Whys & Finds

A soft dinosaur he can carry and use himself, sized for him, with no button batteries. How to check how a dinosaur gift is made.

Show Notes

What is a good birthday gift for a 2-year-old boy who loves dinosaurs?

Start with the dinosaur he loves: one he can hold, carry and use by himself, sized for him, with nothing to charge or set up. Before you buy, check how it is made: what it is made of and what it was tested to.

Ellie and Ben start with the American Academy of Pediatrics report on choosing toys for young children: match the toy to what the child can already do, with a little room to grow. The AAP says to avoid toys with button batteries or high-powered magnets, and that a certain toy is not necessary for a child to reach the next developmental milestone. They talk about why "boy, two, dinosaur" is not enough to go on, how to find out what he actually does with his dinosaurs, a T-Rex or triceratops backpack with a removable plush, and whether pockets are worth it. Ben adds one more test: if he moves on from dinosaurs, does the gift still have a job?

Who should skip it: kids who are not really into dinosaurs, and families who asked for no more toys. A picture book you read together is a real gift too.

Sources:

Whys & Finds is made by Naturally KIDS.
This episode uses AI-generated voices for both hosts.

What is Whys & Finds?

The whys parents and gift-givers ask about little kids, and the finds that actually get used. On Whys & Finds, two hosts, Ellie and Ben, take one question per episode, answer it up front, and are honest about when something else would suit a child better. Both hosts are AI-generated voices. Made by Naturally KIDS.

Ben: He's turning two. He roars at the dog, he roars at breakfast, and the gift lists say, "Get him a dinosaur." Fine. But which dinosaur gift does he still use a month after the party?

Ellie: Welcome to Whys & Finds. I'm Ellie.

Ben: And I'm Ben.

Ellie: Today: what's a good birthday gift for a two-year-old boy who loves dinosaurs?

Ellie: Start with the dinosaur he loves. One he can hold, carry and use by himself. Soft, sized for him, nothing to charge or set up. Something that goes with him on ordinary days, not just a figure on a shelf. And before you buy, look at how it's made. What it's made of, and what it was tested to.

Ben: How it's made. For a birthday present.

Ellie: For a two-year-old, that's most of the decision. Let me explain.

Ellie: Let's start with the American Academy of Pediatrics. They have a report on choosing toys for young children. The main idea: match the toy to what the child can already do, with a little room to grow.

Ben: So what can a two-year-old dinosaur fan already do?

Ellie: Carry things. Roar. Line his dinosaurs up, then carry them somewhere else. The AAP report lists pretend play with toy characters, like dolls, animals and action figures. A dinosaur fits right in.

Ben: Good. Then any dinosaur works.

Ellie: Not quite. Some dinosaur toys roar and light up, and that means batteries. The AAP is very direct here: "Avoid toys with button batteries or high-powered magnets."

Ben: So check what's powering the roar before you wrap it.

Ellie: Yes. And one more line from the same report: "A certain toy is not necessary for your child to reach his or her next developmental milestone."

Ben: So there's no must-have dinosaur.

Ellie: There isn't. Which takes some pressure off whoever is buying.

Ben: Let me push on something, though. You said "the dinosaur he loves." Isn't a dinosaur the generic gift for every little boy by now?

Ellie: It can be. Many gift guides sort by age only. Boy, two, dinosaur, done. That's the gift that gets opened, looked at, and put in a closet.

Ben: So what's the difference?

Ellie: What he actually does with dinosaurs. Does he make them roar at people? Does he carry one everywhere? Does he care which kind it is? A T-Rex kid and a triceratops kid are not the same kid.

Ben: Fair. Some of them have very firm opinions.

Ellie: Very firm. Ask the parents which one he picks up first.

Ellie: Here's one practical option for a kid who carries his dinosaurs around. Naturally KIDS makes small backpacks with a removable plush dinosaur on the front. There's a T-Rex, and triceratops too.

Ben: Wait. A backpack? He's two. He doesn't go to school.

Ellie: He goes places, though. The park, the car, his grandparents' house. A backpack gives him somewhere to put his own things, and the dinosaur comes along.

Ben: Okay. Walk me through it.

Ellie: The dinosaur is soft corduroy. The backpack and the plush are both 100% polyester. And the T-Rex has soft felt teeth.

Ben: Soft teeth. Good, because that dinosaur is going to roar in everyone's face.

Ellie: It will. And the dinosaur comes out. He can take it out for a hug and put it back.

Ben: And when it's out, what's left?

Ellie: A small backpack with one main zip compartment. Room for a snack and a treasure.

Ben: The treasure being three more dinosaurs.

Ellie: Probably. The straps are padded and adjustable, and there's an easy zipper small hands open on their own.

Ben: Okay, the age question. The Naturally KIDS label says 18 months and up, so that works for a two-year-old.

Ellie: Right. And the backpacks were tested to ASTM F963-23, the US toy safety standard, and to CPSIA.

Ben: And when it needs a wash?

Ellie: You can machine wash the backpack in cold water on a gentle cycle.

Ben: One more. Shouldn't you just get the version with pockets? More pockets, more stuff.

Ellie: It depends on what he carries. There's also a version with side pockets for a water bottle. If he has his own bottle, that one makes sense.

Ben: I'll take that.

Ben: I want to go back to something you said at the start. "Start with the dinosaur he loves." Two-year-olds change their minds. Dinosaurs this month, garbage trucks the next.

Ellie: That happens.

Ben: So I wouldn't buy only for the dinosaur. I'd ask one more thing: if he moves on, does this gift still have a job? A bag still carries snacks. A book still gets read.

Ellie: You're right, and that's a better test than mine. The dinosaur is why he grabs it on day one. A job is why it's still around later. Check both before you buy.

Ellie: Who should skip this? If he isn't really a dinosaur kid, don't force it. Start with the animal he does love. And if the parents have asked for no more toys, the same AAP report says books create opportunities for you and your child to interact and have fun together. A dinosaur picture book you read with him is a real gift too.

Ben: A book I can wrap. And I get to do the roaring.

Ellie: You do. Every page.

Ben: Okay, let me see if I've got it. One: match the gift to what he can already do. That's the American Academy of Pediatrics. Two: skip button batteries and high-powered magnets. The AAP says to avoid them. Three: find out what he actually does with dinosaurs, not just that he likes them. Four: check how it's made. What it's made of, what it was tested to, and the age on the label. And five, mine: make sure it still has a job when he moves on from dinosaurs.

Ellie: You've got it.

Ellie: That's it for today. A reminder: the voices in this episode are AI-generated. Whys & Finds is made by Naturally KIDS.

Ellie: That's today's why. See you at the next find.