Two is a really fun age to shop for but can become overwhelming pretty quickly, especially when your toddler’s birthday is also in December. Although having her birthday and Christmas a week apart makes my heart race whenever I think about it, she doesn’t need a lot and she can’t make a list for Santa (that I can make sense of).
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We bought our toddler five to six gifts last year, but since I saved big on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, they’re gifts she absolutely loved and still plays with a year later. I also check out Five Below, Family Dollar, and Aldi (yes, Aldi!) for wooden puzzles, cars, bath toys, etc. to add to her pile without breaking the bank.
Usually, Aldi will have Hot Wheels for a good price. I’ll buy our toddler different colored cars for either her birthday or Christmas so she can learn her colors while staying engaged and they’re toys that last!
However, do not make the mistake of grabbing inexpensive items that are of cheap quality. You’ll just be wasting your money.
CLICK HERE TO SEE A COMPLETE LIST OF CHRISTMAS GIFTS FOR TODDLERS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 1-3 YEARS OLD OR KEEP SCROLLING TO FIND A PERSONAL REVIEW OF EACH ITEM.
For our two-year-old’s Christmas gifts, I was determined to find quality toys, on a budget, that would last. Some items on the list are gifts she received from family and friends for her birthday or Christmas last year, which she continues to play with almost a year later.
2-Year-Old Christmas Gifts Under $25
This is a great gift for a kid who loves playing with cars. My 2 year old loves opening and closing the garage doors with the keys. Perfect for working on their fine motor skills.
Activity books are one of my favorite items for my 2-year-old. Ever since buying a huge one from Aldi, she’s been obsessed. I wasn’t expecting much when this activity book arrived but it has kept her attention for over a half hour! The velcro is strong and there are many different activities for her to try. The activity book being dry-erase is her favorite part.
These fun little stunt cars still keep her occupied two years later. The cars are push-and-go with no batteries required and work best when you pull back and release. Our daughter is a pro at it. They are one of her favorite toys and she handles them better than we do!
The pieces are small so filter out the smaller animals if your toddler is still putting items into their mouth. I think any animal figurine set is a great addition to their toys. It comes with a booklet to identify the animals as well as fence and tree parts. You can use them with a water table and pieces of nature to set up habitats.
Another toy my daughter has had since she was one. We have Farm 2 and keep it close to her kitchen. She doesn’t really use it as a puzzle anymore but picks out the food from the garden and pretends to cook with it. It’s just adorable and well-made.
My daughter is almost 3 years old and started tracing every letter she saw a couple of months ago so we bought this set to encourage her. The wood is of great quality. The cards are hefty, nice, and thick. There are so many different activities you can do with these besides tracing!
These wooden puzzles for toddlers are so stinking cute. It’s an easy activity to put out for them in the morning when your toddler wakes up. I’ll be getting her more for her 3rd birthday or Christmas.
I love these Montessori shape puzzles because my toddler began playing with this toy when she was 1 and still takes it out to play with almost two years later.
I’m always trying to think of games my toddler and I can play together (for more than 2 minutes), and Jenga is perfect for 2-3-year-olds. Get a colorful one like this! Not only is your toddler working on their hand and eye coordination, but having fun while learning colors!
At first, I was disappointed when this arrived because the baby doll was smaller than I expected, but it is a PERFECT size. We bought this for my 2-year-old for Christmas last year, and she still sleeps with it and pushes it around in her stroller we bought her separately,
I wish I had bought this sooner. She uses this to cut her own bananas and after she makes herself a PB&J, she’ll use this toddler knife to cut her sandwich in half. She loves being able to do these tasks herself.
Melissa & Doug is a trusted brand and I love how their items spark the imagination. The only shortcoming is a couple of pieces don’t fit together but my toddler just enjoys building.
This stroller is great because it also comes with those disappearing milk and juice bottles we had when we were younger! My 3-year-old wants to take her baby out in the stroller every time we go for walks.
I actually found our abacas at the thrift store but this one is almost identical to ours and has great reviews. I love that it’s colorful (not beige) so we can work on her colors as well.
This shopping cart comes with some items already, but we use this with the colored sorting baskets and fruits and vegetables above when we play grocery store. I arrange the fruits and vegetables around our apartment, line the baskets up, and after my 3-year-old “shops,” she sorts the fruits and vegetables by color in the baskets. Easy clean-up too!
