The toddler is the baby between the ages of 1 and 3 years, and yes, it also covers the terrible 2's when "No" seems to be the only word they know. Sometimes it is difficult to know exactly what your toddler wants. If they are already communicating well you might not be able to get exactly what they want as gift or for Christmas or their birthday.

There are some strategies that could help you decide what to get for them and they include:-

- Be observant
- What have they been asking about
- Easy to put together
- Not always a toy
- Educational
- Beware of noisy toys

Be Observant

Since a toddler says one thing now and another thing the next 2 minutes you cannot really figure out exactly what they want if you ask them. So one of the best strategies is to watch them and see what they play with all the time if you are thinking of getting toy. When you visit friends or go to the store, or even while watching their favorite show take note of characters they talk about a lot and ask them to tell you more about the character. If they talk a lot about that character, that might suggest they like it. Sometimes if you are lucky, if there is a character they like, they will definitely let you know.

Easy to put together

When deciding what to get for your toddler, always make sure it is something that will be easy for them to handle and assemble. Even though it is age appropriate, try and figure out if it's something they can do. Kids would want to play with a toy and when they cannot put it together they get very frustrated and will not even let an adult do it for them. It is good they are not giving up, but it's a festive period and you do not want a crying child on Christmas morning so put some thought into it and get a gift they can handle themselves.

Not always a toy

When buying a gift for toddlers take stock of what they have before going shopping. Sometimes buying cloths or shoes will be the best gift to get or a jacket. Kids will always wants something to play with, but thoughtful gifts like cloths especially as gifts for other peoples kids are usually appreciated by the parents.

Something educational

If you decide on buying a toy, do not buy some mindless toy that falls on the floor and starts spinning around. Invest in a toy that will bring some sort of learning or educational benefit to the child. For example a toy that can recite the alphabets, numbers or sing nursery rhymes. You can also invest in toys that will give them the opportunity to role play and use their imagination. Sport games are also ideal for kids to help them run around and get some exercise.

Beware of noisy toys

When buying toys that make some kind of sound, endeavor to buy ones that the volume could be adjusted, otherwise the parents of the toddler will not forgive you. Kids love noise and will be going off with the toy at odd hours of the day and night. Remember, if you buy such a gift, the parents could retaliate when they have the opportunity with an equally noisy toy for your kid.