Buying gifts for the boys is one of my favourite parts of the holiday season. I love browsing stores and markets and even online to find unique toys and products I know will make their eyes light up. This was a hard list to put together as I wanted to include SO MANY things and had to get picky. When choosing gifts for the kids I try to find a nice balance of things they want, things they need, things they’ll learn from and some items that are just plain fun! 

1. Kinderfeets Kinderscooter | 2. Wipes Warmer from Munchkin | 3. Lovevery Play Kit  | 4. Sweet Dreams Kid’s Kit from Saje | 5. Bluey Family Cruiser from Indigo  | 6. Slinky from Canadian Tire | 7. Sunshine Baby Activity Walker | 8. 360 Cloud Highchair from Munchkin | 9. Fun-2-3 Instant Camera from LeapFrog | 10. Jellycat Gingerbread Men | 11. Sensory Bin Construction Zone from by Creativity For Kids | 12. Munchkin Swing | 13. Play Kitchen from Tender Leaf Toys

For Pierce Age 4 

Tool Bench and Play Kitchen from Tenderleaf Toys Both of these items are staples in Pierce’s play and keep him busy for hours. The expertly finished wood is stylish and contemporary looking. Both come with so many high quality accessories and opportunities for open ended play and imagination. Both toys are aimed at kids 3+ so I know we’ll get lots of years out of them as soon as Bence gets into making “dinner” for Mommy like Pierce does now!

Slinky from Canadian Tire The OG best toy from the 80s is back! This classic offers hours of fun so mom can enjoy a hot coffee or drink in peace. Sorry if you now have the slinky song in your head 🎶walks down stair, alone or in pairs…🎶

Sticky hand Another classic. Hours of good old fashion fun here! 

Bluey Playset from Toys ‘R’ Us Pierce is all about Bluey right now. He would love this ultimate caravan adventures playset. I love how many accessories it comes with. Definitely enough to make up lots of funny Bluey family stories! 

Bluey Family Cruiser from Indigo Another great Bluey option. Pierce loves to play with cars so I think he’d get a real kick out of one with Bluey inside! “For real life?!” IYKYK!! 

Sweet Dreams Kid’s Kit from Saje This little kit is a perfect support for a solid bedtime routine. With the Aroma Fairy Roll-On, Fairy Mist and Little Renegades Mindful Kids Cards you can get the nice soothing smells rolling as well as the guided meditations and peaceful prompts  on the cards. 

Doll from Koolorez Dolls are such an influential tool in roleplay, empathy and imagination for young kids. I’m trying to get the boys interested in broadening their toy shelf from cars and blocks! I love to see diversity in dolls so I was excited to learn about this brand that shares the beauty of Caribbean and African culture and fashion through dolls.  

Kitchen Creations Colorful Cafe Playset from Play Doh Pierce loves his play kitchen and he loves making things out of play doh so I thought this was a great option! It’s a cafe set up with 5 different colours to make drinks and frappes with. Hopefully I’ll get to sit and read my book while he whips me up something tasty! 

Fun-2-3 Instant Camera from LeapFrog Pierce is allll about taking photos on either mine or Gary’s phone right now… he’s soo cute when we go for walks he needs to take a picture of the Christmas lights to show dad. He;s going to have so much fun with this toy while learning about animals, shapes, colors and numbers as well as fun facts about animals and habitats.

LeapPods Max Headphones from LeapFrog Daddy’s airpods move aside, Pierce is getting LeapPods! I think these are going to be super fun for him and hopefully something he can do independently. As well as listening to music, hours of activities, loaded on the headphones, take kids on audio adventures, get the mind and body moving with active challenges, and things like mindfulness activities. 

Railway Construction from J’Adore Pierce loves trains so this is an easy one. This natural wood train set is super durable so it’ll be sure to last through both boys and their elaborate train set ups! I love watching them use their imaginations as Pierce sets up little scenes and drives trains through them. It’s amazing to me how trains facilitate such creative play.

Sensory Bin Construction Zone from by Creativity For Kids  We got these for Pierce’s 3rd birthday as the party theme was construction and he is obsessed with these!! We have 3! It’s basically a mini construction site where kids can develop and practice fine motor movement with rolling, scooping and digging. So much fun! 

Kids Audio Player by Yoto My kids both love music, dancing and singing. This toy would give them the creative control to play what they want to listen to which would be awesome (or not haha!) This player is operated by kids using visual cards that play stories, music, activities, podcasts and radio. It sounds so cool! 

 

For Bence Age 2 

Rainbow Tunnel from Tender Leaf Toys Bence loves these wooden building toys to much and so do I! The colours and way they fit together feels really well made. The rainbow tunnel and Counting Carrots are frequent favourites and the Sunshine Baby Activity Walker was super instrumental in Bence learning to walk. It’s also so gorgeous and definitely a toy I don’t mind seeing left out in the living room. 

Rolling Shape Sorted from Bigjigs Bence loves shapes and he loves sorting. This is a great one to really get his brain working as he tries out all the different options for each shape. It also has a good rattle to it when all the shapes are inside which every kid loves! 

Mini Melody Band Wooden Musical Instruments I had to think long and hard before I bought this one as the noise levels in our house are pretty high already but I decided to go for it as Bence just loves music. He’s always bobbing his little head along to songs like the Treebees and I just know he’d love to try making his own music. Maybe I should add earplugs to the ‘For Her’ gift guide!! 

