The best gifts for infants, toddlers, and two-year-olds are engaging, eye-catching, and support them as they grow, from first discoveries to major milestones. At this age, every shake, squeeze, and peekaboo is a chance for meaningful play, and the right toy keeps little hands and minds busy.
Our 2026 holiday gift guide for infants, toddlers, and two-year-olds (birth to age 2) features toys that meet them where they are: supporting new skills, building their confidence, and bringing a little magic to everyday moments.
What should you look for in a toy for an infant, toddler, or two-year-old?
A lot can change in those first few years. Babies go from rolling over to running, from cooing to chatting, and from gummy grins to big hugs. During this whirlwind of growth, the right toy helps lay the foundation for how they play, learn, communicate, and connect in preschool and beyond.
As you fill your cart with holiday cheer, look for gifts that:
- Engage the senses. Toys with varied textures, sounds, and colors invite babies to explore the world by touching, listening, looking, and (of course) chewing.
- Build motor skills through hands-on fun. Growing muscles need plenty of opportunities to reach, grasp, kick, stack, and push.
- Spark language development. Babbles, giggles, and that first “Mama” or “Dada” are all stepping stones to talking, so find toys that give babies lots to chatter about.
- Bring little ones and caregivers closer. Playing alongside babies builds a warm, trusting bond that helps them feel safe exploring.
How did we choose these gifts?
For more than 50 years, Kaplan Early Learning Company has helped educators and families support young children's growth through play. Every gift in this guide supports infants, toddlers, and two-year-olds during one of their most critical life stages, drawn from Kaplan’s most-loved learning products.
Our top 10 gift ideas for infants, toddlers, and two-year-olds
Ready, set, shop! Whether they’re sprouting their first tooth, taking their first step, or putting together their first sentences, this list offers something for every child at this stage.
1. Ocean Easy-Fold Play Gym — best for early multisensory play
Ages: Birth and up
Looking for a cozy spot where babies can play, explore, and grow? The Ocean Easy-Fold Play Gym checks all the boxes. The sturdy wooden arches are pre-assembled, and the soft, reversible mat features high-contrast black-and-white patterns on one side and a vibrant ocean design on the other.
Five detachable sea creatures crinkle, chime, squeak, and vibrate, creating a rich multisensory experience that stimulates babies’ minds and bodies. Bonus: the mat and toys are machine washable.
Skills Taught: High-contrast patterns and playful sensory elements engage sight, sound, and touch to support early brain development. As babies reach, kick, and grasp the toys, they build hand-eye coordination and develop fine- and gross-motor skills.
Gift Companions: Ready for tummy time? Pair the play gym with Look, Touch, Learn Textured Sensory Board Books. These self-standing books feature bold patterns, textures, and reflective surfaces, and infant researchers at the Sussex Baby Lab designed them to spark visual and tactile exploration.
2. Warmies® Capybara and Board Book — best for cozy bedtime and story-time routines
Ages: Birth and up
Bedtime and storytime just got a little sweeter. The Warmies® Capybara and Board Book pairs a soft, 13-inch microwavable plush with a matching board book, Who Am I?, featuring padded covers and rounded edges that are easy for small hands to grip. After 60 seconds in the microwave (warmed by a grown-up), the capybara becomes a cuddly companion with a gentle lavender scent to help soothe and settle your little one.
Skills Taught: The warm plush offers comfort and calm to support early social-emotional development. Reading together sparks a love of books while building early language and listening skills.
Gift Companions: Grow your Warmies® collection with the Golden Dog and Board Book and Goat and Board Book.
3. Whistle, Shake, and Roll Rattles — best for teething babies who want to grab, shake, and chew
Ages: 3 months and up
Whistle, Shake, and Roll Rattles are a perfect gift for teething babies. The set includes three sensory toys (a Flower Whistle, My First Car, and Mini Dumbbell) that invite small hands to grasp and shake while soothing sore, sensitive gums. Each rattle is durable and easy to clean, making the set a practical yet fun toy for babies.
