Toddler’s are so easily entertained. Yet we buy them endless amounts of gifts that have buttons, buzzers, lights and music. They wind up, glow, and move on their own. Why? It’s completely unnecessary. Most of these gifts cost at least $30 and lots cost well above $50. There are so many things that little ones love that cost significantly less. So if you’re interested in stretching your Christmas budget and providing that baby of yours some exciting, engaging gifts, I’m here to help. Here are some inexpensive toddler Christmas gift ideas that will allow them to use their imaginations, teach them valuable life skills while they play, and keep them entertained. All while keeping you from breaking the bank.

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10 Inexpensive Toddler Christmas Gifts

• Books: Board books are great for them to look at themselves, or regular books to keep out of reach and read to them. Zachary has a bunch of board books we rotate so he doesn’t completely destroy them all at once – he’s not a gentle child. He absolutely loves to sit quietly and look at these books, even though he rarely sits still for anything else. Interactive ones are especially fun for little ones who are easily distracted and don’t like to sit still. It keeps them engaged. Here are a few of his favorites and ones we read regularly!
  Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see? Slide and Find
  One More Tickle
  Chicka Chicka, Boom Boom
  Daddy Hugs.

• Coloring Books & Large Crayons: Get a few cheap ones with simple pictures. At this age, they’re just beginning to learn how to use crayons and are really interested in seeing the color magically land on the page. You’ll spend a lot of time telling them to not eat the crayon, but once they get the hang of it, they’ll love it.

• A Ball Pit: You do NOT have to get a huge, expensive pit in order for a toddler to have a great time. There are a lot of options. Here is the ball pit we have, and it’s great. We bought the larger one for him to play in outside as well as inside, but there are a few size options to accomodate your needs. It also comes with a small bag that it folds into. Unfortunately, it’s not the simplest, but it’s possible to get it back in there. Best of all, it’s very reasonably priced! He absolutely loves it. We often find him carrying several balls around the house. Funny enough, having this ball pit in his room is actually helping him learn to clean up. Every time he climbs out and knocks some out, he bends over and picks them all up. He understands that this is where they belong!

• Mr. Potato-Head: Most toddlers love taking things apart and putting them back together. Designed for exactly that purpose, Mr. Potato-Head is a great, inexpensive toddler Christmas gift. This gift has the added bonus of opening up conversation about emotions and facial expression.

• A soft baby doll: Both boys and girls can benefit from a soft baby doll. It’s at this age that kids are learning how to behave and interact with their world and starting to participate in pretend play. Giving them a doll caters to this desire and can teach a child how to treat other people. They can learn to care for it more and more as they age. Show them how the doll sits in the chair, how you brush their hair, how to change a diaper, get them dressed, give hugs and kisses, carry them gentle, rock them to sleep…the opportunities for learning are endless. This is actually one of the inexpensive toddler Christmas gifts we’re getting for Zachary this year. This one comes with a magnetic pacifier to give the baby and there are a few options for boys and girls.

• A stuffed animal: Zachary has a ton of stuffed animals, and he loves them. This actually surprises me because he has dogs and there are dogs at almost every family members home. He isn’t even phased by real animals, but he loves to snuggle up with his little Snoopy. For kids that don’t have much experience with animals a stuffed animal is a great way to introduce how to treat pets. They can learn how to pet them gently, to not pull the fur and tail, to keep their fingers out of their eyes and mouth. And their super great to snuggle with! Here’s a great one for little ones under 3; all safe with no eyes or nose that can come off. Perfect inexpensive toddler Christmas gift!

• Bubbles: Magical bubbles. They’re entertaining to a toddler for far longer than you can blow them, so something motorized to blow them might not hurt either! Zach loves his bubbles and he has a bubble mower I picked up this summer at a rummage sale to push himself. Actually, it’s not too expensive but for a super inexpensive toddler Christmas gift, just bubbles work wonders. We give them to Zachary at pretty much every holiday. You can get them at the dollar store or Walmart for about $1. It doesn’t get cheaper than that for tons of toddler entertainment.

What inexpensive toddler Christmas gift ideas do you have? Share them below!

-To your Better Life-

Kira