Ho Ho Ho-no! What should I get my toddler for Christmas? I know that normally Santa fills the stockings, but our family is celebrating Christmas a little early this year, and I didn’t want to bug the big guy with more travel when he already has a full plate (of cookies, I assume).
And while stockings have always been my favorite part about the Christmas gift exchange, selecting stocking stuffers for my tot felt a little daunting.
Here’s why:
• Novelty toys. While small, affordable items are ideal for stockings, I’ve found that novelty toys and trinkets lose their fun faster than any other toy on the planet. I could easily walk into target and load up on things to add to the stocking, but would it add to the day? Or the joy? Or the fun? Would a cheap Christmas themed stuffed animal or plastic figure hold its value in her heart 2 minutes past seeing it? Probably not. I’ll skip the dollar section impulse buys that tell me that they’re “great for stockings” and find a small treasure to gift her instead.
• Size. Mama’s with small children unite! Small items are not always safe for kiddos. It’s tricky to weed through the items marketed as being the perfect size for a stocking, when I know full-well that it wouldn’t last 3 seconds before it was placed in my toddler’s mouth. Choking hazard are on the top of my naughty list, so keep that in mind while shopping for your little one’s stocking (unless Santa’s got that covered!)
• Candy. I don’t know about you, but we’re still overwhelmed with candy from Halloween over here! We try to limit the amount of sugar, more specifically, candy that Lively gets. It helps protect her teeth, is healthier for her body, and best of all, is a more special treat when a piece of candy is allowed! Christmas is 100% a time that we allow a small amount of candy, and all sorts of special treats (‘tis the season) but the last thing we need is four candy cane shaped things of M&M’s to all be given to her at once, just to have the parental responsibility to limit her candy consumption. Pro tip: don’t put more candy in their stocking than they will be allowed to consume in one sitting (or day).
Okay, now that we know what we have to work around, let’s get to the goodies!
Stocking stuffer for toddlers
1. Socks or tights– Lively loves socks, so why not put these little stockings inside the big stocking? Maybe it’s a little inception-y, but I think it’s cute! Check out these ones I found on amazon.
2. Travel Blocks– Tegu Blocks are such a sweet twist on a classic toy. The blocks are magnetic, so the pieces stick together so kids are able to play differently with them than normal blocks. We actually got Lively a large set of these blocks last year, but this little travel set is almost too cute to pass up! Can I ask for these this year? One of my favorite things about these blocks is that they are non-toxic and don’t have any small pieces!
3. Fruit Snacks– Remember what I said about the candy? Well Annie’s Fruit Snacks are one thing that would make Lively kick M&M’s to the curb. I love them because they’re organic, free of synthetic food dye, and made with real fruit juice. She loves them because they taste amazing. I put the link to find these on amazon, but they’re available everywhere! I’m going to run to target to get a small box for less that $4! ***Remember to only put as many in the stocking as your child can eat at one time. You don’t want your kiddo turning into a little fruit snack bunny, do you?
4. Piggy Paint– Since I’ve been doing my nails at home, Lively has been so into nail polish. I haven’t caved to painting her nails yet, but I’m considering buying her some non-toxic nail polish to put in her stocking. Piggy paint is readily available at Target or amazon. You can check out the EWG rating for different colors here, but spoilers, they rate at a 2, tops!
5. Magnet letters– We’ve been working on our letters for a few months now and my heart beams with pride when Lively sings “A… B…” and that’s it. That’s all she knows for now. But still, so proud. I wanted to get her some magnet letters for her stocking and figured this would be the easiest find ever, but I had a few demands. First, that the letters be in both upper and lower case. I received some advice from a preschool teacher who told me to teach lower case first, because they’re used more often than capital letters. Mind blown. So, unlike the $5 sets you can seem to find everywhere from a superstore to a gas station, this set is a little pricier, but does have capital and lower-case letters *Be mindful of the size of these magnets for your child. They may not be appropriate for all ages.6. Crayons & art supplies– Lively requests to “color! color!” almost every day. At this point, we’ve worn down our crayons and lots the lids to most of our markers, so fresh art supplies will make the best stocking stuffers! I may roll up a coloring book and fit it inside too!
7. Make up brushes– Honestly, I’ll admit it, I feel a little weird about this one.
And while I wouldn’t normally suggest this type of gift for a toddler, it is something I intend on getting my own, so it seems weird not to list it here. I don’t wear makeup daily, so when I do, Lively enjoys watching. She’ll often grab brushes from my makeup bag and attempt to put in on herself or on me. I don’t allow any play makeup on her, because it’s usually full of horrible chemicals, often more than are found in adult cosmetics (sick!), and aside from a painted-on nose for Halloween, I’m not comfortable with her playing “makeup” until she’s older. However, for the fun of pretend, and the sake of my makeup brushes, I’m going to buy her a little brush set! This way she doesn’t get traces of makeup from my brushes onto her skin, and still has fun “getting fancy” with me.
And while I wouldn’t normally suggest this type of gift for a toddler, it is something I intend on getting my own, so it seems weird not to list it here. I don’t wear makeup daily, so when I do, Lively enjoys watching. She’ll often grab brushes from my makeup bag and attempt to put in on herself or on me. I don’t allow any play makeup on her, because it’s usually full of horrible chemicals, often more than are found in adult cosmetics (sick!), and aside from a painted-on nose for Halloween, I’m not comfortable with her playing “makeup” until she’s older. However, for the fun of pretend, and the sake of my makeup brushes, I’m going to buy her a little brush set! This way she doesn’t get traces of makeup from my brushes onto her skin, and still has fun “getting fancy” with me.
8. Candy– Remember that candy cane shaped container of M&M’s I trash talked earlier? I’m buying her one.
That should do it! That should stuff that stocking right up!
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