Kids are more aware of the medical world now than they have ever been. With Covid-19 having such a huge impact on daily life, we need to make sure our kids are comfortable with doctors. One of the best ways to do that is by giving children a toy doctor kit.
Pretend play can result in less scary, more comfortable doctor visits for kids. Playing doctor also helps kids learn about how to have a healthy body and can lead to important conversations with their parents. Furthermore, it teaches children to care for others and to feel empathy. For these reasons, doctor kits are valuable toys for kids to use on their parents, siblings, toys, and even pets. The imaginative possibilities are endless!
You’ll find that there are many different toy medical kits for kids. To determine the best choice for your child, consider your child’s age, personality, and preferences. Here are some things to think about when choosing a play doctor set.
What to Look for When Buying a Toy Doctor Kit
- Age appropriateness. 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 even be able to open! But most are designed for kids between the ages of 3-8. Just keep in mind the development level of your little ones as you shop.
- Safety. Think about the safety of the kit pieces and the type of plastics used. Many toys will list their safety certifications, which is important to note especially if your child is young enough to put things in their mouth.
- Battery needs. If you want a toy doctor kit with pieces that light up and make noise, it will require batteries. However, not all kits come with batteries, some have batteries which are difficult to install, and others require types of batteries that you might not have on hand.
- Interests. You’ll find that 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 other accessories to wear. Other kits contain more educational details and are best for a child who is showing an interest in medicine and biology. And some kits are just intended to familiarize a child with the basics, especially if they’ve expressed fear of the doctor.
15 Top Toy Doctor Sets for Toddlers and Children
Product | Features |
---|---|
Fisher-Price Medical Kit | |
Kidzlane Kids Doctor Kit | |
Melissa & Doug Doctor Dress-Up Set | |
My First Stethoscope Doctor's Kit | |
Litti City Doctor Kit for Kids | |
Kidzlane Medical Kit for Kids | |
JOYIN Toy Doctor Kit | |
Learning Resources Pretend Doctor Kit | |
Battat Toy Medical Kit | |
Future Doctors Medical Science Kit | |
JOYIN Toy Medical Kit | |
Kindi Kids Unicorn Doctor Bag | |
JGSY Kids Doctor Kit | |
Toy Doctor and Dentist Kit | |
Fajiabao Doctor Cart for Toddlers | |
STEAM Life Toy Doctor Kit |
1. Fisher-Price Medical Kit
This popular toy medical kit is simple, affordable, and comes in both standard and deluxe sizes. It includes a bag with basic tools like a stethoscope, otoscope, syringe, blood pressure cuff, and bandages. The instruments respond in fun, interactive ways: for example, the blood pressure gauge spins and the thermometer can display “sick” or “well.” In my opinion this kit is best suited for small kids and toddlers. It’s perfect for a child’s first doctor’s kit!
Our recommended ages: 2-5 years
2. Kidzlane Kids Doctor Kit
This is a solid, high-quality kit which comes with a satisfaction guarantee! It includes a sturdy plastic case and 12 pieces with sound effects. If your child needs to check the heartbeat of their toy, the stethoscope makes a heartbeat sound. And if they’re trying it out on someone who is stubbornly healthy, the kit can produce a cough too! Your aspiring doctor will be extra excited and feel official with the cell phone and glasses that come with the kit too! This is a slightly more complex kit that would be great for preschooler or an elementary-age child.
Our recommended ages: 3-8 years
3. Melissa & Doug Doctor Dress-Up Set
From the beloved company Melissa and Doug comes this adorable 7 piece set. Like all Melissa and Doug toys, it’s high-quality and basic enough to encourage open-ended play. What makes this doctor kit unique is the dress up aspect. It includes a mask and a machine washable jacket with pockets. You can also personalize this kit by putting your child’s name on the reusable name tag! Since the stethoscope has sound effects it will encourage lots of imaginative role play. This kit was clearly designed for durability and comes with frustration-free packaging.
Our recommended ages: 3-7 years
4. My First Stethoscope Doctor’s Kit
If you are looking for a realistic doctor kit, check out this one. It comes with 6 pieces including a lab coat, hat, badge, chart, carrying case, and even a working stethoscope! Kids love that they can hear an actual heartbeat with this doctor kit. It makes them feel like a real doctor! Each piece in this set is good quality. While it doesn’t contain as many pieces as other options, this choice has simple pieces that work!
Our recommended ages: 4-8 years
5. Litti City Doctor Kit for Kids
This fun set comes with everything your little one needs to play doctor. A lab coat, ID badge, and stethoscope make this set feel realistic. Kids love the pretend bandages and glasses that are included. With that said, the glasses are quite small and will likely only fit very young kids. It also comes with a picture book about not being afraid of going to the doctor. Although this set doesn’t have as many pieces as other options, the quality is good and kids have a great time playing with it.
