As the kids get older, I know more and more the feeling of collecting things without true intent, and it would haunt me to recommend anything to you that is just clutter or excessive or anything like that. And obviously my knowledge is based solely on my role as a mother to a three-year-old boy… but I hope these suggestions reach across the board to any little human aged 1-8!?
- Lovevery Play Kit ($120) – above and beyond the only gift you could truly need for your littles 4 and younger. They’ve thought of everything and have designed it perfectly for their age and skill level. I have nothing but wonderful things to say about them and will absolutely be wrapping his next kit to put under the tree.
- Grow & See Veggie Garden ($25) – Our good friend got this for E’s birthday and I love the purpose behind it. Interactive, wholesome, educational. Honestly a great gift for any age child.
- Wooden Toaster Set $20) – We have and LOVE! Aesthetic and functional – mark my word.
- Wooden Ice Cream Cafe ($28) – Another playroom kitchen set we use DAILY. Mean it. It is so cute and gets E excited to make up stories and conversations every time.
- Resin Letters ($45) – You’re welcome for finding pretty magnet letters.
- Darling Striped Apron ($36) – In case you have yourself a little sous chef, like me. I absolutely LOVE this little European store. They have such a beautiful curated collection of toys and gifts.
- Pretty Magnet Tiles ($25) – goodbye, neon… hello muted tones. We’ve recently become enamored with magnet tiles (finally, I know…) and I actually bought the OG neon set first, and quickly returned them upon finding this more appealing set. They’re sitting out and being played with all the time… why not get ones that blend in to the rest of your house??
- Don’t Tip the Waiter ($32) – Cutest balancing game. We also have a similar one called Balance the Baker, but I couldn’t find it available to link! This one looks just the same.
- Forklift Frenzy ($35) – We have our fair share of big and small cars and trucks, but the ones we use the most are those that have an actual manual function. Ellis accidentally saw me looking at these as I was making this guide and it was an immediate ‘add to cart’ based on his reaction, lol.
- Darling Dress-Up Puzzle ($32) – not too girly and still fuels that fun, imaginative play and creativity.
- Beautiful Modern Playing Cards ($13) – Harry Potter, too! This brand actually has quite a few different styles (and characters) that they make and they are all stunning.
- Micro Mini Scooter ($100) – Definitely can’t leave off this thing. By far, our most-used toy with wheels. We started him on this at 18months! No joke. Granted, he did only push it from behind for the first few months… but by 22 months, he was up and on that thing with SO much confidence. E’s favorite mode of transportation year-round.
I know money is getting tighter and tighter for most… especially this year. So maybe big ticket items feel outrageous, or maybe they’re actually more approachable to you, if you’d rather gift all of your kids one big item… but here are a few of our favorite things that have proven to be worth the extra money:
- Neutral Bounce House
- Neutral Water Table
- Block Playset
- Wooden Balance Board
- Toddler Helper Tower
- Milton+Goose Market Stand
If this doesn’t give you enough to chew on, feel free to take a peek at years past gift guides for littles.