Gifting Guide: Simple Child Gifting Hacks That You Need Now

I originally wrote this blog post about toddlers specifically, however, my son has grown up and gift guides are still relevant! I often find myself searching for what an”X” year old would want for Christmas and birthday gifts. If you found this post, you’re likely looking for the same thing and you landed in the right place! I went a little overboard when he was an infant buying him every educational toy and fun toy I saw. Over the years, I learned a thing or two watching the results of my purchase habits. This included what gifts to buy and not buy, and if I did too much or not enough. Now I’m sharing my findings of what works for most child ages and stages in this Child Gifting Guide.

The key takeaways from my observations were don’t break the bank, limit yourself to a pre-determined gift quantity maximum, buy educational learning toys, clothes count, and get toys YOU also want to play with (especially if you have an only child).

1: Don’t Break the Bank

First, I can’t stress this first point enough. Damon’s favorite toys when he was younger were a few stuffed animals, a McDonald’s toy, a car to ride in, and books. My family spent a ton of money on riding toys and expensive equipment. Which he eventually got our money’s worth but it’s generally not worth it. Your toddler has no understanding of the value of toys. They just know what toys are fun to play with. There are plenty of inexpensive toys that I’ve found on Amazon. Because I’m a Prime member, I always know they’ll be on time. Admittedly, I used to wait until the last minute. Over the years, my gifting has improved as I’ve become a Black Friday shopper.

A bath set I bought him is a great example of fun and cheap! The link below is the exact bath toys I got him. What makes them so cool is they light up when they hit the water. Squirting bath toys become gross easily and need to be replaced often. For us, new toys were long overdue!

2: Limit yourself to a predetermined amount of gifts

Secondly, if it’s one thing I learned both last year and this year (from gifts others bought), it’s to limit the amount of gifts you get at one time. It can be overwhelming to your kid and ultimately they’ll only choose to play with a couple. Instead of watching your money go to waste, only buy a few things at a time. This also saves you from spending large amounts of money at one time on gifting during the holidays.

Damon didn’t have any instruments. So one of my top 5 gifts this year was a drum set. He had been beating on things around the house anyway. Therefore drums trumped the guitar I originally wanted.

3: Gifting Learning Toys

Third, if you don’t get any other toys, be sure to add educational ones to your list. Educational toys come in many forms and they aren’t all numbers and letters. Learning toys can include things that help with fine motor skills, color sorting, words, and more! They definitely can be just as much fun as they are educational.

Damon loves books! Which is the total opposite of myself. However, I chose to gift him a little book this year for Christmas as a stocking stuffer and he loves it! He hasn’t put it down yet. The anticipation of the next page is his favorite part of this inexpensive book.

4: Clothes count in gifting!

Last year, I didn’t buy Damon any clothes for Christmas or his birthday. I was so hung up on gifting toys I didn’t even think about it. Instead, this year I made it my mission. He’s been growing like a weed and I just haven’t done any shopping.

I did a lot of comparison on who had the best deals. I ultimately chose old navy. However, another big contender was Osh Kosh/ Carter’s. Typically, they have some type of sale going on. Usually for about 50-80% off.

Shoes are also a great gift because they AT LEAST should be bought once a year. What I’ve found is Target is great for shoes! I spent a lot on Nike, but I’m always afraid to send him to daycare with nice shoes. Target shoes look great and cost less. I found a similar pair for only $2 more than target on Amazon below.

5: Observe their interest and your own!

Lastly, one of my primary reasons for starting a blog is my strong desire to spend more time with my son. There are parents that don’t actually play with their kids. I am not one of them. I still feel like a kid at heart. As a result, when I’m gifting toys I think of what I want to play with. Then, we can play together! This year, nostalgia kicked in. I remember having one of these boards as a kid. Even though Damon doesn’t let me write, I ordered one of these boards. It’s educational if I want to practice letters and it’s fun if we just want to scribble

Hopefully this gifting guide was helpful in your search of things your toddler will enjoy. What are your toddler’s favorite things?

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.