Need Ideas for Toys for My Soon to Be 2 Year Old

Hi L.,

My daughter is 3 but really loves the fischer price little people sets. She also loves dress up clothes too and her rock roll and ride trike. She likes puzzles a lot now but wasn't so much into them at 2. Anything pretend play is great especially dress up clothes. My daughter got a really nice dress up kit last Christmas and loved it (at the time she was 2 1/2).

One word of caution about buying the older (3 + ) toys....make sure they do not have small parts! A lot of the toys out there that seem like they would be great for a two year old are not suitable simply because of the small chocking hazard parts. I have noticed that if a toy has a choking hazard it immediately gets rated as at least 3+. We recently bought a used toy from Once Upon a Child for my 17 mo old son only to get it home and realize it had a recall because of the small parts. It turns out the toy was rated for 3 and up but the average parent would have bought this tool bench for a younger child like 15+ months. Hasbro had recalled the toy because two little boys chocked on the toy nails and died which is very very tragic. Our set didn't have these nails because they were probably returned as part of the recall but it did have the screws which I thought were just as much of a chocking hazard so we took them away.

Have fun shopping...just make sure to watch for small parts.

My daughter turned 2 about 2 weeks ago. Her favorite present is the Magna-Doddle. We got her the Little People one at Target. We had thought about waiting until Chirstmas with it, but she absolutely loves it! We also got her a trike that she can't quite reach the petals enough to make it move, but she still likes to sit on her "bike." She also got puzzles which she loves and she could look at books all day!
We struggled with what to get her as well, but it seams we made a few good decisions.

I would recommend dress up clothes, princess outfits, play makeup, purse, etc. Little girls just love this stuff. YOu could also do a tea set, kitchen, dolls and accessories, art supplies (clay, playdoh, craft sets to make different items), maybe a video/movie of her favorite cartoon character. How about some new music, my son loves music so we play many different cd's throughout the day.

Thats all for now.

Does she have a kitchen? We got my 18 mth old son one a few months ago and it's hi favorite toy. Peole can split the cost of it and buy accessories. My favorite one is the Step 2 walk in kitchen. It's awesome, pricey but awesome. We have the Step 2 Bistro Grill, my son loves it and so does my husband. He says it's "manly" enough for a boy. Anyway, what about dress up clothes? Pretend play is really developing at this age. Maybe just go to the websites of Toys R Us, Little Tikes and Step 2, make a wishlist and email that to everyone. Then you'll get what you want and still be surprised. Have fun picking out toys!

We bought my two-year-old a little baby doll and stroller for her birthday this year. I also found a doll-sized high chair at a garage sale a few weeks later. She loves to "feed" her baby and push her around in the little stroller.

Other toys that my daughter enjoys right now include:
Puzzles
Fisher Price Little People
Books
Dress-up clothes
Sand toys - buckets, shovels, etc.
Blocks
Crayons/Markers and Coloring Books

Museum or zoo memberships are also a great idea for family that want to spend a little more on the birthday girl.

Good luck and hope you find a few things that your daughter will really enjoy!

If your daughter is not already potty trained you could get her a nice potty for her birthday and tell her it is because she is getting so big. I did this for christmas last year. She also got underware and kandoo wipes she was in heaven. It really helped for potty training too.

My daughter didn't need anything for her 2nd birthday. So I thought of older toys she could play with at 2 and still grow into. I've always heard it's sometimes good to give them a little bit of advanced toys anyways to challenge them. Here's a few ideas.....

Barbies-minus the small pieces
Dress-up clothes
My Little Pony's
Dolls/Stroller
Kitchen Set
Lego's
Bath Tub Toys
Outside things like a picnic table,little push bike, sandbox
Dora Dollhouse
Dvd's
Play cellphone/keys/purse

If your really stuck for ideas go walk through toys r us with her and see what she goes nuts for I do that alot.

That's the sort of stuff my daughter liked.. She loved markers but I had to supervise that 100% and not take my eye off of her or we had trouble

We bought our daughter a trike. She loved it. Also lots and lots of books. She got a toddler scooter; floor puzzles; Mr Potato Head; Colouring Books and Markers; Basketball Hoop; the game called Marbleous; Toy Musical Instruments

Kitchen set! Target or Pottery barn have rally nice wooden ones. TRU has some nice big plastic ones, just depends on your preference. Doll stroller, nice baby doll, dress up clothes, art easel and art supplies.

As an Educational Consultant for Usborne Books, I would have to say BOOKS! It will encourage her in her reading skills as she starts to learn her letters, etc. And you can never have too many books! Check out www.ubah.com/g2687 and make a Wish List. Direct friends and family there to make purchases and viola!

I would also recommend a kitchen set - my son has one and plays with it still at age 4-1/2. And it will be a great one for my daughter to play with when she is a little older - have fun shopping!

My son is turning 2 next week and we struggled with this as well. An idea many people gave me were art supplies. We also got him a trike. For family who buy larger items I requested memberships...to the zoo, the Children's Museum, play/swim areas.