Gifts for Two-Year-Old Boy?

my suggestions have been made (duplos, cars including little Matchbox and big Tonka--tricycle or bigwheel are great ideas too!)

just wanted to add if you have any big spenders, the last time I was at the lego store in Washington Square Mall they were clearancing the big Duplo castle sets (about $50 instead of about $100), so if he's into pretend fighting, the knights and swords and horses are cool and those big castle pieces build up pretty quickly into a playsite for the knights ... I couldn't (quite) justify the cost, because we have a bunch of castle already, but it was a nice set

Outside toys are great (little lawnmower w/bubbles) or new jammies for the winter, books, bath toys....

puzzles (the ones from ImagiPlay are amazing and ecofriendly) and books are what comes to mind. or legos or bathtub toys.

Hi Paul,

My far-and-away suggestion would be to request books. Let him build a library at your house too. I've worked with kids for a long time, and books are a near-foolproof gift because they are inexpensive (board books, for example, always run less than $10 unless they've got some serious bells and whistles) and they get used over and over again. Plus, you can find a lot of classic kid favorites in the board book section: Eric Carle, Jan Brett, Lois Lenski's "Small" books, even a shorter version of "Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel"- a favorite of our 2 yo son. It's my practice to always give books to children for birthday gifts because they do get so much use and they take forever for the kids to age out of.

Happy birthday to your little one!

From Friends:
books
bubbles
play-dough
art stuff
kids cd or
The Wiggles dvd

From You:
Best gift ever for her was the twilight turtle it projects stars on to the ceiling and my daughter won't sleep without it! It's not terribly expensive. 27.99 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0011RXLYS/ref=pd_lpo_k2...
Her other all time most favorite gift at 2 was an inflatable dinosaur that blew up to almost her size.

My son turned 2 also. Here are a few suggestions:

Mr. Potato Head -- my son loves it!
Toy trucks of all sizes (available at Toys R Us) -- Matchbox size, large size and giant Tonka dump truck.
Books
Music toys (flute, kazoo, drum, etc)
Trains (Thomas the Train cars, Leapfrog ABC/Phonics Train)

It may be too late, since it sounds like people have already received their invitations...

When our daughter turned two, we wanted a no-gift necessary party. Basically what we had printed on the invitation was that she has been blessed with many loving people in her life who purchase lots of toys already, so a donation to a favorite charity, or no toy at all would suffice. People still wanted her to have something to open (which is very nice), so they ended up getting her small things that weren't toys (book, musical b-day cards, a matching plate and bowl, and a do-it-yourself puppet kit, a friend with an older girl "donated" a bag of her old dress-up clothes). Some people donated to Heifer International, and the Seattle Library in her name... it was very sweet!

We'll probably do the same this year for her 3rd birthday :)

My son, who turned 2 a couple of weeks ago, loves his good old fashioned wooden blocks with letters, numbers and pictures on them. His are made by Doug and Melissa http://www.melissaanddoug.com/dyn_prod.php?p=1900.

He can stack them and line them up to practice fine motor skills and problem solving, and since he knows his letters and numbers to 10 and he's building language like crazy right now, he gets very excited identifying all the things on the sides of the blocks. A fun and educational toy.

clothes, shoes, puzzles, books, Crayola Color Wonder, tub toys, Magna Doodle, t-ball, Little People...

There are so many great learning toys you can give. Target has a good line of learning toys (Leap Pads are also great). You can also look online if you want to look at specific toys for Mensa recommended toys....kinda like top of the line toys that foster brain development and challenge your toddler while they play.

Paul-

When my boys were 2 to 3 they loved the big duplo legos. They could easily fit them together and make towers and knock them over. They loved it when dad made them big towers to knock over. They also liked simple puzzles with large pieces. This was good for their fine motor skills too.

Hope this helps,
Annemarie

How about books and puzzles???

My son will be 2 in October and I am already getting the same question. My suggestions are blocks (the come in different sizes and shapes so they can build all sorts of things) big lego blocks are a great toy, cars/trucks. If he likes to play in the bath tub like my son loves bubbles are great or tub toys. Clothes are great too. You can find great inexpensive outfits too.

These were just a few ideas I thought of. Hope this helps!

:) A.

Books and music!! Can never have enough, they don't get boring, can have them for a long time, and are affordable :)A fun thing to do is to ask the adults to bring their all-time favorite.

Also long-lasting are musical instruments. Drums, piano, xylophone . . . John's House of Music has some fantastic, unusual things. Top Ten Toys too.

Have fun!

Books! Always a great gift, and easy to pick out....

Paul,

We suggested books, blocks,and cars(large chunky ones easy to hold) when our boys were 2.

He would even love a large box to color on, climb in, carry around, and destroy!!!

Best of luck,
T.

Paul,
Thomas the train! They are adorable and all our boys loved them. It is only around $100 for a set of tracks and the table it goes on(you could buy that part)and everyones who is coming could pick up one engine that they think is cute! I velcro-ed my sons track down and it is a huge source of entertainment!

