Our girl Cypress is TWO YEARS OLD! Where did the time go?!

The picture above is Cypress sitting on Great Grandma Jean’s lap (my Mom’s Mom) who Cypress’ middle name was named after… Cypress Jean. This is significant to my heart today, because she passed away yesterday. I felt like I wanted to mention this and honor her memory today on Cypress’ Birthday. I miss you Grandma. <3

*tears*

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As Nick and I were talking about little things to get Cypress for her Birthday this year, and surfing Amazon for ideas, we thought WE MIGHT AS WELL share some of the cute things we found for this age group… in case others need gift ideas for their little toddler turning two!

But before we jump into it, remember that two year olds also love doing simple inexpensive  things too… like rolling a ball, or pushing a laundry basket around the house. You don’t have to spend a fortune to entertain your two year old. But we do think it’s important for the little tot to have some gifts to unwrap on their big day to make them feel special and loved. And many of these things will hold their attention long enough for YOU to get something done. #win

Gift Ideas for Two Year Olds

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Never NEVER discount the power of bubbles. I doesn’t even have to be nice out. Set up this sucker in your kitchen, and let the little child run and squeal and chase bubbles (and simultaneously clean your nasty floor, because soap). Guaranteed to pull any toddler out of the deepest of meltdowns. Do you think it would be inappropriate to take this into the grocery store in the event of a public tantrum?

Bubble Machine

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There’s something about ‘PUSHING’ a toy that brings little children great delight. And these little baby strollers are HANDS DOWN the best purchase when it comes to kid toys (even if you have a boy… who cares?!). Sure it’s not small enough to be thrown in a toy box when picking up. But it will bring them so much joy, and you so much time to get things done.

Baby Stroller

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Two-year olds LOOOOOVE books, but I find that they mostly just want to point at pictures and identify objects… which is a great way to develop language! This little board book is filled with pictures of everyday objects with bright colors. So fun at this age! Cypress sits quietly and looks at this book several times throughout the day. It’s her fave!

First 100 Words Book

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This Caterpillar Tunnel is a blast, and my personal favorite part is that it folds up into the tiniest of circles to be tucked away when it’s not in use. I have something similar on our 1-Year-Old Gift Guide, and truthfully, this would be a great gift for 3, 4 or even 5. #win

Caterpillar Tunnel

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I find that puzzles are still pretty hard for 2 year olds, but there are some really cute and simple puzzles out there for toddlers now. And thrown in a fishing pole and some magnets? Come on now!

Fish and Bug Catching Puzzles

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I’ll admit that my kids have never had one of these Sit and Spin Toys, but I couldn’t leave it out of this list because it has SO MUCH NOSTALGIA for me! I had an orange one as a kid and have many fond memories. That must have been before motion sickness set in, because I can’t even LOOK at a merry-go-round anymore.

Sit and Spin Toy

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Two year olds like to mimic those around them, so ‘helping’ with daily tasks is soooo fun for them! So if you don’t have room for an actual play kitchen, this might be the ticket! Cypress loves to clean, do dishes, scrub windows with baby wipes… and even sweep floors. She lugs around our giant full-sized broom… we totally need to get her this little Pretend Play Cleaning Set of size appropriate cleaning supplies! It’s a little pricy, but you can also buy the two sets separately here and here.

Play House Cleaning Bundle

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Let us not discount Playdough as a grand option for 2-year-old FUN. As long as your tot isn’t still putting all the things in their mouth, playdough is fair game! And they LOVE it to squish and play with it. For a child who’s attention span is usually about 10 seconds, playdough is one of the few things that holds her attention for a good long time. I’ll take it!

Playdough

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Listen friends… PULL TOYS are where it’s at. If there’s ONE THING you buy from this list let it be a pull toy. There are tons of different cute options here, but the one we ordered for Cypress is this Dancing Aligator Pull Toy, which is so cute, well made, and FUN! My only caution to you is to make sure that whatever pull toy you get for your tot, make sure it doesn’t make noise. You’ll thank me later.

Dancing Alligator Pull Toy

My kids see me being creative all day long, and they always want to help build, paint, sand, sew… just everything. Our 5-year-old twins ask to paint every single day, but the two year old has to be supervised at all times. And recently, I found these Sponge-Tip Paint Markers that look soooo fun and less messy! Definitely something to try…

Sponge-Tip Paint Markers

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This Water Table is definitely an outdoor toy, so for most of us we’ll have to wait until summertime to use. But this thing is so fun for littles on a hot day. I’m thinking this thing could be filled with dried beans, rice or corn as a sensory bin indoors during the cold season too! Complete with boats, cups, funnels, and water-wheel tower. Even I want to play with this thing!

Water Activity Table

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We got this Laugh and Learn Piggy Bank way back when the twins were toddlers, and it’s always been a huge hit. Even when we have playdates, this is the one toy that kids seem to gravitate towards. I do apologize, because this toy MAKES NOISE. But there’s an ‘off’ switch. And the batteries come out.

Laugh and Learn Piggy Bank

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As a new plant lover, I kinda want to play with this Balancing Cactus Toy myself. But I’m sure my toddler would love it too. We shall play with it together… ok?

Balancing Cactus Toy

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You really just can’t go wrong with a tricycle for a two-year-old, can I get an amen? This Radio Flyer Trike, looks very sturdy, and I love that the seat is set back a bit… kinda like Big Wheels. WHO REMEMBERS BIG WHEELS?!

Radio Flyer Grow ‘n Go Tricycle

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Sorting is a great learning game for two year olds, and this Match and Roll Shape Sorter is such a fun way for the little one to learn colors and shapes! The ‘rolling’ feature just adds another element of fun that the classic Shape Sorter from the good ol’ days didn’t have.

Match and Roll Shape Sorter

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Finally, let us talk about how sports are not gender specific. My little girls would spend hours throwing a ball at this Adjustable Little Tikes Basketball Hoop… if we had a playroom to put it in. This thing is going out on the patio this summer for sure! I mean, look how happy this kid is:

Adjustable Little Tykes Basketball Hoop

That’s all I got for ya today, friends! That’s a decent amount of gift ideas for two year olds, yeah? Do you think? Please comment below if you have other brilliant ideas as gifts for toddlers! And let me know if your little one loves one of these items as much as mine does! Good luck with the TWOS! We’re in this together!!

~Bethany

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P.S… if you’re thinking about going CAMPING as a family this summer, you might want to check out my Camping with Kids and Babies Guide on what things to pack that will make things go SO MUCH SMOOTHER. I speak from experience!

Thanks for pinning!