best birthday gift for 2yo?

[entttc]

So. . . my nanny's son, my twin cousins, and a friend's baby are all turning 2you shortly. I'd like to spend about $25 each. What's the best gift for a 2yo?

[schums]

DD just had her 2 year birthday last week. The big hit gifts we got her were:
* a baby doll that she could "feed", along with accessories like the bottle where the milk disappears as the "baby" drinks, some toy diapers, etc.
* a Fisher Price tricycle that makes various noises when you push the buttons on the "instrument panel". DD got the boy version because I couldn't stomach the Barbie "let's go to the mall" version.
* dress up things. A purse, braclets, sunglasses, tiara, etc. I stayed away from necklaces right now, as she tends to wrap things around her neck and pull.
* Dora figurines, both the poseable and non-posable ones. DS (3 years) loves these too

DD is also starting to like the FP Little People toys. Her imagination is starting to come in full steam, so any of those might be a good choice. DD particularly likes the farm and the castle.

HTH,
Sarah
Mom to Alex (3/2002) and Catherine (8/2003)

[ett]

DS just turned 2. Here are some toys that he enjoys:
- Lego duplos
- wooden trains
- pretend food (the wooden cutting food with velcros is a big hit here)
- wooden blocks
- hardcover picture books

[August Mom]

I vote for puzzles, magnets and books.

I love the Lauri crepe rubber puzzles and think that they are unusual enough that they probably won't be a duplicate gift. You could give 1 or 2 of them and a book or something. Also, DS loved magnets at this point. The Snappy Travel book is neat (there are large magnets to put on the page) as is the M&D Hide and Seek doors. And, this is the age when DS started moving from board books to books with paper pages and I didn't have any. DS began by loving Curious George and still does. Hairy Maclary books are neat as well. There are several book threads going on right now that could give you some ideas.

Lauri puzzles:

http://www.kidsurplus.com/lau2124.html

http://store.yahoo.com/kidsurplus/lau2013-14-16-42-46-55.html

BTW, there is a style with a handle that is not inlaid (separate puzzle piece for each space) that is specifically for 2-5 year olds.