What to buy for children under 3 years?

When you don’t have children yourself or you don’t see young family members regularly it can be difficult to know what to buy for the little people so I’m putting together a quick gift guide with suggestions for what to buy for children under 3 years.

Playmobil 123 Range

The choices are endless when it comes to Playmobil but for the really little ones, I would recommend the Playmobil 123 range which is ideal for Toddlers. We have the Take Along Zoo and Aquarium which is great for play at home or away, especially for sleepovers at Nanna’s house! I’m also a little bit in love with the Christmas Manger set which would make a lovely gift for the Christmas period. They are great for little fingers and learning role-play, colours, animals and counting.

Currently available online at Playmobil or other major retailers.

Lego Duplo Number Train

This is another great toy which is still going strong in our house, it started off life as a toy for Beanie Boy and has since been passed down to Jelly Bean. Duplo offers so much opportunity for learning with colours, counting, recognising numbers, motor skills and construction. Just because it’s bricks doesn’t make it a ‘boys’ boy but if your little girl loves all things pink then no to worry because Duplo does a great range in pink bricks too.

Currently available from Toys ‘R’ Us for £8.51

Happyland Range

This is one of the longest-running playsets in our home as they have been used and added to over the years by all of the Beans. We now have four large Store and Play Happyland Boxes full of Happyland toys. When we get them out to play it’s usually under the pretence that it is for Jelly Bean but when the other Beans come home from school, they can’t help getting stuck in to play along with him. There is so much learning potential with Happyland with colours, counting, motor skills and of course role play. Children learn so much through role play and it’s also a great way to interact with your child and get a conversation started. There are lots of great toys in the range to choose from with a range of prices to suit every budget.

Currently available from Early Learning Centre, Boots, Toys ‘R’ Us and Amazon to name a few.

My Own Leaptop

Little ones love nothing more than to copy others and to be ‘big’. Each of my Beans has had their own versions of a min laptop and the Leapfrog My Own Leaptop is a great example of a child’s ‘first computer’. This is a toy which will grow along with their capabilities teaching them the alphabet, music and rhythm, animals, media literacy and of course, pretend play.

Currently available at Tesco for £20.00.

Mini Micro Scooter 3-in-1

Both Beanie Boy and Jelly Bean have learnt to ride scooters using one of these and they are just brilliant. Jelly Bean turns 4 in January and I am only just about to change his from a seat to a stand-up scooter so he has had over 2 years of use out of this. It starts out life as a seated scooter and then as the little one grows you can move the seat level up, next you take away the seat and use it with the ‘O’ ring handle and eventually when they have built up their strength you swap the stem for the Microscooter stem and away they go.

Currently available in John Lewis between £69.95 and £99.99