Amazon Holiday Gift List 2017: 2-4 years

Amazon.com has released their 2017 Holiday Toy Guides! I've gone through them and I'll share my best picks with y'all. I'll try to sort them by price, but remember Amazon prices are subject to change at any time. Here's the list for 2-4 year olds. 

Under $10: 

Anyone else remember these Cupcake Dolls from their childhood? I sure do! My sister had 4 of them. It looks just like a beautifully decorated cupcake until you transform her into a pretty princess. Each cupcake surprise princess doll comes with her own unique outfit and scent such as strawberry, grape, or vanilla. Each doll comes with a hat that doubles at the cupcake topper and each dress turns inside out to become the bottom part of the cupcake. 

Under $15: 

Melissa and Doug puzzles are so great for toddlers. They have puzzles that are made from chunky solid wood pieces. This particular one has little pegs, which are great for devloping those pincer grasps and prewriting muscles. Pegs help children two and older easily grasp and manipulate the eight adorably illustrated pieces (farmer, cow, Pig, horse, chickens, ducks, dog, and sheep). match the pieces to the pictures on the beautifully carved and illustrated wooden puzzle board to hear old MacDonald start the song ("old MacDonald had a farm, e-i-e-i-o!"), and each animal complete its part (for example, the Pig sings, "and on that farm he had a Pig, e-i-e-i-o [ etc.]"). If this partcular puzzle isn't up your kids alley, there's all sorts of other ones that might be such as trucks or bugs or other animals. 

A classic game for toddlers and preschoolers, Chutes and Ladders made the list this year. It's great because you don't have to know how to read to play. Be the first to move your child-shaped playing piece from square one to square 100 on the Chutes and Ladders game board--but watch out! If you land on the square that shows you ate too much candy--Ouch!--you get a tummy ache and slide down a chute to a square a few numbers below. But if you end your turn on a good-deed square, such as helping sweep up a mess, you'll be rewarded by a ladder-climb up the board. 

The next item on the list is actually on Cocoa Puff's wishlist. It's the Learning Resources 1-2-3 Build It! Car, Boat, and Plane set. It's a set of 15 pieces that features mix-and-match parts required to build a car, airplane, and tugboat (one vehicle at a time), as well as a driver figure. Built from 9 pieces, the set's chunky race car features real rolling wheels ready for a race. Modeled after an old-fashioned tug boat, this fun boat build requires just 7 pieces. Featuring rolling wheels and a spinning propeller, the set's plane build soars to life from 9 pieces. The set's driver figure doubles as a play screwdriver, which kids use to put the large, durable pieces where they go. It's rated pretty well at 4.7 stars after over 30 reviews. 

One of our favorite things to take on road trips or to use at the doctor's office waiting room is Melissa and Doug's Water Wow!. This one is a 3 pack of animals: Farm, Safari, and Under the sea. Each Water Wow! Color-Reveal Pad (Farm, Safari, Under the Sea) includes four reusable spiral-bound pages and a refillable water pen. Color, then let the page dry to erase the pictures and fill it in again and again. The chunky-sized water pen is easy for kids to hold and stores neatly right in the front cover, so Water Wow! books make an ideal travel activity! They're rated well and there's other sets too like vehicles or even letters and numbers. 

Under $20: 

Cocoa Puff got a set of Farm animal puppets for his birthday and he has fun putting on puppet shows for us. There's another set of Zoo Animal Puppets that is on this neat list. This quartet of simple hand puppets is a great way to lend a hand to kids who are learning to express themselves. Sized to fit both adults and children, these puppets are perfect for role-playing and story-telling. The set features four themed fabric puppets (zoo friends include an elephant, giraffe, tiger, and monkey) that are machine washable and made of quality, long-lasting material. Puppet play inspires countless creative stories and amazing imaginary adventures. These simple glove puppets fit children and most adults and are easy to use, so even the littlest puppeteers can see exciting movement with very little skill -- terrific for self-confidence, and also an invaluable booster for motor skills and communication skills. Let these cuddly characters help children act out scenes, tell stories, practice new words, and talk about emotions. These hand puppets are a playful way to build vocabulary, dexterity, creativity, and imagination!

