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Who needs a screen when you could have a rollercoaster?

I have been a BuzzFeed Shopping contributor since 2022 and I love researching a little bit of everything while, as a mom, constantly looking for ways to solve parenting challenges, refresh corners of my home, and make time for style and self-care.

Promising review: "I bought this for my son when he was 3. Two years later, I’ve returned to write my unbiased review, so you have one to trust. At the time, I bought these on a whim and had no idea what I would unlock. For more than two full years now, these gears have been played with DAILY. Every. Single. Day. They have held up to being airplanes that crash, sea creatures hit by tidal waves, and rocks catapulted into castles. Very rarely have they been played with as shown in the product pictures, as my son uses them to build different things every day. Dusty Crophopper (plane), Lightning McQueen (race car), and much more. Our only regret is that sometimes we don’t have enough pieces to build an entire fleet. These creations have an entire shelf for display in his bedroom to feature what he builds daily. This toy is durable, open-ended, grows with the child, fits a variety of abilities and ages, and is only limited by imagination. I could not recommend this toy more!" —Traveler

Promising review: "My 16-month-old is obsessed with this drawing pad! He loves to have me draw a shape, then he takes the pen and scribbles over it, then clicks the button to erase it, and has me draw another shape. It's great for car rides too. I love to have a drawing option for him that involves no mess! It's held up well even though it's been thrown around and stepped on." —Rachel

Get it from Amazon for $16.99+ (available in four sizes and five colors).

Nugget Comfort is a small biz based in Butner, North Carolina, that specializes in play furniture made out of foam cushions.

Promising review: "One young family in our family has had the Nugget for five years now. It has been daily fun for two (6 years and 3 years) morning, noon, and night. And now another young family in our family has this latest purchase as a gift in their house. Their 1-year-old is starting to climb, and this is perfect for climbing, rolling, hiding, and playing. The older set still looks new; it has been washed many times, and the color and fabric hold up so well." —Ann A.

Get it from Nugget Comfort or Amazon for $249 (available in 28 colors on the brand site or 16 on Amazon).

The wooden ice cream counter comes with eight ice cream scoops, six toppings, two cones, a cup, a scooper, tongs, a wooden spoon, a reusable menu card, and six pretend dollar bills.

Promising review: "Very few toys outlive wear and tear, but this has been a favorite in our house and has lasted through many children! We have had our set for eight years, and I just bought it for my nephew's second birthday. P.S. My 9-year-old still plays with this alongside his 3-year-old brother!! Quality is 10 out of 10." —Barrett Korber

Promising review: "Our 2-year-old is obsessed with this kit. She plays with it every single day, and we’ve had it for months. It’s encouraged her imaginary play, and she asks to go to the doctor’s office now. The design of each piece is so cute, but also pretty realistic. The size of everything is definitely sized for small children, so it’s a little hard to fully immerse in the play unless you’re that size, but so fun otherwise!! It has so many pieces, and all of them are super easy to use. Perfect gift for any toddlers!" —lexie 

Promising review: "My 2.5-year-old has not stopped playing with this since Christmas morning, definitely a favorite gift. I love the bag for all the storage of small parts! This toy teaches curiosity, compassion, fine motor skills, and so much more. I love Melissa and Doug toys, and this one does not disappoint. My child is now playing doctor and caring for her animals (and dolls, and everyone else) and asking really great questions as a result. You won't be disappointed in this purchase!" —Kayla Phillips

Promising review: "This kitchen set is not only beautiful but sturdy! It has lasted an entire year with my two-year-old and still looks and works like new! The color, although light, is super easy to clean! The assembly did take a while, but between the price and product, that is a very small inconvenience for a very long use life!! I would recommend this 10 times over!" —Madison Mocombe

Get it from Amazon for $159.99+ (available in four colors).

GeerWest is a small business! Note: you'll need to purchase balls for the ball pit separately.

Promising review: "This tent is built strong! My 4-year-old and 19-month-old play in this daily for the last year, and it's still in perfect condition!! They are not beat up at all, and they are very rough with it. It does take a lot of balls to fill it up. We used 800 and it's perfect with that many." —Angela Martz

Get it from Amazon for $38.69+ (available in five styles).

Promising review: "We have tried several stomp rockets, and my kids love this one the most. The rockets are lightweight enough to blast high into the air, and the foam red tips make them fun and less painful to catch on the way down (or they bounce instead of getting ruined). If left out in the sun too much, the yellow shaft part becomes brittle and will crack or break, so I recommend getting plenty of refills. Four rockets lasted us about two years, with lots of friends and neighbors having fun with it too. Even kids who are rougher with the stomper never managed to break it." —Jaxon814

Get it from Amazon for $19.99+ (available in four- and six-packs). 

