Do you need to know what makes a good toddler learning toy? Is it the lights and sounds that make it attractive or its ability to evolve with your child as he grows?

For a long time, I chose the wrong kind of toys for my children. I bought any type of learning toy brand, like LeapFrog, without thinking if my son would actually play with it. And if they never spend time on it, then it’s a waste of money.

Here are the best toddler learning toys for Christmas 2009:

1.) Arts and Crafts for Toddlers – When children get dirty, it makes them absorb all kinds of information and expand to create their own world. Melissa and Doug toys, specifically the easel, make great art and educational toys for young children.

2.) Electronic Toys for Toddlers – LeapFrog and Fisher Price lead the industry in electronic toys for young children. They do more than just include flashing lights and cute little sounds. They have your toddler make decisions about what actions to take next and reward them when they are successful. LeapFrog Scribble and Write is currently one of the best sellers in this category.

3.) Interactive Toys for Toddlers – Interactive toys are those that give your child the opportunity to participate in the learning process. One of the best educational toys for toddlers this year is the Zhu Zhu Pet Hamsters. These toys are better than the real thing because there’s no mess to clean up, no real food to buy – your little boy or girl will love how real hamsters look and act, moving from room to room to engage in activities and making realistic noises. The learning part comes into play when your child cares for and nurtures her pet.

4.) Life Skills Learning Toys for Toddlers – Life skills toys are those that teach children the basics they will need throughout life, such as telling time, knowing their shapes, counting numbers, and discovering the alphabet and spelling. The best-selling toddler toy in this group is called My Tot Clock: Helping Toddlers Sleep Better… So Parents Can Too!

5.) Action Figures and Dress Up Toys for Toddlers – Don’t underestimate the little action figures your toddler may want. They encourage imaginative play, as do costumes and dress-up toys for girls. One of the best action figure sets for kids this Christmas 2009 is the Fisher-Price Super Friends Batcave. And to dress up, it will be International Playthings My First Purse in Purple.

It’s important to remember one thing when choosing toddler learning toys: you’ll often find that gender doesn’t matter. Boys may want to play with items for girls, and girls may love the set of tools a little boy would get for Christmas.