True story? Every year for the last *at least* 5 years, I’ve wanted to put together the awesome holiday gift guides filled with personal recommendations that so many bloggers put out… BUUUUUT – it’s never happened. Why? Well a) because they’re a lot of work and b) because they usually go out early to mid-November, which means you really have to be thinking about Christmas in October… which just isn’t me. I’m very much an all-things-Christmas-can-begin-on-December-1st kind of gal. So getting gift guides out in early November just never happened for me. UNTIL NOW, that is. I’ve not talked about it here yet, but Amazon has this cool new feature where affiliate members can create an ‘Amazon shop’ filled with things they love and personally recommend. {You can check mine out here.} Well, not only is having an amazon shop super helpful for being able to quickly answer all of the ‘which brand is that?’ / ‘which model is yours?’ / ‘where can I find that?’ questions I receive on Instagram, but it also makes putting together gift guides much easier, which is why I finally got around to rounding up a collection of the very best gifts for kids {in my opinion, of course}.
Here’s a peek at what an amazon shop looks like…
I’ve got my gift guides organized by age for babies through 6 year olds, then I’ve got a section for ‘older kids’, and I’ve got one for mamas too {plus other things}! Now two things…
First off, many {if not most} of the items I’ve selected for these gift guides are great for kiddos of many ages… After all, that’s the goal when buying toys for kids, right? Buying things that are open-ended enough to grow with them over time? I simply sat down at my computer, thought about the things I love gifting 2 year olds, 3 year olds, etc. and those were the items that got added to that particular age category.
Secondly, I will be the first to admit that I love Amazon. It’s crazy convenient, you can’t beat many of the deals, and when you live in a small town like we do, it gives you access to alllll the things you can’t get locally in one spot. That being said, I really, really try to support small, locally owned businesses whenever I can and while I truly appreciate people making their purchases through my amazon affiliate links {amazon affiliates earn a teeny bit of commission on each purchase made through their link at no extra cost to the buyer}, I think shopping small is really important. Some of our very favourite places to get kids’ items are Dilly Dally Kids, Collage Collage, Welk’s, Little Earth, and Beansprouts {all in Vancouver}.
Alright, that being said… ready for a little peek at some of the items I think make the very best gifts for kids? Now keep in mind that the images below show only *some* of my recommendations, so be sure to click the links and see the full collections. I add to my shop regularly as I re-remember old favourites and find new ones, so do check back.
click here for gifts for babies
click here for gifts for 1 year olds
click here for gifts for 2 year olds
click here for gifts for 3 year olds
click here for gifts for 4 year olds
click here for gifts for 5 year olds
click here for gifts for 6 year olds
click here for gifts for older kids
Okay, and while I was at it, I haaaaaad to create a list of stocking stuffer ideas – stocking stuffers kids will actually use – because in my opinion, stockings are the very best part. In fact, for the last couple of Christmases we’ve done only stockings for our kids and this year will be the same. We’ve got all of the big ticket items they need {and more} and they get SO MUCH from their grandparents that a great stocking is more than enough. Click on the photo or link below to check out stocking stuffers for kiddos of all ages.
click here for stocking stuffers kids will actually use
Okay, last thing. Promise. While I know that this is supposed to be the very best gifts for KIDS, I’m sneaking in my gift recommendations for mamas too because mamas, you deserve it!!! From my beloved Vitamix and espresso machine, to my go-to diffuser, a solid starter set of essential oils, and a few of my absolute faves from around our home, these are some of my very favourite things.
To take a look at all of my personal picks for mamas, click here.
And while I wish I could have put together a list for dads, I’m the VERY WORST when it comes to buying gifts for both my husband and my own dad… Why are they so hard to buy for?? Let me think on it and one day when I have an idea past what I think will be my new go-to gift for Brad for the foreseeable future (a Tesla day rental from our friends’ company, Power Trips – seriously such a good gift for a tech lover like B!), I’ll update my post.
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