Well Halloween is over and you know what that means? Mariah Carey has well and truly defrosted, the Christmas decorations are up and you might just hear Christmas carols next time you're strolling through the aisles of your favourite shop.
In the parenting world, it may also mean you're scratching your head wondering what to buy your kiddos as you trip over yet another toy on the floor or wondering where that catalogue has gone that your kids have enthusiastically circled in colour coded markers (lucky Santa has a huge variety of choice with all bar three toys circled 😆).
This year, instead of Christmas gift guides for all ages, I thought I'd scale things back and share my favourite picks for the kiddos in my life - from my baby niece and rambunctious toddler to the under 6's we spend our time with - and i'm going to break the gifts up into age categories so you can find the perfect gift for every kid on your list.
So let's jump to it! >>
Ages 0-1
Babies often seem like the easiest to buy for - but they can actually be the hardest to find the perfect gift for because their arrival often brings so much stuff and a whole lot of clutter.
Wondering what to get infants on your list that will actually get used? Here are my picks:
- OUR FAVE Tummy Time Fawn $35
Whilst the character on these sets often change from year to year, the quality is always the same. When Jensen was a newborn, we had a giraffe set that we used daily until he was sitting and it has become one of our go-to baby gifts. As it comes with a pillow, toy piano and rattle, we loved using it to help build muscles and support Jensen during tummy time - and then later to assist with sitting and crawling. We still have the toy piano out as Jensen loves sharing it with his cousin and singing along to the songs.
Available at Kmart.
- Peekaboo Books $10
These Peekaboo Books by Camilla Reid have always been a favourite of Jensen - and he still pulls them out to look through now. With lots of different versions available, there's something for every little reader. The Peekaboo Santa book would be perfect for a Christmas Eve or Dec 1 box too!
Available from Amazon US and Amazon AU
- GeoMag Magicube $25 and up
We love blocks in our house and these MagiCubes have been fun for the whole family. Whilst they look like regular blocks, they're actually magnetic and snap and lock together to create all sorts of gravity defying creations. It's also been a great way to teach Jensen how magnets work - and to use problem solving skills when they don't stick together.
Available from Amazon US and Amazon AU
Ages 18 months and up
Once your little one hits 18 months, the toys they're interested in tend to change quite a lot. All of a sudden they're interested in drawing and stacking and building and aren't just knocking things over like they did before. These gifts are ones that are great for 18 month olds, but ones that will also stay relevant until they're 3 or above too.
- Pretend Play Kits
In our house, pretend play is always the biggest hit. Jensen's favourite toy of all is his Doctor's Kit and he is sure to check on the heart of every single person who enters our house.
This Pretend Play Doctor's Kit $16.99 USD from Amazon US is a great starter and comes with a real working stethoscope.
This Wooden Pretend Play Doctor's Set $30.99 from Amazon AU is also great if you're trying to avoid plastic toys.
Kmart also have a budget friendly Wooden Doctor's Set for $14. The stethoscope on this one doesn't work, but you can easily pick up a cheap kid's stethoscope online to add to the set!
- Leapfrog Slide to Read ABC Flash Cards $35
We've loved using Flash Cards to help with language development for Jensen, but he also just loves playing with them. This set comes with 13 double sided cards, teaching your kiddo words from letters, words, sounds and songs.
Available at Big W, Myer, toy stores and online retailers.
- Leapfrog Match and Learn Biscuits $39
These Match and Learn Biscuits teach letters, colours and sounds and encourage pretend play as your kiddo "bakes" and eats the letter biscuits. As they learn letters they're also practicing fine motor skills, colour and shape recognition and more.
Available at Target, toy stores and online retailers.
- TOP PICK! Leapfrog Build a Waffle Learning Set $35
This Waffle set is one of Jensen's current favourite toys and he will spend hours "making" waffles and serving them up to us. At the moment he mainly focuses on counting and choosing the correct topping ingredients, but as he grows he'll also select the right cooking temperatures and follow the other direcitons. This is the perfect toy to grow with your kiddo - and at such an affordable price point!
Available at Target, toy stores and online retailers.
- Bubble Time Turtle $35
We love a fun bath toy at our house - and we love anything bubble related, so this Bubble Time Turtle has been a favourite! Playing music and sounds, lighting up and blowing bubbles, this cute little turtle will add so much fun to bathtime and has songs and phrases to encourage language development too!
Available at Big W
- Crayola Colour Wonder Mess Free Colouring Books $12
Colouring is one of Jensen's favourite activities - but he likes to use markers more than crayons... and any toddler parent will know that markers can get messy fast.
