What is the best toy you've ever purchased for a child between the ages of 2 and

Jump to Last Post 1-32 of 32 discussions (32 posts)
  1. crankalicious profile image87
    crankaliciousposted 12 years ago

    What is the best toy you've ever purchased for a child between the ages of 2 and 3?

    By best, I mean, the toy you bought that your child clearly enjoyed the most or got the most out of. It's always good to get toy recommendations from other people rather than guessing.

  2. Teegan E. Ross profile image60
    Teegan E. Rossposted 12 years ago

    Here's a fun one that's inexpensive - the Make & Serve Apple Pie Set by Melissa & Doug.  It's been played with for HOURS, along with plastic peel & slice fruit.

  3. Monisajda profile image60
    Monisajdaposted 12 years ago

    I know this is for 2 to 3 year olds but we bought this to our daughter for her second birthday. It is a marble run. In the first year, this toy was used daily, it is still played by her even though she is 4.5 now. It is only important that you know your child won't try to swallow the marbles, ours didn't ever try so it was a safe toy but maybe not for everyone.

    Wooden blocks were a favorite, too and so was a nice set with farm animals. Play kitchen is a good choice, too as it is played for years and enjoyed by both of my daughters.

  4. rwelton profile image60
    rweltonposted 12 years ago

    ...with 4 kids and a wish-I-had-stock-in-Toys-R-Us...history, the most enjoyment I have seen my kids have on a sustained basis when they were that age was a big sturdy cardboard box, wooden spoons from the kitchen and a variety of metal pots and pans....

    Other than that- craft stuff - if you can stand the mess -
    finger paints, glue sticks, colored construction paper, A-frame chalk board, colored chalk (good for the sidewalk too)

    ...loose the glitter - impossible to clean up short of using the garden hose...

    ...a cat/puppy - comes with other complications -but, a friend for a long time.

    rlw

  5. jkselections profile image61
    jkselectionsposted 12 years ago

    A Tonka truck.  That thing lasted for years, we just sold it I believe last year at a yard sale because my son is a teen now.

  6. justamber profile image60
    justamberposted 12 years ago

    https://usercontent2.hubstatic.com/5207925_f260.jpg

    A table toy. This isn't the one I got for my kids but it is similar. They both loved it!

  7. jacqui2011 profile image80
    jacqui2011posted 12 years ago

    The most loved present that my daughter ever had as a young child was her plastic wendy house. She loved it. In the summer it was in the garden, in the winter she would have it in the house. She practically lived in it, ate in it and played with her toys in it. It was the best £15 or so that I ever spent.

  8. cloudy_cool profile image73
    cloudy_coolposted 12 years ago

    I gifted a set of wooden peg board...thing like teaching shapes, animals, alphabets, numbers, etc to my toddler when she turned two. Although the packs recommend those for a 3yo, I decided that its never too early...and even made a video of her putting all the shapes in almost accurately the very first day she got them! They have clear colorful pictures, improves hand eye co-ordination, and was her best toy for many months until she mastered all of them...

    Now her baby sister gives it a go and the 3yo really enjoys 'teaching' her smile

  9. Michael Conley profile image61
    Michael Conleyposted 12 years ago

    For my kids it has been educational toys/DVDs. I always warn people on toys that make alot of load noises as they will cause you to buy stock in Advil.

  10. sharonchristy profile image60
    sharonchristyposted 12 years ago

    A nanny? Hey, it won't publish my comment if I don't make it longer, okay, so how are you, been many years till I last saw you, man? Long enough, good!!!

  11. GaryPorter profile image60
    GaryPorterposted 12 years ago

    A stuffed beaver.  I was just a little guy then.  As I grew older and older, "Bucky" and I became fast friends until I misplaced his pelt many years later.  Of course I guess I should have had my daddy write it to fit the criteria better.

  12. javaoverride profile image61
    javaoverrideposted 12 years ago

    Well this one’s easy without a doubt it’s Elmo Live for a 2 year old and a NDS for a 3 year old.

  13. profile image57
    Ajstempienposted 12 years ago

    My Own LeapTop by LeapFrog. Thanks to this toy, my 2 year old son learned the alphabet in matter of weeks!!

  14. Dee aka Nonna profile image60
    Dee aka Nonnaposted 12 years ago

    I purchased and it had something in it but was not a toy.  My toddler had more fun with it than any other actual toy.....it was a large box...LOL

  15. TheMonk profile image60
    TheMonkposted 12 years ago

    It´s not a toy per se, but it sure will make the child worship you for life. What about a puppy? The small breeds can live up to 20 years. They will grow together and be best friends. You can´t beat that with any plastic toy. (Actually you can, but the animal protection society may sue you! lol)

  16. Porshadoxus profile image61
    Porshadoxusposted 12 years ago

    Without reservation: LEGO. As soon as they stopped eating everything in sight, I put them to work with LEGO bricks. They didn't do much at first, but my oldest son now uses them for artistic expression, while my youngest is finally beginning to build something recognizable.

