From Fisher-Price to PAW Patrol: 9 of the Hottest Toddler Toys of 2023

You might just have the next DJ on your hands, thanks to this music-making toy. Little musicians can work their fine motor skills at any age—take the legs off the table for baby sit-at-floor play, or keep them on for toddlers to stand at the DJ table. It features 100+ songs, sounds and learning phrases, including the alphabet in both English and Spanish. Kids can learn with 12 fine motor activities, including multi-color lights and three piano play modes for self-play. The best part? They can record a message and hear the DJ mix it into a unique song.

Elmo sings "Here We Go Loopty-Loo” as kids wind their favorite Sesame Street friends down the curvy chutes of this multilevel playset. Place the three balls at the top and push the yellow button to release them one by one, watching surprises pop up in windows along the way. With more fun at every turn, littles will be surprised and delighted for hours on end.

Bring the fair home for plenty of indoor fun, smiles and giggles. This mini bumper car performs 360-degree turns, flashes lights and zips around at a max speed of 1 mph. Parents will love the soft rubber bumper that cushions impact during bumping, while also protecting walls and furniture from scratches. The adjustable safety belt keeps kids in the seat while they play, ensuring a safe and fun time for all.

The only thing more fun for your tot than watching Disney’s Cars on repeat is playing with their pals in real life. They’ll construct their own drivable Lightning McQueen and Mater, a car wash toy with movable washing arm, before driving them through their very own car wash. The buildable LEGO toys are perfectly sized for little hands and will also help incorporate imagination and develop fine “motor” skills. (Pun intended.)

Does your little one dream of being a dentist when they grow up? This 25-piece dentist playset is about to be their favorite gift. Including realistic pretend-play dental care essentials for acting out cleanings, treating cavities and fitting retainers and braces on a pretend set of teeth (think: examination tools, toothbrush, toothpaste and “cavity” stickers), they’ll be pros in no time.

Beep, beep! This PAW Patrol ride-on delivers the ultimate interactive experience. Kids will hop on, press the button and pedal their way around, making lights and sounds at every turn. The easy-to-control steering wheel and training wheels help to keep their balance, no matter what speed they (or you) choose to go.

The best kind of fun is the learning kind. This Story Dream Machine allows kids to watch, listen and read along to their favorite stories, developing beginner reading skills and word recognition. It includes three Little Golden Book stories (The Poky Little Puppy, Tawny Scrawny Lion and The Saggy Baggy Elephant) plus light effects and sounds, making each story magically unfold as it’s projected onto the wall a few feet away. It even doubles as a white noise nightlight to help your kid fall (and stay) asleep.

What’s better than playing with ten different farm animals? Bringing them along wherever the kids go, of course. Thanks to the portable handle, the Take Along Sorting Barn provides nonstop fun at home or on the go. The ten chunky wooden play pieces include a horse, pig, goat, sheep, chicken, dog, cow, tractor and farmer, and are easy for little hands to grasp and maneuver, helping to develop fine motor skills. They can even stand each piece up for hours of pretend play.

Add chef to the kids’ resumes with this Play-Doh playset. They’ll use five cans of Play-Doh and stampers to create pretend pizza, burgers, pasta and chicken, customizing their favorite dishes with endless possibilities. They’ll slide their creations over the prep station and pass them through the window with an “order’s up!” Bon appétit.