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Toy guides from a mom of two

Toys they'll actually want to play with.

Toy guides, rotation systems, quiet time, and independent playtime routines for ages 0–6. Tried and true methods from a mom of two rambunctious boys.

Best Battat & B. Toys: Toddler Favorites by Age

My favorite Battat toys and B. toys have been around for years, and always come through during playtime. Battat and B. toys are both owned by Maison Battat.

These toys are sorted by the play categories I use for our toy rotation, with ages on every pick. Fun fact: the company behind Battat also makes B. toys (my youngest’s favorite play sink is a B. toys one), but this page sticks to the Battat name.

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Why We Like Maison Battat

  • They’re simple. A piggy bank with coins. Blocks that stick. A broom and a mop. Simple toys tend to hold a kid’s attention longer than the ones that do everything for them.
  • A lot of them do double duty. A lot of their toys cover several toy categories at once. Bristle Blocks can be close-ended (copy the design) or open-ended (build whatever). The cleaning set is pretend play and a nurturing toy.
  • They’re made for toddlers. Most of this list starts at 18 months to 3 years. They know their target audience and do it well!

Battat Toys by Age

Battat ages are minimums, and most of these stay in play for a few years.

AgeBattat pickMore toys for this age
1 year oldElemenosqueeze BlocksToys for 12 to 17 months
18 mo+Save and Count piggy bankToys for 18 to 23 months
2+Sweep n’ Clean kit, Bristle Blocks, Lil’ Rockers guitarToys for 2 year olds
3+Cash register with scanner, balance beam, play sinkToys for 3 year olds
4 to 5Penguin balance scale, pianoToys for 4 year olds

Battat Fine Motor and Counting Toys

Both of these are close-ended toys. Great for following rules and systems. They’re also great fine motor practice, which is the hand strength and control they’ll need for writing later.

Save and Count Piggy Bank (ages 18 mo+)

This was the surprise toy I mentioned. My little one got it on his first birthday, and he was still playing with it consistently at 2. I honestly didn’t expect him to love it as much as he did.

It’s one of my favorite first birthday gifts for exactly that reason.

Battat Save and Count Learning Toy

18 mo+ Close ended Fine motor

This was a surprise toy. I didn't think my kids would love it as much as they did. But boy did they! It's great to practice fine motor skills, as well as counting, color recognition, and more.

  • Piggy Bank: Have a ton of educational fun with this piggy bank and play coin set
  • 10 Coins: This learning toy comes with 10 numbered coins in bright colorsu2014great for practicing counting and color recognition
  • Playbook Included: Discover educational play ideas and an illustrated story inside the playbook

Penguin Math Balance Scale (ages 3+)

This one is also a STEM toy. The playbook cards give kids problems to solve and predictions to make (which side is heavier? how many fish to balance it out?).

It comes with three playbooks at different levels, so it grows with them. My kids also use it to “weigh” random things around the house, which I love, because that’s them asking their own questions. The sea creature weights are small, so keep this one up high if you have a baby.

Battat Penguin Math Balance Scale

3+ Close ended Fine motor STEM

Use the build-in cards to solve problems and make predictions about how much things weigh. My kids also use this to "weigh" random items around the house.

  • 38-Piece Set: Includes 1 penguin scale with 2 balancing trays, 1 storage container with 1 lid, 30 sea creature weights, and 3 playbooks.
  • Playbooks Included: Comes with 3 playbooks, filled with educational play ideas, at different developmental levels.
  • STEAM Toy: This penguin scale is an accredited STEAM toy!

Battat Blocks and Building

Elemenosqueeze Blocks (ages 6mo+)

B. Toys Elemenoqueeze Soft Blocks Learning Set

6 mo+ Building Fine motor Open ended Sensory STEM

Fun and squishy to build and chew.

  • Every block is an educational and sensory experience
  • Each one features a letter of the alphabet, as well as a different animal for every letter!
  • Learning Toy: Build your masterpieces, improve your motor skills, and learn the alphabet along the way with these soft unit blocks.
  • Play Any Way: Nibble on them, toss them in the tub, play with them wherever you want!

Bristle Blocks (ages 2+)

The bristles stick together at almost any angle. Kids don’t get frustrated trying to line up pieces perfectly. If you have a kid like my oldest (the kind who sends a puzzle flying when two pieces won’t fit), blocks that just work are a big deal. And the bristles give a little sensory feedback in their hands. Everything fits back in the jar at cleanup time.

Battat Bristle Blocks

2+ Building Close ended Open ended Sensory

These blocks are great for following the patterns and designs (close-ended play) or making your own creations (open-ended play). They stick together really easily, so kids won't get frustrated trying to piece them together.

  • Building Blocks: Featuring soft, interlocking bristles that stick together at almost any angle, Bristle Blocks are designed for easy assembly!
  • 80-piece Set: This set includes building blocks, toy characters, and functional wheels u2013 everything your toddler needs to create!
  • Developmental Toy: Kids can get creative, build fine motor skills, and improve their concentration as they play!
  • Storage Included: All the pieces fit neatly inside the handy jar for convenient storage.

Balance Beam Set (ages 3+)

I like this set because you can actually build obstacle courses by connecting the beams and stepping stones together, or leave them separate for the floor is lava!

B. toys Balance Beam Set

3+ Building Gross motor Open ended

These balance beams and stepping stones connect together to form obstacle courses and pathes. Kids can use their imagination to create all kinds of different designs.

  • Balance Beams: Get creative and active with a modular set of balancing beams that connect any which way!
  • Easy Assembly: Match up the pieces to form beams and connect to the foot pads with a click.
  • Active Play: Playing with this balance beam set helps improve coordination and turns playtime into full-body fun!

