For folks’ consideration, we have a Yoto player rather than a Toniebox and I think it ages up better. Tonies seems geared toward younger pre-reader and early-reader kids, but Yoto has something for everyone — it’s the same concept of screen-free audio, but it uses cards (like a hotel key) that they pop in the top and you just put a sticker on it for the pre-readers to find what they’re looking for. I’m not sure whether Tonies has the same stuff, but Yoto also has tons of podcasts, audiobooks, music and a way to make your own cards where you can record anything you want. I’ve had grandparents record themselves reading favorite stories and it’s been a huge hit! My 10-year-old still uses hers everyday as an alarm clock and also for podcasts and to listen to Taylor Swift albums we have loaded up for her!
My neighbor and I were JUST talking about Yoto vs. Tonies earlier tonight. I bought our boys' Tonies before Yoto was around (or at least before I'd heard about it!) and am so glad they have audiobooks now because my 7 year old was *just* starting to age out, but this will get him engaged again. My neighbor's leaning toward Yoto for her 7 year old who doesn't have a Toniebox. It sounds really cool!
I can attest to the staying power of Yoto! We got our first one 5 years ago and now have 3. Their audiobook collection is wonderful and always growing!
My kids are on the older end of this list and above (ages 6 and 10) and we live way out in the country AND it snows here a ton in the winter. So, some favorites for my fellow frozen country bumpkins! ;)
- kid sized snow shovels. My kids love to shovel snow and far be it from me to stop them! Get them shovels that are scaled for them.
- the LL Bean snow tubes: $130 for a snow tube sounds insane, but these things are awesome and you'll be passing them down to your grandchildren to sled on. After you've popped one too many crummy $20 snow tube, spring for the LL Bean version. It is called the "sonic snow tube" on their website.
- walkie talkies! Endless good times. We all have code names.
- Ravensburger brand puzzles. They have great puzzles for all ages!
- .... and my last one is a bit of a wild card, but I'll say it - chickens! You don't need a ton of space, or some fancy set up to get chickens. My kids have had and handled chickens since they were about 3 years old and they are so fun. They love taking care of their hens, collecting eggs, feeding them kitchen scraps and enjoying their weird chicken antics. If you do get them, don't get just one, they need a friend. At least 2, and maybe 3 hens. Things happen to chickens and then you'll have a backup chicken buddy ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I am trying to find my 5yo a cute trifold wallet that I can put in his stocking with a library card inside. Does anyone have a good source for wallets that isn't the one dinosaur one on Amazon? :)
For kids in the 4-7 range I love gifting anthologies - i find they make for longer reading sessions when kids are still building the intellectual stamina for the longer story arcs of chapter books. Some favorites are the original Winnie the Pooh, frog and toad, the Kevin henkes treasury (called lily and friends), the original Thomas the tank engine (we have read this like ten times in our house), elephant and piggies biggies, George and Martha, brambly hedge, little critter, James Herriot, Beatrix potter, paddington and Alfie (out of print but you can find used!)
I also LOVE gifting a whale of a time which is an amazing illustrated children’s poetry anthology with a poem for every day. We love starting the morning off with the daily reading!
And then, finally, inspired by Busy Toddler - I really love gifting huge non fiction books based on interests. DK has a great set of these, the met museum does too!
10/10 recommend the giant coloring posters from Friends Art Lab — they are AMAZING! We’ve put them on walls, used them on the table, on the floor, even cut into smaller pieces if needed. Kids (and adults!) can color from both sides/all angles. All markers/crayons/colored pencils/gel or watercolor crayons work. They are the best small business! ❤️ The best gift/hostess gift for party with kids/thing to have on hand if you’re hosting!
For non book gifts - I really like board games. For the 4-7 set, Outfoxed is a perennial favorite as are pretty much all of the SmartGames individual games (which are kind of like puzzles?). I also like Giikers's light up games (they are amazing for travel!).
For older kids, it's a little pricey but I LOVE the Met version of Monopoly. It's the same as regular Monopoly but your kids will be passively absorbing basic classical art education which is pretty cool.
And then for stocking stuffers, especially if there is a fun trip coming up, I love gifting waterproof games to use by the pool/beach during sunscreen reapplication breaks. Both Spotit and Uno have waterproof editions that are great to throw into a beach bag.
