Top Ten Gift Ideas for 2 Year Old Boys

If you have a two year old little boy, like I do, than you know what a handful they can be. At this age they are beginning to process the world around them faster than ever. Hands on and realistic type toys are so important at this age as their development progresses. Here are some of my favorite gift ideas, big and small.

1. Leapfrog Little Touch LeapPad - A great way to introduce your children to the Leapfrog learning systems as well as enjoy interactive storybooks. Some of my favorite, classic titles are available on the Little Touch LeapPad like Guess How Much I Love You and Where the Wild Things Are. Other cartridge titles introduce animals, movement, music, alphabet, colors and counting in a fun and interactive way kids enjoy.

2. Fisher Price Little People A-to-Z Learning Zoo - I love this one! This Learning Zoo play set comes with 26 animals, one for each letter of the alphabet, and a zookeeper. It comes with a big tree, waterfall, cave and playmat as well. The playmat features each letter of the alphabet and kids can press the letter to hear the letter, letter sound as well as the sound of the animal that goes with that letter. The alphabet song can also be played. A plastic carrying case makes clean up easy. Help your child learn his letter sounds, alphabet, animal sounds and matching skills with the fantastic new Little People payset.

3. Child Sized Chair - We are thinking about getting our son one of the chairs that looks like a miniature love seat and also folds out into a sleeping pad. He loves to be with me throughout the day so having a small, portable chair that I can easily move from room to room would be perfect. Be careful with the chair you select though; some of the mushroom and folding style chairs tip over easily and are dangerous for kid who will want to crawl in and out of them by themselves. A chair built lower to the ground, or on a sturdy base, will be more stable and less likely to cause a fall.

4. Fisher Price Elmo Knows Your Name Doll - This little Elmo doll is amazing, and under $40. It comes with a USB cord and computer program that allow you to program your child's name, favorite items (color, food, songs, etc), usual schedule and more. Elmo can then talk to your child about things going on throughout the day. For example, if you son's name was Micheal and he gets up at 7:30am Elmo will say "Good morning Micheal!". Elmo is my son's favorite Sesame Stree character, so having an Elmo that "knows" him will be a lot of fun!

5. Little Tikes Swirlin' Sawdust Workshop - My son loves to follow his dad around on any of the "honey-do" jobs around the house. He LOVES power tools. I promise I didn't teach him how to use a screwdriver or tape measure; I swear it is in his DNA. We are considering this realistic looking workshop for our son as he could then use his own tools. It was important to us that the tools look somewhat realistic becuase otherwise we know he won't like them but rather prefer to try getting into Dad's toolbox instead. We also wanted a set with a place for him to "work". Of all the tool kits, this one seems to fit the bill.

6. Musical Hands Mat - Available from Creative Kids Unlimited this is a really fun toy. Over 3 1/2 feet long this one octave keyboard is a great way for toddlers to be introduced to music. Preprogramming enables children to learn how to play some favorite nursery rhyme tunes by following the flashing lights, or they can play freely and create their own songs. A hittable, layable, brightly colored toy that is sure to be a lot of fun.

7. Rub-A-Dub Bath Crayons - By Alex Toy, these crayons are fun bath time toys for creative artists like my son. He loves to color the walls, and himself, so this is a great compromise for us. I let him use these bright crayons during bath time and he doesn't color with my lipstick. Great stocking stuffer idea.

8. Little Tykes T-Ball Set - The ultimate outdoor fun is a game of ball with Daddy. With this set we can adjust the size to him as he grows and he can learn to play baseball easily, without having to time his swings. A great way to begin enjoying the game without any pressure. We always are looking for some outdoor fun as a family.

9. Art Supplies - It may seem basic but a rubber maid pail full of art supplies is a wonderful thing! Items to include might be: A large pad of paper because little hands make larger movements, non-toxic fingerpaints, a plastic art smock for easy child clean up, easy to hold paint brushes, washable markers, crayons, and a vinyl tablecoth or plastic sheet to lay down in case of messes. Learning to paint and color is an important step in a childs creative development so having the right supplies will be helpful!

10. Picfolio Album - Exclusive to Creative Memories, this album is very quick to put together, has a durable cover that's easy to clean, and has protected pages perfect for little boy hands. My son loves his photo album and we often use the album to look at pictures when we are talking on the phone to friends and family. He even requests his photo album as a bedtime story sometimes. Using this album format the memories are safe in an archival quality album that only takes an hour or two to complete. There are three different sizes available.