Battat Pretend Play and Nurturing Toys

Little kids want to do what the grown-ups are doing. It’s the same reason each of my boys had his own toy lawn mower. These two sets let them copy real life, which is where pretend play starts.

Sweep n’ Clean Pretend Play Kit (ages 2+)

Toddlers love to clean. (Preschoolers, in my experience, are a different story.) This set has five wooden tools: a broom, mop, brush, dustpan, and duster. Let them be the little grown-up and sweep right next to you. It also counts as a nurturing toy, because kids are learning to take care of their home and the things in it.

Battat Kids Sweep n' Clean Pretend Play Kit

2+ Gross motor Nurturing Pretend play

Toddlers love to clean. I wish preschoolers did 🤣. Let them pretend to be little grown ups and do chores around the house. This also functions as a nuturing toy where children learn to care for their house and surroundings.

  • Five Familiar Tools: This pretend play kit includes a broom, mop, brush, dustpan, and duster.
  • Wooden cleaning toy set.

Cash Register with Scanner (ages 3+)

My favorite trick: save a few empty boxes from the pantry and let kids scan them for pretend grocery shopping. Kids are pressing buttons, handling bills and coins, and using the scanner, so there’s plenty of fine motor work mixed in. If you have a younger toddler, the Fisher-Price retro cash register is a simpler starting point.

Battat Cash Register with Scanner

3+ Fine motor Pretend play

Cash registers are so fun for kids. Set one up next to your pretend kitchen, and voila! You have a restaurant. Set one up beside your ice cream counter toy, and now you're a parlor. Not to metion scanning empty packages from your pantry is fun for pretend grocery shopping.

  • Develops fine-motor skills as children handle money, use the scanner, and press the buttons on the cash register
  • Play money (bills and coins) that creates an authentic shopping experience
  • Realistic credit card with chip and tap symbols
  • Beeping button sounds on the cash register for added authenticity

Splash-n-Scrub Sink (ages 3+)

Running Water!

B. toys Play Sink

3+ Nurturing Open ended Pretend play Sensory

My youngest LOVES this sink. The running water makes it feel just like the real thing. I can't say I'm entirely sure what he does with it… but I do know he has a blast and plays for a long time!

  • Sink Play Set: Play house with a realistic kitchen sink set that features a colorful twist!
  • 15 Accessories: This toy sink comes with 2 plates, 2 cups, 2 forks, 2 knives, 2 pieces of play food, a colander, a sink caddy, a scrub brush, dish soap, and a decorative flower.
  • Faucet & Running Water: This playset includes a working faucet u2013 simply remove the sink, add water, pop it back in and turn on the faucet!
  • Color-Changing Dishware: Pour warm water on the play dishes and watch them change color right before your eyes!
$29.99 $33.56 11% off View on Amazon

Battat Musical Toys

Music at our house is mostly Yoto players and Dollar Tree instruments, and our musical toys guide has the full list. But this guitar earned a spot.

Lil’ Rockers Guitar (ages 2+)

We had an earlier version of this guitar, and what both of my kids loved was the strumming. You run your fingers across the strings and it makes the sound, just like a real guitar.

That’s a lot of sensory input for little hands. It has a song mode with nursery rhymes to play along to (close-ended) and modes where kids make up their own music (open-ended), so it works for different moods and different ages.

Battat Lil' Rockers

2+ Art Fine motor Open ended Sensory

We had a prior version to this, but one thing both kids loved was the actual strumming feature. You can run your fingers across the strings (hello sensory!) and it creates the sound.

  • 3 Modes: Play along to 7 pre-recorded songs in song mode or create your own musical masterpiece in electric and acoustic modes!
  • Songbook Included: Learn to play 7 nursery rhymes with the songbook!

Mini Maestro Piano (ages 3+)

Learn to actually read sheet music with the color coded keys (more for 6+). It teaches about the language of music.

B. toys Wooden Piano

3+ Art Close ended Fine motor Open ended

A piano is a great way to teach kids to read music (close-ended play), or create their own masterpieces (art & open-ended plat).

  • Color-Coded Keys: Mini Maestro is a wooden toy from B. toys with color-coded keys and a songbook featuring 6 classical compositions, combining a mini format with visible key markings and printed music details for hands-on play.
  • Songbook Included: The Mini Maestro toy comes with a songbook featuring 6 classical compositions that pair with the 's color-coded key details, keeping the product focus on the keys, songs, and wooden format.
$24.99 $34.99 29% off View on Amazon

If you like Battat for the toddler years, our independent play guide shows how to set up toys like these so kids can play on their own for longer stretches.

FAQ

What are the best Battat toys?

At our house, the Save and Count piggy bank got the most use by far. My youngest got it on his first birthday and was still playing with it at 2. Bristle Blocks, the Sweep n’ Clean kit, and the cash register are all great picks for 2 and 3 year olds.

What age are Battat toys for?

Most Battat toys are made for babies through preschoolers. Some of their first toys like the Elemenosqueeze blocks are for 6 months and up. And they have more complex toys like the play sink for ages 3 and up. Unlike other toy companies, they specialize in toddler toys, so the age range stays between 0 and 6.

Is Battat a good gift for a 1 year old?

The Save and Count piggy bank is. It’s labeled 18 months and up, so plan to be nearby, but it was a first birthday gift at our house and my son was still playing with it at 3, and has now been passed on to another child who can’t get enough of it.

Are Bristle Blocks good for toddlers?

Yes. They stick together at almost any angle, so toddlers can build without getting frustrated, and they can follow a design or build their own. They’re labeled 2+.

Is Battat Education the same as Battat?

Yes. Battat Education is Battat’s learning line (the piggy bank and the balance scale on this list are from it), so I’ve put them all together here.

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