The Best Toys My Toddler Boy Ever Played With

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Have you ever bought your child a toy that you later regretted with everything in you? You know the ones. There’s just some toys toddler boys don’t need or even like.

The ones you thought would be fun initially, but later turned into an obnoxious annoyance. Or the ones that just weren’t a hit and didn’t get used much.

Buying toys for Christmas or birthday gifts can be fun, but nobody wants to waste the gift on a toy that they’ll regret later. There are few things worse than watching that toy sit in the corner.

Correction: worse would be the annoying sound of that little toy car being blared over, and over, and over. Before it even runs a full cycle!

Anyway… I’m sure you can tell we’ve had a few duds as far as toys go. However, we’ve also found some true gems that my toddler boy has absolutely loved. Not only were they good for imagination development, learning, and general play, but they didn’t turn into an annoyance either.

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Buying Toys You Won’t Regret Later

Alright, before I get into the best toys I’ve ever seen for toddler boys, let me give you a few tips for finding winners. Not every toy will be a good fit for every family and child. But, there are some guidelines that can help you pick out toys that last and are enjoyed.

First, think about the durability of it.

Is it made of cheap materials? Or does it seem sturdy enough to last for a long while?

In general, wood and metal toys tend to last longer than plastic toys. If you do need to choose a plastic toy, is it thin and easily warped or broken? Or is it thick enough to hold up under play?

Next, is it going to annoy you after being played with for several straight hours?

Look, toys with all the bells and whistles can seem fun. I’m just saying some of them can get pretty annoying after a while. Especially if your child likes to repeatedly push the button…before the sound has even run it’s full course.

Is the toy you’re considering going to become annoying if it’s played on repeat? Personally, I’ve been shying away from whistles, horns, and similar loud toys.

It’s okay to just say no to those kinds of toys. Your mental health is important too, and if annoyingly loud toys stress you out, than it’s okay to just not have those toys. There are so many toys out there, I promise your child will still have toys to play with if you don’t get the ones that drive you up the wall.

Lastly, is it a toy your child will enjoy for a while?

Every parent accidentally ends up with a dud of a toy at some point or another. You know, the one that got played with for a few days (or less) before it started being overlooked and quickly forgotten. Now it just resides in the corner of your kid’s room, in plain sight but never played with.

Before you buy a new toy for your toddler, ask yourself if it’s something that will get a lot of use out of it. Is a toy that will be quickly outgrown? Or is it one your child will grow into even more and use for a long time?

Keeping these three guidelines in mind can help you make better choices when it comes to toys. Ultimately, you’ll child will get more toys they enjoy more, and you’ll see those toys last longer.

The Best Toys For Toddler Boys

Alright, now onto the toys I’ve found to be the best for toddler boys! These are all toys that I have bought for, or have been given to, my toddler son. And they are by far the most played with toys he has gotten—and they have lasted a long time!

Wooden Train Tracks

Wooden train tracks and trains are one of the best toys for toddler boys. I don’t think I’ve met one yet that didn’t like trains, at least a little! They’re also durable and can be rearranged so many different ways for new and different tracks.

We got this wooden train track set as a Christmas gift, and Elijah loves it. He still plays with it almost every day, a whole year later. Technically the set we got is an expansion set, but it works great on it’s own and you actually get more pieces than a standard starter set.

And it works with all major train track brands. That means you can use it to add to a current train set, or use it on it’s own. You can also get whatever brand of trains you want to go with it.

Trains

To go with your wooden train tracks, you’ll need some train cars. Personally, we chose to get Melissa and Doug train cars. The ones we got are connected by magnets, which makes them super easy for toddlers to put together.

The magnets keep the trains together well, but aren’t so strong that you can’t easily break them apart, either. Really, they’re the perfect ones for small toddlers, especially as a first train set.

Building Blocks

Building bricks are another one of the toys my toddler plays with daily—perfect for little boys. Toddler boys love to build things, so these bricks are great toys for them.

Elijah likes to use these building bricks to build houses, castles, airplanes, and anything else that his imagination dreams up. Building bricks are great for learning in so many ways, as well as imagination and motor skill development.