Skills Taught: Vibrant colors, gentle sounds, and varied textures support sensory development and cause-and-effect learning. As babies explore the toys with their hands and mouths, they build fine motor skills, body awareness, and hand-eye coordination.
Gift Companions: Explore our full selection of rattles and teethers to support little ones as their first teeth come in. Teething means plenty of drool, so pair these toys with waterproof bibs to keep babies clean and dry.
4. Happy Sound & Animal Soft Blocks — best for first building and stacking
Ages: 6 months and up
Meet your tiny builder's new favorite set. Happy Sound & Animal Soft Blocks are bright, squeezable, and designed for little hands. Children can mix and match the blocks to create four animals (a dog, cat, bear, and rabbit), each with its own pair of add-on ears. Rattle blocks filled with colorful beads add gentle sounds, and textured pieces turn simple block-building into a rich sensory experience.
Skills Taught: As children grip, squeeze, and stack the blocks, they practice fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Matching pieces to build each animal encourages early problem-solving, while shaking the rattle blocks introduces cause-and-effect learning.
Gift Companions: Add more “music” with Happy Sound Soft Rattle Blocks and more building with Soft Stack Baby Bricks.
5. Soft Clemmy® Sensory Roller Vacuum — best for early pretend play
Ages: 12 months and up
When block play winds down, roll out the Soft Clemmy® Sensory Roller Vacuum and turn clean-up into playtime. Mirroring a real vacuum, it picks up soft building blocks as toddlers push it along. It features an adjustable handle that grows with the child and comes with six soft, dishwasher-safe Clemmy blocks, so role-play fun starts right out of the box.
Skills Taught: Pretend clean-up is imaginative role-play that sparks creativity and problem-solving skills. Pushing the vacuum builds gross motor coordination, while handling the soft blocks strengthens fine motor skills.
Gift Companions: Keep the fun rolling with the Soft Clemmy® Sensory Bucket, which adds 15 more soft blocks for toddlers to scoop up. For even more sensory exploration, pair it with the Soft Clemmy® Sensory Path, four textured tiles that invite little ones to crawl, touch, and build.
6. GraviBlocks Toddler Ball Run — best for early STEM exploration
Ages: 18 months and up
Drop the ball and watch it go! The GraviBlocks Toddler Ball Run lets little ones build their very own pathways for balls to roll and tumble down. With 55 colorful pieces to connect, stack, and rearrange, no two builds are the same, and each one is a playful lesson in gravity, movement, and balance. Bonus: the storage box lid doubles as a building surface, so cleanup is as easy as setup.
Skills Taught: As children build and test their creations, they develop spatial reasoning, problem-solving, and an understanding of cause and effect. Connecting and balancing the pieces strengthens fine motor skills and dexterity.
Gift Companions: Shopping for a younger toddler, or want an easy starter set? The Spiral Ball Tower Eco+ (12 months and up) is made from eco-friendly plastic and features a stackable spiral track with three sensory balls (one lights up, one rattles). It’s a simple way to build fine motor skills and promote cause-and-effect learning.
7. New Sprouts® Super Sandwich Set — best for fine-motor practice combined with pretend play
Ages: 18 months and up
Lunch is served with the New Sprouts® Super Sandwich Set! With 29 soft, durable pieces—including white bread, sesame buns, meats, cheeses, garnishes, and crunchy chips—toddlers can mix and match to build countless sandwich combinations. Each piece is sized for small hands, making it easy for young chefs to create their own sandwiches.
Skills Taught: Children strengthen fine motor skills as they grasp, arrange, and stack sandwich ingredients. Role-playing mealtime or running a pretend sandwich shop also builds language, social-emotional, and creative-thinking skills.
Gift Companions: Add a life-size condiment set—complete with salt, pepper, olive oil, ketchup, mustard, and a storage caddy—and a mealtime tableware set for a full sandwich-shop experience.
8. Cozy Coupe® Car — best for gross motor movement and coordination
Ages: 18 months and up
Is your little one ready to hit the open road (or sidewalk)? Look no further than the Cozy Coupe® Car, the classic kid-powered ride that puts toddlers in the driver’s seat. It features a comfy high-back seat, cup holders, and rear storage, and fun details like an ignition switch and an opening gas cap.