This is a Melissa and Doug coffee maker. We have another brand of pretend coffee maker (see review HERE) that the boys use to make us coffee all the time. We also get waffles and pancakes from our other toys as well. This wooden pretend-play coffee maker lets kids make a cup of coffee just like they see grown-ups do. Place a mug in the maker, lift the lid, add a coffee pod, close the lid, turn the dial to set the size, and serve! Fix cups to order with the sugar, creamer, and ice cube. The moving parts and multiple steps keep kids engaged and creativity flowing. The included menu card and extension activity ideas are a springboard for endless skill-building fun. The menu card helps with word recognition and encourages kids to follow directions, and to hone their language and storytelling skills as they imagine opening a coffee shop, making breakfast, or having friends over for coffee. Use the set to talk about concepts of light and dark and small, medium, and large. With Brew & Serve, there are lots of ways to play and learn!

Yay! Green Toys! My mother-in-law bought this cute Ferry Boat for the boys to play with at her house. Like all Green Toys, this is made of 100% recycled plastic. The Green Toys Ferry Boat sports a fun blue-and-white design and two colorful cars that will delight young children. It also features a spacious cargo area and a slide-out ramp. The open design also allows children to place action figures or other toys inside.Just like a real ferry, the toy is designed to float in water. The pontoon-inspired design keeps the vessel steady and helps prevent rolling. Your little one will love taking this boat for adventures and driving the included mini cars up and down the ramp during bath time or at the pool or beach. You can see my review about Green Toys HERE. 

Here's another Melissa and Doug item: The Shape Sorter Dump Truck. This wooden dump truck doubles as a shape sorter! Kids can fit nine wooden blocks into the cut-out shapes on the sides of the truck. Dump out the blocks by lifting the back door and tilting the container. The truck comes with two play figures who sit in the cab of the truck. This beautifully constructed truck offers so many learning opportunities – shape and color recognition, counting, and imaginative play, to name a few. This one is on Cocoa Puff's Christmas WishList because he loves trucks so much. It's highly rated at 4.4 stars after 135 reviews. 

Under $25: 

Every toddler/preschooler should have a wooden track set! This Starter Track is a great way to get started and it's compatible with other major brands of wooden train tracks. It's rated very well at 4.5 stars after over 125 reviews. We have a wooden train track set (actually several of them from various brands), and we've had a lot of fun making train tracks all over the house. We even set up neighborhoods and everything. 

One of the boys got this fun Parking Garage toy and it gets played with pretty frequently. It comes with a car (two, actually), but the boys use their HotWheels, wooden trains, and other Melissa and Doug vehicles. Moving parts like an elevator to the second level, garage doors, a gate at the bottom of the ramp, and a pull-through car wash keep kids endlessly engaged. A gas pump hose fits into the two included wooden cars when it’s time to gas up at the pump. The built-in carrying handle makes it easy to take the fun wherever kids go! This versatile parking garage and service station combination offers lots of ways for kids to play and learn. The included cars and moving parts encourage fine motor skill development and hand-eye coordination, while the many realistic details promote storytelling and imaginative play. Numbered parking spaces can be used to help teach number sense and early math skills.

Under $50:

Up next on our fun list we have Fisher Price's Little People Animal Rescue Playset. Toddlers become tiny heroes of their Little People community with this interactive pet rescue playset! When a kitty friend gets stuck in a tree, your toddler can press the Discovery Button to turn on the light at the fire station and send Firefighter Rob and his truck racing into action with songs and phrases. Need air support? Turn the crank to get the helicopter's propellers spinning—time to fly! When kitty is safely back on the ground, Mia can take her to the vet center to make sure she's OK before taking her back to the pet adoption center, where a puppy friend is waiting for his bath. With this super fun playset, toddlers see how animals depend on people to care for and assist their four-legged friends! Where development comes into play: Sensory: Soft tree leaves, bright colors & lights, and fun sounds & phrases stimulate your toddler's developing senses. Curiosity & Wonder: As toddlers discover how to press the Discovery Button to send in the firetruck with all its fun sounds, they'll see how their actions can make fun things happen—a great intro to cause & effect! Emotions & Self-Expression: As kids rescue & care for the animals, they're beginning to learn what it feels like to take care of someone else.