K.

Hi Paul,
I would say cars. My three year old son loves cars. I would get the bigger ones since he is 2. Just look on the package for 2+ rating. How about colors and coloring books, play dough, finger paint & paper? Clothes is alway a good thing for that age too. Also, books that you can read with him, or ones with alot of pictures that he can look at himself. Another good thing that is my son's favorite is a small (4x6 size) photo book to put pictures of him, family and friends. My son loves looking at his book.
One last suggestion, my son loves his doodle pad. This is small and easy to take with you also to keep him busy in the car. Great gift!

I hope this helps! Happy birthday to your little guy,
S.

For my two year old boy I suggested old school toys from when we were kids like: puzzle pegs, Lincoln logs, books and anything that requires thinking and learning. Also, I had my grandmother open a savings account for him as another gift option people give checks and I just deposit them into his future account.

Bubbles, bath toys, Clippos, tadoodles (they are a toddler crayon or marker made by crayola), a tool set, Melissa and Doug puzzles, books, blocks, those little farm sets.

Books! You could even ask everyone to bring a favorite Dr. Suess book or something like that to give it a theme.

My daughter recieved a bunch of art supplies (crayons, paints, coloring books, paint brushes, stickers, etc.) for her second birthday and was just getting ready to be able to use them with supervision.

Puzzles are also really good. Chunky puzzles are best probably. Definately no 1000 piece ones! :) Anthing with larger pieces should be good and if they're simple enough, he should be able to do them on his own fairly easily.

As weird as it sounds, puppets. I don't know why 2 is the magic age for liking them, but it seems to be. Costco currently has some nice sets of 4 for under $10. We store ours in a rubbermaid style box. :)

Mr Potato Head! Seriously! My kids are 4 and 2 and they play with it for HOURS!

Hotwheel cars cost 1.00 each at Fred Meyer and .97 at Walmart and he will play with those for years to come.

Hi, Paul--

I love the other responses and there are some great suggestions. I thought I might add bath toys and accessories (i.e., bath tub soap chalk, bottles for squirting, etc.). Also, all things play-dough (kits with various molds and figures) where a child can manipulate and squish the play dough and mold them into objects. Books of all sorts-- great time to start collecting some classics now because he will grow into them and it makes for special times. How about art supplies like glue sticks, construction paper, washable markers...I also love the wooden train tracks that children can put together and reconfigure. These can be purchased at places like Target in smaller sets as gifts. Of course, this is what other people can purchase. I personally love everyday objects and second hand finds that my daughter gets creative with. Your son is just discovering what he likes and doesn't like and it will be fun to see what piques his interests. Have a great birthday!

HI-----my 2 yo little guy likes bristle blocks, book, matchbox type cars, lego duplos and little animals----that he can hold and play with. Similar to fisher price type animals and people.

I always like for people to just pick some toy that they think will be fun. I just tell them get him whatever you'd like as long as the box says for ages 2 and older. Geo Trax are a ton of fun if you have the room to set them up, for a specific idea. Also, cars, my son was really into cars of all shapes and sizes when he was that age... especially the Tonka rescue vehicles.

Books, blocks, legos? If families want to go in together they could do swim lessons, open play times (pump it up, gymboree). Our son is 2 1/2 and loves things that are motorized. Good luck to you.

My boys who are almost two love wooden puzzles,shape sorters, and wooden trains. They also really love books and I love reading books to them too!

Books! Wooden cars, trains, shape sorters. Take a trip around Top Ten Toys in Seattle and get some good ideas!

We request that people (at least the close family) put the $20ish (Grandparents usually give a bit more, aunts, uncles and friends are on average $20) that they would be spending on gifts into our girls college accounts (6 guests x $20 = $120 x 3 events/yr = $360 savings per year) Generally this happens on B-days, Christmass, and Easter.

This is not to say our kids don't get gifts. My husband and I do the gift buying. This gives us control of what comes into the house too, lol. Now at soon to be 6yrs old and 3.5yrs old the kids are a bit more aware of the number of gifts but we always make sure they know that $$ is being put away for the future, even if they can't comprehend it right now.

For your son what about starting a tradition like a wooden train, where people can add to it?

HTH
E.

Hi Paul,

I have two little boys (2 1/2 year old and 3 3/4 years old). They love anything with wheels, hot wheeles (with a track to push them down), thomas the train, and especially monster trucks. Their dad recently took them to the store and let them pick out anything they wanted - they both came back with a giant mosnter truck (about $10 and close to the size of a shoe box). These trucks do not leave their sides, they even sleep with them next to their pillows.

I know you said nothing electronic, but I picked up a little keyboard at a yardsale recently and both boys love to play with it and sing along. It has buttons on it with pre-recorded tempos and songs that they like, and sometimes make up their own.

Also, if you have the room, a toddler swing. They are about $20 and you can hang them from a tree or just screw in a big eye hook in a beam somewhere outside or inside. My 2 year old will sit in his swing for 20 minutes sometimes, he loves it.

