Best Novelty Tech Items for Toddlers 2022

Buying tech items for toddlers is tricky. Much of the market is low quality or has relatively obvious design issues. For example, some robot pets can walk and react to voice commands. However, this involves them transmitting audio data to cloud servers. They are never actually soft and cuddly because the robot has just a soft cover over a plastic body. That’s not to say that toddlers won’t enjoy that. Toddlers are pretty easy to entertain, but the right gift can keep giving even after you’ve given it to them.

To help you find some great tech gifts for toddlers, we’ve drawn up our list of the best novelty tech items for toddlers in 2022.

The Obuby Toys Walkie-Talkies for Kids is a three-pack of colorful two-way radios. There are five color combinations to choose from, though only one of them doesn’t include a pink one. The walkie-talkies can be cycled through 22 channels. They can even be locked to a channel to prevent tiny fingers from accidentally pushing and “breaking” the button.

They have a maximum range of 3km in open areas. If your kids struggle with letting go of the talk button to hear the reply. Or, if you want to use the walkie-talkie as a baby/toddler monitor, the voice activation setting may be helpful. A flashlight is built-in, as is a belt clip. It requires 4 AAA batteries, though rechargeable ones are recommended as these don’t and shouldn’t automatically power off, so it can drain batteries relatively quickly by accident. The notification sounds, such as pressing or releasing the talk button, are loud. Even with the volume lowered, you can, however, disable them.

The PROGRACE Kids Waterproof Action Camera is a cheap and basic action cam, not unlike a GoPro. It comes with an 8GB SD card, which can be upgraded to a 32GB SD card if more storage space is needed. It can record video up to 1080p at 30 fps and take still photos at 5MP. However, a shutter delay can make getting the photo right frustrating.

It has a waterproof external case, which is safe to submerge up to 100 feet. It also comes with two mounting clips so it can be clipped onto a bike, skateboard, helmet, etc.; charging and file transfer happens over MicroUSB. The camera can record up to 90 minutes per battery charge. Unfortunately, a full charge takes 2.5 hours.

The Sphero Mini is a tiny remote control ping pong ball with a top speed of 2.2mph. It has a hard shell that can be opened up to reveal a small robot inside with motors, a gyroscope, LEDs, and an accelerometer. The robot is charged via micro USB for one-hour of battery life. The robot can be controlled directly with a smartphone app in various ways. It can also be programmed with scratch blocks or with handwritten JavaScript, depending on experience levels. This flexibility in control and what can be done with the Sphero Mini makes it great for all age groups.

As well as being controlled by the phone, the mini can be used as a controller for a few games in the Sphero app. It comes with three tiny traffic cones and 6 tiny bowling pins as obstacles or targets for you to include in your play. More prominent, slightly more complex versions are available around the baseball size. However, these are more expensive. Frustratingly, the app functionality is split across multiple apps, which is unnecessary. The outer shell, despite its toughness, generally appears relatively fragile.

Light Up Drawing Tees are cool t-shirts that have a large blank panel. At first glance, these shirts may seem dull. However, kids” eyes will light up like the shirt when combined with a bright point light, such as the included glow pen. The panel is made of a luminous material that glows in the dark after exposure to bright light. Shining the glow pen, a flashlight, or a smartphone flashlight onto the panel at close range allows you to draw infinitely customizable designs that are bright enough to be visible even in daylight.

The glow panel can retain its image for up to ten minutes. However, it will fade from visibility much faster in lit environments. The t-shirt is made from cotton and is machine washable. It comes in both kid and adult sizes. Helpfully, the glow pen comes with an included battery. It’s worth being aware that writing or drawing on yourself can be awkward, which may be frustrating for kids. It’s also worth highlighting that the t-shirts are highly reviewed and covered by an excellent returns policy in case of any issues.

That was our roundup of the best novelty tech items for toddlers in 2022. Have you recently bought a novelty tech item for a toddler? What sold you on it, and what has your experience been with it so far? Let us know down below.