17 Fun Gifts for Babies (and Toddlers!)
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One of the most intimidating things I ever did in my twenties was attend my first baby shower. I was still in college, and if there was an online registry of some kind, nobody bothered to share it with me, so I went in completely blind trying to shop for a random sorority sister’s baby. I went with a safe choice: a cute set of baby body soap and lotion. Now, I wish I could go back in time and help out overwhelmed college me. After both having my own child and spending my working hours testing all kinds of parenting gear, I've come to discover there are a ton of fun gifts to give little ones.
A member of WIRED’s Gear team has tested and vetted every single one of these gifts, which range from the newborn stage through finishing out 1-year-old-hood, so you can come back to this guide to shop for your favorite baby-to-be’s shower and first couple of birthdays. Babies change a lot, and ridiculously fast, so I've mentioned what ages or milestones I used as markers for some of these gifts. But don't be afraid to gift something on the early side: Better to give something they'll grow into for the coming months rather than something they'll grow out of tomorrow!
If you're looking for more parenting gear, don't miss our guides to the Best Strollers, Best Baby Monitors, Best Breast Pumps, and Best Travel Strollers. If you're shopping for older kiddos, don't miss the Best Subscription Boxes for Kids and the Best STEM Toys for Kids.
Updated December 2024: We removed a gift that was out of stock and added a swaddle blanket and toddler tower, plus ensured the accuracy of links and prices.
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- Photograph: Nena Farrell
A Beautiful Swaddle Blanket
Mushie Muslin Swaddle BlanketThis swaddle was the superhero gift of my baby shower. My son has used it every day for the past two years. He was a summer baby, and receiving two of these from his aunt was an absolute necessity to have something to wrap him in without making him too sweaty. We were constantly using it as a layer between him and us so that we wouldn't just sweat all over each other when he wanted a contact nap. These swaddles were large enough to help cover his infant car seat from sunshine in the car or stroller, and now that he's a toddler it's still big enough to use as a summer blanket for bedtime. It's winter now, and we're still using these swaddles as one of his blankets at bedtime. I can't rave enough about them. If you're giving these as a gift, grab two so that Baby will have a backup when they spit up on the first one. There are a ton of pastel colors and cute prints to choose from.
- Photograph: Target
A Tummy Time Playground
Tiny Love Super MatMy favorite thing to do when my son was really small was place him on different colorful blankets and play mats and watch him experience the kaleidoscope of entertainment 2 inches from his face. His favorite play mat was a hand-me-down from my own childhood, but I've been testing Tiny Love's massive, beautiful mats with my best friend's baby. The Super Mats are super for a reason: They're huge! We're talking over 3 feet on one side and just under 5 feet on the other. But that means plenty of room for Baby to wiggle and explore. The mat is nice and soft, too, which is great to gift to a friend with hardwood floors. There's tons of built-in entertainment, like a little mirror and chewable attachments, which Baby can learn to crawl to as they explore.
A Pacifier Sanitizer
Munchkin Mini Portable UV-C Sterilizer+If your favorite baby is a pacifier lover, gift them this little sanitizer so Mom and Dad can keep those pacis clean on the go. It comes with a little strap to hook it onto a diaper bag and uses UV light to sanitize the pacifier in about a minute. It's a handy gadget to have on the go after the pacifier is dropped yet again. You'll still need a wipe handy to clean off any true dirt or grime, but I loved using this to feel like I at least tried to get rid of unseen germs.
Fun (and Sturdy!) Board Books
"Never Touch A..." Board BooksLook, babies destroy books. I can't tell you how many books in my son's room no longer have covers, or have ripped-off flaps and straight-up eaten-away corners. But one of the sturdiest book series my son has loved is this colorful one by Rosie Greening. There are a handful of different ones, all with similar titles: Never Touch a Spider, Never Touch a Dragon, Never Touch a Polar Bear … the list goes on. It's all about never touching a certain animal or creature unless it's doing something silly that they'll only find in the pages of this book. These books are great for so many reasons: Nice and short! Fun and colorful! Lots of sensory parts to the pages! Hard to rip! My son got one as a gift, and now I'm just continually adding more to our collection.
