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 ball pit, tunnel, and tent combination designed to look like a castle — a must-have for anyone whose child asks them constantly to play pretend with them. You can take play time to the next level with this exciting toy!
GeerWest is a small business! Note: you'll need to purchase balls for the ball pit separately.
Promising review: "This was so easy to set up! Our little one loves to play around in it. It is great indoors and outdoors! It is also very easy to fold up. It stores nicely in the little zipper bag that comes with it. I expect hours of fun!!" —JH
Get it from Amazon for $39.99+ (available in six styles).
2. 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 $7.99.
3. A Fisher-Price kick and play piano you may have seen on TikTok or heard about from other parents — it'll keep your kiddo entertained for MONTHS, which is a lot more than other toys can boast about.
Check it out on TikTok!
I have this toy and even have a backup of it for my parents' house — it's that good. My son is a very energetic little guy and has been fond of this toy since he was about 2-months-old! He loved aggressively kicking the piano (of course), pulling at the toys on the bar, and (once he learned how) would often flip onto his stomach and hit the keys of the piano with his hands. Now that's he's mobile, we've detached the piano and he plays with it separately.
The attached mat can also easily be tossed into the washing machine and the dryer, which was essential for my kiddo as he spits up on everyyyyything. Overall, this toy gets a 10/10 from me, even if the songs do get a bit annoying (just part of the territory these days!).
Get it from Amazon for $39.88 (available in two colors).
4. 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 $39.99 and the fairytale version for $33.99, both from Amazon.
5. 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 $57.99.
6. An incredible Barbie Dreamhouse complete with a twisting slide and an elevator — it's perfectly pink, and you won't be able to resist joining your kiddo for some imaginative playtime. Life in plastic...it's fantastic!
The 2023 Pool Party Barbie Dreamhouse is everything. It comes with 75 pieces your kiddo won't be able to get enough of!
Get it from Amazon for $179.
7. A set of colorful Mega Bloks that'll double as musical instruments once they're built — a great sensory toy for your kiddo! They'll learn to build structures with blocks and practice their musical talents all in one.
My son has these blocks and really likes them! The animals are quirky looking once built (duh, they're block animals doubling as instruments), but he adores them. There's enough variety to keep him busy, and they aren't extremely noisy in the way a lot of toys can be. Overall, I like 'em, and they've been a great addition to our playroom!
Get them from Amazon for $34.99.
8. 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 $11.98+ (available in two sizes).
9. An inflatable fort that'll ensure you win Parent of the Year (at least in your kids' opinion). It'll pop right up and provide your tykes with an exciting new place to play during the day.
If you don't have one, you might want to order a box fan to help inflate the fort. Air Fort is a small business!
Promising review: "It really is a toy you use to play with your other toys. So far, she has taken all her stuffed animals and dolls into it, her Nugget, and other random toys. She has made everyone go into it with her and has a lot of fun with it. It does take up a lot of room, but when she is done, we just put it back in its bag and let her move on to other things. I wish I had one as a kid! And I secretly love when my daughter asked me to join her inside." —Joseph Rossi
Get it from Amazon for $59.95 (available in 14 styles).
10. A box of 72 mini dinosaur toys kiddos will love traipsing throughout dirt, sand, the bath tub, etc. With so many in the set parents won't have to stress if one or two get lost during all of their 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.
11. A "Bouncy Pals" hopping toy for your mini-me who has LOTS of endless energy — this inflatable but sturdy toy will keep them bouncing around the house instead of on top of your couch.
Promising review: "It was super easy to inflate, came with an extra 'plug,' and is sweet enough to give a T-rex a cavity. The material is VERY sturdy…reminds me of what you would make an inflatable raft with…really tough! My granddaughter loves it, even just to sit on and watch TV. The cover is easy to clean (by hand, allow to air dry) and not difficult to put back on and zip. I’m pretty sure it will be around for a long time!!!" —Athena L.Stallman
Get it from Amazon for $29.87+ (available in two styles).
12. 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 $54.49.
13. A glow-in-the-dark fort-building kit that'll put the blanket forts you built as a kid to shame. It'll also encourage kids' imaginations to run wild.
The set comes with 53 rods and 28 spheres. It's recommended for kids 4 and up.
