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 hedgehog named Spike that helps build motor, counting, and sorting skills by fitting peg-shaped pieces into its back. Just don't ask him if he knows Sonic.
2. A set of Magna-Tiles for recreating the works of children's author Eric Carle while building 3D versions of beloved characters like "The Very Hungry Caterpillar."
3. A jumbo 34-piece, floor puzzle, made up of six smaller puzzles that combine into one large image with 10 mix-and-match baby animal pieces (awwww). Plus the handled box makes cleanup and storage super simple.
4. A 27-piece kids' camping set with a pop-up tent and gear (like an actual working lantern) that's sure to turn the little ones into expert glampers and indoor park rangers.
5. A Playmobil market stall kit, with its large rounded pieces, introduces the little ones to their first action figures and folds up for easy transport and storage.
6. A My First Bowling Set comprised of five cuddly critters and one fuzzy ball (that are all machine washable) that bring new meaning to the phrase "so quiet you can hear a pin drop."
7. A 600-piece set of Plus Plus interlocking puzzle blocks (made in Denmark so you know that it's quality) for building flat or 3D creations that's less likely to cripple adults who step on any errant pieces in the middle of the night.
8. A Clamp Bee To Hive matching game buzzing with ways to develop hand-to-eye coordination and sorting/counting skills and made from eco-friendly wood that won't sting the wallet.
9. A magnetic drawing board with four color options, eight color zones, and three geometric stamps that parents will undoubtedly use to write inappropriate (but easily wiped cleaned) messages to each other.
10. An entire alphabet of robot action figures (from Alpha to Zed) that change from letters into bots and then combine to form a bigger robo. Not quite the Constructicons merging to form Devastator but still better than GoBots.
11. A fruit & veggie tote set for the kids to play farmer, grocer, or chef while reinforcing the need for reusable bags. Just let them know that actual veggies will taste just as good as the plastic ones.
12. An eight-piece, wooden Melissa & Doug vehicle sound puzzle that makes realistic noises (but note: no police car to warn them about when the Po-po is rolling through).
13. A "Hot Dots" learning set with 200+ interactive lessons in reading, math, science, and social studies featuring Pete the Cat who's eyes light up different colors depending on if the questions were answered correctly (or not).
14. A 3-pack of reusable coloring books covering all the major topic areas (animals, alphabet, numbers) which uses an refillable water pen to create "magically" appearing and disappearing colors (with no mess!).
15. A Little People version of Elsa's Ice Palace for your children to re-create the story of an imperial with terrifying superpowers and self-control issues who nearly destroys her kingdom by nearly plunging it into a state of permanent winter. That's the plot of Frozen, right?
16. A Playskool Explore N' Grow Busy Ball Popper that plays eight songs so "your baby can drop the balls AND the beat!" Also, probably fun for the family dog too.
17. A two-sided Carry and Go track table, featuring one racetrack side with obstacles for toy cars and trucks while the other side chugs along a figure-8 toy train track with lake and quarry scene.
18. A Buckle Toys Blu Whale that snaps, clicks, and, well, buckles while teaching all sorts of math, coordination, and motor skills. Plus its mouth doubles as a easy-to-zipper hidden pocket.
19. A LeapFrog Learning Friends 100 Words book featuring a turtle, tiger, and monkey who teach age-appropriate words for animals, food, colors, vehicles, clothes and more. Added bonus: this book is bilingual so just flip the switch for words in Spanish.
20. An LCD writing tablet for drawing, doodling, playing tic-tac-toe, and any other thing a pen and paper can do without actually having to waste more paper (including the green kind in your wallet).
21. A build-your-own construction vehicle truck play set complete with an electric toy drill for assembling four different vehicles or taking them apart like a boss (or site foreman as the case may be).
22. A 10-pack of Play-Doh that there was no way in hell that you'd ever be able to avoid buying. Fortunately, it's all non-toxic, non-irritating, non-allergenic and the packaging is recyclable. But, yeah, it still smells like Pay-Doh.
23. A Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes toy with over 9,000 five-star reviews on Amazon about how well it stimulates your baby with lights, sounds, and much-needed distractions.
Honestly, you really never know what one little thing could keep this from happening to you.
