Festive Gift Guide: For Toddlers & Preschoolers

So Christmas is suddenly right around the corner and I’m going to be doing some festive gift guides as I’ve done for the past couple of years, The first one is aimed at gifts for kids. I always draw a bit of a blank when people have asked what the kids want in the past, but this year I have been super organised myself and done the bulk of the gift buying in advance for them, plus have a lot of items saved in an amazon wishlist for the kids so when friends and family ask I can just direct them there and make it easy for everyone!

 

This is actually my kids ‘big present’ that they will share. It’s from George at Asda and I bought it last month when they has a 20% off offer if you spent over £50. This kitchen is £40 and I also bought a little wooden toaster set to go with it. We already have the shop/cafe from the same range and lots of foody bits to go with it but I thought a little kitchen should keep them busy for a few years to come with any luck! I like that it isn’t pink either, as so many of these are!

I’ve also got the following accessories on their wish list:

Melissa & Dough food groups / Casdon Chip & Pin till (what, no wireless card  transactions under £30!?) / Huge play food bundle

 

 Christmas is party season and Athena has been on at me to get some ‘dancing shoes’ for a long time now, this set of shoes and little bag are from Sparkle Club, who as you may have guessed from the name sells all manner of sparkly things! Athena wore her shoes and bag to a princess party a few weeks back and is in LOVE with them, and gets most put out when I won’t let her wear them to preschool (or bed!) Sparkle Club have kindly given me a discount code for my readers too, just enter BDB001 at checkout on thesparkleclub.co.uk!

A Worry Eater is an ideal gift for a little person who gets easily anxious about things, the premise is that they write (or draw!) their troubles, talk through them with someone and then pop them into the worry eater and zip his mouth up! He eats the worry! And then more agile of parents may be able to sneak in overnight and remove the worry so it’s gone completely! In all seriousness though I think this is a great way to start conversations with kids about things they may be reluctant to talk about.

 

Who wouldn’t want a hug from a snuggly warm penguin? The microwavable alternative to a hot water bottle from Hot Hugs: microwave hotties, and they’re SO cute! There are a few different designs to choose from, perfect if you have siblings to buy for! They’re gently scented with lavender too so a perfect relaxing hug at bedtime!

Something that would look lovely on any book shelf really, but perfect for adding to a childs bookshelf in a nursery or bedroom as a fun way to start teaching learning the time! I love the gorgeous pastel colours and the bold lettering and numbers too. This pastel book shaped clock from Find me a Gift, who quite obviously have absolutely heaps of gift inspiration for pretty much anyone!

These awesome Nutcracker themed tableware sets would be so perfect for my two for Christmas dinner and other festive foody occasions, they’re from the Christmas decorations and tableware range at House of Fraser.

Athena is fairly interested in taking pictures, although this is mainly so she can get her hands on my phone I think. However a kid-proof camera is a great gift for little shutter bugs, and I think it would be great to see the world through their eyes! The Kidizoom camera comes in blue or pink and is waterproof and drop-proof!

 

A mini micro scooter with an adjustable handle would be perfect for any child from one up to about four I’d say! Both my kids have these scooters and love them! I’ll be doing a review on ones with seats in a few weeks too, as there is a good variety to suit from walking age up, plus lots of colours too! And if your chosen recipient already has a scooter then a Scootaheadz is a really fun addition! There are five animals to choose from, and they’re not just really fun, but they also make it easy to spot your kids scooter in a lineup outside playgroup or at the park, for example! They can stay as a permanent fixture as they’re weather proof, and are easy to pop on and off! Athena is loving her ‘Pretty Pearl’ unicorn and for Arlo’s 2nd birthday I think we’ll get him the T rex as he loves dinosaurs! They fit on most brands of scooter too, not just micro scooters!

All kids love tents and making little dens, although this pop up play tent is not particularly aesthetically pleasing I’d not mind this one in our living room, as it’s fairly moderately sized, taking up less space than a traditional house style wendy house for example. I like that although it looks like a rocket it could be so many things with a little imagination, and it’s a great price too at £14.99!

This Double sided Easel is something that Nanna is getting for the kids from her this Christmas, she’s very arty and wants them to have somewhere to ‘express themselves’ I like that it has two sides so they can play together but have their own space. It also folds flat fr storage.

Wooden calendar/planner – A great way to help preschoolers learn the days of the week, seasons and routines. Athena is struggling a bit to learn when the days off from preschool are, and when and why weekends are different. so something like this would be really beneficial I think in the run up to learning the routine of primary school when she starts next year,

If you’ve got any small toddlers on your present list then anything with wheels and moving parts would be a fairly good bet, Arlo loves trucks, tractors and anything similar, and I love wooden toys as they’re more sustainable and often more hard wearing! This Dumper Truck from Hape fits the bill perfectly, and Arlo loves to pop things in the back, drive the truck to  banisters and then tip the contents down the stairs!

Thinking about the perfect gift for your little ones can be very hard at the best of times. Why not buy kids electric cars, they are great fun and will keep your children quiet and happy for hours!

 

Some of these items in this guide were provided for consideration, all items included are my own choice and things my kids would genuinely love to receive, or will be getting already! Some links are affiliate links for which I will receive a small amount of pennies if someone clicks through and makes a purchase.