Re: a bedtime story video- highly recommend getting one of the create-your-own Tonies, having the fam each record themselves reading a story aloud using the included iPhone voice memo app, texting the file to you, and you uploading them all to the Tonie! We did this for our daughter last year and she’s still obsessed with the 9 stories from various family members.
Nugget and Yoto are hands down winners in our house! I Am Otter is an adorable picture book series. For chapter books: The Never Girls, Dragon Masters and anything by Kate DiCamillo.
Nugget is the best toy ever - my 9-year-old has been playing with it every single day since she was 3. We have two and a chunk. Also functions as sleepover beds and a bonus couch. Balloon animal balloons, instructions, and a pump have been a huge hit for the whole family, and now for playdates. Plants have also been popular gifts - for a lot of birthday parties we hit up the dollar store for fairy garden houses and little fountains etc, and a brightly colored plastic pot, then pop some herbs from trader joes or a potted flower from the grocery store i,n and my daughter makes it up as a little fairy garden, and they love it. Little cactuses and weird succulents are also a hit on their own.
The Melissa and Doug Campfire Smores set is another hit in our house- they set it up and read books with their blankets. Its very cute and entertains my 3 ages 4 and 2.
This was so helpful and in the perfect age range (my girls are 2, 4 & 7!) I wish I knew about My Pediatrician Friend when my babies were born, will definitely be gifting to new moms!
The geriatric grabers gift is real! So funny to see it on this list, but my kids just love them!! Also, not a gift per se, but my son is obsessed with the automatic train around the Christmas tree. He turns is on every morning and plays with it nonstop until Christmas.
Okay, the grabber is genius. I had back surgery a few years ago, and they gave me one in rehab. It instantly became the kids’ favorite toy. Also super handy when legos and other small toys get trapped under the sofa!
For folks’ consideration, we have a Yoto player rather than a Toniebox and I think it ages up better. Tonies seems geared toward younger pre-reader and early-reader kids, but Yoto has something for everyone — it’s the same concept of screen-free audio, but it uses cards (like a hotel key) that they pop in the top and you just put a sticker on it for the pre-readers to find what they’re looking for. I’m not sure whether Tonies has the same stuff, but Yoto also has tons of podcasts, audiobooks, music and a way to make your own cards where you can record anything you want. I’ve had grandparents record themselves reading favorite stories and it’s been a huge hit! My 10-year-old still uses hers everyday as an alarm clock and also for podcasts and to listen to Taylor Swift albums we have loaded up for her!
I have a 2 year old and he LOVES his Yoto!
My neighbor and I were JUST talking about Yoto vs. Tonies earlier tonight. I bought our boys' Tonies before Yoto was around (or at least before I'd heard about it!) and am so glad they have audiobooks now because my 7 year old was *just* starting to age out, but this will get him engaged again. My neighbor's leaning toward Yoto for her 7 year old who doesn't have a Toniebox. It sounds really cool!
I can attest to the staying power of Yoto! We got our first one 5 years ago and now have 3. Their audiobook collection is wonderful and always growing!
My kids are on the older end of this list and above (ages 6 and 10) and we live way out in the country AND it snows here a ton in the winter. So, some favorites for my fellow frozen country bumpkins! ;)
- kid sized snow shovels. My kids love to shovel snow and far be it from me to stop them! Get them shovels that are scaled for them.
- the LL Bean snow tubes: $130 for a snow tube sounds insane, but these things are awesome and you'll be passing them down to your grandchildren to sled on. After you've popped one too many crummy $20 snow tube, spring for the LL Bean version. It is called the "sonic snow tube" on their website.
- walkie talkies! Endless good times. We all have code names.
- Ravensburger brand puzzles. They have great puzzles for all ages!
- .... and my last one is a bit of a wild card, but I'll say it - chickens! You don't need a ton of space, or some fancy set up to get chickens. My kids have had and handled chickens since they were about 3 years old and they are so fun. They love taking care of their hens, collecting eggs, feeding them kitchen scraps and enjoying their weird chicken antics. If you do get them, don't get just one, they need a friend. At least 2, and maybe 3 hens. Things happen to chickens and then you'll have a backup chicken buddy ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I am trying to find my 5yo a cute trifold wallet that I can put in his stocking with a library card inside. Does anyone have a good source for wallets that isn't the one dinosaur one on Amazon? :)
I found a ton of options on Etsy a year ago when I got a trifold wallet for my nephew!