This Paw Patrol Air Patroller Plane is Froot Loop's new favorite toy since his birthday. Fly to the ruff-ruff rescue with the exclusive Paw Patrol Mission Paw Air Patroller! The Mission Paw Air Patroller transforms from hover (helicopter) mode by rotating the propellers into plane mode. For added adventure, the Air Patroller features lights and sounds that accompany you on all your Air Rescue missions. You can fit up to 2 characters in the cockpit and 4 in the cargo bay. Includes a Chase figure to save the day, and when the mission is complete, you can bring the Mission Paw Air Patroller in for a landing with its real working wheels or transform to helicopter mode and hover down for a perfect pooch landing atop the Paw Patroller (sold separately). Bring home the air rescue adventures of Adventure Bay with the Mission Paw Air Patroller! The boys love to load up the bottom of the plane with the other Paw Patrol figures and zoom it around the room. It does come with a Chase figure and is well rated and lots of fun. 

The Little Tykes Garden Table is up next. It's rated 4.3 stars after over 250 reviews and it looks like a lot of fun!  The plant and “water” flowers Basin can hold water (drain plug included). It also has a working watering can. The table-top design encourages multiple child play so siblings and friends can play together. The lid fits over back posts, covering half the basin for a table work surface. It includes 4 flower pots, 2 soil discs, 2 flowers, 1 tray, 1 sifter tray, 1 rake, 1 shovel, and 1 watering can. 

The Fisher Price Little People Loops n Swoops Amusement Park is another toy on the boy's list. We have lots of the Little Wheelies cars (read about them HERE) and they're lots of fun for the boys. Both of them play with them, but I think they like others more now that they've had these for awhile. From the top of the whirling, twirling roller coaster ramp to the exciting loop-the-loop at the bottom, the Loops 'n Swoops Amusement Park is full of exciting racing fun for your toddler to discover! With their Little People pals, kids can zoom up, down, and all around this super-fun Wheelies playset. At more than 2 feet tall, the Loops 'n Swoops Amusement Park is one of the tallest Little People playsets! Kids will have a blast sending their Wheelies vehicles zooming down the roller coaster track, past the spinning star, and out the bottom of the ramp with exciting lights and sounds. For more gravity-defying action, send a vehicle 'round and 'round the loop-the-loop, then lift the jump at the end to send the toy car flying. It's rated 4.3 stars after 473 reviews, so it's definitely a present worth looking in to. 

If your kids love ice cream, they'd be sure to love this Scoop n Serve Ice Cream Counter. The Melissa & Doug Wooden Scoop & Serve Ice Cream Counter lets kids serve up yummy 'treats,' made to order! The 20-piece set features a reusable menu card, eight ice cream scoops, six toppings, two cones, cup, scooper, tongs, wooden spoon, and six bills. Lift, stack, and release the scoops onto the cones. This ice cream play set is great for imaginative playtime using your favorite dessert! It's rated an incredible 4.9 stars after 159 reviews! 

To complement that ice cream counter, this is a fun Pizza Counter. Kids can create fresh-baked pizza, made to order, with this deliciously unique 34-piece pizza making set. Start with felt sauce and cheese on the wooden Crust, choose from wooden toppings (pepperoni, olives, mushrooms, and peppers), then “bake” in the pizza oven built in to the storage and serving counter. Pieces stick together with self-stick tabs and can be sliced with the rolling wooden cutter. The set comes with a grated cheese shaker, a wooden paddle, pizza box, a reusable menu for placing orders, a guide to help with pizza prep, and play money to pay for your order! I do think this is probably more for the older end of this age range, especially since it has the play money, but man, this looks like so much fun. It's also rated 4.9 stars! 

Under $75:

Another item all kiddos need is an easel. This one by Melissa and Doug is a good one. With the Melissa & Doug Deluxe Art Easel, children can create art with paint, chalk, pens, crayons, markers, and more, all at one convenient station. And when art time is over, parents and caregivers will appreciate the two-sided easel’s easy-to-clean design. Designed for kids ages three and up, this easel will provide hours of creative activity that is both educational and enjoyable. The easel features a bi-fold wood frame with two art stations, one on each side, which allows two children to work at one time. It’s also designed to let children experiment with several different art media: on one side is a chalkboard, on the other is a dry erase board, and in between the two easel sides is a dowel for holding a butcher paper roll. (Paper must be purchased separately.) The easel includes sturdy clips that can hold oversized individual art papers onto the easel's surfaces. It's rated 4.2 stars after over 1600 reviews. 

