I’m at a loss on what gift to give to my nephew that’s turning 2 in about a week.
Just ask the parents what (s)he likes.
“They” is a word that exists
Full stops also exist. Both are fine.
Serious.
World map for their room. First teaches colors and shapes, then numbers and letters, and then history.
Nothing that makes noise or takes batteries.
Board books. Toddlers are murder on books with paper pages. Stick with classics like Goodnight Moon or Dr. Seuss, or if you want something more recent the Little Owl series by Divya Srinivasan, or Calm-Down Time by Elizabeth Verdick are really good.
Playground/beach toys, like a bucket / shovel / rake set that parents can keep in the car. They’ll likely get lost, so go for cheap and sturdy over premium and expensive.
Sidewalk chalk, like the huge fat ones.
The water based coloring books someone else mentioned are great, too. No cleanup (beyond the occasional water spill), they can be reused, and they’re great entertainment for the car.
And yeah, like others have said, coordinate with the parents.
And if you hate the parents, get a Furby knockoff or something else that makes noise.
Get the pop up book adaptation of Stephen King’s “The Girl of who loved Tom Gordon”
The Pop-up Book of Phobias is also great.
If you hate the parents? Something loud.
Otherwise ask the parents.
At two they are growing and changing quickly, clothes are good too
A toy that makes a lot of sound- like a truck with siren noises or a little electric piano, or spaceship with explosion sounds. There are these great plastic dinos that roar when you play with them. As a parent, I’m telling you, their parents will thank you.
Every kid is different, but if you’re not able to ask the parents then a safe bet is a duplo set. Bristle blocks are also great. My kid is currently 2 1/2 so these are what I know would be hits with him and his friends.
You could also get one of the following books:
Goodnight Goodnight Construction Site
Don’t Worry Little Crab
The Little Blue Truck (it’s a whole series, the Halloween one would be appropriate)
Bear Snores On or any other book in that series.triple shots of espresso
A large empty box that they can climb in and make it a fort. Cover it in cloth with their favorite theme.
A cardboard box (and put something in it so the parents won’t look at you funny)
give the parents a date night. give the kid some dinosaurs.
Iirc, we introduced a strider-style bike around that age. Even ride-on toys can fill that role as we in the northern hemisphere move into the colder months.
Children’s books.
A quiet book is pretty age-appropriate for a toddler.
Play dough is a good one.
Make sure you get nothing with battery’s and/or makes noise unless you hate the parents
I have a 2.5 year old girl. She loves stuff like this. This brand is also pretty durable.
