is rare and so worth $7. Perfect for teaching coordination, color patterns, encourages creativity. The necklaces are a soft, stretchy material with a safe breakaway clasp but that also stays on well. I wore a necklace for hours around the house & didn't fall off. The beads are cute and a good variety of colors. Overall great project, loads of fun for toddlers." —Lyss
Get it from Amazon for $12.99.
7. A set of foam letters and numbers that'll turn bath time into a learning experience — show your little ones how to spell out their name and count to 10 while they soak in their suds.
The set comes with 26 floating letters (A to Z) and 10 floating numbers (0 to 9). When they get wet they easily stick to the wall/ the tub.
Promising review: "We have been using these to learn letters in the bath while my toddler twins are somewhat contained. They are great. Durable!" —Jessica Daigle
Get them from Amazon for $6.29.
8. A pack of wind-up turtle toys that'll "swim" across the tub (way faster than you'd expect a turtle to travel, TBH) and leave your kiddo in a fit of giggles. If they're too little to wind up the toy on their own be prepared to spend the entirety of the bath twisting 'em up and letting them go again and again.
My son has had these for a while now and they've become such a fun part of bath time. He loves snatching them out of the water while they're still spinning and watching the little arms and legs go wild. They swim really fast! I personally like that they can be wound up with one hand (a gift to any parent, honestly). They drain all the water out of them so I've had zero concerns of gross mold developing inside.
Promising review: "These made bath time so much fun! The 9-month-old absolutely loves the little splashes!" —Kaleb Webb
Get a pack of three from Amazon for $9.99.
9. GeoSafari kid binoculars they'll 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 whatnot.
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 $11.29.
10. 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.
These stacking cups are *such* a simple toy but are so effective in keeping a little one entertained. My son adores these cups! Whether he's smashing them together to make noise or knocking down a tower that I built for him, he truly gets a kick out of these.
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 $6.92.
11. The Book with No Pictures by The Office's own B.J. Novak that'll leave you and your mini-me giggling past their bedtime.
The book is recommended for ages 5–8.
Promising review: "Our 4-year-old is always pestering us to 'let me see the pictures' of her books every night, making storytime drag on forever, so I thought this would be great to chill her out at bedtime. NOT! She laughs so hard she gets the hiccups and has tears rolling down her face by the time we're two thirds through the book! What a perfect idea!" —Straight Outta the Suburbs
Get it from Amazon for $9.90.
12. A light-up fountain bath toy you can count on to keep your kiddos entertained for a whale-y long time in the tub.
Promising review: "This toy is super cute. Once charged, it starts working immediately when you put it in the water. The light changes color and it spouts out water. It comes with various different parts that allow for different types of water sprinkles. And one even levitates the ball that’s included. Super cute and very exciting during first time use. Our 3-year-old loves it!" —JMiff
Get it from Amazon for $12.99+ (available in three colors and in a rechargeable version).
13. A box of 72 mini dinosaur toys kiddos will love traipsing throughout dirt, sand, the bath tub, etc. With so many in the set you won't have to stress if one or two get lost during all of your little one's adventures.
Also great as cake toppers and party bag favors!
Promising review: "Hi, we were quite amazed at the variety of dinosaurs included in our pack. We expected the usual three but got quite a variety of dinosaurs and we got three or more of each. The colors were fantastic. Bright vivid blues and greens and purples. The size was relatively small which worked well as my daughter used them as homemade Valentines for her friends. Overall, we were very happy with our purchase." —H. Bowen
Get it from Amazon for $9.99.
14. A flower-building activity set they can use to create a beautiful garden of their own even if it's absolutely dreary outside — and they can do it without going near any soil (a parenting win, TBH).
Promising review: "I bought this flower garden as a gift for my 3-year-old daughter. She absolutely loves it! She has always enjoyed blocks and this is something different that has kept her engaged for hours! We highly recommend this product to others!!" —Ashley Petersen
Get it from Amazon for $13.98+ (available in two sizes).
15. An Uno Minecraft card game because it's the *one* thing that'll get your kids excited about game night and taking a break from their screens.
Promising review: "My sons (7 and 4) love Minecraft! I purchased this for my 7-year-old as a birthday present and we play almost every day. So easy to play that my 4-year-old can play too and doesn’t need to ‘be on a team.’ Hours of fun for such a simple game." —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $11.99.
16. Or Pixar Uno, in case they'd prefer a Disney twist. They'll love seeing their favorites like Nemo and Buzz Lightyear on the cards.
Promising review: "Played this with my 13-year-old niece and I didn’t think she was going to let me stop! She loved this and I enjoyed it as well. Ya think ya know a lot about Pixar movies until ya have to name the characters! Haha fun game." —Katrina Boyd
Get it from Amazon for $9.99.
17. 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
Get a pack of four from Amazon for $9.99+ (available in two colors).
18. 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 $11.89.
19. 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).
