The best tech gifts 2022 has to offer for babies, toddlers, children and teens

If you have a baby, you’ve probably heard about the SNOO sleep system that parents around the world swear by. But what a price tag, hello $1,700! SNOObear offers the same soothing technology with the comfort of a cuddly bear and the same white noise features that help little ones sleep.

With a removable teether case made of BPA-free plastic, this soft and drool-proof version of a cell phone is perfect for keeping babies occupied. Bright buttons, fun sounds and soft lights make exploring fun, without soaking your very real phone.

This many-time award-winning learning toy includes a different button on all six sides to teach even the tiniest students the alphabet, numbers, colors, and more. Plus, the cube is tough enough to take a fall and fun enough to keep babies engaged.

With more than 41,000 positive reviews on Amazon, there’s a reason this classic toy is a hit with babies. Just move the puppy to activate music, words and other fun sounds while building gross motor skills. And with a nose that flashes, plus voice, sound and musical responses to your little one’s actions, learning responsive behavior is fun.

While not a gift for a baby, this baby monitor is a game changer for anyone who has a baby. Yes, you can see your baby from another room, but the Pixsee also plays music, offers Covered Face Detection and cues calming sounds when your baby cries. Every day you can review the half a dozen high quality images taken from a nanny cam, plus the 24-hour livestream. Oh, you can also run the whole thing through Alexa. Game. Changer.

Consider this a laptop for toddlers, one with over 60 storybooks, 20 singalongs and tons of animal friends who introduce colors, counting and more in a sweet and fun way. Bonus, parents get to watch the content get more sophisticated as your child’s skills increase. You also have controls to monitor screen time.

Tyler reacts to noise by roaring back! He’s got dozens of sound-and-motion combinations: Watch him close his eyes when you pet his head, or move around when you pet his muzzle. But even with all his bells and whistles, this friendly little tiger can be hugged, petted and even comes with his own little chicken toy for maximum cuteness.

Does your toddler beg to use your phone? Here’s one of their own! Except it’s actually a kid-friendly music player with musical learning games and songs in styles from classical to hip-hop. Remix mode allows tiny DJs to add piano, sax and more, all while building fine motor skills. Plus this set includes kid-safe headphones to limit the volume and protect little ears. 

Vroom! Press a button and this tractor immediately roars to life with real-life tractor sounds and lights. The engine roars louder when you push it and beeps in reverse, just like the real thing.

What’s more fun than a big tub of bubbles? How about your own personal floating fountain! Toddlers learn cause-and-effect the fun way: Press the turtle’s nose and watch the water spray.

Think of the Buzz Lightyear RC flying spaceship as My First Drone with pre-programmed flight sequences. With fun lights and sounds, this ship flys on four propellers with extra stabilization and object avoidance detectors. Kids can play with the Buzz Lightyear action figure (who fits in the cockpit) and control the drone with a wrist communicator, all the way to infinity and beyond.

Screen time can get a bad rap, but there’s a huge difference between a YouTube binge and engaged learning. Osmo turns your little’s iPad or Kindle Fire into a fun tool—that requires no WiFi!—and bring imagination to life. There’s an ever-growing collection to choose from but right now we’re loving this interactive art, travel and adventure system. Kids solve story problems with drawing, visual thinking and fine motor skills. 

Physics just got really fun! Players shoot foam darts at styrofoam balls hovering in the air, thanks to an electric fan blowing underneath. Challenging and fun for two players at once, this sharp-shooter game will be the indoor hit of the season.

For kids who want a phone but aren’t quite ready, TickTalk 4 is a smartwatch phone aimed at ages 5-12 that combines video and voice calling, in-app messaging and location tracking without the distractions of the internet, games, or social media. Bonus points for the free SIM card and affordable, pay-as-you-go, no-contract plan starting at $9.99 per month.

Young engineers can build and code this robot to move forward, backward, left, right and spin. And then they can program it to do even more—like lift or throw a ball or even draw on paper with a pen! This one’s a win for any tech-savvy kid. 

Take everything we love about the Sphero Robot Ball and add a super fun construction kit and new, engaging games to create the perfect STEM toy for older kiddos. Budding engineers learn to code the ping pong sized ball (equipped with a gyroscope, accelerometer and colorful LED lights) via the free Sphero Edu app. They can learn how to use JavaScript across several platforms, which if you ask me, is a great start to a successful career in computer science. With the Sphero Play app, the kit lets them game and drive, as they steer the Sphero through obstacle courses, play games and knock things down. You might even learn a thing or two yourself!

It’s a bluetooth speaker. It’s a hand-free calling device. It’s an alarm clock. It’s a lamp with customizable colors and brightness. It’s all the things in one very cool container, one that also happens to be rechargeable.

This 3D pen comes packed with 15 different colors, ready to design. Teens can draw 3D structures, go freehand or work with stencils. Plus, they get an activity book packed with ideas and instructions, with replacement plastic refills readily available.

When it comes to tech gifts for teens, we’ve got to mention the top rated gaming headset on the market. With excellent writeups by outlets like PC Magazine and more than 9,000 positive reviews on Amazon, our money is on the Razer Blackshark V2 as the gift of the season for gamers. Users say this headset offers excellent audio and microphone quality, loads of software features and a light, comfortable fit.

All you need is an outlet to create the lush green herbs of an Italian marketplace, but do it from the comfort of a dorm room. This sweet little herb kit even waters itself, making it easy and manageable for busy students with even busier schedules.

Put the Christmas lights back on the tree because this whimsical set of twinkly lights is next-level, including 50 clips to add photos to your teen’s walls. Plus, the set comes with a remote to customize eight different modes of flash, fading, waves and more.