Do you think you might have a budding physician in your midst? There’s a reason playing doctor is a classic children’s game. It inspires kids to nurture others, for one. They can feel like they’re helping you when you’re sick (whether real or pretend sick!). Kids can help their friends, their toys–heck, they can help the dog! In addition to that, they learn about the processes of their bodies and what keeps them healthy! Playing with a doctor kit has lots of educational pieces and parts and is very open-ended for imaginative play.
It’s not rocket science- or medical school for that matter, but there are lots of options when it comes to doctor kits! You don’t have to worry about narrowing down your little one’s medical specialty yet, but some kits will be more suited to him or her than others.
What to Look for When Buying a Toy Doctor Kit
- Age appropriate. Some kits are definitely geared towards toddlers, with large, simple, and easy to handle parts. Others have a lot of details and come in a kit that a toddler wouldn’t be able to open! Most are designed for kids between the ages of 3-8. Keep in mind where your little ones and their playmates are in their development and where they will soon grow to be.
- Safety. Many of the toys will list their safety certifications, which is important to look for. Especially if your child is still young enough to put things in their mouth, keep in mind the safety of the pieces and plastics.
- Batteries. Some items in toy doctor kits light up and make noise. If this is a feature you want, remember that they will require batteries, and not all kits come with batteries. Some batteries are difficult to install, and some kits require types of batteries that you might not generally have on hand.
- Interests. The kits tend to fall into a few categories of interest. Some are more about dress up, where the child is acting the role of a doctor. These kits tend to come with a doctor’s coat and more to wear. Some have more educational details and are for a child who is showing an interest in medicine and biology already. And some are just for familiarizing a child with doctor basics, especially if it’s something they would otherwise be afraid of.
10 Best Toy Doctor Kits for Toddlers and Children
1. Fisher-Price Medical Kit
This popular toy medical kit is simple, affordable, and comes in both standard and deluxe sizes. It comes with a bag that contains basics like a stethoscope, otoscope, syringe, blood pressure cuff, and bandages. The instruments respond: the blood pressure gauge spins, and the thermometer can display “sick” or “well”. I think this kit is best suited for small kids and toddlers, it’s perfect for a child’s first doctor’s kit.
Our recommended ages: 2 years-5 years
2. Kidzlane Durable Kids Doctor Kit with Electronic Stethoscope
This is a solid, high-quality kit which comes with a satisfaction guarantee! It comes in a sturdy plastic kit and has 12 pieces with sound effects. If you need to check the heartbeat of a toy without a heart- no worries, the stethoscope makes a heartbeat sound. Trying it out on someone who is stubbornly healthy? That’s okay. It can produce a cough too! This is a slightly more complex kit that could be great for an elementary-age child. They’ll be extra excited to feel official with the cell phone and glasses that come with the kit too!
Our recommended ages: 4 years-8 years
3. Melissa & Doug Doctor Role Play Costume Dress-Up Set
From the beloved company Melissa and Doug is this adorable 7 piece set. Like all Melissa and Doug toys, it’s high-quality and basic to encourage open-ended play. What makes this doctor kit unique is the dress up aspect. It has a mask and a machine washable color jacket with pockets. You can also get this kit personalized with names in your choice of font or color, and a name can be put on the reusable name tag as well! The stethoscope does have sound effects and will encourage lots of imaginative role play. This kit was designed for durability and comes with frustration-free packaging.
Our recommended ages: 3 years-7 years
4. Kidcia Doctor Kit for Kids with Doll & Doctor Playset Toy
If you’re looking for an affordable toy doctor kit for toddlers, this could be it! This option is special becomes it comes with a little patient- a baby doll whose head and limbs can be rotated. It has 16 pieces and a carrying case made out of BPA-free plastic. It has comes with some interesting tools like a microscope and mouth mirror. This is a small kit–roughly 9″ x 5″ and weighs 12 ounces.
