a cute baby girl in colorful dress sitting on a picnic blanket

20 Best Birthday Gift Ideas for 2-Year-Olds

July 3, 2023

Are you not sure what to buy a 2-year-old for their birthday? These are the 20 best birthday gift ideas for 2-year-olds they will love recommended by a mom and pediatric occupational therapist.

This post was written by Marra Robert, OTD, OTR/L, and contains affiliate links

Time is flying by way too fast! My baby girl is almost 2 years old! She has grown so much this past year and I couldn’t be more proud of her. She is so curious about her world and excited to learn everything she can.

Although I am happy to see the we both share a love of knowledge, part of me just wants her to stay my baby forever.

I believe that every child is born with a love of learning, and sadly, sometimes, this gets lost and left behind in our early childhood for whatever reason.

I was fortunate that my parents protected and nurtured the curiosity I had, providing me with diverse opportunities to learn as well as connect with the outdoors and nature. They are the reason curiosity is one of my core values in life. I hope to do the same for my daughter

As she gets closer and closer to her second birthday, I see her passion for learning grow stronger. As a pediatric occupational therapist who spent years treating children with developmental delays in Early Intervention,

I became an expert in early child development and toys! I have always consciously chosen toys for my daughter and looked for toys that will help strengthen her love of learning,.

One of the most important things I think about when choosing toys for my daughter or recommending toys for others is that simple is best and less is more. I avoid toys that are battery operated and light up or make a sound.

The more the toy does, the less the child does. If a toy makes noise then there is no reason for the child to make the noise or work on speech development. If the toy is simple and doesn’t do much, then the child uses their imagination to engage in play. I don’t think any of my daughter’s toys have batteries or play music, and she has been singing songs all week.

My favorite toys get children up and moving. Children learn best through moving their bodies and these days, especially after the pandemic, all kids need to move their bodies more.

This has to do with the development of their sensory systems. Their little bodies need big movement as much as they need food and water. If you’d like to learn more about sensory processing, check out my blog below.

I also love toys that children can continue to grow with and play with for years to come. It’s a waste to spend money on a toy they’re only going to play with for a few months and then get bored of it.

I think it’s a great idea to get simple board games for 2-year-olds. They can start working on turn-taking and explore the toys and then you can slowly add more rules and structure as they age.

Pretend play is perfect for this age for both boys and girls. Children learn so much through pretend play such as learning to tell stories and problem solve. I’ve listed my favorite 2-year-old birthday gift ideas below.