Grown-ups can steer from behind with the push handle, or remove the floor so little legs can power the ride themselves. With front wheels that spin 360 degrees, every trip around the yard is an adventure.
Skills Taught: Foot-powered driving builds leg strength, coordination, and gross motor skills. The ignition switch and gas cap encourage pretend play.
Gift Companions: Pair the Cozy Coupe with a Cozy Pumper (complete with a pretend nozzle and credit card swipe) and an Interactive Traffic Light for an even more realistic driving experience.
9. Cheery Lane™ House Playset & Friends — best for storytelling and imaginative play
Ages: 2 years and up
Welcome to the neighborhood! The Cheery Lane™ House Playset & Friends is a dollhouse with lift-out and fold-out pieces children can arrange in several ways, fostering creativity and open-ended storytelling. The modular playset features working windows and doors, two fold-out rooms, built-in furniture, a play pup, and eight accessories.
Four Cheeries™ figures, with soft textured hair and bendable legs, can sit, stand, and move from room to room. When playtime wraps up, everything tucks inside for easy storage, making it easy to bring along on your next trip or outing.
Skills Taught: Pretend play with the figures inspires storytelling, creative problem-solving, and early language skills. Rearranging the rooms and positioning the figures strengthens children’s fine motor skills.
Gift Companions: Expand the neighborhood with Cheery Lane™ Vehicles & Play Figures, or explore our Vehicle Play collection for even more ways to bring Cheery Lane™ to life.
10. Community Block Builders Bundle — best for nurturing creative thinking and problem-solving
Ages: 2 years and up
Grab your hard hat and imagination! The Community Block Builders Bundle gives little ones everything they need to build an entire town, from homes and shops to roads and the vehicles that drive them. This 87-piece wooden set includes:
- 15 traditional homes from around the world
- 20 community buildings
- 42 double-sided roadway pieces
- 10 mini wooden vehicles
Mix and match every piece in endless ways, so no two towns ever look the same.
Skills Taught: Open-ended building supports spatial reasoning and problem-solving, while grasping and placing the blocks strengthens fine motor skills. Building with a sibling or friend? The set also encourages cooperative play, communication, and early social-emotional skills.
Gift Companions: Dreaming bigger? The Big City Building Blocks add 36 hardwood pieces for building skyscrapers and city streets, plus trees and figurines. Fill the town with even more neighbors with International Families and Community Workers, chunky wooden figures representing people of different ages, cultures, and abilities.
At a glance: Top 10 gift ideas for infants, toddlers, and two-year-olds
|
Toy |
Ages |
Skills it builds |
Best for |
|
Birth & up |
Cognitive skills, gross and fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination |
Early multisensory play |
|
|
Birth & up |
Social-emotional skills, early language and listening skills |
Bedtime and storytime routines |
|
|
3 months & up |
Cause and effect, fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination |
Multisensory play and fine motor development |
|
|
6 months & up |
Cause and effect, problem-solving, fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination |
Stacking and building |
|
|
12 months & up |
Creative thinking, problem-solving, gross and fine motor skills |
Early pretend play |
|
|
18 months & up |
Spatial reasoning, cause and effect, fine motor skills |
Early STEM exploration |
|
|
18 months & up |
Creative thinking, early language and listening skills, social-emotional skills, fine motor skills |
Pretend play and fine motor development |
|
|
18 months & up |
Gross-motor skills (balance, coordination, and strength) |
Gross motor movement & coordination |
|
|
2 years & up |
Storytelling and language skills, creative thinking, problem-solving, fine motor skills |
Storytelling & imaginative play |
|
|
2 years & up |
Creative thinking, problem-solving, communication, cooperative play, spatial reasoning, fine motor skills |
Creative thinking & problem-solving |
Need more infant and toddler gift ideas?
Little ones grow and change so quickly, and the right gift can make each new milestone that much more exciting. This year’s Kaplan Toys That Teach Holiday Gift List is jam-packed with items for every age and stage, from stacking toys to 100-piece puzzles. Happy shopping and happy playing!
