I know a lot of you have kids, so I figured you're the experts on this. I'd like to get a birthday gift for a 2 year old boy and have no idea what he might like.

As tempted as I am to get some cute outfits, that's more a gift for his mom than him! lol!

Any ideas? I'd like to spend around $30.

Thanks!

When my boys were that age, they loved trains, so we got them Thomas trains a lot of the time. For 2-year-olds, anything hands-on is usually a hit, but make sure to check the age recommendation on the box, because they still tend to put things in their mouths (must be large enough to not fit into a toilet paper tube). Also, books and puzzles make great gifts. My boys also liked stuffed animals to cuddle (again, watch for things that could come loose, such as eyes or noses). Walking through the Playskool, etc aisle might give you some ideas, too. We're getting a Noah's Ark with animals for our soon-to-be 2-year-old granddaughter (I think it's made by Playskool, but could be wrong).

Best wishes! I love shopping for little kids. All the toys look like so much fun!

You just can't go wrong with Thomas. You can go broke with him but not wrong. If he's into Disney, then Cars toys are a big hit with the pull-ups crowd.

Bob the Builder was a big hit when my guy turned two. We also got him some Leap Frog stuff. They make a "Fridge Phonics" toy that he loved, and part of it was that, like ronni62 said, it was hands-on. It lists for $20, and they have a lower-case letter "expansion pack" that goes for $10.

Oo, I know a great one. My son got a "laptop" computer for his second birthday. A toy one obviously, but it has games about the alphabet, a maze game, and typing skills game. He adores it, so I got one for another little boy in his play group and his mom reports it to be a hit as well. About $25, and there are lots of them to choose from. My son's brand is Fun2Learn -- it has a bigger screen than the others I saw.

A HUGE hit with toddlers/preschoolers right now is Little Einstiens...there is a really cool "Rocket" toy that comes with all of the characters, but I think it's more like $50. If you have a Disney store near-by, or can do Disney.com, there are lots of other Einstien toys etc...for your price range. I think maybe Target has stuff too?

Hopefully I can help. I have three kids, two of them boys, and my youngest is 19 months old, so just a little younger than the age you are looking at.
Here are some of my ideas, based on what my toddler likes, and what his brother liked at 1-2 years old. I am adding pictures as well, in order listed.


~Busy Ball Popper by Playskool~

This toy is REALLY fun for a toddler. It is about $20.00, and is sold at just about any Wal-Mart, Target, Toys R Us, etc. It takes batteries, so if you want to spend about $30.00, just add the batteries along with the gift. Basically, the baby hits the power button, and the 5 little balls start popping all over the place like popcorn, and playing music. When the child puts the balls back in the toy, they travel down the chute, and come popping back out the top all over again. My son has this, and LOVES it.

~Cheerios Play Book~
My son has this as well. It is a sturdy board book, and I think it was around $8.00. It is made so that the toddler can "play" with the book at snack time, along with a handful of Cheerios. There are spaces in the book where the child can use Cheerios to the pages-as "glasses" for little mice, or "bubbles" above the little fish. You can order online, or it is available at many large bookstores.

~Yummy Yucky book~
GREAT book. Sturdy board book (around $6-$8) that shows things that are yummy or yucky. (Cereal YUMMY, dirt YUCKY...etc.)

~No No, Yes Yes book~
This board book is by the same author as Yummy Yucky. The illustrations are hilarious! For example-the picture of the baby pulling the cat's tails says "No, No" and the picture of the baby petting the cat nicely says "Yes Yes". The baby putting toys/shoes, etc. in toilet=no no, the toddler sitting on the potty=yes, yes.

I've alway bought books for my nieces, nephews and cousins and the kids I used to baby-sit. I usually buy more expesnisve books; the kind that can keep for years. For my nieces 2nd bday I bought her a book of fairy tales (the pictures in it are just beautiful). Her parent's read her a fair tale every night before bed. I've found that parents love it when I give their kids books and the kids seem to enjoy it too.

Haha, this may not be surprising (Re: screenname), but I always like to get kids little toys that either are octopi or with octopi on them.

They're always all cute for that age group and since they have 8 legs, there's always a bunch of cute little activities to accompany all of the arms. Haha.

I am a nanny, and the little boy I watch is going to be 2 in a month. He is crazy about trucks and trains. Pretty classic boy stuff. He also loves big blocks he can stack up and knock down. Anything he can push around, crash together, or make noise with is his favorite.

You have gotten a lot of great info, so far. I can say that Thomas is a big hit for that age. Now, at certain stores, you can buy the generic train sets that have the wooden tracks that allow kids to easily put them together. Walgreens had the generic sets at Christmas time.

My son is now almost nine, and I can tell you a few things parents do not like to see the kiddies get. Stuffed animals are one, since they get SO many of them over time. Also, those Hot Wheels large tracks that are required to be put together with each play session.

I'd say this link below or any of the books on that page is a sure winner.

http://www.amazon.com/Everyone-Poops.../dp/0916291456

Is he an outdoor kind of kid -- my youngest loved a plastic wheelbarrow and little kid shovel/rake/tool kit for outdoors when he was that age. Any reason to dig in dirt he loved!! Any kind of little kids pretend tool kit was great too, so he could "help" dad.

Good luck -- having two boys I've always been a great boy shopper but get terrified when I have to buy a girl gift!!!

Great suggestions everyone!! thank you!

One word..... WEDGITS!!!!

OMG - love 'em! My son got a set when he was just about 2, and EVERYONE had the best time playing with them. They are these really cool geometric "blocks" - you can stack them all kinds of ways. They are educational, and really, really fun. We've had to pry them from the hands of adult friends - it's hard to say who has more fun with them, the grown-ups or the kids!!

Here's a link:

http://www.amazon.com/Imagability-We.../dp/B0006HB9FW

SoulBliss-when I was pregnant with our first child, my husband saw this book at Babies R Us, and just laughed and laughed!!! He thinks that it should be the baby shower gift/1st birthday gift to EVERY parent!