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Gearing up for the holidays: hating shopping and your top 10 favorite toddler stocking stuffers
Filed under: Toddlers Preschoolers, Places To Go, Media, Decor, Toys
Usually, the day before Christmas Eve rolls around and I've not gotten anything for anyone on my list. The reason? I am a tragically terrible shopper. I go into the mall and am immediately overtaken with distress. I can never remember what I came for. I wander about vaguely fingering plush animals and weird tree ornaments. I come home with bags of random stuff, exhausted and overwhelmed.
Hating holiday shopping is moderately acceptable as a single person; and even as a partnered, but childless person, because much can be forgiven when one shows up at a holiday parties fashionably late with a delectable try of cookies and some good wine But once you have kids, hating holiday shopping is no longer an option. The folks at the North Pole would be really annoyed if I let them down. Not to mention, my kid would be devastated.
For the past two years, I've gotten away with after thought Christmas presents for my son, in part because the in-laws are obsessive shoppers, and in part because he was so little, he honestly had no idea what to expect. This year, however, he'll be almost three.
I know it's not even Halloween yet. By posting this I am becoming my very own biggest pet peeve. I hate how commercialized the holidays are, as is. I hate Christmas music before Thanksgiving, and all the annoying radio commercials with jingle bells in the background. BUT. Every year the time between the end of October and the end of December blurs by in a flash, and if I'm going to avoid the whole marathon shopping excursion on December 23rd, I at least need to start prioritizing now.
I've always leaned toward natural parenting: towards wooden toys and natural fiber clothing, though Bean does has quite an enormous collection of plastic diggers and Tonka trucks. But especially now, with the whole lead paint/toys made in China debacle, I definitely think I'll be leaning even more in this direction. With this in mind, I need your help: what are your top 10 favorite toddler stocking stuffers?
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
10-21-2007 @ 6:24PM
Croft said...I am getting my daughter (2.5) a lot of art supplies for in her stocking such as watercolors, glitter glue, colored pencils, chalk etc...
Also always good - bubbles, playdough, stickers, fun straws, mittens/gloves, finger puppets... My mom always got us pez and toothbrushes and I STILL remember that :-)
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10-21-2007 @ 6:28PM
Crystal said...When I was a kid, we were allowed to open our stockings while my parents slept. And my parents were smart enough to put things in there that would keep us occupied until they decided to get up. Usually a video game we could play, or something for the computer.
Once my parents got up around 8:00, we could open our gifts under the tree.
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10-21-2007 @ 10:42PM
Uly said...An orange. It's traditional.
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10-21-2007 @ 8:23PM
Sabrina said...Toddler stocking stuffers....hat/mittens, small cars/dolls, play doh, crayons, a coin purse, smaller books. Also, blocks or other stacking type toys fit well in a stocking. MIL did this cool thing with a "toiletries kit" for our DD since we'd been traveling. Basically it was a small makeup bag with a hair brush, small toothbrush, unbreakable little mirror, and some plastic makeup toys that she found...but for a boy I'm sure you could put in a "shaving kit".
We usually go super conservative in stockings, 2 or 3 pieces of candy, socks, undies, hat and mittens, and usually some crayons or something comparable.
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10-22-2007 @ 12:07AM
rebecca Biernesser said...does he like bath time? Toys r us or babies r us sells bath crayons, which are really cool. Also any small bath toy. He likes Tonka trucks, you can get him the small match box work trucks....
I hate the christmas shopping before thanskgiving, but since I am now buying for three kids (thank god, one is a newborn and the other is younger then two!!) and three nieces, I am having to shop early. I have already got a few things for my oldest and so far have not spent a lot b/c they marked them down to bring in the christmas toys...yeah!!
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10-22-2007 @ 2:06AM
bunniesnbuggies said...Play-doh, washable crayons, Thomas the Tank Engine trains (the less expensive diecast ones) or Matchbox cars, one small candy or treat (like a small chocolate Santa), a big bouncy ball, small size board books, new mittens & hat (although we don't need them where we live now) or a fun pair of socks
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10-22-2007 @ 10:05AM
LS said...My mom always put fruit - (apple, pear, and/or orange), nuts, and a book in my stocking. There were also a few little toy things, but it's the fruit and book that I remember most, because I would sit there, eating the fruit and reading the book until my folks got up.
A tip for easier Christmas Shopping for family/friends... I've started a "gifts for:" list. I start it in January and keep it on my word processor, and as the year goes by I add stuff when I see something they'd like, or I hear a rumor that they want something. By the time Thanksgiving comes around, I've got a pretty good idea of what I'm getting for people. Then I can either hit the mall at downtimes, or sit down with a cup of tea, my credit cards and the internet. Saves a lot of money and stress, and I'm done wrapping by a day or two before Christmas.
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10-22-2007 @ 4:34PM
Michelle said...We always do practical things: new toothbrushes, socks, hair bows, crayons, flashcards, chapstick, fruit, board book, CD. The same kinds of things the Easter Bunny brings in their baskets!
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10-22-2007 @ 4:38PM
Jill said...Always a new Pez and a big candy cane, but the rest varies. My boys (3&6) loved getting their own calculators last year. Fisher Price people sometimes get sold in tube sets of threes at the holidays (good for handed down toys that come without the people!) or small Lego sets, maybe art materials. There are almost always sets of batteries in everyone's stockings too! Growing up I always had a roll of film in mine.
My whole family contributes to the stockings- including the kids themselves- to each adult and sibling. Then Santa tops it off after bedtime. The kids usually get taken to buy silly candies (gummy band aids, etc) or small dollar store items for everyone.
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