Are you as excited as Arlo is up there about this gift guide!? Haha! I’ve gotten lots of requests to share my favorite non-ugly baby toys and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to do so! And to round out this baby gift guide, I also included some of our favorite books, some new-to-us toys that are on Arlo’s Christmas list this year and some nursery decor items that would be a great gift someone who’s expecting or adopting. A lot of these gifts are totally toddler-appropriate too, and several of them have been favorites since Arlo was an itty bitty baby!
I shared a little bit about the toys and books and why we love them, too. Time to start checking those babes of your gift list, folks!!
No. 1 Busy Board: This is Arlo’s “big gift” from us this year. I think he is going to LOVE it. He loves any sort of fastener, zipper, buckle and button. I’ve heard really great things about busy boards so I knew we had to get him one. I contemplated making it but Etsy has soooo many options so I snagged one there!
No. 2 Wooden Rainbow: We got this mostly as decor for Arlo’s room but he actually really loves to play with it. He loves knocking it over, chewing on it… ya know, the full baby treatment. And it’s so pretty!!
No. 3 Spin & Rattle Toy: An Arlo favorite. He’ll never tire of watching those things spin and spin and spin! This is a great size and you can pop it onto a high chair or an excersaucer in addition to having it on the floor.
No. 4 Xylophone: Since A loves music, and while we hope to get a real piano once we have a playroom… I figured this xylophone would do the trick for now. Honestly, I’m mostly getting this because I’m excited to play on it. Hahaha! But we just started a music class which he loved and I think he’ll love this too!
No. 5 Alligator Pull Toy: The prettiest pull toy you ever did see! I love the neon stars. Word on the street is Santa might be bringing this one for him. Once he can walk (which seems like it’ll be soon!?), he’ll love pulling it around.
No. 6 Lil Libros: Hands down, Arlo’s favorite book is La Catrina from Lil Libros, a series of English/Spanish vocabulary board books. It’s the only book he will sit through consistently! He even started kissing the skeleton illustrations lately. *tears* We’re expanding his collection of these amazing books this Christmas and so excited about it.
No. 7 Rainbow Blocks: The #1 question I get on Insta stories is about these blocks. Arlo and I are both obsessed with them. He loves pulling them out of their tray and knocking over towers I build. I love that these will grow with him for years to come.
No. 8 Spanish Language Blocks: One of my favorite finds to date! These blocks by Uncle Goose come in over 20 languages, most of which are available on Amazon Prime!! BAM. And they’re under $40 which I think is an awesome price compared to most blocks I’ve come across.
No. 9 The Day the Crayons Quit: This is my favorite book to read to Arlo. It is SO FUN to read and encourages kids to use their imagination next time they grab a box of crayons! I now give it to almost everyone I know that has a baby, it’s just the best.
No. 10 Alphabet Puzzle: I got this recommendation from my friend Chelsea. Her kids love it and it’s not ugly. A little old for Arlo yet but he’ll love the colors and chomping on those letters and again, it’ll grow with him! Yay for not ugly puzzles!!
No. 11 Abacus: Shout OUT to Ikea. This abacus is $10, beautiful and a total hit with Arlo. I also get a weird amount of satisfaction with lining all the colors up in different patterns. You know, sometimes ya gotta find toys you like too, folks!
No. 12 Wagon Walker: Arlo loves pulling things out of bins/bags/boxes and he’s learning to walk so this seemed like the perfect gift for him! Aesthetically, I love how simple this is, and I know he’ll be stoked to tote around all his prized possessions in it too.
No. 13 Rainbow Stacker Toy: Snaps for my mom on this one! She brought this toy when she babysat Arlo last October and it’s like 85 toys in one. They stack on each other, in each other and they clasp together to form balls you can roll around. And outside of the smiley face ball that comes with it, they’re just plain COLORS and don’t have all the junk all over them that so many plastic baby toys have. Winnnnn!
No. 14 Ice Cream Stacker: In addition to the plastic stacker, Arlo also has a wooden stacker that he loves. Then I saw THIS ice cream one and got mad that I hadn’t seen it sooner! How amazing!?!?
No. 15 Press Here Book: Definitely geared towards toddlers but I love how interactive this book is. Each page has a new set of instructions to follow. It’s really simple, well designed and super fun. I can’t wait for Arlo to be old enough to really get into it!
No. 1 Unicorn Wall Hook | No. 2 Heart Print
No. 3 Banana Pillow | No. 4 Pom Pom Mirror
No. 5 Cactus Pillow | No. 6 Stuffed Lion
No. 7 Pom Pom Basket | No. 8 Pom Pom Garland
No 9 Piñata Coin Bank | No. 10 Rainbow Art Print
Top photo by Katherine Rose
What’s on your baby’s gift list this year?? Let me know below!!
Cinzia says
He is adorable wearing like that.
When I look at your stories on Instagram, sometimes I catch myself smiling at the same time as him. His smile is contagious, haha.
I love your selection, particularly the little lion and the rainbow stacker toy.
Jordan Grantham says
So many cute ideas! I have added these to a list I keep for my 20 month old twins.
If he loves buckles and fasteners and stuff, you might consider a Buckle Toy. I found them on Amazon and I’m super pumped to give them to my twins for Christmas. I got them each a Buckle Toy backpack and I’m hoping it keeps them occupied on a flight we have coming up.
https://www.amazon.com/stores/node/9986335011?_encoding=UTF8&field-lbr_brands_browse-bin=Buckle%20Toys&ref_=bl_dp_s_web_9986335011
Mandy says
I love all these suggestions! Especially the wooden and pretty toys! I love the Spanish ABC blocks! I love giving this set as a baby shower gift. It has upper and lower case letters, Braille and ASL!
https://www.etsy.com/listing/191787061/abc-braille-sign-language-blocks