Christmas gifts for a toddler, under $50.

Ten little latches and doors to open and shut. They will work it through the entire dinner party — you're welcome.

If I could put one toy on every list, this is it. Builds, sorts, stacks, and outlasts every phase from two to eight.

Blocks with a hidden magnetic snap — a very satisfying click that holds up to toddler construction physics.

Sustainable rubberwood, a stacker and a rocket at once. The rare wooden toy that's actually played with, not just displayed.

Fourteen real-heft wooden pieces, no plastic clang. The pretend cakes will be served to you, the dog, and no one else.

The barn with the moo-ing door. Small-world play that a two-year-old grows into for years.

Magnetic mix-and-match faces and animals in a tidy book-box. Travel-friendly and quietly educational.

Made from recycled milk jugs, indestructible, and the tipping bed is endlessly satisfying. Indoor-outdoor, dishwasher-safe.

The starter grocery haul for any play kitchen. Wooden, sturdy, and it makes the pretend meals feel real.

A recycled-plastic tea service that survives being actually used, indoors and out. You will be served many, many cups.

A wooden stethoscope and the whole little bag. Every stuffed animal in the house is about to get a checkup.