What should you buy a toddler who is obsessed with dinosaurs?
Buy a toddler who is obsessed with dinosaurs a gift that joins something they already do with dinosaurs every day. Some children act out stories with them. Some carry one everywhere. Some want the same dinosaur book every night. Watch your child for a week and see which habit you notice again and again.
Your toddler can name a Stegosaurus before they can say their own last name. They roar at breakfast, and the T-Rex goes with them to the store. Now you need a gift, and the lists you find could be for any child. Below are five picks from our own line, and a simple way to match the gift to what your child already does with dinosaurs.
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What if your child has more than one dinosaur habit?
Often two habits meet: the T-Rex goes to the store because the story is not over yet. Put the gift where they meet. A dinosaur printed on a gift does not make it theirs. The real question is whether your child will reach for it on a regular morning.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has a page of toy buying tips for young children. It says to match the toy to what the child can already do, with a little room to grow. The same page names toy characters, like dolls, animals and action figures, as one way children pretend. It also says: "A certain toy is not necessary for your child to reach his or her next developmental milestone." No single toy is required. So you are free to pick for the child in front of you, not for a must-have list.
The part that is yours is watching. A dinosaur kid does a lot with dinosaurs: roaring, naming them, sorting them, carrying them around, making up stories. For a child who acts out stories, look for more characters. For a child who carries a dinosaur everywhere, look for something to carry it in. For a child who wants dinosaurs at story time, look at their room. Often the story kid and the carrier are the same child: the chase goes on in the car. That is why our first pick is a small backpack with a removable plush T-Rex that comes out to play while the bag takes it along.
Which of our dinosaur gifts fits your child?
1. Best for the story that goes everywhere
Naturally KIDS Toddler Backpack with Brown T-Rex Toy, Small with Pockets
Our small backpack with pockets and a removable plush T-Rex on the front. Your child can take the T-Rex out for a hug and put it back. The bag is the right size for a child's little shoulders, with side pockets for a water bottle and inner pockets for small things. For a dinosaur kid, those small things may well be more dinosaurs. The T-Rex also comes in green and in pink.
2. If their dinosaur is a triceratops
Naturally KIDS Toddler Backpack with Plush Pink Triceratops Toy
Some dinosaur kids will tell you the T-Rex is not their dinosaur. Here the plush on the front is a pink triceratops in soft corduroy, and it is removable too. Padded, adjustable straps and an easy zipper small hands open on their own. The triceratops also comes in green, gray and purple.
3. If dinosaurs belong to story time
Naturally KIDS Dinosaur Kids Lamp, Green Dino
A dinosaur table lamp for the room where the same dinosaur book gets read again and again. It gives a warm light, brightens story time and comes with an LED bulb that stays cool to the touch. A grown-up switches it on at bedtime, and it stands on a dresser or a shelf with an outlet close by. It suits any age, and we have a few other dinosaur lamp models too.
4. If they don't have many dinosaurs yet
Naturally KIDS Dinosaur Set of 6 with Magic Bag
Six plush dinosaurs for the stories: a T-Rex, a Mosasaurus, a Spinosaurus, a Triceratops, a Brachiosaurus and a Stegosaurus. They come in different sizes, from 3 to 6 inches tall, and each one is made so a child's hand can grab it and hold on. This set comes with a drawstring bag for easy carrying. There is also a Dinosaur Set of 6 without the bag.
5. If they want all their dinosaurs along
Naturally KIDS Toddler Dinosaur Backpack with Plush Dinosaur Toys
A set for the child who wants the T-Rex and its friends on every trip. It is a denim backpack with a 9-inch plush T-Rex on the front, and four more plush dinosaurs. The backpack has a side pocket.
How do you match the gift to your dinosaur kid?
Here is how it looks in the week before you buy. Four of these steps follow public advice: the American Academy of Pediatrics on toys and books, and the CDC, the U.S. public health agency, on pretend play.
- Watch your child for a week. Note what they do with dinosaurs: stories, carrying or story time. See which habit you notice again and again.
- Look for where two habits meet. If the T-Rex goes to the store because the chase is not over, the story kid and the carrier are one child. Put the gift there.
- Match the gift to what they can already do. The American Academy of Pediatrics says to match the toy to what the child can already do, with a little room to grow. Naming, sorting and carrying dinosaurs all count.
- Leave room for the story. The CDC, in its parenting tips about toddlers, 2 to 3 years old, says: "Encourage your child to take part in pretend play." The word is "encourage." The dinosaurs are just who shows up in the story.
- Let go of the must-have list. The AAP page says a certain toy is not necessary for the next milestone. Pick for your child, not for the list.
- If the shelf is already full of dinosaurs, give time. Take your child to the library for a stack of dinosaur books and read them together. The AAP page says books "create opportunities for you and your child to interact and have fun together."
Our backpacks fit step 2: the plush dinosaur comes out to play, and the bag takes it to the store and back.
What does this mean for your family?
Start with your child, not with a list. For a week, watch what they do with dinosaurs: stories, carrying or story time. Look for the place where two of these habits meet, and put the gift there. No single toy is required, so you can pick for the child in front of you. If the story goes on in the car and at the store, a small backpack with a removable plush dinosaur lets it come along. If dinosaurs belong to story time, a lamp for their room gives a warm light for the book. If the shelf is already full of dinosaurs, read dinosaur books together instead. We make these for children who bring their dinosaurs into every story, and for the grown-ups who read along.
Sources
- American Academy of Pediatrics — Toy Buying Tips for Babies & Young Children: AAP Report Explained
- CDC, the U.S. public health agency — Positive Parenting Tips: Toddlers (2–3 years old)
Frequently asked questions
The plush animal rides on the front of the backpack. It is removable: the child can take it out for a hug and put it back. So the animal is the toy, and the backpack carries a snack and a treasure. It is a soft plush that stays soft and holds its shape hug after hug.
Six plush dinosaurs: a T-Rex, a Mosasaurus, a Spinosaurus, a Triceratops, a Brachiosaurus and a Stegosaurus. The set comes with or without a drawstring bag for easy carrying. It is great for playing and taking along on any travel.
A grown-up switches it on before bed, as part of the bedtime routine, and switches it off after the story. The lamp gives a warm light for the evening book. It stands on a dresser or a shelf, with an outlet close by. Pick the spot once, before the first story night.
Yes. It's soft, lightweight, and comfortable for toddlers and little kids to wear. The adjustable straps help it fit as they grow, and the zipper is easy for little hands to zip and unzip on their own.
Yes. The small and medium Naturally KIDS backpacks with a removable plush, and the sets of a backpack with mini plush animals, arrive gift-ready in a kraft box. That makes two gifts in one box: a backpack and a plush friend. You can give the box as it comes, or wrap it.