Promising review: "I bought this on the recommendation of a friend for my 20-month-old grandson, and he LOVES it! Now I have to get him some more Tonies characters to listen to! Very sturdy, stands up to toddler use and abuse! Highly recommend." —Amazon Customer

Get it from Amazon for $149.99 (available in four colors).

Promising review: "My boys LOVE this Lego box! No complaints! This set comes with instructions to build some cool things. The Legos are very durable — we haven't had any break! My kids play with Legos all the time! They are a very versatile toy that is made with strong plastic. I wouldn't buy anything other than Lego brand! This set is perfect for beginners who are just starting out their collection, or anyone looking to add more Legos to their current collection!" —Greenfields

You can get refills of the paper and coloring books that work with the ink, too. 

Promising review: "OMG buy this for your child or children right now! I am OBSESSED with this, and it’s the absolute perfect gift! Mess-free, keeps the kids entertained, and the quality is immaculate. My daughter has dropped this, and the durability is amazing. She uses it every day. The paper is also thick and doesn’t bleed through." —Ashlee Page

Get it from Amazon for $17.69+ (available in four styles).

Promising reviews: "I bought this for my 4-year-old nephew, and he absolutely loves it! Right out of the box, it was full of bright, colorful pieces and easy-to-build track sections. He spends hours building new tracks, rearranging the scenery, and making up stories. The playability is endless, each day looks a little different! The pieces are sturdy and well-made, so the durability is definitely there, even with rough little hands. The motorized car is a big hit. It zooms around the track and keeps things exciting. Even after lots of use, everything still works great." —Stephanie Baker

Get it from Amazon for $24.99+ (available in three colors).

The six-piece set comes with three logs and three stumps. 

Promising review: "A year later, this obstacle course I purchased has proven to be remarkably sturdy and easy to clean. It's incredible to see how creative the children are while playing with it, and they absolutely love it. Although it's a bit on the expensive side, the hours of entertainment it provides make it totally worth the investment. Highly recommend." —Misao

Get it from Amazon for $69.99 (also available as sets of only three logs or only three stumps). 

Promising review: "Purchased this for our almost-3-year-old granddaughter. Her father and grandfather both play stringed instruments, and she often asked to hold their full-size guitars and sing while she 'played' them. This guitar is the perfect size for her — she took to it immediately, and is able to strap it on (we purchased a strap and case separately) and walk around as she strums and sings. Great way for little ones to build familiarity with a guitar — highly recommend." —Quirk

Get it from Amazon for $98 (available in six colors).

Promising review: "In trying to put off video games, I got this for my 6-year old. He loves the cool features like the 'radio' and the picture of the car moving on the road while the child steers, and of course, the key that turns.A fun, imaginative toy for any kid who loves cars and playing pretend. (So fun to take 'trips' to favorite places and could easily be packed in a real car on vacation.) Though you must be okay with all the different sounds you’d hear! I’d say the ideal age range is 3–7, depending on the child." —Christiana T.

Promising review: "My 2-year-old loves this! We got it for him about 6 months ago, and it has been one of his favorite toys ever since. He is still trying to understand that the wrench only works on the bolts. It’s very durable, can’t say how many times he has dropped it off the back of the couch. I would recommend this to anyone with a youngster who is bored with their current toys." —Jordan

Get it from Amazon for $20.99 (available in two colors). 

Promising review: "I bought this for my 1-year-old, and she is now almost 2, and loves this still. She puts the cards in herself and repeats the words and sounds. They learned many new words using this. It also holds her attention for quite some time, so I can get other things done." —RJ

Get it from Amazon for $13.98+ (available in three colors and in a Spanish bilingual version).

Promising review: My 5-year-old plays with these blocks daily. We have had a set since he was 3. This is our second set. Well worth the price." —hbn45

Promising review: "This is by far one of the longest-lasting toys in terms of quality and level of engagement for my little one.

First, the number and variety of shapes/pieces included are enough to be creative and complex without buying additional sets to build decent-sized structures. Secondly, the strength of the magnets is good — strong enough to keep the creations from collapsing, but not so strong that it would be difficult for toddlers to pull them apart. And the true test…it has been kid-handled for years and still intact!

My kiddo has been using these for years since toddlerhood and can be entertained for over an hour! The level of motor skills and problem-solving skills has definitely improved with the use of these tiles. I also have used them to help with speech and vocabulary since it’s such a highly preferred toy. I definitely would recommend." —S.

Promising review: "My grandkids go through a lot of Play-Doh, and sometimes they keep the colors separate, and sometimes the colors get mixed. I thought I would try this smaller size out as, apparently, we are actively engaged in the ‘mixing’ phase.

