Stocking Stuffers for Toddlers
Updated: Oct 9
The best stocking stuffers are small, cheap and still in use in February. These are our go-tos for car rides, restaurant tables and quiet afternoons.
We look for three things in a stocking stuffer: it fits in a bag, it does not need batteries, and it is not a mess on the couch. Most of these are under $10 and many are reusable, so they keep earning their spot long after the wrapping paper is gone.
Our picks
1. Melissa & Doug On the Go Water Wow! Under the Sea
Why we like it: A book you paint with water: the colors appear as your child brushes, then fade as it dries so they can do it all again. No mess, no paint, and it fits in a diaper bag.
Try this: Keep it in the car or diaper bag for restaurants and waiting rooms.
2. Crayola Color Wonder Mess Free Coloring Set
Why we like it: Markers that only show up on the special paper, so walls, couches and little hands stay clean. It feels like real coloring to a toddler, and it is a lifesaver on the go.
Try this: Draw a picture together and name the colors you use.
3. Melissa & Doug Puffy Sticker Activity Books
Why we like it: Puffy, reusable stickers with scenes to decorate, so the book can be used again and again. Peeling and placing stickers is great fine motor practice.
Try this: Tell a story about the scene as your child places each sticker.
4. Crayola Bath Dropz
Why we like it: Tablets that change the color of the bath water. It turns bath time from a fight into the best part of the day, and it is an easy way to talk about colors.
Try this: Guess what color the water will turn before you drop one in.
5. Play-Doh 4-Pack of Colors
Why we like it: Four tubs of the classic dough. Squishing, rolling and pinching build hand strength for drawing and writing later, and it is one of the cheapest ways to buy an hour of quiet play.
Try this: Roll snakes together and count how many you made.
6. Crayola Mini Twistables Crayons
Why we like it: Twist-up crayons that never need sharpening and do not snap in half. The small size is just right for a stocking and for little hands.
Try this: Draw a rainbow together, one color at a time.
7. Melissa & Doug Reusable Sticker Pad: Habitats
Why we like it: A reusable sticker pad with habitat scenes like the farm, the ocean and the jungle. Stickers peel off and move around, so it never gets used up.
Try this: Name each animal and the place where it lives.
8. Melissa & Doug Wooden Animal Magnets
Why we like it: Chunky wooden animal magnets for the fridge. They give toddlers something to do next to you while you cook, and they are great for animal names and sounds.
Try this: Make each animal's sound as your toddler puts it on the fridge.
9. Crayola My First Triangular Crayons
Why we like it: Thick triangle crayons that do not roll off the table and are easy for small hands to grip. A great first crayon set.
Try this: Scribble side by side and talk about the colors.
10. LEGO DUPLO Green Building Plate
Why we like it: A green DUPLO base plate that gives builds a steady home. It is the perfect add-on if DUPLO bricks are already under the tree.
Try this: Build a little farm or park on the plate together.
Our favorite is the Water Wow book. It lives in the diaper bag and has saved more than one restaurant dinner.
Shop the whole list
Want it all in one place? Shop this whole list on our Amazon storefront or on ShopMy. Every pick is also in our Store, along with the books and supplies we use on the show.
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