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Where to Get Kids’ Birthday Gifts for Cheap—Starting at Only $12

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Kids’ birthdays are so special and deserve plenty of time to celebrate. Regardless of how old your little one (or not so little) is turning, one thing is for sure: You need an epic birthday gift that they’ll love. Luckily, finding gifts for the kiddos is actually a fun activity since there’s so much to browse, so landing on a gift that piques their interest is a breeze. The only downside? How pricey some toys and unique gifts cost. To help, we compiled a list of the best retailers where you can find cheap, yet valuable gifts without breaking the bank.

Where to Get Kids’ Birthday Gifts for Cheap, at a Glance

Best Overall:Mattel DreamWorks Trolls Band Together BroZone On Tour Set, $19
Best Polly Pocket:Polly Pocket Dolls Pineapple Purse, $23
Best Remote Control Car:Sharper Image Thunder Tumbler Remote Control 360 Spinning Car, $13 (originally $15)
Best Lego Set:Lego Classic Medium Building Toy Set, $22
Best Squishmallow:Squishmallows 11″ Neelu Pastel Blue Alien, $12
Best Make Believe Toy:Target Toy Shopping Cart, $20
Best Makeup Kit:Kids Makeup Kit, $16
Best Apple Watch Dupe:Itouch Playzoom Unisex Pink Smart Watch, $22 (originally $25)
Best Tablet:V-Tech Little Apps Light-Up Tablet, $20
Best Puzzle:Mushie Wood Dinosaur Puzzle, $19
Best Jewelry Gift:Tom Design Children’s Initial Necklace, $26 (originally $31)
Best Craft:Unicorn Magic Magnetic Build-It Set, $18
Best Unique Toy:Uncommon Goods Create Your Own Photo Flashlight, $27 (originally $32)

Finding kids’ birthday gifts for cheap is simple, thanks to retailers like Amazon, Target, Walmart, Nordstrom, and more. It’s not a secret that Amazon offers the best toys for your dollar, but you might not know that other stores offer deals and reduced prices when you shop online. Instead of going in-store to secure a gift, we recommend adding picks to your carry from home. And if you need some ideas, think of smaller toys, games, or even crafts. We found a classic Lego set for just $22, a Target play shopping cart for $20, plus numerous other exciting gifts starting at only $12!

Ready to get to it? Keep reading ahead to discover the best kids’ birthday gifts for cheap.

Our mission at SheKnows is to empower and inspire women, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Mattel and Walmart are SheKnows sponsors, however, all products in this article were independently selected by our editors. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.

Amazon

Best Overall

Mattel DreamWorks Trolls Band Together BroZone On Tour Set

Millennial moms will recognize these guys. The Trolls Band Together BroZone On Tour Set is perfect for kids three and older. It includes five small dolls and a cassette tape the whole band can sit or perform on!

Best Polly Pocket

Polly Pocket Tropicool™ Pineapple Purse

Consider this pineapple purse if you’re shopping for a Polly Pocket toy lover. The pineapple opens to reveal an exciting safari adventure with micro Polly and Lila dolls, a monkey figure, a boat that fits two dolls, and more, all for $23!

Walmart

Best Remote Control Car

Sharper Image Thunder Tumbler Remote Control 360 Spinning Car

$13 $15 13% off

Remote control cars always make an excellent birthday gift, but they’re always so expensive! But not this one available at Walmart. This action-packed car has a fifth-wheel design, an easy-to-use button, joystick controls, and LED lights that light the car up while it does tricks.

Best Lego Set

Lego Classic Medium Building Toy Set

It’s no secret that kids, regardless of their age, are captivated by Legos. So, if you have a little one with a birthday coming up, the Lego Classic Medium Building Toy Set is a surefire hit. With 484 pieces, they can unleash their creativity and build their own masterpieces. And let’s not forget the iconic storage box that comes with it!

Target

Best Smashmallow

Squishmallows 11″ Neelu Pastel Blue Alien

Squishmallows are not just any stuffed toy, they are a soft and portable companion that your child can take anywhere — on trips, on the plane, or just to bed. Each one has its own unique identity and characteristics that your little one will love to get to know.

Best Make Believe Toy

Target Toy Shopping Cart

The Target Toy Shopping Cart sells out almost every time it’s in stock, so if you need a birthday gift, hurry anda snag the adorable Target cart. It’s filled with 12 pieces, including a coffee cup, coffee cap, coffee sleeve, coffee cup holder, and seven grocery items.

Temu

Best Makeup Kit

Kids Makeup Kit

Kids love playing with makeup, so this $16 set will be a blast! It comes with a variety of water-soluble makeup, like lip glosses and nail polishes, that’s easy to remove with a makeup wipe or simple soap and water.

JC Penney

Best Apple Watch Dupe

Itouch Playzoom Unisex Pink Smart Watch

$22 $25 12% off

The Itouch Playzoom Unisex Pink Smart Watch features a touch screen, customizable watch faces, a stopwatch, an alarm, a date function, and more! It’s also rechargeable.

Macy’s

Best Tablet

V-Tech Little Apps Light-Up Tablet

V-Tech’s products help little ones learn in a fun way. Take this age-appropriate tablet, for example. Kids can enjoy light-up animations, sound effects pair, 12 learning activities, and many apps that help teach letters, words, numbers, counting, and puzzles. The table is best for kids from two to five years old.

Nordstrom

Best Puzzle

Mushie Wood Dinosaur Puzzle

The Mushie Wood Dinosaur Puzzle makes an exciting gift for kids ages three and up. It’s a classic wooden puzzle with eight dino-shaped pieces that fit into the smooth grooves on the puzzle board—perfect for tiny hands.

Etsy

Best Jewelry Gift

Tom Design Children’s Initial Necklace

$26 $31 16% off

This necklace from Etsy is a simple, sentimental gift that the giftee can have for years to come. You can customize the piece of jewelry with different letter styles and chain lengths.

Pottery Barn Kids

Best Craft

Unicorn Magic Magnetic Build-It Set

You can’t go wrong with gifting a fun craft for anyone who loves to create art. This creative set offers magical scenes on double-sided cards and three sheets of magnets that all fit perfectly into the travel tin.

Uncommon Goods

Best Unique Toy

Uncommon Goods Create Your Own Photo Flashlight

$27 $32 16% off

This is one of the coolest toys that we’ve found! This fun flashlight is like those projects we used to have in the “olden school days” with an easy-to-use upgrade for the kids. The beacon part of the light shines images onto any surface and creates fun reels that they can watch over and over again with family or friends.

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