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September 24, 2025

The ultimate toy gift guide: Experts pick for every age and stage

PHOTO: Shop gift ideas for kids, recommended by toy experts
ABC News Photo Illustration, amazon, adobe stock
Shop gift ideas for kids, recommended by toy experts

The best toy for kids should ideally meet in the middle of exploration and fun.

With the holidays right around the corner, you might be trying to figure out what the top trending toys are.

That's why we tapped industry experts Mandy and Mel, also known on Instagram as the Toy Testing Sisters, to share their top tips and picks to help make your life easier while shopping.

Tip 1: Quality over quantity

The sisters said it is better to purchase four to five quality items than 10+ toys that will get used a few times and eventually end up in the trash.

"The more toys your kids have, the less they will actually play with them. This is why we are huge fans of finding toys that promote open-ended play and can grow with your kid!" they said.

Tip 2: Buy family toys

When it comes to buying "family" toys, the Toy Testing Sisters said to think of things like sensory swings, AirToobz, audio players and building toys.

If you are worried about the investment, know that the toys can be used by many different age groups and should last for years.

Tip 3: Listen to the experts

"We have tested and tried thousands of toys," the sisters said. "This year, our guides will have hundreds of amazing selections. We monitor and share toy deals from Prime Day, Black Friday, and daily deals."

Scroll on to shop some of their top toy recommendations by age group.

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Family toys

0-2 years

2-4 years

5-7 years

8-10 years