Promising review: "Great gift for kids of all ages. My 8-year-old loved getting this for Christmas! She played with it all day while more expensive gifts sat under the tree...LOL. We built so many different structures and most of them she did on her own. Will probably buy a second one to expand her designs and creative thinking. I recommend highly!" —awalker
Get it from Amazon for $34.99.
14. A battery-free race track complete with a crank to move cars up a ramp and around the track and a magnetic helicopter that'll blow any of their noisy toys with flashing lights out of the water.
The track includes a toy police car, ambulance, and fire engine.
Promising review: "You know how you want to give gifts that are educational and fun? Gifts that encourage kids to explore and figure things out for themselves through play? Gifts that do not involve screens or videos or batteries, that do not flash or make annoying noises or 'talk' in a squeaky voice that sets the dog to barking? This is the gift you want to give. Easy to assemble, fun for adults to play with before wrapping, perfect for little kids upon opening. A little challenging for the 2-year-old to always keep the cars on the tracks and to line up the car with the helicopter for pickup, but something to learn and grow into. The 4-year-old declares it his favorite toy. This grandma loves it because it's kid-powered, appealing, and sturdy, and who doesn't love to push buttons, turn cranks, and close up a drawbridge. Very pleased I found this and broke my rule about no plastic gifts!" —Kindle Customer
Get it from Amazon for $22.99.
15. Melissa & Doug My First Daily Magnetic Activities Calendar to teach little ones about the day, month, year, season, and more! It comes with 80 magnets you can easily store on the hinged dry erase board when they're not in use.
Promising review: "Loved this product! Super easy to use, especially with little fingers. Has tons of holidays and activities. My son is learning so much! He loves changing the date and weather every day. So kid friendly. If I could give this more than 5 stars I would. So helpful with teaching my son in a fun and creative way. Definitely high quality, will last forever! Thanks again! A+++!!!" —Candace H.
Get it from Amazon for $21.99.
16. A realistic-looking 3-foot-tall horse your child will, of course, insist on taking everywhere with them. It's super cute, very soft, and likely to become your kid's best buddy.
VIAHART is a small business that sells toys and plush toy animals.
Promising review: "This was a gift for a 2-year-old girl, and she couldn't have been more thrilled. It is high enough quality that she can now drag it around all day and try to ride it without it breaking. Since it was as tall as her, she was amazed when she unwrapped it. I highly recommend it!" —SKN
Get it from Amazon for $99.99.
17. 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 5 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 $34.99.
18. And a foldable indoor slide to keep on-deck for rainy days. It pops up like a daisy and instantly transforms any room in your house into a playground! When the fun is done you can fold it away for easy storage.
Watch a munchkin having tons of fun on the slide in this TikTok.
Promising review: "I got this for my 2-year-old daughter's birthday and she LOVES it. She is a little nervous on the playground and she took to this right away. It folds down easily and sets up easily — the design is brilliant. It was actually so easy that I watched the 30-second set up video just to be sure I got it right lol. My 8-year-old son got on it too and it held up. We live in an apartment so this is something that she can climb on safely without taking up a ton of space. Love this product!!" —jenna
Get it from Amazon for $21.99+ (available in three styles).
19. Silly Poopy's Hide and Seek — which is pretty much exactly what you'd think it is. It's a rainbow, 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.
20. A set of 500+ puffy stickers the crafty kiddo in your life will squeal happily over — too bad for your friend who's about to have an array of sea creatures, dinosaurs, fruits (and more) decorating their furniture (but 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 $6.99.
21. A balance bike that'll leave any little one grinning from ear-to-ear — hope you're prepared to run after them though because they're going to be zoooooming away in no time.
Promising review: "It’s the cutest little bike. Comes with the tool needed to assemble. Super easy to assemble. Took my husband five minutes. We got it for our grandbaby's first birthday. She can’t reach the ground yet nor is walking but we just push her around and are excited that she’ll grow into it. Her first bike." —Lisa
Get it from Amazon for $54.99+ (available in 10 colors).
22. A Radio Flyer racing car and ramp little ones will want to ride again and again (and agaaaaaain! Toddlers, man). The ramp and car also fit into the base for easy storage.
This product is designed for kids aged 3–5.