When Jensen first started colouring with markers, I discovered these Colour Wonder sets and fell in love. Not only are they so fun for him to colour with (and Jesse and I and every adult who has tried them love them too, haha!), they make ZERO MESS. Why? Because the markers will only colour on the special paper. If you use the pen on anything else, it simply won't work.
Available on Amazon US and Amazon AU
- Disney Lilo and Stitch Bean Plush Pals $18
We love Stitch in our house - and these bean plush pals are simply adorable. Choose from Stitch holding a taco or avocado or Angel holding a strawberry. They're cute, cuddly and so much fun! The perfect stocking stuffer.
Available at Big W.
- V-Tech Race and Learn Driver $69
Have a race car driver on your list? Perfect for preschoolers, this toy combines learning and fun with an interactive game that combines pretend play with counting, spelling, problem solving and more.
Available at Kmart.
- Make and Spin Bouquet $49 (recommended for 4+)
File this under, things I wish I had as a kid.
Budding florists (and their parents, let's be real) will love this toy. With over 100 recycled plastic flowers and accessories, you can create your own floral masterpiece, add music and watch it come alive as it spins and blooms in time to the rhythm.
Available at Big W, Target, toy stores and online retailers
- BLUEY FANS! Shake it! Bluey $29
Calling all Bluey fans! Play, count and follow Bluey's steps to dance and play along with Bluey. Turn Bluey’s head to the left and right to hear fun responses. Press her nose to hear her sniff and sneeze. Wave Bluey’s right arm to hear fun responses. Shake the shaker to hear sounds and melodies, bop her body to count and see her tummy light up with sounds and music.
Available at Big W
- BLUEY FANS! Scooter Time Bluey $59
Jensen is not yet 2 but he already loves chasing this Scooter Time Bluey around the house. Two smart sensors recognise obstacles and change Bluey’s directions so you can watch her zoom around the house dancing to your fave Bluey tunes or talking to you.
Available at Big W, Target, Myer, toy stores and online retailers.
- Switch and Go Dino Rescue Raiders $69
Fly, zoom and roar with these Switch and Go dinos. Play with the fire truck, police car and helicopter separately, or combine them to create an epic 50cm+ roaring T-Rex!
Available at Kmart
- DAD PICK! Marble Rush Go Spidey Go RRP $79.95 (recommended for 4+)
This is the Christmas present all the Dads are so excited to open on Christmas Day.... I mean, the kids... of course it's just for the kids 😉
With two spectacular guided builds and 71 pieces, you can create the coolest gravity-fed marble courses and watch Spidey, Ghost Spider and Miles Morales swirl around the track.
Available at Amazon, Big W, Myer, toy stores and online retailers.
- GeoMag Building Sets (recommended 3+ with supervision)
These GeoMag Building sets really allow you to use your imagination as the building opportunities are endless! A great STEM toy, they're perfect for building together with younger kiddos or independent quiet play for older kiddos
Because there are smaller pieces, you'll want to supervise younger kiddos (they are recommended for 3+ but we know 3 year olds still often like to put things in their mouth/ears/nose etc) but they are a toy that will grow with them.
Available from Amazon US and Amazon AU
- Stitch Collectable Mini Figures $8 (ages 3+)
Blind bags are a huge hit with kids this year - and these Stitch mini figures are so cute! Each Stitch capsule holds a surprise figure that would make the perfect stocking stuffer!
Available at Big W
- Disney Doorables Series 10 Figures from $9 (ages 3+ though we play with them with supervision!)
We love Disney Doorables in our house. We play with the figures daily - whether it's outside in the water play table, inside with playdoh, in the bath or just around the house. There are over 80 characters to collect in the Series 10 range, celebrating Disney's 100th anniversary.
They're the perfect price point for a fun stocking stuffer - and the figures are perfect mini advent calendar toys too!
Our top picks? Check out the Mini Peek Pack ($8 at Kmart), Multi Peek Pack ($16 at Kmart), Disney Doorables Academy Suprise Locker ($8 at Kmart), Doorables Puffables (SO cute and $22 at Big W for a suprise plush)
Available at Amazon US, Amazon AU and all good toy retailers
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
So many great ideas! We have a hand-me-down marble maze and it's provided hours of entertainment in our house. And art supplies are always a good idea for anyone because let's face it, crayons/markers/paints don't last long with little kids :P
ReplyDeleteAlso, the geomag set is such a throwback! My sister had one of those and decided to pack it in her suitcase for a trip once without telling my parents. It set off alllll the airport alarms and we all had to have special security checks, lol. xx Claire