Juliet got a wonderful array of birthday gifts this year. We truly feel blessed she was showered with presents, but truthfully at one she is just as enamored and interested with the wrapping paper, boxes… heck even a pile of laundry. Besides that she has so many hand me down toys to boot. When friends and family would ask for suggestions, I told them to not go crazy since she really wouldn’t know the difference.

I scoured online to see to find nice age appropriate toys for her age set for less, and compiled this list of toys under $15.


1) LeapFrog Learn and Groove Music Player –  The reviews on this toy are excellent. We don’t have it, but I am strongly considering this one for Christmas. It’s perfect for little hands to hold and push the buttons, and it has four different modes to teach and entertain.

2) Fisher Price See n’ Say The Farmer Says – Juliet uses this a lot in her therapy sessions and she really loves the music and the way the spinner moves. Bonus is because it has animals and sings Old Mc Donald, Drake loves it too.

3) Fisher Price Brilliant Basics Activity Puzzle – Juliet is still a little too young for puzzles, but this one is made with little kids in mind. The pieces are rattles and shakers so that they can be played with separately from the puzzle. It’s adorable and can be played with as figures too.

4) V-Tech Touch and Teach Turtle – Drake received this as a gift years ago, and it’s one of Juliet’s favorite toys right now.  She loves mashing the buttons and hearing the different songs and voices talk to her. I think it helps teach some cause and effect scenarios, and it’s durable enough to withstand her bashing.

5) Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Cookie Shape Surprise –  Shape sorters are wonderful first toys as they not only teach shapes but also the concepts of in and out. The cookie jar appearance of this one makes it even more fun.

6) Playskool Learnimals Magic Motion Book Toy – You can never have enough books whether they are the talking kind or not. Drake had a book similar to this when he was younger and it was nice to get him to flip pages the pages and have the book read to him.

7) Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Count and Color Gumball –  Another cause and effect toy that’s bright and colorful and sure to attract little ones to watch the spinning balls. We don’t have this one in particular but we have something similar, and it’s so cute to watch Juliet watch as the balls spin before dropping down.

8) Green Sprouts Stacking Cups –  A good classic toy stacking cups are so much fun to tower up just to have little one knock them down. It can keep them entertained for hours. A bonus is they are great in the bath and also teach the concept of size.

9) Melissa & Doug First Bead Maze – Bead mazes are great for fine motor dexterity. Kids seem to like the colors and the way the pieces spin on the rails, and the added bonus is it’s so quiet!

10) LeapFrog Lettersaurus –  This little dino seems to be a lot of fun with teaching letters and providing entertainment with 27 different songs.  It can be pulled along too as a little pet.

11) Leapfrog MyPal Violet –  We have both Violet and Scout in this house, which tells you how much we love this toy. The songs are pleasing and fun and can be customized to your child. There is also a sleep button that plays up to 10 minutes of songs. For Drake and Juliet it’s the last thing we hit before saying good night to them, and it lets them know it’s bed time.  In the morning they both play happily with it until we come in.

12) Lego Duplos – Duplos are a wonderful way to introduce building and imagination. This is a good starter set with blocks and some unique pieces as well.

13) Fisher Price Baby’s First Doll –  A first doll is always a sweet gift for a little baby. It helps to teach modeling and pretend play, and they provide comfort and security for night time.

14) LeapFrog Farm Animal Mash-up Kit –  We bought this toy for Drake when he was around Juliet’s age and he loved it, hitting the barn for songs and mashing the animals together. It took him time to learn how to use the toy as it was intended but he enjoyed it nevertheless and Juliet also loves it now. She is always clambering around the fridge playing with it and dancing along to the music.