I find that Play-Doh lasts for at least a year at our house with two active, crafty grandkids. Since they love it so much, I will keep buying it, and sometimes it will be larger containers, but right now, it is these small little guys. Small price to pay for a great product!" —gail

Promising review: "These are the coolest little cameras. Not only is the camera quality decent for being in a small device, but there’s also a front camera and the ability to download MP3s onto it. Both front and back cameras offer cute filters, and they shoot quickly. The little speaker in it exceeded expectations, considering it doesn’t have any visible output for audio. Honestly, this was worth every single penny, and it will definitely be used in the future for other kids' presents.

These were for my 5- and 3-year-old, and they’re both obsessed and definitely holds their attention and is fairly easy to operate once they get a hold of all the buttons and their functions." —Dilan Shipley

Get it from Amazon for $27.99+ (available in five colors).

Promising review: "A must-have. My 2-year-old son is obsessed. Always asks to play the 'find you' game LOL. Then we play it, and every option on the game he actually thinks really hard, then says 'come on mommy' and runs me through the house to find the object. Highly recommended from a mom of four." —Britney bansley

Get it from Amazon for $12.99 (also available in a preschool edition and an outdoor edition).

Promising review: "We have a set that's now 12 years old and has lasted through 2 cousins and my own 2 kids as well. They've all loved it. I just bought this second set for my 3-year-old, who adores block puzzles, and I am not disappointed. Same quality as the older version so it should last for many years to come. My 3-year-old was not interested in puzzles until I introduced these block-type puzzles. Now she loves them and can do them by herself. They're worth every penny!" —Meg

Promising review: "These are awesome. I wish I knew about them sooner. Paint without the mess. My daughter is six and uses them almost everyday. The paint keeps her occupied for hours. They are fun to use, dry quickly and come in a big variety of colors. I will be buying them again." —Alea

Get 12 sticks from Amazon for $9.99+ (available in three color variations and larger pack sizes).

Promising review: "The kids were very excited playing with this in a lightly lit room. It was an add-on to their existing set, which was a big hit two years ago. They still play with it regularly, so we bought this set to expand their fun. It was and still is a big go-to playtime toy!" —Missy

Get it from Amazon for $37.99+ (available in three sizes). 

The trampoline is designed to hold up to 55 pounds.

Promising review: "I bought one of these about a year and a half ago, and it has proven to be, quite possibly, the single best investment in a kid's toy to date. My child is a vigorous jumper and has done so daily since we bought this thing. It is still in great shape. Was easy to assemble, too." —Bradley Newhall

It's recommended for players eight and older.

Promising review: "When my daughter said she wanted this game, I looked at her like she had three heads because I had never heard of it before, so I blindly trusted the 10-year-old and ordered the game. This has seriously been the best money I've spent this year! We love this game and have suckered so many friends into playing with us. It is great for kids and adults. I have even found my husband playing it with some of his buddies! So all in all, just get the game, lose the screen time, and enjoy the fun and laughter with friends." —Tiffany Richardson

Get it from Amazon for $9.95 (also available in a Spanish edition).

Promising review: "My kids love these sensory bins. They’ll spend HOURS in front of them. This has held up shockingly well, considering they play with it every day. My dino-obsessed son loves this box, and the dinosaurs included. The eggs are kind of weird, but it’s one more thing for him to dig up. It’s a great size, but I would say buy one for each kid, as it’s kind of hard to share at a table. Both my kids loved this so much, I had to buy another (different theme) for my other son. The other had a lot of molds and tools, and they’ve really enjoyed that, so I may want to supplement this one with some small sand molds and tools." —E. Hemleben

Get it from Amazon for $19.99+ (available in seven styles).

Promising review: "We’ve had this roller coaster toy since 2024 and it’s still a favorite in our house. It’s pretty long, taking up the length of our dining room when set up, so keep the size in mind for your space. The material is durable and has held up great whether we’re using it indoors or taking it outside. We also love the bright colors on it. My two boys play on it all the time, and it’s become the highlight of our kids’ parties too, the other kids always gravitate straight to it. Great buy if you want something well-made that keeps kids entertained and adds fun to get-togethers. Very easy to assemble!" —Sharnel

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Plus, the parenting products we gave a 2026 Buzzy Award to, next-level school supplies, durable toys, and finds from Amazon, Walmart, and Wayfair.

BuzzFeed Shopping is service journalism first: our writers and editors spend all day shopping so you don’t have to, vetting products, fact-checking brand claims, and surfacing what actually helps in real life. We center readers over revenue, recommend products with authenticity (using real experiences, not ad-speak), and reflect our diverse audience, inclusive of a variety of price points, people, and needs. We cut through fake deals, favor useful info over glossy fluff, and recommend both budget and splurge options with context so you can decide what’s right for you — and still have a little fun along the way.

Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.