Thanks for all the great suggestions, Mums! He ended up with some lovely gifts. Some fun sensory and sound books, a little splash pool, some cars and trucks, and I was finally able to get my hands on the fabulous (and forever sold out) Kmart dupe of the muscle mat! Very happy as his soft play area will be the most used space in the house as we get our walking on.

We got a lot of touchy feely books. She loved it

My little boy had some big Tonka Trucks, basically anything that can be pushed around is great for that age. Or if you want something that’s a bit of a bigger gift, a sandpit is great and then maybe relatives could buy sandpit toys as an affordable gift to go with it.

You have those interactive baby and toddler books from soft material, they are worth it the investment. If you’re handy with needle and thread you could even sew one yourself. Interactive books often encourage participation, allowing children to influence the storyline, solve puzzles, or make choices, promoting cognitive development and critical thinking skills.

Along with buying special books; we also had a trip to the toy store to buy a very special soft toy for each child. A soft toy is a good bedtime buddy to cuddle during story time and can be soothing at other times. There is a lot of fun in choosing a special soft toy and giving it a name.

A play kitchen is definitely on the list for his 2nd birthday. I was amazed at the range Kmart has currently, even a play dishwasher (Teach them to stack it early, yes!!) Books are on constant rotation here, especially the sensory board books. Nothing he loves more than turning the page and trying to sneak a taste of the sides. Normal page books are on pause, too many rips. Thank you for the ideas everyone! <3

We always go with buying books for presents because they are long lasting and endure over the years. Books are also such a good present because reading stories together is such a wonderful bonding time. Books are also good for children to keep and revisit over and over again and they spark imagination.

Educational toys are always a great gift or some touch and feel books. I didn’t buy anything worth lots of money when my daughter turned one as things get broken and damaged easily. I did however buy my daughter a play kitchen when she was two. i wonder if a mud kitchen for your backyard could be an option as kids love playing with wet sand.

You have those soft foam climbing blocks which can be great for the development of gross motor skills. A swing set, a sand pit or a cubby house for in the graden can be very cute too. My kids loved a wooden train track with farm animals too. A wooden play kitchen to encourage imaginary play is pretty awesome too for toddlers