"Goodnight Moon"

Goodnight moon - she probably already has that one....

I always give books to children, and even for baby showers. The Eric Carle ones were favorites of our kids, so I usually buy those. We read to our kids every single day when they were growing up as did our parents with us.

DD teaches kindergarten in a high-needs school, and she reads to her students every day. She said many of them have never been read to at home, and they really love it when she reads to them.

I love giving books, too. I try to give books that children will grow into - less of a chance of duplication. Another idea that my grandson just loved were the Classical Baby CD's. He especially liked the Music one - a great intro to classical music, and the Poetry one. Dance, not so much, just because I don't think it was as well done.

How about this:

http://www.kohls.com/product/prd-2273016/fisher-price-little-snoopy.jsp?ci_mcc=ci&utm_campaign=PRESCHOOL%20TOYS&utm_medium=CSE&utm_source=google&utm_product=99840615&CID=shopping15&gclid=CN_0OyAlM0CFdgWgQod8ogCHQ&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CKCcme2AlM0CFUZBDAodAF4AwA

Or a xylophone pull toy

http://www.toysrus.com/buy/toy-drums-percussion/fisher-price-classics-pull-a-tune-xylophone-bf1702-4306954

I'd say not a toy. And not a very popular book ... too common. A book that is less common or that is as someone said, a bit ahead.

Or if you are a spending a fair amount, a check and a 529 plan brochure. : )

This book. My kids both loved it. I'd say it's perfect for ages 2 through grade school . . . and beyond. DD even loved me to occasionally read it to her in middle school when she'd had a tough day and was trying to go to sleep. The prose is simple, relaxing and beautiful, as are all the illustrations. It's about a day at the seashore. What a mother and her child see and do. To me, it looks very much like the Outer Banks of North Carolina (as I've vacationed there), but it could be many places. I've given this book to many toddler nieces and nephews over the years, and parents and kids alike love it. It's a great book to read at bedtime especially. I've just checked and it's available on Amazon for $19.28.

I like the book ideas -- it could be a collection of stories, nursery rhymes. As much as adding an inscription is appealing, I generally don't -- unless I know the book is something special to the recipient and not likely to be a duplicate. I often give books with a gift receipt in case it is a duplicate.

A CD of music for children -- even classical or instrumental music for nap or sleep time is another. I don't think children ever have too many books or too much music to listen to. Musical instrument like the xylophone are good for development too.

Books or clothes (clothes are more of a parent gift but at 3, the kid won't know you stuck him with clothes!).

No kid wouldn't enjoy a giant dinosaur or solar system book.

Or floor puzzles, target 40-100 pieces. Melissa & Doug make some nice ones. Thinky, sort of educationalish, and easy to put away.

educationalish

LOL!

Is this a family that might go to the beach or pool this summer? Pool toys, beach toys, bathing suit, a fun beach towel? Or a bucket filled with outdoor toys: bubbles, a ball, sidewalk chalk, etc.? When my kids were young, it seemed like I was having to replenish the outside toys pretty much every year.

We loved books by Sandra Boynton. Our house also has too much stuff, so 529 contributions are a favorite (for me.... The older kids probably prefer stuff).

I love to give books that are interactive. The kind that light up and make noise or have panels for them to open or buttons to push or something like that. Two might be a little to young for something like that,but it's a thought.

Book!

"Love You Forever" makes me cry every time. It's so beautiful.

Books are terrific. My 2-year old nephew adores this pop-up dinosaur book:

http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Prehistorica-Dinosaurs-Definitive-Pop-Up/dp/0763622281

But, he is very gentle with things. My kids liked these:

Jazzy in the Jungle

Where's my Mom

Ten Little Ladybugs

This book is a show stopper. Gallop! A Scanimation Picture Book by Rufus Butler Seder.

The pictures actually move as the child opens each page. Really, I have never seen anything like it and was glad I found it in a local store in my town.

Eld6161, I love to gift great books to kids. Three years ago I gifted my favorite almost-5 y/o great-nephew with "The Seashore Book". He and his darling little 2 y/o sister are still enjoying it. I've just now ordered your recommendation of "Gallop" for them from Amazon. Thanks for mentioning it!

Another author of children's books that we love, is Kathryn Galbraith. Her "Laura Charlotte" was DD's favorite when she was young. We even had a Laura Charlotte theme for her birthday party the year she got the book at five or six. Another book, "Boo, Bunny!" is darling for younger kids. Its gentle Halloween theme is perfect for 2-6 year olds especially. BTW, I do need to also say that Kathryn is my cousin . . . as well as a fine and very successful children's book author.

The computer books you put their name in, family, their pictures...are always a hit.

When my children were 2, they LOVED books that were interactive, as in scratch & sniff, textures to rub, sturdy pop ups...dd could spend hours immersed in some of the bigger ones like this. However, if you are looking for something a little more action-oriented....stomp rockets were a HUGE hit when we gave them to our little next door neighbor. Little ones are amazed that they can propel the rocket with the force from their foot! Teaches great coordination and gets the wiggles out. :)

There is the series of Carl books by Alexandra Day (I think) There are no words so you can "read" the book over and over and make up the story as you go. The illustrations were so beautiful.

Classic:

http://www.amazon.com/Pat-Bunny-Touch-Feel-Book/dp/0307120007

Second the rec for Sandra Boyton books. I thknk we owned all the ones published at the time and have given them as gifts. Many are available as board books that allow little ones to handle them themselves without tearing. They are small and easy to carry along in the car or on trips, the animals are cute, the stories and drawings all have humor and they are just a lot of fun to read.

