2021 Gift Guide: Favourites ‘For Kids’

Natalie Langston

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The holiday season is back again and I am OVERJOYED to be sharing my gift guides again. I love seeing what goodies have been carefully picked out by opinions I trust, and having them sorted into categories honestly just makes the process so so easy!! I L.O.V.E. putting these together, getting to showcase some of my favourite brands and local small businesses, and imagining these beloved items wrapped up and under your trees waiting for your loved ones 🙂 AH it brings me such joy <3 <3 <3 Alsoooo, the gift guides miiight just give a sneak peek into what’s on my list of 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways… 😉 More details to come soon!

So, without further ado, let’s break down some of my favourite gifts of the year for the little ones in your life. This year being cozy at home and having things to do on long trips are major themes! I can see a lot of us being in long car rides to visit family this holiday season after not being able to spend it together last year ❤️ We also have tons of activities and toys for learning development, baby essentials, and kids decor for the home & nursery 🎄 I know shipping & stock issues is restricting access to some popular toys this year, so I want to encourage you to shop local and from local artists!! I’ve made sure to include TONS of great Etsy finds, but there are always more, so please leave some of YOUR faves in the comments below as well ☺️

1. Kids Carry-On  | 2. My Real Jam Acoustic Guitar | 3. Rainbow Rolling Dough play set  | 4. The Mini Wednesday Romper in Midnight Black | 5. Garbage Truck  | 6. Elliott the Fawn  | 7. Beautiful Rainbow | 8. Blundstone 565 | 9. Lovevery Boxes | 10. Sherpa Lined Rain Jacket | 11. Kids Bamboo Pocket Tee  | 12. Little People Big Dreams: Black Voices  | 13. Teether  

 

Apparel & Blankies

A romper from Smash + Tess. The Mini Cozy Friday Romper in Poinsettia Plaid would be SO CUTE in a matching family picture. I also love love love their collaboration with Jillian Harris, The Mini Jilly Jogger Romper in Jillian Grey (come on, how PRECIOUS is that product photo??)

These baby Blundstone 565’s in Kids Rustic Brown are sooo cute. Blundstones are super high quality so these can serve as hand-me-downs for years to come after your kiddo grows out of them! 

This Sherpa Lined Rain Jacket from PK Beans lends an extra cozy feel on its inside for rainy days.

Slippers are a must… right? How about these Snuggle Bunny Baby Slippers or the Crocheted Pom Baby Slippers??? I cannot choose.

Os and Oakes have the best staples and soo many options. I LOVE their Kids Bamboo Pocket Tee and the Baby Bamboo Jersey Romper.

Jac & Jae Designs are SO beautiful and high quality. This Luxe Alpaca Blanket in Cotton looks so soft and I love that the tassel fringe goes all the way around.

Lou Lou Lollipop muslin quilts are my FAVOURITE. Happy Trucks is their newest one and is PERFECT for Pierce’s 3rd Birthday theme, Woodland Gnome is in Bence’s nursery, and the Vancouver’ style is one of our favourites to travel with.

Toys

Here are a few “Pierce favourites”: he’s OBSESSED with this garbage truck and his wooden camera.

OMG I want one of these Wooden Vehicle Toys for myself 😂😂 The design and colours are so nice I could even keep one on my desk… (hmm… that would make it a treat for the kids to play with since it wouldn’t be in their regular rotation. I might have just talked myself into keeping a toy on my desk LOL.)

Hot Wheels are always a win. How about a monster truck…. or more monster trucks 😂

How CUTE is this Construction Set for the sandbox 😂!! And a play tool set 😭😭

I love this Chalkboard Laptop Toy for Pierce. He’s obsessed with “doing some work mommy” on my computer hahaha ❤️

This Vegan Wooden Play Food Set is so brilliant!! What a wonderful way to expand your toy kitchen if you follow a vegan diet, or encourage inclusivity even if you don’t! Maybe if I get this for Bence he can teach me how to cook with jackfruit LOL.

These Cuddle and Kind Dolls are SO SWEET. I can’t choose between Elliott the Fawn or Henry the Bunny… And I love that you can order them in two different sizes!

OMG I’m getting this green recycling plus toy set for Pierce ASAP!!! He’s obsessed with everything garbage and recycling. 

Pierce loveees Hello Dough and they’re GREAT for stocking stuffers or party favours. This little rainbow rolling dough play set is also SUPER cute.

Activities

Simple bedtime stories are SUCH a great way to start teaching the kids about history and important figures. Check out this box set from Little People Big Dreams: Black Voices, which features three hardcover books about Maya Angelou, Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr.! I also love this Follow Your Dreams, Little One book and the Dream Big, Little One book.

The Twelve Days of Christmas In Canada Kids Book looks like such a great way to learn little tidbits about Canada’s history from coast to coast! 

I love poking around Etsy and finding gems like this name puzzle. It’s such a smart way to get kids used to writing letters! The same store, DazzleYourPuzzle, has SO many great options– I also love this Alphabet Puzzle and Clock Set.

