HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE | Holiday Gift Ideas for Kids + Babies
UPDATED FOR THE 2022 YEAR WITH SOME NEW ITEMS WE’VE BEEN LOVING!
I’ve been working hard on this list for you all — going from room to room, seeing which toys and activities the kids use the most, adding to the list as items popped into my head and really focusing on the items my kids love and use all the time. The holiday season is expensive and I don’t want to recommend random items I find on the internet so this year, I decided to give you a list of holiday gift ideas for kids and babies but only focus on items we currently own and love!
So there you have it —
I linked everything below for you and some of the links are affiliate links, which simply means I make a commission if you end up purchasing an item I recommend on here. But don’t worry, it doesn’t cost any extra for you — it’s almost like and advertising fee from the brand to me for referring customers to them.
I hope you find some items in here your kids truly love for years as we have with many of these!
Pikler Triangle
This is probably the top, most-used kids holiday gift they’ve ever received! Franky got it from Santa when he was 9 months old and it only took him about a week to figure out how to climb up and down (before he could even walk!). We have the climber/slide attachment and at 5, Ava still uses this (as well as the boys) daily! I’ll link the exact one we have and I know dozens of you have purchased the same one throughout the years. They aren’t in the US but shipping was fast and they were amazing — highly recommend this small shop and the price can’t be beat!
Kids Play Kitchen
This is another item over here that is used daily! We keep this kids play kitchen in the play room and all of the kids love it. Snag some fake wooden food and it’s a great tool for their little imaginations! We’ve had this one since Ava was two :)
Slumberkins
I’m always a fan of Slumberkins as gifts! The little stuffed animals are small, no stuffing and cute but my favorite part of the Slumberkins line are their kids books. Their books have the most incredible messages and really help kids with the emotions, struggles and self-confidence we want to teach them as parents. And they’re short and sweet which is always a plus!
Rolling-Rocking Horse
If you’re looking for a great little gift idea for a baby, this one is definitely a top idea in my eyes! It’s a little rocking horse but you can detach the rocker so it rolls too — multi-functional! Ava got it when she was 9 months old and to this day, all of the kids still use it. Click here for the one we have!
Camp Castle Play Mats
These kids play mats are THE BEST and come in all different sizes! We have a mini dinosaur play mat from the same company and this large play mat which is great for them playing with their figurines and using those little imaginations!
Goumi
You all know my love for Goumi and if you have a baby, my personal belief is that the holidays are a great time to stock up on the essentials — like pajamas! We have Goumi jammies from when Franky was a baby that Hayes still uses to this day — they truly hold up through hundreds of washes and many years and I love that about them. The quality is fab! 90% of the kids’ jammies are from Goumi and yes, they even have bigger sizes for the big kids like Ava! They’ve also got baby booties, kids knit sweaters and so much more!
You can use CODE: JENN for a discount!
Dollhouse
I have a bunch of cute dollhouses linked here but this is the one we have and we absolutely adore it! It has held up for years now and the kids still play with it to this day - so great for their little imaginations!
Osmo
I absolutely love the Osmo learning games. Whether you get your kiddos the starter kid or just add-on games, there are so many great Osmo games for all ages! Click here to shop Osmo products!
Scratch Off Rainbow Paper
I know this is a small little gift but the kids absolutely love this scratch off paper! Basically, they use w small wooden stick to “draw” on the paper and wherever they draw shows up as a rainbow! I believe they have other colors too — maybe glitter options? — but this is the stack we always buy!
Ball Pit
I know this one is going to be a hit or miss depending on your family (you know… because of the constant clean up) but our kiddos love it!! This is the ball pit we have and these are the filler ball pit balls we have!
Tenth & Pine
You all know I love my Tenth & Pine — cute baby onesies and the most adorable kids tees for every season! For Franky’s first year of life, we took his monthly photos with a new Tenth & Pine onesie on each time and it turned out so cute! But they also have tees and onesies for every occasion — holiday onesies, birthday onesies and really every occasion you can think of!
Use CODE: JENNH10 for a discount!
Baby + Toddler Bikes
There are a couple of baby + toddler bikes we’ve had and these are our favorites! The first one is one we gave to Hayes for his birthday this year and we just love - it’s simple and inexpensive and a great first baby bike! The second one is pricier but functionally, it’s so cool - it’s a grow with you toddler tricycle! There’s a handle on the back for parents to push, a harness for when they’re a baby, movable petals depending on how long their legs currently are and you can enable or disable steering and petaling depending on age and ability. It’s really such a neat toddler tricycle that’ll grow with them from baby to kid!
Kids Electric Ride-In Car with Remote
This car has been a hit in our family and the best part? There’s a remote control for parents to override the kids if needed (or just control the car altogether if your kid isn’t able to yet).
Baby + Kids Scooters
One of Ava’s favorite activities is scootering and Franky hasn’t quite gotten into it yet but he does have a mini toddler scooter. Both of their scooters have 3 wheels for balance, they’re super easy to steer and can grow with them as they handlebar is adjustable!
Airfort
Ava got this Airfort for Christmas last year and we haven’t used it a ton but whenever we pull it out I’m like “Why don’t we use this more?!” Kids love forts (at least my kids too) but this one makes that set-up and clean up so dang simple! All you do is attach the fort to a fan (this is the fan we have), and it blows up within seconds. And then when you’re done, it folds down into a tiny little carry case that doesn’t take up really any space. Anyways, I’d highly recommend this Airfort as a holiday gift idea for the kids!