We also had nearly every Eric Carle book that was published when our boys were little. Colorful illustrations, many available as board books, hardbound or paperback -- titles include The Very Hungry Caterpillar,, The Grouchy Ladybug, The Very Busy Spider, Brown Bear, Brown Bear What do You Hear? and the Very Lonely FIrefly (a light up book). I read all of those so many times.

Dr. Suess books are classics too. Also any of the books by Jan Brett (they can also go older). In addition to many already named ..... I'll stop now.

I have some CDs by guitarist Andes Segovia. I think they would be good background/bedtime classical music for children. There are probably a number of albums specifically for children now -- I just remember the vocals that we heard over and over and over -- and I didn't love most of them.

Here's a link to an autographed copy.book

Boynton! Carle! Good Dog Carl!

We have CDs from the duo Trout Fishing in America. Look them up. They are smart, clever, funny, sweet, and not so cloying that you can't listen to them all the way to Michigan. Wheels on a Big Rig has the kids still counting in Roman numerals and the youngest is 17! Trout Fishing in America

You guys are the greatest! DH loves music and said something about giving her a Mozart CD. When I showed him the Classical Baby DVD he loved that - not surprisingly. I found a set with Music, Dance and Art on Amazon so I might get that. I need to read through all the suggestions more closely but I don't think DH will let me get anything else now.

I was going to suggest maybe a small, age appropriate pop up book and a gift card so the parents can get something they may need for the child. At that age they still have no comprehension of the gift.

3katz, if you can find the set with Poetry included, it's really better than the Art or Dance DVD. imo

I looked on youtube and they have a sampler of the video. My grandson was entranced by this....from about 2 to 5 yo. Once in a while he'll still ask to watch it.
Classical baby sampler

Here is the Poetry sampler (read by celebrities):
Poetry

Ok - maybe I'll get music only and also some books. Lots of great options.

I absolutely LOVE this book

OMG, Terri, that's one of our all time favorite kids' books! DH and I have read it so many times over the years to our kids that we can -and do on occasion- recite it completely. I highly recommend this book for every kid from ages 0 through 7, and beyond. Another must have kids book.

"I am a bunny. My name is Nicholas. I live in a hallow tree. In the Spring, I like to pick flowers. I chase the butterflies and the butterflies chase me. . . .".

Yes to real books! I'd stay away from popular ones unless you double check to make sure they don't have it.

We like this one a lot.

Watch the Cookie!

Different types of puzzles, flash cards, bubble gun - get the Gazillion brand bubbles.

Gazillion bubbles

This may or may not be something you or the parents will be interested in, but we love these LeapFrog dvds. They build on each other. Letter Factory, Word Factory, Word Caper, Storybook Factory.

Letter Factory

Of course we spend time teaching DS, but he quickly learned his letter sounds from this DVD.

I see they now make flash cards to go with. When I needed them I found this blogger made her own so I printed and laminated. These are still a hit.

http://www.running-w-scissors.com/2010/09/leap-frog-letter-factory-flash-cards.html

toys r us flash cards

I'm going to throw something else out there...(as when my kid was 2 we had tons of books, but they are lovely and super appreciated)... but how about an 'experience'?

ie, zoo tickets, children's museum membership, swimming lessons, stuff like that. If the kid has a lot of 'stuff', things that are consumable and can be enjoyed as a family are awesome.

This is a cool book too, I've gotten this for a couple of friends.

Personalized book

Oohhh! I second the letter factory. My two year old sings along "the a days ah, the a days ah..."

My older kids will still watch the videos with the younger one.

My go to book series for toddlers is the Llama Llama series. Even my DGS who has trouble sitting still love these. I starting buying them when my older DGSs were toddlers and loved reading them to the boys so of course the younger grands now get their own copies. I always write a personal note inside the books so I get them their own copies. I love the illustrations, and dearly love that sweet little llama!

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_06?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=llama+llama+books&sprefix=llama+llama+books%2Caps%2C217&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3Allama+llama+books

My kids received so many nice books as children, but all but the special ones (given by close relatives/friends) ended up at Goodwill.

I second the suggestions of something monetary for the child's future, or an experience, like season pass to a local children's museum, etc.

My friend's sister just got a lot of attention at a book convention for her children's book:

http://selablue.com/

It may sound very 'advanced', but if your two-year-old likes to sing, how about a karaoke CD player? We bought one for our almost 2-1/2-year-old great niece last Christmas and she loved it. I love to buy books but she already has so many I was afraid I would duplicate so we went with music and fun.

Everyone I know who received Where The Wild Things Are as a child still loves and treasures it as an adult. It was award winning when it was new and still appears on lists of most loved books.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0064431789?fp=1&pc_redir=T1

We kept many of our kids' favorite books, and they will now be going to our daughter to use in her classroom. What a joy to take all these out of the attic today. We don't save much stuff, so glad we saved these!

Wooden peg puzzles.

I'm in the same boat...great-nephews b-day party this weekend...2 yr old also.

Puzzles have been mentioned -- the wooden ones are great coordination, fine motor skill developers as well as teaching the things associated with their subject (colors, shapes, numbers, animals, states -- so many things).

if u don't want to go the book route, how about a savings bond?? u pay $25 and in 15-20 (i forget which) years its worth $50., i know its doesn't sound like a lot but we did that for our kids since birth. for my oldest it paid half of her college bill in junior year. had the whole family on board and everyone did it when they were too little realize they really didn't "get" anything.. everyone always got them a little something to go with it, so when they we knew they should get presents, they had something to open..

the amounts go as high as $500 i think. did it for every occasion, it really adds up!!! $500 bond, $1,000 in allotted time plus interest if u hold onto them past the mature date....