Under $100:

Oh, Paw Patrol! This toy is sort of the epitome of Paw Patrol Toys! It's the My Size Lookout Tower. At over 2 ½ feet tall, the My Size Lookout Tower brings the excitement of the TV show into your home! Kids can get hands-on with this stimulating playset, designed to keep toddlers up and moving! With so many features to explore within 2 ½ feet, your toddler will have the chance to expand their imagination and develop spatial awareness. Help the pups keep close watch over Adventure Bay using the rotating periscope! This real periscope helps you see where trouble may be lurking! Use it to check out what’s happening in all directions. Spot danger? Get on the Pup Pad and alert the Paw Patrol. Located right at the top of the tower, the Pup Pad contains everything an intrepid Paw Patroller needs! Kids will feel like one of the pup squad when they push the pad’s red buttons and trigger bright lights, or when they press the image of Marshall, Chase, Skye and Rubble and hear their distinct sounds. Pups that go up must come down! Soar to adventure and whoosh into fun using the working elevator and slide! Toddlers can place their favorite pup inside the elevator and rocket them from ground level to top floor using the red lever. When excitement’s on the horizon, the working slide sends pups whizzing down to the fun. Send Chase out into adventure using the vehicle launcher! Line up his vehicle to the end of the slide then send him whooshing down. He’ll rocket straight from the slide, into his vehicle and take off on a ruff, ruff rescue! The vehicle launcher is also compatible with any PAW Patrol Basic Vehicle (not included). Launch Marshall, Skye and the rest of the gang out into adventure with Chase! It's rated 4.7 stars after almost 60 ratings, so I think it is as good as it seems!

If your kiddos don't have a play kitchen yet, this one by Hape is definitely worth looking into. Yes, you can play with all of that fun play food by itself (see some of our favorites HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE. Food inspires community and creativity, even for little ones! As your child discovers the joy of cooking in one of Hape's play kitchen sets, watch their imagination grow and skill set develop as they create new meals to share. Not only does playing in the kitchen instill creativity and role playing, but kids also learn a variety of skills working in the kitchen, like the importance of sharing and working together with family and friends. Watch the development of fine motor skills as your child cuts up fruits and veggies with their wooden knife, and arranges food to store in the refrigerator. There is so much fun to be had with the Playfully Delicious collection from Hape!

Over $100: 

This is the Power Wheels Hot Wheels Jeep Wrangler. It is an ideal ride-on for beginners and intermediate drivers. This Jeep looks just like the real thing with the added fun of Hot Wheels colors & graphics! Is your wanna-be driver looking to gain some behind-the-wheel confidence? We’ve got just the right Power Wheels vehicles—and so many new ways to ride—to empower them to hit the road! Kids at our Fisher-Price Play Lab put these vehicles to the test, so you can feel good giving your kid the thrill of independence as they drive off in in their very own ride-on car, truck or ATV. This battery-powered Power Wheels Hot Wheels Jeep Wrangler is built for hours of fun and endless backyard adventures for toddlers to more experienced drivers! It holds up to 50 pounds and drives on grass and road surfaces. 

Bonus Pick:

Hey, I know we all don't have this kind of money for Christmas gifts, but in case you do, here's a really fun one. It's a Big Backyard Wooden Playground Swingset. With so many opportunities for active and imaginative play, the magnolia play set by big backyard is sure to become a new favorite! the magnolia play set is packed with fun activities for up to 8 children at once. The multi-level design has an upper clubhouse that can be accessed by the Rockwall and is covered by a beautiful wooden roof. In the upper clubhouse your kids can be creative as they draw on the vinyl chalk wall before cruising down the extra-deep high rail wave slide. In addition the magnolia play set has a sandbox area with two stool seats and a play phone! don’t forget about the fun to be had soaring through the sky on the two belt swings or Acro bar. The magnolia play set will be the focus of all your children's outdoor adventures. Sit back and watch them play and have fun in the safety of their own big backyard play set. At big backyard we are dedicated to producing high quality, safe, and easy to assemble products for our customers. Using 100% premium cedar lumber, the skills and dedication of Associates who produce these elite play sets are bolstered by a commitment to providing innovative designs and features. Important: this product is only for use in residential areas and is intended for up to 8 children ages 3 to 10 with a maximum weight of 110 lb. Per child. 

So there we are, there's all my picks for 2-4 year olds! Did I leave anything off that you're getting for your 2-4 year old this Christmas?