Wonky Fruit and Vegetables by Plan Toys These veggie toys are too cute! They’re all a bit wonky looking so kids learn that fruits and veggies can look different ways, I love it! Bence loves “cutting these up” and getting busy in Pierce’s kitchen. I love that they’re wooden and so well made. 

Blue’s Clues Handy Dandy Notebook Bence loves Blue’s Clues so when I knew I wanted to get him something a bit advanced for his age that he could grow into, this was it! This notebook has 14 light-up app icons that introduce toddlers and preschoolers to colors, counting, shapes, weather, health and hygiene. It also features phone, music and mail apps for pretend play with Blue, Josh and Mailbox. I’m excited to see how Bence enjoys this! 

Toy Vacuum from LeapFrog It cracks me up buying my toddler a vacuum but he sees how much mama loves to vacuum so I know he’ll love it! And this cleaning tool he can learn from, as most LeapFrog toys offer! The toy picks up pretend dust pieces as kids roll the vacuum over them, encouraging motor skills as they move the pretend vacuum around the place. As the vacuum picks up the dust pieces, it recognizes each color and helps with color recognition. Love it! 

Afternoon Tea Stand By Tender Leaf You’re probably wondering if this is for me or for Bence but I swear he’ll love it! And ok, maybe I will too LOL! There’s nothing wrong with a pretend ham or cucumber sandwich, a lemon meringue pie, a chocolate roll, a slice of Victoria sponge, an apple fancy, or cupcakes right?! 

 

For Babies 

Wipes Warmer from Munchkin This is legit the coolest baby item I’ve ever seen. Gary often leaves our wipes warmer open at home even though I remind him they’ll dry out so when I saw a wipe warmer that closes after 15 seconds ON ITS OWN I was thrilled. This one from Munchkin opens by touch and then does the rest itself. Every mom needs one of these. I’m going to bring one of these home and then I’ll never have to “nag” Gary again haha. 

Swing from Munchkin I LOVED this swing for both the boys. It’s lightweight, plays soothing sounds and is bluetooth enabled so I can use this while I’m in my office and baby can happily relax and see me. It’s perfect for any road trip or traveling since it’s lightweight and stores easily. I loved this when Bence was in it and I feel like it’s a great way to see if your baby likes the swing without investing in higher ticket items. 

360 Cloud Highchair from Munchkin This is a new item from Munchkin that is so sleek and modern looking, I love it. It’s the only highchair I know of that turns the entire 360 degrees so that it is sooo easy for baby to see you and also their favourite show or for feeding. Easy to clean, one minute assembly, maximum safety, you can throw the tray in the dishwasher. Perfect! 

 

For Everybody 

Lovevery Play Kits I love these kits. They’re so carefully curated and chosen for your baby’s developmental stages. The toys are high quality and well made. Each kit challenges your baby and toddlers with tage-based play essentials for their little developing brains which is so important! 

Jellycat Gingerbread Men I can’t wait for the boys to open these up in their stockings!! They are going to be so excited… how cute are these stuffies?!?!? I bet there’ll be lots of, “You can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man!” in our house this Christmas. 

Tent from Kinderfeets This brand from the Netherlands makes so many beautiful toys. I want to play with them myself! This year I’m planning to have this tent all set up in their playroom on Christmas morning with twinkly lights around it, pillows and blankets below. They’re going to lse it when they see it. I CAN”T WAIT to see their faces. I’ve also got them each a new bike and a scooter for Pierce!! I think I might even be more excited than they are for them to see it all, haha! I just love that this brand is available in so many west coast retailers!  

 

Books

Little Blue Truck Christmas by Alice Schertle This is one of our favourite christmas books and is quickly becoming a tradition. I hide it for 10 months of the year so when it comes out the boys get really excited!  

Busy Betty by Reese Witherspoon This book looks super cute and I love Reese so this is definitely going in someone’s stocking! 

Bad Seed Box Set by Jory John  We love these books about the Bad Seed, Sour Grape and Good Egg. They all have such cute messages about being yourself and are so funny. The boys love them. 

Josie’s Busy Calendar by Jenn Wint I love supporting local authors and this is a super cute book about self care geared at school aged kids. I think this one will be really good for Pierce when he starts school. It’s all about making time for yourself which we all need a lesson in! 

Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth by Oliver Jeffers This book comes highly recommended, I think it’s won awards, and I can’t wait to give it to the boys. It’s about how to protect our planet and the importance of kindness – all things I want the boys to appreciate! 

1. Kinderfeets Kinderscooter | 2. Wipes Warmer from Munchkin | 3. Lovevery Play Kit  | 4. Sweet Dreams Kid’s Kit from Saje | 5. Bluey Family Cruiser from Indigo  | 6. Slinky from Canadian Tire | 7. Sunshine Baby Activity Walker | 8. 360 Cloud Highchair from Munchkin | 9. Fun-2-3 Instant Camera from LeapFrog | 10. Jellycat Gingerbread Men | 11. Sensory Bin Construction Zone from by Creativity For Kids | 12. Munchkin Swing | 13. Play Kitchen from Tender Leaf Toys

Omigoodness this list could go on and on. Kids are so much fun to buy for, I have a feeling this list is only going to continue to grow. What are you getting for your kids this year? Do you buy toys and activities they like now or do you try and get things they’ll grow into? That’s always my challenge so I’d love your thoughts and any suggestions I might have missed (and need to add to this list!) Let me know your kids’ ages and what’s going under the tree!