20. 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.
21. A set of the entire Heeler family so kids can live out their favorite moments of the show right from their own play room.
Promising review: "POV: It’s 2022 — Bluey has taken the world by storm. Moms and children alike swear by Bluey, abide by Bluey, worship Bluey. It’s your child’s birthday in two business days. You buy them these figurines. The child is satisfied- finally a physical component to their idol worship. All is well." —Orcheez
Get it from Amazon for $14.79.
22. Jenga to test their concentration and dexterity skills. Be gentle or the whole tower might come tumbling down!
Promising review: "This is a great game that can be played by all ages and either alone, with someone else, or with a group. There are so many possibilities. This is definitely a great game for game night. This game builds on your critical thinking skills, as each move has to be well thought out or you can lose in a blink of an eye. So, it is challenging, fun, and competitive all at the same time. Basically, each player builds upon another player's move until the blocks come crashing down. The person who makes that last move loses." —QT
Get it from Amazon for $9.97.
23. A scratch paper art set that'll take you right back to your elementary school days but also provide a fun way to keep your kiddos entertained.
Promising review: "Ahhh I love these so much, takes doodling to a whole new level! It's an anxiety relief like you wouldn't believe. Plus my kids also get a kick out of them. These are so worth it and I'm going to be keeping these stocked up!" —Katie Toomey
Get it from Amazon for $9.99.
24. The Haunted Mansion – Call of The Spirits Board Game, for anyone who wants to embrace spooky season all the time. Beware: grim, grinning ghosts will come out to socialize while you and your kids make your way around the mansion. 😉
Promising review: "I love the Haunted Mansion so I bought this based on the theme. This is a well laid out game, with excellent themed graphics, and quality components. The glow in the dark 'Hitchhiking Ghosts' are a real plus, and you can play this in a low light situation so you can see them glow. The rulebook is fairly clear, but you may want to watch a YouTube video as it's easy to miss little things. After a play through or two you get it, and then it starts to be really fun. Everything here is well thought out and of good quality. It also has many little 'homages' hidden through the game, as we expect from Disney. Lots of little details a true Disney and Haunted Mansion fan can find if you look. All in all this was a very fun game at an amazingly low price." —Chris R Skewes
Get it from Amazon for $11.49 (available in Magic Kingdom or Disneyland editions).
25. 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).
26. A five-pack of stretchy fidget tools that won't make a sound so your kiddo can get out their nervous energy without disrupting everyone else around them.
Promising review: "Perfect sensory toy. I’m glad this comes as a multipack because my kiddo with Down syndrome is obsessed. He needs something to twirl pretty much any time he’s awake and this is great. They’re super stretchy, but don’t get long enough during twirling to, say, hit your brother in the face in the car, so that’s nice. (One less battle and everyone is happy!) Easy to clean and sanitize, and they seem to be incredibly durable after a month of the green one being used about 13 hours a day — and as serious fidgeter has been testing the limits. We got the most massive smile when the orange one was presented yesterday. A new color? Life is awesome! Wait until he sees the other three hiding in the closet. Haha! I have no hesitation recommending this item." —I'm me
Get a set of five from Amazon for $12.99.
27. Toddler bath crayons for any parent hoping to buy enough time in the tub to wash their kiddo's hair and clean their little ears — which is no easy feat, let me tell you.
Promising review: "My 18-month-old LOVES these. As a future OT, I love that it’s promoting grasp patterns and scribbling!!! We are going on week 3–4 of using these every single night for bath time and she’s still not bored. Easy to clean up and seem to hold up well! I would recommend for creative play, fine motor, writing development.. all the good things for baby’s brain!!" —Carly Jackson
Get a 10-pack from Amazon for $8.47.
28. Skip Hop pour buckets with an animal on each one and a variety of different sized holes for water to drain through the bottom — little ones will love filling these buckets up, sprinkling the water all over, and then stacking 'em up.
My son plays with these buckets every night in the bath! He loves filling them up with water (duh) and we also use them to practice his animal sounds. I hold one up, name the animal on it, then ask him what sound it makes. He also uses them to pour water into other toys we gave in the tub and I've used them to rinse his hair on a number of occasions. When bath time is over I simply stack them up on leave them on the corner of the tub until the next night.
Promising review: "Our baby has loved these so much we have started to gift them! They provide easy bath time entertainment and double as a rinsing cup when we forget one. Great quality and cute colors." —Anthony Wilcox
Get a set of five from Amazon for $5.99+ (available in two styles).
29. And a pipe system for the tub that would absolutely impress Mario and Luigi. (You know, they're plumbers, right?) Your kiddo will have a blast arranging the pipes, playing with the various valves, and watching as water flows through their creation.
Promising review: "My 8-year-old loves it as much as the 18-month-old. You can put it together in different ways for different experiments with water. Sturdy." —S. E. McBroom
Get it from Amazon for $9.97.
Some reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.