Struggling to find a gift for a child on a budget? Here’s a list of the best gifts for toddlers under $20!
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If you haven’t been looking for clearance presents throughout the year and you need a last-minute gift for that toddler in your life, then you’ve come to the right place! Last year I made a list of Christmas Gifts for Toddlers under $10 (That Don’t Make Noise!) for anyone shopping on a budget. This year I thought I’d expand that list for anyone looking to shop on a budget. I’m a mom of 2 boys, currently 2.5 years old and 15 months old. These ideas are under $20 and are gifts that my toddlers actually play with and love!
1. Boogie Board
A Boogie Board is hands-down one of the best toys we own. If you’re looking to spend under $20 on a gift for a toddler, this is my top recommendation. Both my 15-month-old and my 2.5-year-old love it but I would suggest gifting it to any toddler 2+. This toy is slim and fits into mom’s purse so it works great for doctor appointments, travel, and long shopping trips in the cart.
One of the things I love best about this product is that the silicone case does a fantastic job of protecting the screen. Plus it’s super cute! There are all kinds of animal shapes to choose from. We’ve dropped, kicked, and sat on this toy so many times accidentally and never had an issue with its function.
2. Early Learning Library
My 15-month-old son got this set of board books for his 1st birthday and has been obsessed with them ever since! They’re durable, small, and great for learning first words. A couple of the books are slightly more advanced (opposites and baby animals) so it grows with the child through the whole first year and into the second.
3. Leapfrog Learning Book
Most of these gifts for toddlers under $20 that I’ve listed are silent. This is the first one on the list to make noise but I promise it’s worth it. Both of my kids have gotten hours of entertainment out of these books and they’ve learned quite a bit too! This type of book also comes in 100 Animal Noises and 100 Words Book.
This book is bilingual and teaches categories, sounds, and pronunciations of 100 things that go. It has a search and find feature and a song feature as well. We keep ours in the car for travel and it’s worked great! I would recommend this to any toddler 1+.
4. Water Wow!
This is one of my favorite gifts for toddlers under $20! Water Wow comes in a variety of different themes and is another great toy for traveling or sitting quietly in church. This toy uses only water to reveal a colored picture with no mess and can be reused over and over! It’s marketed as 3+ but I think any toddler over 18 months would enjoy it. Water Wow! even comes in versions for older children learning letters and numbers!
5. Shape Sorter
Shape sorters are the quintessential toddler toy. They help teach coordination, motor skills, shapes, and colors. Both my 15-month-old and my 2.5-year-old love to play with it! However, the one drawback to this toy is that it has many pieces that can easily be lost if you don’t supervise their play.
6. Puzzles
Simple peg puzzles are great for developing motor skills, patience, and learning shapes! These puzzles with knobs on each piece work best for chunky little hands. Like the shape sorter, these do have many pieces that could easily get lost. If you can keep your toddler organized, though, puzzles make great gifts for toddlers under $20!
7. Wooden Twist Cubes
Wooden twist cubes like Fidget meets Jacob’s Ladder. They are quiet and can be configured into any number of shapes. It’s small enough to fit into a purse or diaper bag for easy travel! I wasn’t able to find a link to this exact toy because I found it at a boutique but I found a similar product here.
8. Wooden Lacing Apple
This toy is so simple, yet enthralling for kids! Online, this toy is recommended for ages 3-5 but my 2-year-old loves to lace the string around and around. It’s a great toy for travel or church because it’s small, lightweight, and silent! Both parents and kids will love it! The apple shape is the most popular selling but there are other shapes like dogs and strawberries as well.
9. Special Travel Cup
Does the toddler in your life already have enough toys? If you’re looking for gifts for toddlers under $20, cups with fun designs are one of the best options! You can never have too many cups!They encourage your toddler to drink water and can be great for travel. Make sure the cup you choose is dishwasher-safe for easy cleaning.
10. Busy Beads
Both my kids love busy beads. They’ll even play together with it! Busy beads can’t travel but work well for keeping toddlers busy while you cook dinner or read books to older kids. These do take up a little more space but are well worth it!
Can you think of any gifts your toddler loves? Leave the name or link below to continue to grow this list for everyone looking for ideas!
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