Most toys for babies and toddlers are plenty cute, but what makes something a great toy for the youngest kids on your list is its offering additional benefits, from helping them learn colors and numbers to aiding them in developing gross and fine motor skills to encouraging them to grow socially through pretend play or nurturing games.
For Good Housekeeping’s 2026 Toy Awards, our toy-testing team—consisting of engineers, product analysts, and parenting editors—evaluated hundreds of toys hands-on and enlisted the help of 370 kid testers. This tester pool included babies so young they hadn’t yet celebrated their first birthday as well as 1- and 2-year old toddlers. Parents weighed in with detailed surveys, helping pick the standout options for kids under 3.
This wobbly waddling baby duck from Fisher-Price makes noises and sings. The toy has four modes, two meant to entice a lying-down or sitting baby to reach over and grab it and two that encourage a crawling baby to give chase. Ages 0+
TESTER NOTES: A parent of an 8-month-old said this “one hundred percent aided in her crawling.” Others praised the variety of songs and the soft fabric. “She loved that she could cuddle with it but it also played music and moved,” said the parent of a 5-month-old. “Typically you have to choose one.”
Baby, you’re hired! VTech’s toy mimics a grown-up desk with a “laptop” full of buttons, pretend coffee to stir, and a notebook to flip through as well as a removable toy phone and more. Songs and phrases teach numbers, letters, and music while your tot gets down to business. Ages 9 to 36 months
TESTER NOTES: “My 2-year-old can sit or stand at the desk,” said one parent. “The concept is cute. He can ‘work’ alongside us!” Popular activities: opening and closing the laptop and using the phone. “He loved pretending to work like Dad and talk on the phone and send emails,” a mom said.
Kids can toddle behind this walker from Jasey’s Toy Chest or move to the front and play with more than 20 accessories. It includes toy tools, a clock with spinning hands, a working vise, rotating gears, a bead maze, a shelf for stashing things, and more. Ages 12 months+
TESTER NOTES: Toddlers embraced the opportunity to hammer toy nails and turn a screwdriver. “We played ‘repair’ for dozens of minutes at a time. She’s even gotten some skill with the wrench,” said the father of a 2-year-old. A mom said, “It’s become a fixture of our living room.”
Playing with classic stacking rings goes to another level when the pieces are ripe for sensory exploration. Each of the colored rings houses a different material, from foam balls to tinsel to kinetic sand. The toy is from the Goliath Lil’ Jellies line. Ages 6 months+
TESTER NOTES: “These stackers have been a big hit. They are brightly colored, satisfyingly squishy, and durable enough to stand up to the rigorous oral exploration of a teething infant,” said the mom of a 10-month-old. “Their tacky surface allows them to be stacked easily. My son returns to this again and again.”
You’ll be wowed by the beauty of this 14-piece wooden block set, a Hape x The Met collaboration. It’s inspired by an iconic woodblock print called “The Great Wave” by the Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai. Ages 2+
TESTER NOTES: “I loved the way this toy looked and its overall aesthetic,” a parent said. While kids may not be able to correctly assemble the blocks to match the picture until about age 4, toddlers can play with the pieces well before then. “It’s very fun to be creative with,” another parent said.
Get your kid preschool-ready in the most fun way! Toddlers can practice counting, color matching, and identifying pictures as they sort 25 double-sided coins into five crayon-shaped containers from Learning Resources. Ages 18 months+
TESTER NOTES: “My 1-year-old loves putting things in and taking them out, which this toy provides for,” one mom said. “She is starting to grasp the color sorting and says what’s on each coin.” Another said, “This is the longest a toy has held my daughter’s attention. She loves problem-solving and trying to get the coin in the slot.”
This Wild Republic penguin combines two favorite toys: The adorable plush stuffed animal has a pop fidget on its belly. Babies and toddlers can press in to squeeze out the bubbles over and over again. And at 7.5 inches, it’s sized nicely for little hands. Ages 0+
TESTER NOTES: One parent handed this to her 10-month-old when the child was upset. “She cuddled it for a little while. Then, when she had calmed down, she began popping the buttons on its stomach,” the parent said. “It was great for both comforting and play.”
