If you are buying presents for your children they have probably already presented you with a list as long as their arm detailing what they would like this year. So this guide is more about some different ideas for stocking fillers, and gifts for babies who haven’t yet started to demand the universe complete with a unicorn.

A Personalised Toy From The Personalised Gift Shop

Babies are notoriously hard to buy for, but a personalised item is a lovely way to celebrate a first Christmas. The Personalised Gift Shop has personalised items for all ages, and I just love the Personalised Guess How Much I Love You Large Plush Hare.

The Hare, from the iconic children’s story can be personalised with any name on the ear. It stands at 23 cm tall, 13 cm wide, and 10cm depth, and is super soft, making it lovely for a baby or a young child. This is a present that both baby and child will enjoy and treasure.

A Baby Toiletries Hamper From Johnson’s Baby

If you are buying for a very small/newborn baby, you may choose to go down the route of buying something that is actually practical and useful for both baby and parents.

Johnson’s Baby Products are a mainstay of most babies lives, so why not put together a hamper of some of the faves. The bedtime range is soft and gentle, and choosing a few items that could then be placed in a wicker basket or pretty box could be a gift that is not only lovely, but could also help the new parents save a few pennies on essentials. Alternately, Boots have a lovely gift set which could also fit the bill.

Perfect Stocking Fillers From BrightMinds 

At Christmas, it is very easy to buy children lots of items that can be classed as mindless fun, but it is also good if you can add more thoughtful presents, things that can stretch the mind and the imagination.

BrightMinds toys do just that. They have a wide range of goods on their site, and I love the fact that toys are sorted by age, rather than into girl/boy catogories. Their toys are well made, often have an educational slant, and will last way beyond the Christmas period.

The Canvas Pop Art Tiger is perfect for a child who loves Art. Using stencils and an array of colours, your child can create their own version of a piece of Pop Art on a totally blank canvas. Great for rainy days, or those boring times in between Christmas and New Year.

Another perfect stocking filler that I would’ve loved to have received as a child is Djeco One Big Dressing Room. A modern take on the paper dress up dolls, the Big Dressing Room has three dolls, lots of outfits, and can certainly be used as part of imaginative play – what is the girl dressing for, where is she going, who is she?

This is a present which is beautifully boxed and would certainly make a perfect gift for a child with an interest in clothes and fashion.

A really cute, but really important gift is Booktail Bookmark Dog. Further down in this guide I feature some books, and really believe if you are giving the gift of books, you should also be teaching children how to love and respect them. A bookmark is part of this message, as it stops children from turning down the pages, and these bookmarks in particular, are so lovely and cute that they can only encourage a child to want to pick up a book in order to use them.

The Booktails come in a range of six designs, each with a different animal, but I personally love this adorable dog!

The Perfect Christmas Eve Pyjamas From Nutmeg

The rise in popularity in the Christmas Eve box makes pyjamas a good choice to give as a gift just before Christmas. Nutmeg, the range of clothing that is sold at branches of Morrisons supermarkets, have the most adorable Christmas pyjamas that are suitable for the whole family, perfect if you want to take that special family shot on Christmas Eve.

The Bear PJ family are the cutest, and warmest pyjamas that you will really enjoy wearing this festive season. The children’s version have long sleeves, come in sizes right up to 13-14 and have a lovely illustration on the top, and soft tartan bottoms.

The PJS are a collaboration with children’s cancer charity Clic Sargent, and 75p from every pair bought will be donated to the charity.

A Picture Cushion From Vistaprint

An unusual gift idea for a tween or teen could be a personalised cushion from Vistaprint that incorporates a favourite photograph. This could be a piccie with their friends, or even a special photograph with a hero.

I have created a cushion for Joe with one of his football heroes, Charlie Austin of WBA, using a photograph taken at a recent signing session. This is another practical gift, perfect if your child is in the middle of a bedroom makeover, but it is also very special due to the one off nature of the gift.

Sweet Treats From Haribo

Even if you are very strict about sweet treats at all other times of the year, at Christmas, enjoying a little of the sweet stuff is a given. Haribo always have some really brilliant gift ideas at this time of the year, and this year is no exception. I love the HARIBO Hamper which is a mixture of  sweet and sour Bear Buddies, Squidgy Strawbs, Jelly Beans, Balla Stixx, Chamallows and delicious Dummies Z!NG.

HARIBO Pip Polar Bear Z!NG and Puck Penguin Gift Boxes

There are also the very cute HARIBO’s Pip Polar Bear and Puck Penguin gift boxes which are beautifully packaged for Christmas. The HARIBO Pip Polar Bear Z!NG are raspberry and blackcurrant polar bear and paw-shaped jelly pieces that make a magical addition to any Christmas list. The HARIBO Puck Penguin features an  array of jelly and foam penguin-shaped pieces in a flurry of fruity flavour combinations including peach & vanilla, blackcurrant & vanilla and strawberry & vanilla.

Beautiful Books for Christmas

I love giving books as gifts at Christmas, especially when the recipient is a child. What could be better than a gift of knowledge, especially if it is a book that parents and children can read and enjoy together.

The Natural History Puzzle book is a beautifully curated book which guides you through the history of our incredible world with hundreds of questions certain to confound and amuse children and parents alike. The themed quizzes and puzzles are a great way to spark interest on everything from ancient fossils and dinosaurs to human evolution and the natural world around us. It is the sort of book that can help alleviate boredom over the Christmas period.

For football fans what about the Harry Kane Fan Book, which is packed with stories and facts about the England striker, along with lots of colour photographs. This is a book that could work for a child who you know loves football, but you’re not sure of their team, with Harry being an England hero, this is sure to please.

 

For younger children, a personalised “Goes to Sleep” bedtime book could be a lovely idea, and even an aid to help your child go to sleep easier. The book has been written by George Berkowski, with beautiful illustrations by Kasia Dudziuk and has been created in partnership with ‘The Children’s Sleep Charity’. Each copy is personalised for each individual child and you can also add a photograph of your child inside the cover, along with a dedication.

The book is beautiful and bright, with really appealing illustrations and a lovely, exciting story to follow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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