I appreciate this list so much! Nothing trendy, all practical and built to last while still being fun!! 🙏🏻
For kids in the 4-7 range I love gifting anthologies - i find they make for longer reading sessions when kids are still building the intellectual stamina for the longer story arcs of chapter books. Some favorites are the original Winnie the Pooh, frog and toad, the Kevin henkes treasury (called lily and friends), the original Thomas the tank engine (we have read this like ten times in our house), elephant and piggies biggies, George and Martha, brambly hedge, little critter, James Herriot, Beatrix potter, paddington and Alfie (out of print but you can find used!)
I also LOVE gifting a whale of a time which is an amazing illustrated children’s poetry anthology with a poem for every day. We love starting the morning off with the daily reading!
And then, finally, inspired by Busy Toddler - I really love gifting huge non fiction books based on interests. DK has a great set of these, the met museum does too!
10/10 recommend the giant coloring posters from Friends Art Lab — they are AMAZING! We’ve put them on walls, used them on the table, on the floor, even cut into smaller pieces if needed. Kids (and adults!) can color from both sides/all angles. All markers/crayons/colored pencils/gel or watercolor crayons work. They are the best small business! ❤️ The best gift/hostess gift for party with kids/thing to have on hand if you’re hosting!
https://www.shop.friendsartlab.com/product-category/coloring-banners/
For non book gifts - I really like board games. For the 4-7 set, Outfoxed is a perennial favorite as are pretty much all of the SmartGames individual games (which are kind of like puzzles?). I also like Giikers's light up games (they are amazing for travel!).
For older kids, it's a little pricey but I LOVE the Met version of Monopoly. It's the same as regular Monopoly but your kids will be passively absorbing basic classical art education which is pretty cool.
And then for stocking stuffers, especially if there is a fun trip coming up, I love gifting waterproof games to use by the pool/beach during sunscreen reapplication breaks. Both Spotit and Uno have waterproof editions that are great to throw into a beach bag.
We also love board games!! The HABA My First Orchard Game has been huge a hit with the younger kids (2-4)
We loved that one too for the young set. Also monkey around, roll n’ play and sneaky snacky squirrel!
My three-year-old has those Bombas and he loooooves telling people he is wearing his "angry tomato" socks!
Re: a bedtime story video- highly recommend getting one of the create-your-own Tonies, having the fam each record themselves reading a story aloud using the included iPhone voice memo app, texting the file to you, and you uploading them all to the Tonie! We did this for our daughter last year and she’s still obsessed with the 9 stories from various family members.
Oh! This is such a good idea!!
Nugget and Yoto are hands down winners in our house! I Am Otter is an adorable picture book series. For chapter books: The Never Girls, Dragon Masters and anything by Kate DiCamillo.
Dragon Masters is truly such a great series!
Nugget is the best toy ever - my 9-year-old has been playing with it every single day since she was 3. We have two and a chunk. Also functions as sleepover beds and a bonus couch. Balloon animal balloons, instructions, and a pump have been a huge hit for the whole family, and now for playdates. Plants have also been popular gifts - for a lot of birthday parties we hit up the dollar store for fairy garden houses and little fountains etc, and a brightly colored plastic pot, then pop some herbs from trader joes or a potted flower from the grocery store i,n and my daughter makes it up as a little fairy garden, and they love it. Little cactuses and weird succulents are also a hit on their own.
The Melissa and Doug Campfire Smores set is another hit in our house- they set it up and read books with their blankets. Its very cute and entertains my 3 ages 4 and 2.
Second this - it's still in heavy rotation with my almost 9 year old and her friends.
These are so thoughtful and creative. Thank you for taking the time to do this. I think I bought 90% of them! 🙌
This was so helpful and in the perfect age range (my girls are 2, 4 & 7!) I wish I knew about My Pediatrician Friend when my babies were born, will definitely be gifting to new moms!
The geriatric grabers gift is real! So funny to see it on this list, but my kids just love them!! Also, not a gift per se, but my son is obsessed with the automatic train around the Christmas tree. He turns is on every morning and plays with it nonstop until Christmas.
Okay, the grabber is genius. I had back surgery a few years ago, and they gave me one in rehab. It instantly became the kids’ favorite toy. Also super handy when legos and other small toys get trapped under the sofa!
Our friends’ kids have this Lego vacuum thing and they literally fight over who gets to clean up. It’s brilliant. https://www.target.com/p/pick-up-bricks-vacuum/-/A-90943715