Most Played With and Favorite Toys for Toddler Boys

As promised, here is a list of my boys (ages 2 and 4) FAVORITE toys of all time. Every child is different, but these are toys that their friends enjoy too and I believe are great buys!

Best Toys for Toddler Boys:

Rainbow Playground: OK, this is a huge purchase, but it is hands down the best purchase we have ever made for the boys! I was nervous that our 2 year old was going to be too young or that they would grow tired of it quickly, but y’all this has been the most played with and best purchase ever. A few tips: these bad boys are pricey so look on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist for a used one. Make sure to buy quality, there are plenty of swing sets that have lower price tags that make you want to purchase them–but quality is the way to go on this one! We purchased a great conditioned used one that would have been 5k new–it is quality, even though we didn’t have to pay the sticker price!
John Deere Peg Perego/Power Wheels: I am pretty sure every kid has memories of using a power wheels. Reid was very particular about the John Deere double seat Gator for Christmas last year. Santa had to look very, very hard to find one on sale but it has been worth all the searching and debating. When researching these, there are a lot of different options and if your child isn’t as particular as mine then you have a lot of options. A few tips: make sure it is 12V, we had a 6V ride on car and it did not have enough power to go up our neighborhood’s hills. 12V allows more power and is exactly what we needed. Also, check the leg room–I know Fisher Price Dune Buggy has a lot of leg room for kids to grow with (this would have been what I asked Santa for, but my John Deere loving boy got his wish!).
Micro Mini Scooters: These scooters are well made and made our life during the quarantine/year 2020 so much more enjoyable. I will never forget our spring and summer, walking up to the elementary school with the scooters in the stroller for the boys to ride for an hour and get out their energy. These scooters are able to collapse for easier transporting and are adjustable, so they work for both my littlest and oldest. A tip: upgrade to the deluxe version, so that the handle can grow as the child grows.
Little Tikes Red Slide: This toy may take up some room, but it is well worth it. My boys love playing with the slide, making ramps for their various cars and trucks, sliding down (and up) it and building forts around it. We play with this inside, but during the summer bring it out with our inflatable pool to have a slide in the pool. It is well made and collapsible (though we have never collapsed it) for easier storage!
Zingo: This is a crowd favorite and even my 2 year old can play this game. It is my go to game when we are trying to have a more calm activity or want to play a game during lunch. I highly recommend this game to anyone with little kids.
Melissa and Doug Water Wow: I cannot rave about Melissa and Doug magic coloring books and water wow books enough. These are perfect for road trips, keep our boys occupied and never seem to get old. We probably have 15 and rotate them on each road trip. Huge hit even with my “non-artistic” one!
Strider Balance Bike (Sport): My oldest loved his balance bike and took to it almost immediately. My youngest is much less interested in his balance bike, but I would still recommend this one. Reid was riding a bike without training wheels on his 4th birthday and it took zero instruction from us. Hopefully, Walker will take to it this spring!
Monster Truck Hauler: This is more of a specific toy for my son who LOVES monster trucks. If your child isn’t into monster trucks, then I would pass on this one–but if you have a monster truck lover, you will not regret this purchase. My boys play with the hauler and their monster truck collection for hours! If you have a younger boy, I highly recommend the little people race track. This was the most used toy when my boys were under 2!

Toys I Wish I Didn’t Purchase:

Train table: I have mentioned this before, but our train table is huge and takes up a lot of space. The boys do play with it occasionally, but not enough to take up the amount of room that it does. They would not be pleased if it went away (and would definitely notice), so it is staying put for now–but I would suggest, unless your little one is a huge train lover and you have a lot of space, not purchasing one.
Paw Patrol Lookout Tower: My boys are obsessed with Paw Patrol, but like the train table–the lookout tower takes up a lot of room. While my boys do play with it, they enjoy their other Paw Patrol toys more. Again, it will be sticking around for a while as they will totally notice if it is gone. It isn’t a big winner for my boys, but every kid is different!

Again, all of these are suggestions and what works/doesn’t work for my boys. We clearly have two very active boys who love playing outside and love cars/trucks. Every kid is different and everyone’s interest is different, so preferences may vary.