Our recommended ages: 3 years-7 years
5. Kangaroos 19 Pc Pretend Doctor Kit with Light Up X-Ray Machine
This doctor kit has some fun extras. A battery-powered x-ray/blood pressure machine allows your little doctor to check vitals and examine x-rays. Four different x-ray slides are included. This 19-piece kit also contains a stethoscope, otoscope, syringe, glasses, ID card, medical chart with clipboard, and many other pieces. Several tools in this kit use batteries, but those batteries are included. This kit is high-quality and so much fun. It is definitely one of my favorites!
Our recommended ages: 2 years-7 years
6. Kidzlane Medical Doctor Kit for Kids
Kidzlane Medical Doctor Kit has some very detailed, realistic tools. It has 11 pieces, and includes some unique tools along with the basics, like an ophthalmoscope, medical spatula, and eye drop bottle. It’s popular, affordable, and high quality. The pieces snap into place in a plastic carrying case. This would make a great kit for a preschooler.
Our recommended ages: 3 years-5 years
7. JOYIN Toy Doctor Kit
Search no longer! A true future MD will be satisfied with 31 pieces that come with JOYIN’s Doctor Kit. It’s non-toxic, safe, and surprisingly affordable for its quality. What’s fun is that it also has some dental tools, for the oral health-conscious! Its pieces include a clipboard, a doctor coat, and an ID tag so your future doctor, nurse, or dentist can really get into character! It even has a bedpan, because we all know how important it is to make it in the potty (or pan!).
Our recommended ages: 3 years-6 years
8. Learning Resources Pretend & Play Doctor Kit for Kids
This is a toy your children can really grow with. It has simple pieces that a toddler could handle, while having enough complexity and pieces to keep a kid and his siblings interested for years to come! It includes batteries for the stethoscope, but not for the smartphone piece, and it comes in environmentally friendly packaging. It has 19 pieces, including forceps, three bandages, a scalpel, a reflex hammer, an ear scope, and tools like tweezers and scissors.
Our recommended ages: 2 years-5 years
9. Battat Deluxe Doctor Toy Medical Kit for Kids
This is a simple 11 piece kit that would be a hit with toddlers and older kids too. It is the most economical option of all the kits reviewed! The kit comes with a sturdy carrying case that comes in either blue or transparent, and no batteries are needed! Tools include a stethoscope, an otoscope, syringes, scissors, and more. What’s nice about this kit is that it’s geared towards developing fine motor skills. The pieces are a good mix of simple and large, while still having interesting detail.
Our recommended ages: 2 years-6 years
10. Joyful Premium Doctor Play Set
What we have here is a premium product! The recipient of this kit will probably graduate top of his medical school class someday. It’s realistic and has a little of everything. For those who want to dress up, it includes a lab coat. For the busy on-the-go mini MD, it has a cell phone. It has a lot of educational medical tools, and each piece is colorful and has a lot of detail. There are some surgical pieces, like a surgical knife and collection plate. It also has treatment pieces, such as medicine bottles and spoon as well as an IV line on a hanging stand. The stethoscope produces heartbeats. Several tools are light enhanced, like the thermometer, otoscope, dental mirror, pulse measure, and flashlight. This will really help a child understand those who deal with serious medical issues.
Our recommended ages: 3 years-6 years
Why Get a Toy Medical Kit for Your Child?
At the end of the day, there are a lot of reasons why kids from age three and onward would want to play pretend with a medical kit. Some want to dress up and imagine that they’re a doctor, making a difference in the world. Others are practicing empathy and could act out almost any service role in almost any medical field with a toy like that. And some just need to process their fear about their own doctor’s visits or those of people they love. A lot of children are simply fascinated by the human body and how we help it stay well. All are good reasons to have a play doctor kit for kids. Millions of kids have developed mentally and emotionally by pretending to help others grow strong physically. And that’s really what we all want–to help our little ones grow their hearts, minds, and bodies!
I have been reading reviews on Amazon the chief complaint seems to focus on the flimsiness of some of the items. Of the kits you have reviewed here, which would you say are the sturdiest?
Great question! I would say the Kidcia kit is the sturdiest. The Melissa & Doug kit is second.