Tonka Truck

We’re a big fan of Tonka’s Steel Classics Dump Truck. Since it’s made out of metal, it’s very durable and lasts forever. I remember having one as a kid—it was around for as long as I can rembmer!

Elijah loves to play with his dump truck both inside and outside. Inside he piles his other toys inside and drives them around. And outside the truck bed is the perfect place for him to collect sticks and rocks.

Fisher Price Little People

Elijah has a hodge-podge of different Fisher Price Little People. Recently he’s been very interested in playing with any people-like toys, making them talk and interact with each other. It’s a great way to develop communicate, social, and language skills.

Fisher Price has a ton of different kinds of Little People, including vehicles and buildings to go with them. Toddler boys love playing with these toys, especially once they get to the age of playing pretend.

Action Figures

We got my toddler a couple of these Marvel action figures for his birthday, and he has played with them non-stop ever since!

Elijah is a little obsessed with Spiderman right now, which is what gave us the idea to get him two action figures. He has had so much fun with them!

Train Whistle

Okay, I know I said I shy away from whistles, but this has been the one exception. My toddler is obsessed with trains, and the look on his face when he first heard this whistle was one of pure joy.

This whistle sounds just like a train, and it’s actually pretty easy for a toddler to work it. But, it does require a good breath of air, which does make it hard to do on repeat. So not only is it not an annoying sound, but he only blows it a few times before taking a break.

If you have a train loving toddler, this is an amazing gift!

Animal Figurines

Another great gift for toddler boys is animal figurine toys. Not gonna lie, animal figurines have so many different uses.

Mostly Elijah likes to simply play with them. But animal figurines are also great in sensory bins and sensory bottles. We’ve used bunny figurines in an Easter sensory bin before—one of Elijah’s favorite sensory activities!

Books

Not strictly a toy, per se, but books are also great pass times for little ones. Even though toddler boys tend to be full of energy, it’s good to have some toys and activities that slow them down too.

There are so many good books for toddlers. If your toddler is a bit rough with pages, just opt for some board books for unsupervised use. Some of our favorite books include the Little Blue Truck series.

Play-Doh

Play-Doh is an awesome sensory toy for toddlers! Usually it’s not too much of a mess, as long as you can keep your toddler playing with it at a table or play area.

It’s a lot of fun for toddlers to feel, squish, and mold. Play-Doh can also be used in so many ways to teach colors, numbers and letters, and more.

Play Kitchen

In full disclosure, let me say right now that we don’t personally own a play kitchen at this time. However, I know Elijah loves the one in the children’s area of our church, and plays with it regularly when we’re there!

Play kitchens are so great for imaginative play and learning. It really is one of the best screen free toys you can get for toddler boys!

Carpet Playmat

Carpet playmats are seriously the best toys for toddler boys! Elijah got one of these for Christmas when he was 2 years old, and he still plays with it today.

Carpet playmats are best with Hot Wheels or Matchbox cars, but you can also use bigger toddler cars as well. And since it’s a carpet, it doesn’t take up unnecessary space.

Hot Wheels / Matchbox Cars

We got Elijah some off brand Matchbox cars for his third birthday—definite win for him! He loves lining them up and having races with them. Honestly, I’m pretty sure all toddler boys love any car toys.

Do be aware that these cars have small wheels and can pose a choking hazard for toddlers under 3 years old. Please be smart and only get these if your toddler is ready for them! Pro tip: name brands such as Hot Wheels and Matchbox tend to have better wheels that don’t fall off as easily.

Outdoor Balls

Playing outdoors is extremely beneficial for toddlers—and adults, for that matter! And most toddler boys love to play with any kind of outdoor ball.

Encourage your child to want to be outside in nature. Getting some sun every day can help your toddler in so many ways, and is good for everyone. Some fun outdoor balls can help encourage your little one to get outside and play.

Sensory Bins/Bottles

I’ll be the first to admit I’m not super crafty, but I do enjoy doing sensory activities with Elijah. And more importantly, he loves doing sensory activities!

He loves to make and explore sensory bottles and bins. Every time I pull one out, he has a blast. And it keeps him entertained for a long, long time.

What toys have your toddler boys enjoyed?

These are the best toys for toddler boys that I’ve found so far. Do you have any you would add to the list? Leave a comment below and let me know!