Here are a few other things they like: tri-cycles (or some sort of ride on), bouncy horse, anything to jump on (we put the old crib mattress on the floor and they love to use it as a trampoline). Also if there are any big play zones (tubes & slides, or a parent & tot gymnastics class or Kindermusic type things) then gift certificates to go play are always fun.

Have fun, I think ages 2 - 6ish are probably the best years of a kids life. They are learning so much at this age, and still young enough to think you are the best thing in the world :-)

Does your son like to color? Color books, crayons, colored pencils, color wonder, are all fun for little guys. My son didn't like to color at two, but my daughter loves to. Which is why I asked.

What my son did like to do at that age was play with cars and animals. My parents got him a car mat to drive his cars on and others got him little cars (Hotwheels). He loves it and still plays with his variety of cars!

Other things he got at that age were a bag of safari animals, wooden blocks (which he liked building up and knocking down with his big trucks), Lincoln Logs. I've also seen other kids enjoy little sports equipment, like a plastic golf set.

We like to ask for educational toys or clothes. But if you really don't want him to have electonics then you would have to specify that. We have an educational toy that is a little laptop computer that my kids love to play with, in fact my 2 & 4 year olds fight over it. It turns on and has different games and options to help them learn letters and their sounds.

Good Luck! There is lots out there, sometime just walk around a toy store to get some ideas. I know that when my first was that little we never walked around the toy section and felt the same way when he was turning two!

trains, bowling set, puzzles, bead lacing beads, playdough is great (messy, but great), t-ball set, dot art markers, stickers, crayons, water colors, play food...happy birthday

This response is a little late, but my son just turned 2 and he absolutely loves his SPRIG Toys (http://www.sprigtoys.com/products/sprig_hollow/sprig_holl.... He got the truck and the helicopter. Both can be used in a sandbox, the truck comes apart and has a rake, shovel and bucket, the helicopter is a scoop. They are very sturdy plastic and made out of recycled materials.

The gift giver('s parent) can feel like they are doing something for the earth and the children will like the toy. They have other toys that are pretty good, too. Their electronic toys are kid powered rather than battery powered and they tell an adventure, not just sounds when a button is pushed.

My son absolutely loves them.

Also, his next favorite was the cooking pans and utensil set from IKEA. They are metal and very sturdy, but he loves to cook with me and pretend to make meals for me. These are very inexpensive.

Hope your son has a great birthday!
D.

My son will be two in a month and things Ive been thinking of are, Building blocks, wood peg puzzles, books, things that make music (he loves music) big wheel or trike, little people, cars, trucks etc.

Thanks for specifying non- electric. Good books -- duplo blocks-- a mini trampoline that you might find at a thrift store --- anything that he can ''pretend'' with like costumes or even play dough --- sidewalk chalk -- -- any sport you enjoy yourself -- buy him things that he can take along to ''play'' hiking if you enjoy that yourself - or a miniature golf club if you like golf. A cousin of mine was once given a vacuum cleaner ( yes, a real one from a thrift store) because he wanted more than anything to take the real one apart---

Blessings,
what fun--

J. - aka- Old Mom

My 2yo son likes...cars (small or large, even Matchbox/Hot Wheels works) and balls (hah! yes, we have too many) and dinosaurs. I thought he would be "all boy" but he loves stuffed animals and usually drags one along with him - nowadays you can find them in all shapes and sizes, i.e. dinos or dogs or sea creatures. He LOVES K-Nex which I believe one of my other children got about age 2 and are a great age-appropriate building toy - it might be best to wait for an older age if he is prone to putting things in his mouth - I'd think they're still a little bit unsafe, but read the packaging at the store. He loves books and movies, and often identifies with the characters in the movies, such as Buzz Lightyear or Lightning McQueen, and you can go to any Target and find toys focusing on those characters. He also loves shoes (I think this is probably an age-appropriate focus on dressing himself) and will wear a pair of rubber kids' boots around the house. He also really likes to dress up with a cape and pretend he's superman or batman. He loves a ride-on stick pony toy that we have, and also has a broom that he loves to use when we sweep up.

I'm not sure what I'm passing along would be something that my child would be interested in on his own - or if he's interested because he sees his big brothers doing it.

Every kid is different, so don't be disappointed if something doesn't seem to work out (it could be that in six months, he's more ready for it). We got my son a giant dinosaur for his birthday that growls and moves. He freaked out and yelled NO, NO, NO! It obviously scared him.

Good Luck!

What about a wooden tool set? My two year old boy has one and loves it! The nice thing about it being made out of wood is that it withstand a two year old boy (if you know what I mean). Melissa and Doug brand toys are great also, they have puzzles, pretent stuff (like cooking and building), and tons of other toys as well. They are very inexpensive (check amazon, search Melissa and Doug) and they are so much fun for stimulating imagination and creativity! Good luck and Happy Birthday to your little boy!