Birthday gifts for a 2-year-old

What it gets right

• +FSC-certified wood and a 2+ grade — one of the cheapest ways into open-ended building at that age
• +Nine shapes, four colors, no instructions, no theme, nothing to outgrow
• +Costs less than a themed plastic set that will be finished with by February

What it doesn’t

• −Wooden blocks on a wooden floor are loud, and there is no volume control
• −Nothing about it is exciting on Christmas morning — it earns its place in week three, not on day one

What it gets right

• +Cooperative, so a two-year-old never has to lose — which is the difference between a game played twice and a game played fifty times
• +Published 2 to 4 grade with pieces sized well above the small-parts threshold
• +Teaches turn-taking and color matching without either being the stated point

What it doesn’t

• −Outgrown properly at four — this is a two-year window and it is honest about it
• −Expensive for the amount of cardboard and wood in the box

What it gets right

• +Compatible with every other wooden rail system, so it is the start of a collection rather than a closed box
• +FSC-certified wood and a published 2+ grade — appropriate for a toddler who is still mouthing things less often
• +No batteries, no motor, no app. The train goes when the child pushes it

What it doesn’t

• −Expensive per piece against the unbranded wooden track that fits it exactly
• −Twenty-two pieces is one loop. Anything more ambitious needs a second set

What it gets right

• +One object, no parts, nothing to lose — which after a year of small-parts toys is its own kind of luxury
• +The manufacturer states high-density polyethylene, and the shape is essentially unbreakable in normal use
• +Genuinely open-ended, so what it is changes as the child does

What it doesn’t

• −Looks like nothing in the box, and a child who wanted a thing that does something will be unmoved
• −Bulky to store — it does not nest into anything

What it gets right

• +Interchangeable pieces mean the layout changes, which extends the interest well past novelty
• +Published 2 to 5 range, so it covers three summers
• +Lighter than the larger tables, so it can be tipped and moved by one adult

What it doesn’t

• −Small parts that go in the water and get left in the grass
• −Lighter build means it slides when leaned on

What it gets right

• +Paint without water — the single biggest reduction in painting cleanup available
• +Published 2 to 8 grade, which is remarkably wide for a paint product
• +Dries fast enough that the picture can go on the fridge before the child loses interest

What it doesn’t

• −Texture is closer to a chunky crayon than to paint, and an older child notices
• −Twelve colors that cannot be mixed on a palette the way wet paint can