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- Photograph: Nena Farrell
A Toddler Tower
Guidecraft Jr. Contemporary Kitchen Helper Step-Up TowerI waited too long to get one of these for my kid. He still loves it at age 2 ½—just last night he was singing “Happy Birthday to Tower”—and it has become his favorite spot to eat dinner, mix cupcakes, and even draw or use Play-Doh at our kitchen island. But I missed out on how we could've had all this kind of fun so much sooner. Especially since this Step-Up Tower from Guidecraft is the new junior version, and it's slimmer than the usual one. That slimmer size makes it easier to add to my kitchen, letting it fit in nicely size-wise without causing any obstructions, and the smaller size makes a smaller kiddo feel more secure. The tower is designed for 18 months and up, and if I have another kid, this tower will be ready and waiting on their half birthday.
- Photograph: Nena Farrell
Cuddly Jellycats
JellycatsEveryone has heard of Jellycat stuffed animals these days; even the teens want their own. They make a great gift for newborns and toddlers, first as just a little buddy they can look at, and eventually a snuggly friend for bedtime and couch cuddles. Don't be afraid to get a fun Jellycat just because it's for a baby, either: My son has half a dozen of these, but his number one favorite is Grizzo Gremlin.
- Photograph: Target
An Early Start on Lego Love
Infantino Super Soft 1st Building BlocksThese aren't real Lego bricks. These building blocks, which have a Lego look, are made by Infantino from a super soft, squishable plastic (BPA-free!) that's easy to stack, squeeze, or even chew on. It's a fun sensory toy as well as a chance to learn to stack and build Lego-style without needing to worry about sharp corners or Baby eating the pieces. My son mostly wanted me to build stuff he could knock down, but I'm hoping the early exposure leads to a love of Lego and building that we can enjoy together for years to come.
- Photograph: Vivo Barefoot
Baby’s First Barefoot Shoes
Vivobarefoot Pluma KnitWe're big fans of barefoot shoes around here, and it turns out babies can enjoy them just as much as adults. My son loved Vivobarefoot's Pluma Knit shoes right after he got the hang of walking. These shoes were nice and comfy to pull over his chunky feet, and he used the barefoot texture to his advantage to learn to climb up the slide at a ridiculously early age. He noticeably slipped less when wearing these, so I highly recommend them for new walkers. He had these right after turning 1 in a size 6, but they come in smaller sizes if the baby you're shopping for will be walking sooner (or has less-fat feet than my kid!). Plus, these shoes get a ton of compliments on the playground.
- Photograph: Nena Farrell
For the Gamer-to-Be
Fisher-Price Game & Learn ControllerWe play a lot of video games in our house, so it's no surprise we wanted to snag this baby video game controller for our kid. But it's been a fantastic toy to bring for long drives or when waiting at a restaurant for the food to come out. There are two settings—Learn and Game, per the name—each with its own set of sounds, so it doesn't get too boring to use repeatedly. It's small enough to throw in just about any diaper bag. My son has liked this version a lot better than the similar remote control toy ($10).
- Photograph: Nena Farrell
An Adorable Record Player
Fisher Price Classics Record PlayerThis little record player is for 18 months and up, but that didn't stop my son from playing with it as soon as he could belly-worm his way over to it. The Fisher Price Record Player comes with five colorful records, each playing two songs, and is sturdy enough to survive the following: constant chewing from a teething baby on both the records and the player, said records being ripped from the player mid-song multiple times, and an unknown number of bumps and throws to the device itself. My personal favorite song is “The Ants Go Marching.” It's a bop.
- Photograph: Adrienne So
An Indoor Balance Bike
Early Rider Bella VelioMade for ages 10 months to 2 years old, the Early Rider Bella Velio is an indoor balance bike that's fun for the little ones and pretty enough that no one will mind it's been abandoned in the middle of the rug again. The massive wheels are easy to maneuver while still providing plenty of challenge for a toddler to learn how to stay upright and go in the direction they want. The low profile means they won't have far to fall, and starting indoors where there's soft carpet is less stressful on Mom and Dad.
