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The Best Toy Vacuum Cleaners for Toddlers

These make-believe push toys really clean up.
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Updated May 25, 2023
Best Toy Vacuums
Image: Walmart
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It may still be a few years before your little one is ready for a chore chart, but by the time they hit the one year mark tots can start dabbling in pretend play. One of the best toys to foster independence and instill a sense of responsibility in your toddler? A toy vacuum. These kid-sized cleaners have been popular for decades—with good reason. Toy vacuum cleaners are fun, of course, but beyond that these classic toys help nurture cognitive, motor and social development skills in your growing child.

There are tons of toy vacuums on the market, and each offers a different experience for kids with a healthy sense of imagination. Some are designed to look just like Mom or Dad’s (for the ultimate twinning moment), while others sport lights and sounds to make “housework” more enjoyable. You can even find toy vacuum cleaner sets that give minis access to the whole cleaning caboodle, so they can vacuum, mop, dust and scrub your home or keep their playhouse spick-and-span.

Ready to bust some make-believe dust? We’ve done all the dirty work to find the best toy vacuums you can shop right now.

Toy Vacuum Cleaners and Imaginative Play

There are so many benefits to open-ended play for toddlers, preschoolers and young kids alike. For starters, pretend play enhances early cognitive and language-building skills. So, before we get into some of our favorite toy vacuum cleaners—let’s take care of some housekeeping.

According to The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), it’s important to provide opportunities for make-believe play for children ages one and up. Pretend play facilitates early childhood development in a broad range of areas as diverse as socialization, motor skills, and even communication and language development.

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With a toy vacuum in hand (quite literally), little ones can create and then act out their own storylines. These role play scenarios may even involve you, their siblings and friends or possibly even their favorite stuffed animal. This type of play lets you in on what’s going on in their brains, how they’re negotiating rules and figuring out cooperative ways to play and also what they’ve been absorbing (like a sponge) from their environment—for example they may pretend to drop crumbs on the floor before cleaning it up with a toy vacuum just like Mom or Dad does.

Imitating household chores leads to a sense of accomplishment, independence and problem-solving savvy that they’ll be able to take with them as they move through life. And just as taking care of a doll or whipping something up in a play kitchen gives kids a feeling of agency and encourage ‘anything-is-possible’ imagination, using a toy vacuum may inspire them to play out dream scenarios or prepare for a day in the future when they’re vacuuming up the living room, for real.

The Best Toy Vacuum Cleaners

Ready to find the best toy vacuum for your tyke? Great! We’ve rounded up eight fun and functional toy vacuum cleaners—from a ball-pivoting push toy to a classic carpet cruiser, these picks are our favorites. Vroom, vroom!

Overall best toy vacuum

Casdon Toys DC24 Dyson Ball Toy Vacuum
Image: Target
What We Love
  • Working suction and removable dust trap
  • Lightweight
  • Twist and turn action mimics a real vacuum
Things To Consider
  • Batteries required

Let’s kickstart our list with a toy vacuum that’s racked up thousands of five-star ratings on Amazon: the Casdon Toys DC24 Dyson Ball Toy Vacuum. If you’re a Dyson diehard, you’ll love the clever ball design on this replica—allowing your little cleaner to coast through the house hoovering up pieces of paper (yep, there’s suction under that base plate). A clear chamber with multicolored pellets inside mirrors the ‘cyclone’ action of a real Dyson; so, as your vacuum voyager zips through the halls in hot pursuit of debris, they’ll really feel like they’re taking care of business. Speaking of, there’s even a tiny removable dustbin that they can empty out once the job is done.

Age range: 3 to 8 years | Dimensions: 5.5’’ (L) x 7’’ (W) x 19.2’’ (H) | Weight: 1.76 lbs.

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Best toy vacuum for toddlers

CoComelon Cleanup Time Music Vacuum
Image: Walmart
What We Love
  • Counting knob and ladybug slider improves fine motor skills and dexterity
  • Interactive design lights up and plays song clips and cleaning sounds
  • Inspired by the CoComelon franchise, so it’s bound to be favorite among the young toddler set
Things To Consider
  • Batteries required
  • No suction function

CoComelon makes everything more fun, even cleaning! This toy vacuum was made for mini helpers—especially ones who live for a good JJ, YoYo and TomTom original (like “Clean Machine” and the “Clean Up Song”). Beyond the smooth steering—courtesy of the big yellow wheels and freewheeling body that swivels back and forth—the vacuum features a clickable dial and a cute ladybug slide on the handle, for even more tactile stimulation. Our favorite part, though, has to be the signature pink and green watermelon design that lights up as your little one pushes it.

Age range: 2 years + | Dimensions: 9.5’’ (L) x 5.3’’ (W) x 14.5’’ (H) | Weight: 1.8 lbs.

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Best toy vacuum that really works

Casdon Dyson Cordless Vacuum
Image: Target
What We Love
  • Working suction and accessible debris tray
  • Lightweight and easy-to-maneuver
  • Suction sounds and realistic spinning brush bar
Things To Consider
  • Suction isn’t that powerful
  • Batteries required

A cordless Dyson vacuum cleaner is the ultimate millennial flex—and now your kiddo can have one too! This nifty Dyson toy vacuum is a great option if you’re scouring the internet for something that looks just like yours as it mirrors the design and functionality of your favorite household device. It has tangible suction, a spinning brush bar, a simulated cyclone action effect and even comes with plenty of attachments, so your little one can reach every last dusty bunny in sight. Like the OG model, the mini version is also lightweight and a cinch to scoot around with. And we’re big fans of the short nozzle that transforms it into a handheld vacuum—while you handle the ‘big picture’ room cleaning, they can suck up any leftover dirt and fluff for a real sense of achievement. After all, a task shared is a task halved!