Promising review: "Highly recommend for an active, thrill-seeking toddler!! My daughter has used this daily since she was 16 months old. At first she just wanted to walk up and down the ramp while holding my hand and push the car down (without riding it), or she would ride it with me on it too (I'm 120 lbs and she's around 25 lbs and we never had an issue). But since around 18 months...she climbs up the steps, plops down on the car, and rides it down the ramp...over and over again. Granted, I'm always right there beside her JUST in case, but she's become a 'me do it myself' kind of girl, so she insists on doing it all by herself now. I think we'll get years of use with this toy and I'd buy it again in a heartbeat!" —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $109.99.
23. A Magna-Tiles set that'll surely be a big hit with any budding architect. They can use it to build all kinds of cool 3D structures, then knock 'em down and start again the next day.
The set comes with translucent magnetic pieces to build 3D creations all day. Recommended for ages 3 and up.
Promising review: "I have a 4-year-old daughter who likes to build things and I want to encourage that. One review recommended Magna-Tiles, so I took a shot in the dark and got these. They were an instant hit! I never could imagine my kids would have liked a toy this simple. My daughter doesn't have the greatest fine motor skills so building toys that need tools would have been frustrating for her. With Magna-Tiles, you just hold pieces next to each other and they snap together! They have great balance, too. She's made pretty skinny 3D towers out of triangles and they get pretty high before they fall apart. Now I just have to get a bigger set to add on! :D Try these, you'll love them!" —Green
Get it from Amazon for $49.99 for a 32-piece set or $119.96 for a 100-piece set.
24. A Bluey Mega Bundle Home & BBQ playset you'll personally want to dive in and play with alongside the little ones — it comes with *tons* of fun furniture kids will recognize from the show along with figures of the entire Heeler family. It doesn't make any sound which is FINE since you definitely have the theme song stuck in your head at all times anyways.
Promising review: "My kids love this Bluey house. It was cheaper to buy this set than the house on its own with the separate barbecue and family sets. My kids play with it all the time and they can be a little rough on the toys. They’ve held up extremely well although we’ve only had the set for a couple of weeks. Mine was packaged in a separate box so the contents were hidden (which was great since my kids always come with me to the door)." —jmb
Get it from Amazon for $59.99.
25. A hook and ring game that'll take up minimal space — if you don't have a huge area to work with your kiddos will still be able to enjoy some summer fun.
Tiki Toss is a small business that took a classic hook and ring game to the next level by creating several unique ways to play it.
Promising review: "We all love this game. Everyone who comes over cannot stop playing Tiki Toss. So simple and so fun. Quality and design of product is fantastic. Also makes a great gift." —jzek
Get it from Amazon for $21.43+ (available in three sizes).
26. A marble run set to test your little's problem-solving skills — the goal is to build a structure that'll get a marble from start-to-finish as smoothly as possible. SO fun!
Promising review: "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 that losing a few doesn’t matter." —Joyce Parker
Get it from Amazon for $39.99+ (available in starter, super, or extreme sets).
27. A 14-piece, nontoxic Hape wooden tool box and accessory play set that'll teach kiddos basic skills like hammering and using a screwdriver — perfect for littles who constantly want to help their parents out with DIY projects.
Includes: wooden tool box, hammer, screwdriver, wrench, three sets of screw and screw caps, board connector, two gears and plastic nail.
Promising review: "After watching his dad and me put together his new toddler bed, my son got super excited over 'helping' to fix things, but of course letting him use real metal tools wasn’t something I wanted to do just yet...so I was trying to choose between a plastic set of tools that were cartoonish styled, and this wooden set that was a little more expensive. I am soooo glad I got this set instead! It’s not been out of the box more than 30 minutes, and he has learned how to hammer in 'nails,' take them out again with the back of the hammer, use a wrench and screw driver in tandem to work a 'screw' and 'bolt,' as well as put gears on the side of the kit so that they spin each other. The tools are all very well made but not heavy, so there’s no fear of him breaking stuff if he decides to run around hammering things." —Khestra
Get it from Amazon for $20.48.
28. A Melissa & Doug wooden cleaning play set, because you shouldn't be the only one trying to keep the house tidy! Let your mini-me lend a helping hand while you conquer your to-do list.
Set includes a mop, broom, dust pan, dust brush, duster, and a stand.