I’ll be buying this for our toddler for Christmas this year, but this is an activity I wish I had seen sooner. You could start this activity with your toddler as early as 1. I love that it’s wooden and colorful.
This is such a cool gift for toddlers. The tow truck and cars are sturdy and a great toy to incorporate with your 2-year-old’s other vehicles.
I wish I had bought this for my 2-year-old sooner. She’ll be 3 come December but this is still such a great game for counting and patterns.
Stamps are easy for little hands to hold and your kid will get a kick out of all the vehicles.
Again, well made and adorable for 2 year-olds. It’s easy to use with bright colors. This alphabet fishing game is great for learning toddlers and perfect for motor skill development.
2-Year-Old Christmas Gifts Under $50
I was able to get great deals on the trampoline (below) and this Little Tikes basketball hoop so last year, she was gifted both from Santa. This ended up being perfect because it’s a great way to bring the fun indoors if you can’t afford the climbing triangle and ladder sets. This is an awesome combo because your 2-year-old can try and toss the basketball into the hoop while balancing on the trampoline. This basketball hoop is height adjustable and we all love playing a little game together.
I love Fisher Price’s Little People. This Elsa castle is gorgeous and a perfect gift for a 1-3 year old. I bought both my nieces one as well and they love it.
My toddler is almost 3 years old and continues to play with this train set daily. I love that you can continue to add to the set and the train cars are magnetic. It’s well made and my two-year-old plays with it daily.
I LOVE the Melissa & Doug brand. This toy is so well made and the ice cream is easy to scoop. Another gift we bought my 2-year-old for Christmas last year and she still plays with it to this day.
A 4.9 Star review rating on Amazon, these baskets and colorful fruit are a must-have. My 2-year-old sorts the fruit by color after I set them up around our apartment like she’s grocery shopping. Well made and a great addition to her kitchen.
I bought these for my 3-year-old nephew who is obsessed with Batman but they have them in sizes for your 2-year-old also. The cape is such a cute touch! They’re heavy so be careful if your toddler is wearing them around the house without socks.
This is a quality product and is great for ages 2-3 to practice their motor skills and balance the blocks on top of one another.
2-Year-Old Christmas Gifts Over $50
The little bell on the handlebars is super nostalgic. I couldn’t come to terms with buying an expensive balance bike because back in my day (as in like the early 90s), we had training wheels and then you take them off and ride the bike a few more years. I’m not sure when she’ll transition to pedals, but this is a quality bike for a great price!
High-quality wheels and stable steering. This is perfect for little ones wanting to get out on the road (sidewalk), and release that toddler energy!
The amount of physical play and pretend play your toddler will get out of this is well worth the price. I needed more items for her to be able to stay active in the winter time and this with her trampoline is GREAT!
This easel is a must-have! The height is adjustable, it comes with cups for paint and two rolls of drawing paper. I also bought some chalk, paints, dry-erase markers, an eraser, and magnets to make a cute gift for my 2-year-old. This is another item she uses almost daily.
I wanted to get a cute play kitchen that wasn’t huge and plastic. I needed something to fit in our apartment without taking up too much space. I can no longer find the mini kitchen we bought from Kidkraft for our 2-year-old, but I wish I had bought this one. The mini-kitchen is adorable and still holding up a year later, but it’d be nice for her to have a refrigerator as well to fit all her food items.
This is the perfect gift for a 2-5-year-old to get all that energy out. When my 2-year-old starts jumping on the couch, I pull the trampoline out to direct all that energy there. Great for gross motor skills and keeps her entertained for a while.
My toddler LOVES this couch. Once you get the hang of taking it apart to clean and then putting it back together, it’s very easy. My biggest con is the fabric isn’t waterproof and you can’t wash the cushions. I’d highly recommend not letting your toddler drink on this couch or place a waterproof pad between the fabric and cushions.
Christmas is a magical time for toddlers, and the right gifts can enhance their wonder and excitement. Whether you choose educational toys, creative tools, or items that encourage physical activity, remember that the most valuable gift is the love and time you spend with them. This Christmas, watch your little one’s face light up as they unwrap their gifts and cherish the memories created together during this special season.