  17. outlawsphinx profile image60
    outlawsphinxposted 12 years ago

    The Playskool Explore n Grow Busy Ball Popper. My son is 3 and we got it for him after he played with one at his cousin's house. I think he was almost two when we got it. It has been played with at least once a day. (and when I opened it and put it together, I played with it for about 30 minutes. I found it hiliarious. Granted, I am easily amused.)
    Other than that..I let him play with every day things. He gets enjoyment out of everything from my cell phone case to some stock pots.

  18. ImYoungAtHeart profile image74
    ImYoungAtHeartposted 12 years ago

    I work in preschool with 2 year olds so the two toys I have seen used the most are Magic Mountain for hot wheels cars and the sturdy grocery shopping carts that the child fills up with all their favorite toys (including a doll) that he/she wants no one else to use that day lol.  I wouldnt be in a center for that age without them. With the magic mountain you can even position the car container so the cars jump right into it. Voila instant clean up lol.

    And im surprised no one has said favorite books. My children and i spent so much time rereading our favorites at that age.

  19. tina lynn profile image58
    tina lynnposted 12 years ago

    Some days ago i purchased a remote police car for my nephew
    (2 years old). He likes it every much, because when he opens the window the car will ring with the real car sound and the lights blinking. Funny and interesting.

  20. profile image55
    wordpixieposted 12 years ago

    A sit and spin there at target for $18.99 and worth it. It's a toy that tired them out and makes them laugh and learn balance at the same time.

  21. truthfornow profile image70
    truthfornowposted 12 years ago

    Matchbox cars ~ no matter if girl or boy.  They love matchbox cars! It is the only toy I saw my niece play with more than once.

  22. profile image0
    DoItForHerposted 12 years ago

    A large, cardboard box like one from a washing machine (no staples!). I know that sounds lame to an adult and it is to our perceptions, but if you had one when you were a kid, do you remember how fun it was? My daughter and her friends loved theirs, too. Almost as fun as dirt and mud!

    This may not work for a three year old, though. But it will work great for five and up. Something to keep in mind and it is cheap! Good value for the dollar.

    My second choice would be maybe a wagon; a good one, not a junky one. I know you said one choice, but I want to make sure I pick an age appropriate one.

  23. crazymom3 profile image69
    crazymom3posted 12 years ago

    My son always enjoys playing with bubbles.I bought him a monkey bubble-maker where he squeezes the handle and makes his own bubbles. They are messy but very fun.

  24. bethperry profile image85
    bethperryposted 12 years ago

    A big cardboard box put out at the grocery store. Mine played in that thing for days, pretending it was their secret lair, pretending it was a race car, rolling down the hill in it and goodness knows what else. And I swear, I think the poor thing gave out a moan just seconds before it finally split apart for good!

  25. profile image0
    Brilliant Blueposted 12 years ago

    Once, I got a little dancing Dora doll for a friend's little sister. Needless to say, she was overjoyed with her gift.

  26. cobrien profile image60
    cobrienposted 12 years ago

    Tickle Me Elmo is still a winner with the little ones!

  27. clintonb profile image61
    clintonbposted 12 years ago

    My choice is going for a small gardening kit. Make it a habit to kid to grow seasonal plants. It will be very interesting for the kid to see whats happening with his own garden every season. It helps them in planning, managing all the issues in their future. I have done this to my kid. From that day every morning she wakes up early to watch the new changes happening inside her personal garden.

  28. Karen Wodke profile image68
    Karen Wodkeposted 12 years ago

    A book called "If Dogs and Cats Were Dinosaurs" was one that surprised me. My kids loved it. Also, the first video game I ever got them. Of course, times are different now.

  29. shoaibgmail profile image55
    shoaibgmailposted 12 years ago

    Well It was a soft toy ..which is always with me in childhood..

  30. littleleza profile image59
    littlelezaposted 12 years ago

    I bought a Ball Popper for my daughter but a train set for my son. It depends on their level of hand and eye co-ordination too. They still get a lot of enjoyment out of them and play well together, helping each other play with them. I don't think they'll ever date!

  31. sunbun143 profile image73
    sunbun143posted 12 years ago

    Writing from the point of view of my 2+ year old, we review Melissa & Doug wooden peg puzzles...in my opinion, the best toys for kids between 2 and 3. read more

  32. contentpundit profile image60
    contentpunditposted 12 years ago

    Rocking  Pony.....My 2 year old son loves to associate it when he is watching stories in which the prince is riding a horse...

 
working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)