Promising review: "These are just what I needed! I bought these for my 1-year-old and while I know she’s not quite ready to really be cleaning, she really tries to help me when I’m doing it. I figured why not grab her her own set to foster some independence and start helping her momma out lol. The stand is easy as pie to assemble, literally stick it in and go. It’s totally functional as well. We haven’t tried the mop one out for real, but it is absorbent because she’s used it while I was Swiffering. Packaging for this product is great as well." —Danae Baptiste
Get it from Amazon for $33.99.
29. A Disney Princess dress-up trunk filled with tiaras, dresses, and accessories that'll take playtime to the next level. I hope you're prepared to channel your inner Cinderella when the time comes.
The keepsake storage trunk includes four tops, three skirts, three bracelets, three rings, necklace, sticker sheet, choker, three headbands and a tiara. The costumes fit sizes 4–6x. Recommended for ages 3 and up.
Promising review: "This is a great dress up set. As such, I had little expectation that the material quality would be that of the one dress I purchased for my niece that cost as much, alone, for this entire trunk. Now that we have expectations addressed, let's talk about what you get. There's four outfits that are separate tops and skirts so they can dress up as the character or potentially mix and match. There are accessories by way of bracelets, headbands, and rings. My niece loved it. She started trying it out immediately and I kept my award for best uncle and all around best gifter." —oldwalt
Get it from Amazon for $34.99.
30. 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.
31. A portable floor activity mat/rug for the parents who suddenly have a toddler (who *loves* to make messes) on their already-busy hands.
Promising review: "Larger than I realized! Which is great! We have used it under the highchair to catch food and then just toss in the washer, as a play mat, as a on the go diaper bag just clipped on the small diaper pouch and tossed in his toys and blanket and on the go we are. It's also big enough for me and him to sit on outside so no itchy grass! And the hedgehogs are to perfect for my little hedgehog guy!" —Ashe W.
Get it from Amazon for $27.99+ (available in four animal prints).
32. An interactive The Floor is Lava game that'll get you and your kiddos out of your seat and bouncin' around the house — in a good way!
Promising review: "This is one of my son’s (age 8) absolute favorite games. We have a blast playing as a family and will play multiple rounds at a time. Being able to adjust the difficulty by putting the pieces closer or further apart is helpful when playing with younger kids or when trying to make it harder. We also adjust the game to allow furniture to be climbed on when trying to get to hard to reach tiles (just as long as you don’t fall in the lava). I’ve even taken this game along to adult parties (shhhh don’t tell my son)." —Alicia A. Atkinson
Get it from Amazon for $16.49.
33. A fairy garden to teach them to use their tiny green thumbs to grow and take care of lil' sprouts and Isla the garden fairy! This toy is simply too cute.
Promising review: "My 6-year-old daughter is in heaven playing with this. All of the tiny frogs, bugs, butterflies, etc., are absolutely adorable. There are a lot of cool little features...tiny tea cups and table, a floating stair case, doors that open with a little space to play inside the cottage. Even without the plants this is awesome — the plants are just a bonus!" —SailorEve1112
Get it from Amazon for $19.99.
34. A castle with magical string lights inside that'll make any child feel like a member of the royal family when they crawl inside to play with their stuffed animals or read a book.
Promising review: "The rods are sturdy and they lock into a hard plastic connector at the top. It's tall so our 3-year-old daughter is able to stand inside. It's large enough even for mommy and daddy to sit inside and read books to her. We like that each side has a way to get in and get out so we're able to see her at all times. Our daughter's favorite feature is the strand of stars that comes with the tent. She enjoys having them on." —Micheal and Samantha
Get it from Amazon for $39.95.
35. And an inflatable pool center complete with a water slide, sprayers, two wading pools, an inflatable strawberry float, and and six balls. Will it promptly become the main focus of your yard? Probably. But will it keep your kids giggling and happy for hours? Absolutely.
See how fun this is on TikTok.
Promising review: "So much fun! The kids completely love to play in this pool, and I love how much you get for the great price! It's beautiful and colorful, quick to inflate, and the details are perfect like the little landing pad at the bottom of the slide. There's even a drain built in so if you attach the hose to the sprinkler part it won't overfill. Huge win!" —Hanabi
Get it from Amazon for $60.29.
Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.