Kids Mini Trampoline
Ava got this kids trampoline last year and you guys, I did SO MUCH research before choosing one! I wanted one that would hold up, could hold adult weight but with a handle bar attached that was low enough for Franky to hold and use too! This is the one we ended up with and we keep it in the gym for the kids to play with while Frank works out!
Paint by Stickers Books
Okay these are seriously the coolest! You know the paint by numbers? And you know how most moms aren’t fans of paint? Well this is the same thing but with stickers and it’s great for such a wide range of ages! They have a bunch of different themes to choose from too!
Kitchen Helper
This thing is a lifesaver! The kids love helping me in the kitchen and Ava LOVES to bake so this is so much better than a stool or a chair because you never have to worry about the kids falling off! Even Hayes is old enough to us it ;) This one comes in a bunch of different colors too!
Baby Activity Walker
Hayes got this for Christmas last year even though he wasn’t old enough to use it at the time but now he uses it daily! It’s a wooden walker but also has fun little activities on the front for babies to use even before they can walk and it’s cute too which is always a plus! This is the activity walker we have :)
Gathre Mats
I guess a kid may not enjoy this as a gift but if you want something super practical to get them (or yourself) as a holiday gift, these Gathre mats are so functional! You can use them as a park or beach mat, use them for messy arts and crafts and they wipe clean with water! They’re leather and they’re cute and they fold up nice and small too and our favorite is the fun little city with roads for them to play with their hot wheels on! Here’s a link to Gathre mats - they have so many colors and sizes and shapes to choose from!
Doodle Rolls
The kids were sent these a couple months back and they’re the best! A huge personalized coloring sheet - yes please!! Like how adorable is this?! And Franky has one too! I’ll link the personalized rolls and then some others that aren’t personalized!
Wiki Stix
This is another one that is a super small gift but the kids love these too.
Do you remember these from childhood? They’re so so fun and also great for plane rides!
Taylor Joelle Kids Character Dresses
These are some of Ava’s favorite dresses! Taylor Joelle has just about every character you could think of but they’re nice and subtle so can be worn as every day dresses or dress up dresses. You’ll see what I mean when you see them :)
Kids Sensory Books
These kids sensory books are a favorite over here for Hayes, Franky and Ava — great for any age!! They’ve got holiday themed books, characters and just about every animal you can think of. We got Hayes a couple more for his birthday and per usual, they were a hit! He definitely likes them more than his bike!
The Silly Poopy Game
I know this sounds silly but hear me out — this is hide-and-seek but the kids can play on their own! One kid hides the “silly poopy” and after a bit of time, he will make different silly noises as clues for the seeker. And then when you find him, he plays a catchy little song that I can never get out of my head and the kids dance and have a blast and then start all over again. It’s a hit over here!
Kids Smart Watch
We got this watch for Ava last year and she loves it! It’s not one that can call or has GPS tracking but it’s got games, a camera for photos and video and so much more! I think we’re going to get Franky one for Christmas because they both love it so much!
Kids Wireless Microphone
Both Franky and Ava have these microphones and they absolutely LOVE them! They can make their voices change from high to low and they just have a blast! We actually haven’t even used the karaoke function on them (because they can’t read read yet) so these are really great for any age! Franky has been using his since before he turned 2!
Mini Roller Coaster
None of these are the exact one we have (ours is Thomas the Train) but the same concept. We got this for Ava when she was around 18 months old and the kids used it up until we moved here to Utah! Once we get our backyard up and running we will put it up again and Hayes will be riding right along with them, I’m sure! I’ll link all four of these below for you!
Echo Dot + Hatch Sound Machine
We have a Hatch sound machine in the boys’ room and always bring one with us when we travel. And while we haven’t yet used this function because we haven’t needed to, there’s a cool option to set “time to wake up” colors so kids learn that when the light is red, for example, they must stay in their room but when it turns green, they’re able to leave their room and get up for the day! So cool, right? You can set colors and it also has different sound options which can be controlled form your phone. We’ve only used the white noise but I’m sure once we switch Franky to a big boy bed that function will for sure come in handy!
And then when Ava got into the “I’m scared to go to sleep in my room phase” we got her an echo dot and told her to turn on any music she wanted for bed time and it immediately solved the problem! And it’s kind of fun having some music in there when we’re all up there playing in her room!
Snap Bead Jewelry
These beads are just so fun for the kids to make jewelry and I swear, Ava and her friends bring them out on every play date. And the best part? They’re reusable! They can easily make rings, headbands, bracelets and more and then re-start with the same beads to create something new over and over!
Color by Water Coloring Books
I cannot stand paint and pens and honestly, I keep the crayons away from Hayes because he colors on everything! So these paint with water books are so perfect - no mess! And I love the small books because we bring them on flights with us and they keep the kids nice and busy when their tablets are put away during layovers!
Crocodile Teeth Game
Small and simple, this is an all time favorite game of ours. It’s so simple that toddlers can play and fun enough for the adults to play too. I promise this one will be a hit for you!
Play Doh Ice Cream Shop
I showed you all this fun toy over on reels and it’s an all time favorite! I’m usually not a fan of big toys because they take up so much space but this thing has kept the kids busy for so many hours every day at this point that it’s so worth it. And I love that it’s fun for such a wide range of ages aka all of my kids!
Kids Kindle Tablets
We bought these for the big kids last year and have loved them! We mostly use them for travel and have movies and shows downloaded to them so that no wifi is needed but you can do so much more with them like games and learning that we haven’t really taken advantage of yet. And Hayes is getting his own this year :) Just a hint - they go on sale often (we got all 3 at 50% off) so watch out for that!
