PBF Gift Guide 2021: Babies and Toddlers

Last week I kicked off my annual gift guides with my Gift Guide for Kids which included a list of gift ideas I think would be great for kids over two years old. For those with toddlers and babies, I didn’t forget about you! I’m coming at you today with a gift guide for  the littlest boys and girls in your life!

Like my Gift Guide for Kids, I’m following a similar format in today’s gift guide and sorting everything into the following categories:

• Something They Want
• Something They Need
• Something To Wear 
• Something To Read

As always, I tried to provide a variety of price points below and the vast majority of the gifts included in this gift guide are below $30. I’ve also saved a bunch of these gifts to my Amazon shop which you may find here: Gift Guide for Babies and Toddlers 2021.

Almost every single thing on this gift guide is either something our boys have and love or something they adored when they were babies and toddlers. They are all gifts I’m confident recommending and I hope something pops out at you for a very loved little one in your list!

SOMETHING THEY WANT

TODDLERS (AGES 1-3):

Please note, some of these ideas are better for older toddlers while some are better for younger toddlers. You know the little ones in your life best but if you need any help deciding which gifts are better for a one-year-old versus a three-year-old, please let me know! 

• Push Car: We got a push car for Ryder last summer it was love at first ride. Now Rhett (14 months) is 100 percent obsessed, too! We also gave this push car to my niece last year and now my younger niece is all about it as well. You can’t go wrong with this one!
• Scoop-and-Serve Ice Cream: Boys and girls alike have the best time scooping up pretend ice cream cones and playing restaurant with this adorable set. This play coffee set is another toddler winner!
• Mud Kitchen: My aunt and uncle made a mud kitchen for their granddaughter it blew my mind! What a great gift for kids who love to play imagination games outside! There are options on Etsy that are beautiful but very pricey. Perhaps the super-handy people out there can make their own with this blueprint!?
• Star Projector Light: It’s so cute to see how this simple light absolutely blows the minds of toddlers!
• Wooden Activity Board: This one keeps busy hands busy and curious minds engaged.
• Mega Blocks: A great first set of building blocks.
• Train Table: This is another splurge (or perhaps you can find a used one on Facebook Marketplace?) but it’s another one that all of our boys have used and loved for years.
• Create-a-Road Dinosaur Set: Chase received this as a birthday gift when he was three and both he and Ryder still play with it regularly. We’ve added additional tracks to it so they can build a ton of different longer road designs and they love it!
• Water Doodle Mat: Perfect for painting, stamping, drawing and coloring with water. Clean up is a breeze!
• Lovevery Play Kits: My love for Lovevery play kits runs deep. The toys are educational and engaging and the quality is fantastic. They are some of the only toys we will be keeping as heirloom toys because they are THAT good.
• Doctor’s Kit: We gave this to Chase “from Ryder” after Ryder was born and the boys still enjoy performing “checkups” on each other and their stuffed animals.
• Scooter: A three-wheel scooter is a great starter scooter. Ryder wasn’t even two when he began scooting around on Chase’s old scooter!
• Balance Bike: The best pre-real-bike bike out there! Great for helping kids understand balance and preparing them for riding a bike without training wheels.
• Plasma Car: We discovered Plasma Cars through the boys’ preschool and all of the kids are 100 percent obsessed with them. This is a gift that is great for toddlers and big kids and will be used for YEARS. Wiggle cars are a more affordable option and still great.
• Sensory Play: Kinetic Sand and Water Beads are our favs.
• Play Sink: A play sink was included in one of Ryder’s Lovevery deliveries and he went crazy for it!
• LeapFrog Laptop: We save this learning laptop for car rides and I’m convinced it’s helped both Chase and Ryder learn their letters early.
• Power Wheels Car: Ryder began driving Chase’s Power Wheels at 2. Both big kids (ages 3 and 6) still drive this almost every single day! It can go 3(ish) miles on one charge and the boys drive it all over the neighborhood.
• Large Dump Truck: Ryder loves this so much! It’s also a great indoor/outdoor toy since the wheels are big and can easily roll over grass, rocks and dirt.
• Barn + Farm Animal Play Set: If your toddler loves animals, this is a win for sure!
• Little Tikes T-Ball Set + Adjustable Basketball Hoop: Great for the littlest sports fans.
• Pop Up Play Tent: This is one of those gifts that seems HUGE to kids but is super affordable (under $25!). Our boys love this rocket ship pop up tent but there are so many options out there from princess castles and firetruck tents to clubhouses and race car pit stop tents.
• Additional Ideas: Cars/Trains/Buses, Play Kitchen, Play Tools, Water WOW! Pads, Puzzles (these 12-piece 4-in-1 wooden puzzles were Ryder’s first favorite puzzles he began doing when he was just under 3)

BABIES (AGES 0-12 MONTHS): 

• V-Tech Sit-to-Stand Learning Walker: HUGE hit with all of our boys and perfect to transition from sitting to standing to walking.
• Lovevery Play Gym: Versatile, beautiful and great for infants, bigger babies and even young toddlers.
• PlayKidz Pound-a-Ball: A toy that bigger babies and young toddlers adore!
• Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes: This thing is baby GOLD and great for car/stroller entertainment.
• Sassy Wonder Wheel: The best $7 high chair toy to keep baby happy while you’re getting meals ready.
• Dimpl Toy: Perfect for little ones who like to press buttons and pop things.
• Mortimer the Moose: A clip-on toy that can be attached to strollers, carriers, etc. for on-the-go entertainment.

