Holiday Gift Guide 2020
It’s hard to believe it’s already the holiday season. Part of me thinks 2020 has gone on forever, but part of me is like “ how is it possibly holiday season already?” Of course, for my fellow members of the tribe, Hanukkah is on the early side this year….yikes! While I might not be totally prepared for eight crazy nights for my own family, I had a lot of fun making up this gift guide of some of our favorite things. I did not categorize things in specific age groups because much of this is meant to have some longevity to it. I hope you find it helpful as you shop for Christmas, Hanukkah, birthdays, and any other gift giving holiday! Feel free to reach out if you’d like specific links! I’ll get it all linked up on my “shop favorites” page as soon as I can. Happy Shopping!
Some might call me boring, but I always light to include some super practical stuff on my kids’ wish lists!
Pottery Barn Kids Carolina Craft Table - my favorite kids table ever with major longevity - I do suggest you also get the clear mat to protect the table
Butterscotch Blankees personalized winter hats - My kids have had these in multiple sizes…the quality is great, and they’re so freaking cute. They’re having a 30% sale right now!
Guidecraft kitchen helper - this thing was the best as soon as my kids wanted to stand at the counter with me. They even would do art and eat snacks in this all the time. It even easily folds up if you’re limited on space.
Stokke Tripp Trapp chair - It’s basically a forever chair that I should have gotten instead of my bulky Peg Perego highchair. Learn from my mistake and make this investment!
Beddy’s! This is also new to our collection, but I’m obsessed! It’s soft and cozy, stays in place, and so super easy to make the bed!
Ruggable rug - machine washable AND soft - dare I say more?
Zutano booties - skip the baby socks and just get these - they stay on AND are super cute
Hunter rain boots - up until size 13 I love these - they’re lightweight so kids can run around in them
See Kai Run Atlas Waterproof boot - super lightweight and cold rated - skip the snow boot and go for this more sneaker-like shoe
Ugg Kids Turlock waterproof boot - also very lightweight, warm, and waterproof!
SHOP SMALL - I’ll need to highlight this another time because there is so much good stuff!
Who has a kid who loves all things transportation??? ME! These have all been tested by my boys and have held up over time.
Hape crane playset - my younger son adores cranes, so this was a huge win for us. I like that it isn’t battery operated. Pottery Barn Kids also make a very similar, nice one.
Blu Track - This is new to our collection but super cool - you can even suction it to a window to make a big ramp
“The Big Dig” - My kids are getting a second one for Hanukkah because this item is so loved and fought over. We use it in the sandbox, but you could use it in a corner of the yard, little pebbles, bigger rocks, etc
Bruder trucks - hands down the best big trucks out there, and these happen to be our favorites that get played with the most.
More Bruder trucks…because one isn’t enough…dump trucks in general are super versatile toys
Hot Wheels Criss Cross Crash race track - yes it has batteries and it super annoying, but every time I take it out of rotation my kids want it back, so its definitely a fav for them.
Way to Play flexible race track - its flexible AND waterproof. This is something my younger son is getting this year, but we should have gotten it years ago. You can even use it in the sand!
Design & Drill race car - we’ve had a lot of “take apart and build it again” vehicles, but we always come back to this one. Any of them are great though!
Hot Wheels cars - our collection is larger than I’d like to admit…
My kids have an insane amount of energy, so I’m always looking for ways for them to get that energy out! This has especially been important in 2020. Movement is also good for learning and language development!
Nugget! Yes, it’s worth it and worth the hype! It’s great for forts, obstacles courses, landing pads, gym mats, sliding down the stairs…the list goes on and on!
Tunnel - I specifically like the one with mesh, so your child doesn't feel trapped in there, and it allows for more interactions since they can see out the top
Step 2 push car - This was one of our most used items when my kids were younger! They felt like they were driving a little car, but we got to go on walks without the stroller battle. The new one has a fancy 360 wheel feature, so making turns isn’t such a pain
Pop-a-Shot - Not sure if my kids or husband like this more!
Double Trampoline with handle - We had the smaller, one person one when my kids were younger, but there were always fights and the weight limit wasn’t super high. This double solves all those issues!
Jungle Jumparoo - trust me you’ll love it! It holds adult weight, and several kids can go on it at once without worry about double bouncing (aka breaking bones). It can be used indoors or out!
Lifetime dome climber - the 60” version will definitely have longevity, but the smaller ones are awesome too
Strider balance bike - unfortunately, my kids never got into the balance bike because they were used to tricycles at preschool (hello need for speed), but part of me also thinks it’s because we never got a substantial balance bike like the Strider
Pugg portable pop-up soccer goals - We went for the 6 foot for longevity purposes
Lifetime in ground basketball hoop - SO much cheaper than the fancy ones, but the quality is great, and it’s super easy to adjust the goal height
Micro brand scooters - mini, maxi deluxe, & cruiser - we have had and loved them all as the kids have gotten older
Rope swing with disk seat - best basement purchase!
