Holiday Gift Ideas for Kids Under 2

Explore and Grow
Tumble ‘N Twirl Top

For 6 months & up

Your baby will love the bright colors and excitement that this ball-spinning top provides! Put the balls in, pump the plunger to watch them spin, or open the sliding door to watch them shoot out, and then have fun chasing after them. You’ll never know where the balls may land! Playskool’s Tumble ‘N Twirl helps develop an infant’s gross motor skills and improve hand-eye coordination. It comes with the spinner and 4 light-weight, colorful balls that are compatible with other Explore and Grow products. Retails for $21.99. Read a review of it here.

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LeapFrog My Pal Scout

For 6 months & up

The LeapFrog My Pal Scout is an interactive plush friend that helps children learn with an entertaining twist. You can customize it with your child’s name and favorite things! Choose from a database of thousands of names, and My Pal Scout will use your child’s name in phrases (such as “I love you”) and in a variety of songs. The application also allows you to choose your child’s favorite color, animal, and food to personalize even more of Scout’s phrases. Press Scout’s paws for lullabies, learning songs and activities with numbers, animals, food and more. My Pal Scout comes with three “AAA” batteries, one USB cable, Quick Connect Guide and Parent Instructions booklet. You’ll need to have a computer with Internet access to take advantage of all the features LeapFrog provides. Retails for $19.99.

Click here to buy it online.

Explore and Grow
Busy Ball Popper

For 9 months & up

My toddler played with this for 45 minutes straight the first time she set eyes on it! There’s something about the colorful, air-powered ball-popping and upbeat music that is both exhilarating and unexpected. All it takes to start the fun is to pump the plunger and drop the balls onto the spiral track. When the balls reach the bottom, look out, because the balls pop out of the top! You’ll be running around the room chasing after them. With 8 different songs, and 5 colorful balls that are compatible with other Playskool Explore and Grow toys, the Busy Ball Popper will keep your kids entertained for a long time! Requires 4 “D” batteries (not included) and retails for $29.99. Read a review of it here.

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MEGA Bloks
Build’n Go Table

For 12 months & up

This toy provides a building platform, portability and storage all in one colorful package! MEGA Bloks are very durable and big enough that they don’t pose a choking hazard. The table is the real sell here. It only comes with 20 MEGA Bloks, however bigger sets are available to add on to it as your child grows. There’s a handy storage compartment underneath the tabletop that can hold the MEGA Bloks when they’re not being played with. The table is lightweight, sits on four foldable legs, and with two handles on the side, you or your kids can carry this like a little suitcase… to grandmother’s house we go! Retails for $39.99.

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Baby Genius
Singing School Bus

For 18 months & up

Available exclusively at Wal-Mart stores nationwide, the new Baby Genius line of toys incorporates the Baby Genius principle of music as a core learning tool to engage and encourage children to communicate, connect, discover, and use their imagination to express themselves. The Singing School Bus plays the “Wheels on the Bus”song so kids can roll it around and sing along. The Singing School Bus comes in yellow and pink and comes with 5 Baby Genius friends that are chunky so that little hands can easily grasp them for playing in or out of the bus. Stay tuned for an in-depth review of several of the new Baby Genius toys.