Something They Need

TODDLERS (AGES 1-3): 

• Wonderfold Stroller Wagon: Our boys have all gone on a stroller strike at one point during toddlerhood and a stroller wagon that makes riding in a stroller more of a novelty is a genius invention. We JUST ordered a Wonderfold Wagon for our crew last week and I am SO excited!
• Art Supplies: KwikStix Quick-Dry Paint Pens, PipSqueaks Markers (great for little hands), Window Crayons, stickers, coloring books, etc.
• Lunchbox: Our favorite is the Bentgo Kids Leakproof Lunchbox.
• Water Bottle: We love the YETI children’s water bottles because they’re leak-proof, durable, dishwasher safe (not plastic!) and keep liquids cold or hot for a long time. I ordered these vinyl name decals for the boys’ water bottles so they can tell them apart from their friends’ bottles since YETI water bottles are quite popular these days.
• Step Stool/Name Puzzle Stool or Kitchen Helper Cooking Stand: Our boys both began using our kitchen helper stand right around age 2 and still use it every single day! It’s great for “helping” in the kitchen but also allowing them to stand at counter-height safely. Pair this one with children’s knives to let them slice soft foods (hard boiled eggs, bread, berries) and feel like a big kid!

BABIES (AGES 0 – 12 MONTHS) 

• Green Sprouts Sippy Cup: My fav!! It’s a glass cup protected by plastic that doesn’t leak when baby drags it around with them.
• Teething Tubes: These saved us during Rhett’s worst teething patches.
• Hatch Light: A nightlight, noise machine and okay-to-wake clock in one that you can control from your phone. This is my go-to baby shower gift because I know it will be used for years!
• Colugo Baby Carrier: This is, hands down, the best carrier I’ve tried and I just wish I would’ve had it for Chase and Ryder as well. It’s incredibly user friendly and super comfy for baby, too!
• Choo-Me Pouch Toppers: If your little one is a pouch-eating fiend, you NEED these pouch toppers. They are great for encouraging independent eating and eliminating a little one’s ability to squeeze everything out of a pouch and make a big mess.
• Baby Bjorn Bouncer: Rhett loved this thing! I think it made him feel like he was part of the action before he could really sit up and crawl.
• Portable Sound Machine: For on the go napping! Love that this one has a nightlight you can use, too!
• Baby Bjorn Bibs: The easiest to clean and has a little food-catcher pocket at the bottom.

SOMETHING TO WEAR

TODDLERS (AGES 1-3): 

• Books to Bed Pajamas: These are adorable pajamas paired with a new book that coordinates with the jammies!
• Puffer Vest: We’re in prime puffer vest weather right now. Our kids run around like crazy outside and often say they get too hot in jackets so puffer vests are where it’s at for our crew. Old Navy and H&M always have a bunch at decent price points.
• Bitty Brah Hats: Our favorite for the boys and to give as gifts! They’re adorable lightweight baseball-style hats that float and stay on thanks to a drawstring. A summertime staple but cute enough for year-round wear.
• Non-Slip Socks: We love these socks from Amazon for safely running around inside without sliding around on our hardwood floors all winter.
• StitchFix Kids Delivery: The boys always get excited when a box arrives for them and love having a say in what we keep and what goes back. You can set your price point and I’ve found the clothing, jackets, pajamas and shoes they’ve sent our way high-quality and affordable.
• Rain Boots or Snow Boots: Bogs are a splurge but if you have multiples, the quality is amazing and they hold up well enough to be used as hand-me-downs.
• Winter Hats and Mittens
• Pajamas: Some of our favorites include Mightly Organic Cotton Pajamas, Vaenait Baby cloud pajamas and these buffalo plaid footie pajamas

BABIES (AGES 0-12 MONTHS): 

• Zipper Onesies: Because zippers are the best! In terms of softness, you cannot beat Kyte Baby onesies.
• Baby Bunting Suit: To keep baby cozy and warm. We have this one for Rhett and Ryder says he looks like a little teddy bear whenever he wears it.
• Freshly Picked Moccasins: We’ve loved these adorable soft-soled moccasins for all of our boys. We’ve been able to use them as hand-me-downs and they’ve been great for our boys as they’ve started to learn to walk.

SOMETHING TO READ

TODDLERS (AGES 1-3): 

• The Jolly Christmas Postman: A holiday version of The Jolly Postman, this is a fun book filled with real letters kids can pull out and hold/read.
• Sweet Smell of Christmas: Possibly our boys’ favorite holiday book! It’s a scratch-and-sniff story I also loved as a child.
• Poke-a-Dot Books: These Poke-a-Dot books give a satisfying “pop” noise to toddlers when the push in the dots as you read together.
• Clap Your Hands: Such a fun, interactive book, especially when kiddos act it out as you read.
• Richard Scarry’s Cars and Trucks and Things that Go: The boys love finding the little Goldbug on every page of this book.
• Is Your Mama a Llama?: So cute.
• Go, Dog. Go!: A classic for a reason!
• Pout Pout Fish: A book I genuinely love to read, too!
• Little Excavator: One of Ryder’s favorites that he still adores.
• Giraffes Can’t Dance: Our whole family loves this one.
• Are You My Mother?: One of my childhood favorites our boys have enjoyed as well.
• Little Blue Truck + Little Blue Truck Leads the Way
• Baby Einstein Amazing Animals Play-a-Sound
• LeapFrog Learning Friends 100 Words Book: An electronic book our boys have loved flipping through in the car.

BABIES (AGES 0-12 MONTHS): 

• Touch-and-Feel Animals
• “Never Touch A…” Series: Great for grabby hands that want to touch everything while you read.
• Where’s Spot?
• First 100 Words
• Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?: One of the first books the boys fell in love with when they were teeny!
• Goodnight Moon
• Whose Toes Are Those?