I get it, sensory play can be totally stressful, but it can be doable if you figure out what works for your family! Confession - I really don’t like play dough, but I used to bring it to all my clients’ homes with I was doing home based early intervention speech-language therapy. I think before kids I didn’t hate it, but then I had kids and was like omg this stuff is the worst. Anyway, there are sooo many other options. Here are some of my favorites…and some tips to keep you sane…
Mad Mattr - I seriously love this stuff. It doesn’t dry out but molds really well like play doh. You can get all kinds of fun accessories like little molds to make lego-like shapes
Kinetic Sand - I just love that even if it gets messy its super easy to vacuum what you can’t seem to pick up. Pro tip: be sure to put it back into an air tight container or it will get moisture from the air and get sticky (found that out the hard way..)
Water Beads - so many brands and any will do - I prefer to do these in the yard bc my kids get a little wild with them. They’ll eventually dissolve into the yard, but they get slippery and messy on the deck
IKEA Flisat table - great all-around play table, but pair it with the Trofast bins, and you’ve got yourself a sensory table!
Learning Resources sensory play tools - good for all kinds of sensory play!
Building is a favorite in my house! My older son has also always been fascinated with the way things work, so I’m always looking for new building/engineering/stem toys that will grow with him. Here are some of my favorites!
Magnetic Tiles - I have the “name brand” Magnatiles but also have Play-mags, which seem to be just as nice and work with the Magnatiles. Picasso tiles also have great reviews. We have 200, and I still feel like we could use more.
Snap Circuits - so much fun! My older son was independent with these by age 6 or so, but of course that will vary from kid to kid
Squigs - LOVE these for a wide variety of ages - the bigger ones are even “chew safe” for the baby/toddler in your house
Lite-Brite - such a classic
Design and Drill - There are so many varieties of this, but we have the big suitcase style version
Engineering Set - this one is a 163 piece stem toys kit from Amazon
Learning Resources Magnetic Marble Run - LOVE this with our big magnetic board on the wall
Plus Plus & Plus Plus big - we have the small ones, but stick with the “big” if you have kids who still mouth toys
Magnastix - a fun variation of magnetic tiles for a change of pace
Wondertoys building pipes - so much fun, but watch out for sword building (and fighting) if your kids are like mine….ugh
Pretend play is like a magic key to teaching language to toddlers, preschoolers, and beyond. They take what they see in the world (or their house bc it is 2020 after all) and turn it into play. None of these toys make sounds, so the kids’ imaginations create all the dialogue.
Melissa & Doug food cutting set - great for fine skills too!
Melissa & Doug Ice Cream Shop - one of my kids fav games is to play ice cream shop! Melissa & Doug nailed it with this set.
Huge Mr. Potato Head
Melissa and Doug cookie set
Melissa & Doug shopping cart
Melissa & Doug wooden food (okay I think I have a Melissa & Doug pretend food obsession….)
Kidcraft kitchen (or really any good quality wooden play kitchen) - it has built in storage which smaller, plastic ones don’t have
IKEA cash register - so retro and basic (in a good way)
Simple doll stroller - I’m a stroller snob, but I like to keep my doll strollers basic
Hape dollhouse (or any simple, wooden dollhouse)
Little Tikes Grill - I like plastic for this in case you want to use it outside next to the real thing! My boys LOVED this!
Do your kids love arts & crafts? This is always the gift that keeps on giving! Here's what we’ve got!
New craft supplies - I STILL love these! The possibilities are endless, but painters tape has been a fan favorite around here.
Hot Glue Gun with a low temp option - you can even get fancy and get glitter glue sticks to go with it. My kids will glue for hours.
Artkive box to make a photo book of all the art creations - just put your child’s art in the box and send it away to have them create the book!
Aquabeads - like old school pearlier beads but much less messy and no baking/ironing involved!
Rainbow loom kit - you don’t need the actual loom - much easier with the “finger” looking things it comes with - there’s a million options for these on Amazon at a super affordable price
Art Portfolio (by Alex Brand) - I use this to store preschool/elementary school art by age/grade until sending it off to Artkive
Ultra Washable Crayola markers - because who likes stains???
Electric pencil sharpener and new colored pencils - seriously one of my son’s favorite presents ever. Plus, I found these new erasable colored pencils.
Crayola light-up tracing pad
Paint by sticker - like paint by number but without the mess
Melissa & Doug Scissor Skills & Tape books