Buying gifts for kids gets harder every year! They seriously have so many toys and honestly I’m sick of picking them all up when they only actually play with a third of them. We have three kids, so pretty much we already have everything they could want. I’m not going to buy another set of building blocks just so the other child can say it’s “theirs”.
I start shopping for Christmas in January. Yes, you heard me right January. You want to know why…because everything from Christmas goes on sale. I snatch up things I know my kids will like and won’t go out of style the next year. So, now that it’s 3 weeks before Christmas I am being asked from grandparents, aunts and uncles, and not to mention finishing up “Santa” gifts that I really start thinking about what I want people to get them.
I want things that are practical, that will last a long time (for the next kid), but will be something the child will like. A few ideas are zoo membership passes, children’s museum passes, or even book clubs. These are very practical and will give you many moments of enjoyment throughout the year, however they aren’t fun to open and aren’t tangible to the child. Don’t get me wrong, we are doing some of these things for our children for Christmas, and probably always will, however I wanted to create a good list of items toddlers (and parents) would enjoy. Please see links as well to recommendations.
1 Character Plates and Utensils– These are very practical and will be used for years to come. Your child will see Mickey or Olaf and love it just because of the picture. You will love it because it saves it makes meal time a bit more fun and prevents you from having to clean dishes from the last two meals so quick. I have three kids so we go through 5-8 plates and bowls a day just from meals and snacks.
2 Tool Set– This is a great idea for boys, even girls. Children watch their dad’s do work around the house and want to “help out”. My boys love using their drill and chainsaw like daddy would to fix things up around the house. Both my 1-year-old and 3-year-old like playing with the set, so I know it will last a handful of years. This set is my favorite as it mimics real tools with both sounds and lights.
Kids Tool Set
3 Waffle Maker– This is one of my favorites since this is something everyone can enjoy! This alone will give you years of enjoyment and use. We’ve had ours for 6 years and it still works like a charm. My kids love eating Mickey waffles in the morning which I whip up once a week and freeze for an easy, quick breakfast.
Mickey or Minnie Waffle Maker
4 Musical Instruments– Music is a great skill to have! Encouraging your children to love music is the first step. I play the piano while my siblings play both the piano and guitar. We are a musical family and I want to create that love of music in my children as well. Music encourages intellectual thinking and is great for brain development. Be careful…choose instruments that can be volume controlled (if you know what I mean)
Record & Learn Keyboard
5 Lego Duplo– I HATE blocks…I mean loath them. I am constantly picking up blocks everywhere and my kids don’t even really like them. My 1-year-old gets mad because his tower keeps falling down because he hasn’t mastered his motor skills enough yet to build them perfectly. Lego Duplos are perfect for this! They click together to prevent toddler aggravation (or meltdowns as we all know). The link below is a great set because it’s just enough to let them use their imagination to build whatever they want but not an overwhelming amount. Duplos are larger so there’s no choking and bonus…they will provide hours of enjoyment! This is a favorite among my kids.
Lego Duplo Creative Play Set
6 Kids Lawn Chairs– I got all three of my kids these for Christmas. Our neighbors had them out on their driveway during the 4th of July fireworks show and my kids were in love! They’re great to have for neighborhood parties, sitting out back in the yard, taking the kids fishing, watching older children’s soccer games, and more. I like the ones below because you can find them in multiple characters and they have a cup holder for drinks along with a carrier for ease.
Kids Fold n’ Go Chair
7 Bath Toys– I have a love/hate relationship with bath time and so does my husband (since he’s in charge of baths). I love that my children are confined in a small space doing something they enjoy, but I hate spending the time on it. I’m not really sure why but we’re (the parents) are always exhausted afterwards. I don’t like toys that squirt, because it ends up on me but I also am not a fan of bath paint due to the mess it makes…FOR ME! We’ve found that boats and rings are a good go to. The kids enjoy them and water isn’t being shot out of a tiny hole at epic proportions.
Bath Boat
8 Magnetic Sketch Board– These have been around forever…and there’s a reason for that! Kids love these and they’re super cheap. A friend brought one on a group vacation we went on and the kids fought over playing with this sketch board. Just getting an hour of play time out of it weekly would make it all worth it! It can be used as your kids grow up to practice writing their name, learning their alphabet and numbers.
Magnetic Sketch Board
9 Color Sorting Toys– This is how my 3-year-old learned his colors at 23 months. He would pull apart a rainbow piano that had matching poppers inside and sort them based on their colors. I recommend buying an actual color sorting toy like the one below, but it’s a great way to teach your children their colors and matching.
Color Sorting Toy
10 Large Cars– My children can play with cars for hours! They like large cars you can race across the floor to the riding cars they push each other in around the house and out back on the porch. These toys are cheap which make great Santa gifts.
Dump Truck
In the spirit of Christmas, I’m going to leave you with this great picture from our Santa meet and greet last year. Feel free to caption it however you see fit.
With Love,
Jackie
