Ages & Stages
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This post was in partnership with Melissa & Doug, but all of the opinions within are those of The Everymom editorial board. We only recommend products we genuinely love.

Do You Have a Mini Me? Here Are 10 Toys to Encourage Pretend Play

written by ASHLEY SELLEKE
pretend play"
pretend play
Source: Steph Alleva Cornell
Source: Steph Alleva Cornell

When I was growing up, my family always labeled me as my mother’s mini-me. In hindsight, they weren’t wrong. My mom might have been stressing about what our fam was going to eat that night, worried about laundry that was piling up, or downright stressed by my and my brother’s shenanigans but all I saw growing up was a superhero who had it all together. If she was chatting on the phone with her friends, I’d grab my toy flip phone and get caught up with my imaginary bestie as well. If she was going through the mail, I’d sit beside her at the kitchen table and want to rip open envelopes, too. Don’t get me started on the time I cut my own bangs because she got a haircut…

A lot of little ones want to be just like their parents and we can’t blame them—we think you’re pretty darn cool, too. The simplest tasks we do can serve as major inspo for a child when it comes to pretend play, and with these 10 toys, they can live out their dreams of being you to the fullest:

Melissa & Doug
Wooden Work & Play Desktop Activity Board

If you're a momma who works from home, commutes to the office, or just enjoys some "me time" catching up on Netflix or Old Navy's sale section, your little one has definitely caught you on your laptop more than once. With this Wooden Work & Play Desktop Activity Board, they can get to work like you while developing fine motor and shape recognition skills.

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GO Tots Roll & Ride Bus

Raise your hand if you've ever felt like your kiddo's personal chauffeur 🙋🏻‍♀️ Now, they can take on the role of carting around their own friends—no driver's license or gasp-worthy gas fill-ups required. This GO Tots Roll & Ride Bus is great for rolling, stacking, and grasping, plus your L.O. can make their GO Tots friends spin, bounce, and roll out the back with a quick press of the release button.

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Melissa & Doug
Toolbox Fill and Spill Toddler Toy

If you're a handy person who can transform a space or someone who builds for work, your child will go bananas for this Toolbox Fill and Spill Toddler Toy. With eight soft toys and a pull tab that makes the drill vibrate, this kit will be the gift that keeps on giving.

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Melissa & Doug
Wooden Shape Sorting Grocery Cart

They've watched you peruse the grocery store time and time again, and now, it's their turn. With this sturdy wooden grocery cart push toy that offers wooden shape-sorting and chunky puzzle pieces, your little one can explore shapes, colors, problem-solving, imaginative play, and what it's like to be just like you.

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Melissa & Doug
GO Tots Barnyard Tumble 

If you have pets at home (or, better yet, if you happen to work with animals), this GO Tots Barnyard Tumble will be an absolute dream for your kiddo. This five-piece set includes four collectible double-sided GO Tots disks (eight characters, six, animals, and two farmers), a colorful wooden barn with a silo, a haystack, and sliding doors to give them a taste of taking care of animals, just like you.

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Melissa & Doug
Wooden Surprise Gift Box

Birthdays, baby showers, the holidays—you name it, we've wrapped gifts for it. Let your little one practice some gifting of their own with this Wooden Surprise Gift Box that allows them to wrap, unwrap, give, and receive, all while developing their fine motor and sensory skills.

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Melissa & Doug
GO Tots Schoolyard Tumble

Your child has watched you take them to the playground time and time again and now, they'll be able to try it on for themselves. With this five-piece set, they can make their GO Tots friends tumble, twirl, rock, and swing on the wooden double-sided playground and classroom schoolyard.

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Melissa & Doug
Mine to Love Twins Taylor & Tyler Dolls

You've given them all the snuggles, burped them, and changed their diapers and now, with these Mine to Love Twins, your kiddo can pay it forward. With soft, huggable bodies, wipe-clean limbs, and eyes that open and close, they'll be able to model the love you give to their new twins, Taylor and Tyler.

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Melissa & Doug
Mine to Love Twins Luke & Lucy Dolls

Now, your mini-me can have their own mini-me. Like the Taylor and Tyler twins, Luke & Lucy also can suck their thumbs or pacifiers and have removable, matching rompers. They're the perfect dolls for nurturing, cuddling, and developing social and emotional skills.

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Melissa & Doug
Pretty Purse Fill and Spill Toddler Toy

In your mom bag, you have everything you need on the fly—bandages for booboos, your phone for chatting with friends and snapping life's little moments, and your keys that you keep on misplacing. Now, your little one can be just like you and take this translucent bag and soft accessories around for the ultimate dump-out, fill-it-up experience.

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Melissa & Doug
GO Tots Town House Tumble

You're the one who has worked hard to make your house a home for your fam, and with this GO Tots Town House Tumble, they can do the same. With six collectible double-sided GO Tots disks, this wooden town house tower includes a peek-a-boo door and built-in mirror to bring play time to the next level.

Use code EVERYMOM20 to get 20% off any Melissa & Doug product!

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This post was in partnership with Melissa & Doug, but all of the opinions within are those of The Everymom editorial board. We only recommend products we genuinely love.