Age range: 3 years + | Dimensions: 5’’ (L) x 6.3” (H) x 19’’ (H) | Weight: 1.8 lbs.

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Best light-up vacuum cleaner toy

LeapFrog Pick Up & Count Vacuum
Image: Walmart
What We Love
  • Smart vacuum toy picks up 10 “dust” pieces
  • Adjustable handle height
  • Includes six learning games
Things To Consider
  • Batteries required
  • Heavier than other options

Okay, so truth be told, this toy vacuum does a whole lot more than just lighting up. Inspired by STEM principles, this toy vacuum offers three play modes that help with color recognition, numeracy and counting skills. As your happy helper rolls over primary-colored “dust” disks, the vacuum sucks them up and either counts out loud (if they’re on numbers mode) or names the color (“Red! Like a ladybug!”), which simultaneously glows on the center console. Switching over into musical mode, they can see the rainbow arc come to life with flashing lights as it plays three cleanup encouragement songs. When they’ve collected all of the pieces, they can easily pick them out of the dust compartment, redistribute the tiles across the floor and start all over again.

Age range: 2 years + | Dimensions: 7.5’’ (L) x 6.6’’ (W) x 24.3” (H) | Weight: 3.45 lbs.

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Best realistic toy vacuum

Kidoozie Tidy Vacuum Duo 2-in-1 Stick and Handheld Toy Vacuum Cleaner
Image: Walmart
What We Love
  • Looks like a real vacuum cleaner
  • Realistic suction action and engaging sound effects
  • Dual stick and handheld attachments
Things To Consider
  • Relatively high price point
  • Batteries required

Searching for a realistic kids’ vacuum for your sidekick? Check out this pick by Kidoozie. It looks just like a regular vacuum cleaner and comes with three adjustable accessories. Attach the 18-inch or 19-inch stick (depending on your child's height) and set them to work cleaning the rugs and carpets. Then, switch it out for the nozzle so they can get into all the nooks and crannies of the furniture. This vacuum toy even comes with a packet of colorful foam “dirt.” Spread it across the floor and watch as the vacuum actually sucks it up!

Age range: 3 years + | Dimensions: 24.4’’ (L) x 3.4’’ (W) x 8.8” (H) | Weight: 3.45 lbs.

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Best handheld toy vacuum

BLACK+DECKER Dustbuster Junior Toy Handheld Vacuum Cleaner
Image: Amazon
Buying Options
Amazon|$14.99
What We Love
  • Fun sound effects
  • Realistic aesthetic
  • Safe and kid-friendly design—rounded edges and lightweight construction
Things To Consider
  • Batteries required
  • Suction is very light, doesn’t actually clean

The BLACK+DECKER Dustbuster is a cleaning institution, and its junior edition is just as iconic. This portable toy vacuum—measuring close to the length of a ruler—is the perfect size for youngsters who want to follow in their parents’ lead. At the press of a button it activates with whirring sounds and rattling of white beads. If your kiddo practices with their own handheld toy vacuum for long enough, they’ll be a Dustbuster-wielding cleaning wizard in no time.

Age range: 3 to 6 years | Dimensions: 4’’ (L) x 11’’ (W) x 6.5’’ (H) | Weight: 15.2 oz

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Best musical vacuum toy

Battat Clean N’ Sing Vacuum Toy
Image: Amazon
What We Love
  • Colorful design
  • Sound and light effects
  • Parents like that the volume level isn’t too loud and the songs are pleasantly catchy
Things To Consider
  • Some parents say that the beads got caught on the inner walls of the canister
  • Batteries required
  • Heavier than other options

Encourage your kid to sing along as they do their chores! The Battat Clean N’ Sing Vacuum is one of our favorites, as it embraces the whimsicality of pretend play. Your child can zoom around the room, pushing their vacuum over imaginary messes and moving its body up and down (just like you do with your own vacuum). They’ll hear vacuum-sounding humming sounds, but also be treated to a very fun-loving, bead-spinning light show while they’re at it. And, of course, there’s music, too. Pressing the pink or green musical notes on the front triggers a catchy soundtrack for the rest of their cleaning escapades.

Age range: 2 years + | Dimensions: 9.3’’ (L) x 8.8’’ (W) x 17’’ (H) | Weight: 3.26 lbs.

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Best budget-friendly toy vacuum

Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Light-Up Learning Vacuum
Image: Walmart
What We Love
  • Affordable price point
  • Tilts up and down like a real vacuum
  • Switches, dials and push buttons make for a great tactile experience
Things To Consider
  • Batteries required
  • Best suited for young children

If your little one just celebrated their first birthday, the Fisher Price Light-Up Learning Vacuum is about to become their best friend. At the one-year mark, toddlers are just getting into the pretend-play stage, so a toy vacuum is an ideal plaything for this exploratory phase. Affordable and interactive, it has plenty of fun features for your kid to explore. Flip the switch “on” for vacuum sounds or “off” for educational songs and phrases. Press the light-up canister for even more music or fiddle with the dial clicker for hands on fun. It even tilts up and down, just like a real vacuum! All that for under $20? Talk about a bargain!

Age range: 1 to 3 years | Dimensions: 11.5’’ (L) x 4.5’’ (W) x 15.8’’ (H) | Weight: 2.58 lbs.

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How We Chose the Best Toy Vacuums

To help streamline your shopping and highlight the best toy vacuum cleaners we considered a list of criteria when sourcing products, including engaging features, age-appropriateness and developmental benefits. We referenced stage-based toy recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and did a deep dive into the benefits of open-ended and imaginative play. We also read user reviews to get the lowdown on how these products work for families and didn’t consider anything with less than an average four-star rating.

Interested in learning more about our editorial process? Read about how our team develops and reviews all articles here.

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