Everyone knows toddlers like to play with pretend food. With this Step2 set, all the toy hot dogs, hamburgers, and utensils as well as the faux cheese plate can be stored inside the wheeled plastic basket. Ages 18 months+
TESTER NOTES: Tester 2-year-olds knew just what to do. “This encouraged so much open-ended play,” one parent said. “She loved ‘cutting’ the food and serving it, then putting the pieces back together. She invented funny food combinations for us to try, which was adorable.” Kids loved wheeling the basket around and quickly discovered that they could fit other toys inside it too.
Seven foam pieces can be moved around to serve as whatever your toddler wants them to be: a castle, an obstacle courses, a fort, a stage, and so on. Delta Children covers them in machine-washable slipcovers. Ages 18 months+
TESTER NOTES: Parents liked that the pieces fit together for compact storage. “We had a cousin over, and it was big enough for both kids to be playing with it and on it at once, which is always nice,” one said.
Send the figure driving, snowboarding, or kayaking down the mountain, then set up a cozy fireside chat between the guy and the smiling bear. It’s a Fisher-Price Little People set that encourages those and many more scenarios. Ages 1+
TESTER NOTES: Steering the vehicle down the ramps proved to be the most popular activity with our toy testers. “She would throw the Jeep down the ramp yell ‘Whee!’” said the parent of an 18-month-old. “I liked that it was compatible with other Little People sets.” Another parent said her 4-year-old enjoyed it as much as her 1-year-old did.
This slouchy piggy has a weighted bottom to make it sit just so, and the weight adds some comfort when kids give it a hug. There are also a cat, a panda, and a sloth in the Gund collection. As a bonus, this is machine-washable. Ages 0+
TESTER NOTES: “My 9-month-old loves it so much she keeps laying her head right down on it. It’s the sweetest thing,” said one parent. “It’s wonderfully soft and plush and the absolute perfect size for hugging. It would also make a great baby gift.”
Fans of Ms. Rachel will love this classic red farm complete with a Ms. Rachel figure, a cow, and a pig. The two-sided playset has built-in music (including “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” ), a spinning windmill, barn doors that open and shut, and more. Ages 1+
TESTER NOTES: “My 1-year-old loved the sounds it made and liked that she could carry it” because it was all one toddler-size set, not a bunch of separate pieces, a parent said. “Her brother played with her and tried to tell her about the animals he knew!”
Based on Montessori peg puzzles, this garden-themed Play+ set helps toddlers hone their fine-motor skills, practice counting, and imagine tending a garden. Ages 18 months+
TESTER NOTES: “This toy is so cute. It’s a really smart puzzle toy, and my daughter had fun putting the pieces together and even more fun taking them apart,” said the mom of a 1-year-old. “The watering can with the string water is so cute too. We ‘watered’ the plants and each other.” Another parent said, “My daughter continues to play with this toy independently, which we love!”
A water table is fantastic for outdoor play. With this Step2 model, there’s plenty of room for two toddlers, and a canopy offers shade and sprays down water to keep everyone cool. It includes eight accessories and has a lovely aesthetic to boot. Ages 2+
TESTER NOTES: “We had another water table and my son barely touched it. He loves this, and the umbrella mist feature was a game changer for both of us,” said a parent. Another said, “It has a deep bowl that fills and drains easily, and its round design is big enough for multiple kids. It cleans easily and is very sturdy.”
Calling little vehicle lovers: This hauler comes with three separate cars, but beyond that, it opens up to reveal a long ramp to race them down. Being from VTech, it also includes buttons that set off lights, sounds, and learning songs. Activation points diagnose (pretend) car troubles and suggest repairs. Ages 12 months+
TESTER NOTES: “My son loved the cars and putting them up and down the ramp,” a parent said. Another said the toy provided a good opportunity for her 10-year-old to play with her little brother.
This 15.5-inch soft doll has a dress that opens up to reveal a busy book with a mini doll tucked inside. There are four different Bizzikins—Annie is a pet sitter, and the others are an astronaut, a gardener, and a forest ranger. Ages 18 months+
TESTER NOTES: “My child particularly loved opening the various parts, playing with the zippers and buckles, and discovering the little plush character inside,” said one parent. “She carried it around like a stuffed animal. It kept her engaged longer than I expected, especially during quiet playtime and while we were traveling.”
