The holiday season is here! And for many families, that means looking for the perfect present for the little ones in your life. But, before you rush to pick out something special, the Ocean Pediatrics team would like to share a few pediatrician-approved gift ideas for toddlers that will help them in their development! Keep reading for our top picks to wrap up in a bow this year!
Cognitive & motor skills
Helping toddlers develop their cognitive skills is essential! But it can be tough to understand what they are ready for – especially if you aren’t their parent. That is why we love Lovevery’s age-appropriate playkits! Each one is filled with the best toys for toddlers at their current stage of development.
You can get The Babbler Playkit for 1 year olds to help them learn about balance, object permanence, and spatial awareness, and even physics all while developing their fine motor skills! For 2 year olds, The Investigator Playkit is the perfect set to teach them about controlling their behavior, planning, concentration, language, and memory, and creativity – all while strengthening their gross motor skills! For 3 year olds, The Problem Solver Playkit gets little ones started with categorization, conversation, comparison, collaboration, counting, and measuring!
Emotional intelligence & self-soothing
The toddler years are when little ones are starting to develop their sense of self and learn how to express their emotions. We recommend finding gifts that teach kids these new emotions and give them ideas for how to appropriately express them!
For example, dolls, plushies, or other toys for toddlers with different emotive faces for them to use to express themselves. Better yet, help little ones learn to calm themselves down and introduce them to meditation with toys like PAWZ The Calming Pup or a Meditation Mouse!
Language & social skills
What better way to develop language and social skills than a beautiful, illustrated story? That’s why we recommend picking out a few children’s books this holiday season to get the toddler in your life excited about reading, developing their language, and engaging with new social concepts.
Look for age-appropriate stories that involve complex characters, friendship, cooperation, kindness, or conflict resolution. We love the ones by Michael Dahl, like this Master Life’s Little Milestones boxset or this Best Behaviors boxset! If you are looking for sensory toys for toddlers, pick out a book with little treasures inside — like fun flaps, fuzzy fabrics, working zippers, and bumpy textures!
Confidence & cooperation
By 2-3 years old, little ones can already start helping with chores! While it might not seem fun to you, for toddlers it can be exciting for kids to help out around the house, learn cooperation, and start building confidence in their abilities. We recommend following their interests in different household activities to find a toy set they might like.
For example, you might find cleaning tools, cooking utensils, or workbench toys for toddlers that give them a way to bond with and “help” the family. If you’re not sure where to start, we like The Helper Playkit or The Enthusiast Playkit from Lovevery! Once they get old enough and more comfortable, they can graduate to a few of the age-appropriate items that you use around the house to start to believe and trust in their ability to do amazing things all on their own!
At Ocean Pediatrics, we’re here to help you and your family make the healthiest choices this holiday season and beyond! We hope these gift ideas for toddlers help you find something you can feel good about giving your little one this season, and even better, something that helps them grow and thrive for years to come. For more pediatrician-approved parenting tips, visit our blog The Tide — or, for tailored advice for your family, schedule an appointment with us today. Until then, all of us at Ocean Pediatrics are wishing you and your family your happiest, healthiest holiday yet!