Our recommended ages: 2-5 years
6. Kidzlane Medical Kit for Kids
Kidzlane Medical Doctor Kit contains some very detailed, realistic tools. It has 11 pieces including the basics but also some unique tools like an otoscope, medical scalpel, and eye drop bottle. It’s a popular, affordable, and high quality choice. The pieces conveniently snap into place in a plastic carrying case. This would make a great kit for a preschooler.
Our recommended ages: 3-5 years
7. JOYIN Toy Doctor Kit
Search no longer! A true future MD will be satisfied with the 31 pieces that come in JOYIN’s Doctor Kit. It’s non-toxic, safe, and surprisingly affordable for its quality. What makes it extra fun is that it includes a few dental tools for the oral health-conscious! Other notable pieces are a clipboard, a doctor coat, and an ID tag so your future doctor, nurse, or dentist can really get into character! It even comes with a bedpan, because we all know how important it is to make it in the potty (or pan!).
Our recommended ages: 3-6 years
8. Learning Resources Pretend Doctor Kit
This is a toy your children can really grow with. It has simple pieces that a toddler could safely handle, while having enough complexity and pieces to keep them interested for years to come! This kit has 19 pieces, including forceps, three bandages, a scalpel, a reflex hammer, an ear scope, and other tools like tweezers and scissors. Batteries are included for the stethoscope, but not for the smartphone. It comes in environmentally friendly packaging.
Our recommended ages: 2-5 years
9. Battat Toy Medical Kit
This simple 11 piece kit would be a hit with toddlers and older kids alike. The Battat kit comes with a sturdy carrying case, either blue or transparent, and tools including a stethoscope, otoscope, syringes, scissors, and more. What’s nice is that it’s geared towards developing fine motor skills since the pieces are simple and large, while still having interesting detail. Also, it is the most economical option of all the kits reviewed here, and no batteries are required!
Our recommended ages: 2-6 years
Our Recommended Best Doctor Kit for Older Kids
10. Future Doctors Medical Science Kit
Ok, ok. I know this isn’t exactly a “toy”, but it is the best doctor kit for an older child. Tweens and teens interested in medicine can practice using these tools that actually work! Included in this kit are doctor’s instruments, charts, and 50 projects to help kids learn about the medical field. This is an excellent learning kit and will be something your child can use for years.
Our recommended ages: 10-16 years
11. Kindi Kids Unicorn Doctor Bag
This darling, unicorn themed kit adds an element of whimsy and magic to the medical field. Turn the unicorn’s horn to open the bag and discover a syringe, thermometer, scissors, and stethoscope. While there aren’t as many pieces in this doctor kit as others, children will love the animated look of the tools and the Shopkins stickers to give their patients.
Our recommended ages: 2-5 years
12. JGSY Kids Doctor Kit
Your child can be a dentist or an MD with this exciting toy. Included are 45 pieces including an apron, a hat, a stethoscope, glasses, a thermometer, a syringe, a toothbrush, and much more. All pieces fit in a cute pink plastic tote. Kids love the versatility of this kit because they can use it on their siblings, dolls, or stuffed animals. The only downside to this toy doctor kit is that the quality isn’t as high as others on this list.
Our recommended ages: 2-7 years
13. Fun Little Toys Doctor Kit
Kids can be either a doctor or a dentist with this kit. It comes with a variety of instruments such as a prescription pad and medicine. The plastic box holds all 33 pieces for easy storage. This option is similar to the JGSY toy listed above, but it doesn’t have as many pieces and isn’t as durable as other options. But like the JGSY, the Fun Little Toys set will provide hours of fun!
Our recommended ages: 2-6 years
14. Fajiabao Doctor Cart for Toddlers
If you want something unique, check out this double-decker trolley playset. The cart has rolling wheels and plenty of space so kids can fill it up with everything they need to do check-ups anywhere in the house. They are sure to enjoy the realistic role-playing as they experience the joy of helping others. Also, this educational kit provides an opportunity to learn basic medical knowledge since it comes with engaging light-up toys like a thermometer, pulse oximeter, oral mirror, and an x-ray film instrument. It also includes stickers for children to decorate accessories and develop hand-eye coordination.
Just keep in mind that the cart is not super sturdy; it will fall over if pushed too hard or filled too full. It is only 22 inches high, which is why we recommend it for children under 5 years old.
Our recommended ages: 3-5 years
15. STEAM Life Toy Doctor Kit
Pink lovers will be delighted with this 31 piece play set! Social skills and confidence will grow as kids pretend to take care of themselves and others as a parent, vet, doctor, or dentist. Not only does it include standard tools like a stethoscope, bandages, scalpel, and ear scope, but it also comes with a patient doll and a growth chart! And there’s no need to worry about losing the pieces since a durable case is included for storage. Parents will also be happy to learn that it exceeds all US toy safety standards.
Our recommended ages: 3-6 years
Why Get a Toy Medical Kit for Your Child?
At the end of the day, there are a lot of reasons why kids age three and older 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 the 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. Whichever it is, 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!