- Photograph: Little Tikes
A Foam and Water Table
Little Tikes Foamo 3-in-1 Water TableI bought my son a water table for his first birthday, and he's loved it both summers of his little life. I actually bought him the Step2Rain Water Table ($85) and added on this rechargeable water pump ($17) so that water would constantly rain down. But if I could go back in time, I'd get him the Foamo 3-in-1 Water Table instead. It's got a bubble machine and a foam machine built into it, and let me tell you: Toddlers go crazy for it. My son's friend has one, and he has never been so focused (or quiet, praise be) as when he's playing with foam on this water table. It's designed for 2 and up, but my 1-year-old was obsessed.
- Photograph: Amazon
A Truck They Can Build
John Deere Build-a-Buddy Dump TruckThis cool toy, made for 18 months and up, lets a toddler disassemble and reassemble a dump truck with an included toy drill and large screws that attach the truck's pieces together. The hardest part for my son, even now as a 2-year-old, is remembering how to switch the drill's direction to either put the screws in or out. It's a really cool toy that will satisfy the mind of any budding builder or puzzle solver.
- Photograph: Yoto
Screen-Free Music
Yoto PlayerTechnically, the Yoto Player (7/10, WIRED Recommends) isn't for children under 3 years old. I have the Yoto Mini for my 2-year-old though, and I wish I'd gotten it sooner to use as a music box or storyteller in his room during the months of being too young to do more than tummy time and another walk around the block. The Yoto uses cards with an NFC tag that you register with the Yoto app, and then they can play a variety of music and stories. My son's favorite cards are the Super Simple Songs Collection ($30), followed by the Moana soundtrack ($15) You can even buy blank cards ($15 for five) and make your own custom playlist of content. While the device is designed for ages 3 and up, there are still cards you can buy designed for babies and toddlers; you just need to be the one clicking the buttons. But before you know it, they'll be the DJ.
- Photograph: Kyte Baby
Backup Crib Gear
Sheets and Sleep SacksBabies are so cute, and so gross. One minute they're sleeping peacefully, next they've managed to spit up all over the bed and themselves. Get your favorite baby an extra couple sets of sheets for those nights when accidents happen, because nothing's worse than running out of sheets at 2 am after another spit-up or leaky diaper incident. I like this set from Newton Baby ($40) since it's soft, organic, and comes with two crib sheets, plus there are lots of color combos to choose from for Baby's nursery.
Another good backup is extra swaddles or sleep sacks, depending on how old Baby is. (Swaddles are for newborns who can't roll, while sleep sacks are for all other baby stages!) I really like Kyte's gorgeous sleep sacks—they're nice and long, so my son didn't grow out of them as fast as he did Halo sleep sacks. I'd recommend a 1.0 TOG weight for most times of the year, but 0.5 is great for summer, and 2.5 is good for winter.
- Photograph: Amazon; Getty Images
Make Chores Fun
Melissa & Doug Toddler Toy Cleaning SetAs soon as my son could walk and start grabbing things, he wanted the kitchen broom. My mom saved the day by buying us this Melissa & Doug toy cleaning set that gave him his own pint-sized broom, mop, duster, hand broom, and dustpan. It's been great to placate him when he sees me sweeping or for him to grab on his own. It also works well enough that I can use it in place of my own broom when he won't give it back. Kids learn fast, so don't make my mistake and have a cat bowl nearby. They'll realize the mop is perfect for dipping into it.
- Photograph: Lovevery
A Play Kit by Month
Lovevery Play KitNervous you won't find a gift that's perfectly age-appropriate? Especially with how much babies can change between just 3 and 6 months, it can feel intimidating to try to find a toy they'll love and be able to use. Lovevery's Play Kits are organized in two- or three- month increments (e.g., 3–4 months, 5–6 months, 22–24 months), making it easy to nail a gift that's right for their developing skills. My son really loved the toys he tried from the various 1-year-old boxes, and the options range from newborn to 5 years old.