A kids carry-on… LOL it’s such a treat when they become old enough (and excited) to have their own suitcase. Away bags have rechargeable battery packs built inside them so they can charge your devices on-the-go. What a RELIEF for long trips and iPads with unreliable batteries!!

An indoor play gym is a GODSEND during Covid if you have the space. This Montessori Climbing Triangle + Ramp is another great option and it comes in a few different sizes.

The BEST thing we have for Pierce is his Learning Tower. It helps him to be more involved and a part of what’s going on in the kitchen– we LOVE baking and making pancakes together. He eats his breakfast in it pretty much every day and sometimes his lunch. It makes everything SO much easier that he can pull up right beside me and not feel like he’s missing a beat 🥰

Pierce loves his balance bike— He’s almost ready to just go straight to a big boy bike next month because of the balance bike and skip training wheels altogether!!

Protip: Keep a card game in your carry-on in case something goes wrong with your devices! This S’mores Game is super cute and will get your kids excited for your next camping trip. Or would be super cute to play before surprising them with s’mores ingredients at the campsite.

Learning to play guitar requires a bunch of time building up finger strength and calluses! This My Real Jam Acoustic Guitar would help to get that process started without having actual vinyl strings rough up their fingers yet. I love that it has a few different play modes to help start learning what sounds right by ear!!

The Bathorium Little Charlie Kids Bath Soak in Coconut & Oak is specially formulated for little ones so it’s super gentle on their skin! Bath soaks are SO good for skin hydration.

Art & Home Goods

This would make a really unique and meaningful gift: print this Vehicle Alphabet Poster (or anything else they’d like) and frame it on canvas. I did this in Bence and Pierce’s playroom and it’s a super fun addition as it decorates as well as teaches!

Getting new keepsake ornaments every year is such a treat- it makes decorating the tree such a walk down memory lane!! For 2020 you could gift this Beautiful Rainbow that will look super lovely surrounded by Christmas lights!!

What can you use a Pehr Basket for? THE LIMIT DOES NOT EXIST. These are fantastic for sorting toys or laundry or even just playing around in LOL. I love that this style has a bunch of different colour options!!

Lovevery Boxes have so many different selections of toys for age groups and interests!! Get one or a couple or even grab a subscription and get sent new goodies every few months. Everyone loves getting mail, and when it’s something that’s going to keep the kids occupied for a few hours it’s a HUGE win 😂

We have a bookshelf from Primrose in Bence’s nursery, and it’s such an amazing timeless item for all our precious memories ❤️

For When They’re Really Tiny

This Fisher Price Swing (which can also be found in my Mom Essentials here) from Bed, Bath and Beyond is a straight-up GODSEND. I’ve used it daily with Bence and WISH I had it with Pierce. This would be a GREAT gift for a new mom, hands down! 

I LOVE Duckish: Check out their Diaper Rash Cream Stick, Baby Body Balm Lotion Stick, or Gift Set. These are in my Mom Essentials too- you can just swipe where you need it and not get messy hands in the process!!

Love these Ryan & Rose teethers and Bence loves chewing on them… funny both my kids never actually used a soother for what they are supposed to do haha.

We have this Woodland Muslin Blanket (how precious??) and teether in Bence’s Nursery!! They’re both from the same seller on Etsy, Boutique Les Bambins, so you can ship them together to save $ 😉

A Baby Carrier is ESSENTIAL and not really something you’d think about being a part of your outfit but… it sure does take up a lot of surface area 😂 Maybe someone you know is due for an upgrade?

A Baby Bouncer is another essential- look at how CUTE THESE BABYBJÖRN STYLES ARE. It’s so easy to get caught up with hand-me-downs but.. Sometimes it’s okay to treat yourself with something nice to look at as well!! It’ll only become another hand-me-down hahah.

This Goodnight’ Wire Script Sculpture sign would be so precious in a nursery…. Or the ‘Bon Appetit’ one above the rocking chair where you feed LOL 😂 

1. Kids Carry-On  | 2. My Real Jam Acoustic Guitar | 3. Rainbow Rolling Dough play set  | 4. The Mini Wednesday Romper in Midnight Black | 5.  | 6. Elliott the Fawn  | 7. Beautiful Rainbow | 8. Blundstone 565 | 9. Lovevery Boxes | 10. Sherpa Lined Rain Jacket | 11. Kids Bamboo Pocket Tee  | 12. Little People Big Dreams: Black Voices  | 13. Teether  

 

What a list, right!!! Phew. I really hope this helps you pick out some great gifts for your kiddos and the kiddos in your life!! Remember to please, please shop local whenever you can- even just ordering from Indigo instead of Amazon makes such a big difference. But there are SO many great local brands and local artists (wherever you are) that will have beautiful, unique, high-quality toys and blankets and clothes that might be a little bit more expensive but will give back in SUCH a major way.

Do you have any go-to kids gifts?? I’d love to learn about them down below! And if you’re an artist that sells kids stuff on Etsy or have a shop people can visit or order from, please please please paste a link in the comments so we can support you too 🥰

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November 28, 2021

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