Gift Guide #1: Your Nutty Kids Who Request Back Rubs Every Night and Never Turn Down a Cookie.

Thank you so much for sharing TKSST, Nicole!

My babe was 5 months last Christmas and that was not an age where she was super interested in unwrapping things/presents/etc. We got her a book and a special Christmas ornament. We will give her an ornament every year that she can take with her when she has her own home and tree. My parents did this for me, and I really treasure those ornaments. It’s also fun to pick ornaments based on the kid’s interest/travels/etc. from that year. Other than that, is there something you could do for the parents? Cleaning service, diapers, meals or something more long-term for the babe like a contribution to a travel fund or college fund? I’d say a more popular parenting angle these days is minimalism and less “stuff” for kids.

TL;DR Special ornaments, something helpful for the parents, money

Hi Andrea! I love love love both the play Mat and the playlist from Lovevery. They’re beautiful, thoughtfulIy designed and my baby loves them. I’d be ecstatic to be gifted a playkit!

My son was only 2 months old at his first Christmas and we got him the Pottery Barn blanket with his name and birthday on it. He just turned 5 and still sleeps with it every night <3

I noticed kids don’t really play with items much at this age so I’d go with board books (A Picnic with Monet was well loved at that age and the first in a whole series of books like it). You might also try making a photo book with faces of loved ones (especially if they live farther away) for the baby. If you wanted something they play with- why not try a sensory box. Basically, a box with different things for them to touch/feel etc. They need not be expensive or even toys. Hair rollers, ribbons, spoons, etc. Babies at that stage are learning how about the world through their senses. Kiwi Crate does subscription boxes for kids at this age too.

Happy first Christmas with the grandchild!

The “Indestructibles” books, teethers, and stacking cups were huge hits with my 4 month old last Christmas! Less is more for babies, they’re so content with just a few things. Setting up a 529 college fund like Dana mentioned is also a great idea. We did that for my son’s first birthday and loved receiving contributions to that vs more toys we didn’t need.

Depends on their interests, of course, but books or a Netflix subscription and tips on how to use them. But, most importantly for the older crowd, is decluttering, getting out, and the gift of time. Tickets to a sporting event with you and some friends or family. Tickets to a museum, a concert, a speaker, a reading, a movie, a play. Depending on what activities they enjoy. Take them out to an event and a meal. Wrap up a handwritten voucher or the exact tickets. Trust me-it will be adored.

There is this great app called Neveo which allows a family (multiple users) to upload photos and captions and it mails a printed “newsletter” to our grandmother every month. She LOVES IT. Keeps her in the loop even without a smart phone.

I love getting my grandparents things like flannel pajamas or fleece pajama pants. I hope they wear them and think someone loves me and wants me to feel cozy and warm.
I’ll also do food gifts- homemade hot chocolate and marshmallows or gift cards to my grandfather’s favorite restaurant. I usually gift my grandfather homemade sauce with tomatoes from my garden and a fancy pasta. He gets a kick out of that. On my husband’s side, we’ve been trying to get his parents gifts that make their lives easier, such as a Roomba.

We’ve given a wifi-enabled digital photo frame that has its own email address. All the extended family can simply email photos to the email address with the caption as the subject line and presto! New photos for grandparents magically appear :) Obviously it’s suggested that you set it up for them when you give it to them.

In the ‘experience’ category, I contracted with an accordion player on a ‘gig’ website to go to my mother-in-law’s care home and play for her on her birthday and it was a big hit. Music in whatever form would be a wonderful gift.

Depending on the tech-proficiency of your sweet elderly relative:

When my grandmother was still alive we gave her a simple tablet and removed all apps from it except Skype. We then made icons of all of our accounts/faces on the screen (myself, brothers, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc) and we had a few tutorials on how to use it with her…

And then! How beautiful and wonderful was it to be able to Skype with my 85 year old grandma from several time zones away. The gift of time and connection are so so valuable – to both sides.

Other ideas: my grandmother loved to bake, but some items can be pricey (like macadamia nuts, for example) – we would surreptitiously check her supplies and stock up on those extra special items; cozy slippers/socks; each year my mother would buy her mother a new dressing gown – something she used daily and would appreciate; all of my grandparents loved music, but didn’t really know how/where to find the sounds of their youth – we would track down CDs and records of their favourite artists from their younger days and they would just marvel at being able to hear those songs again (and on repeat if they so chose!); and LOBSTER! haha – I’m from Maine and my grandparents from there loved lobster but a) it’s expensive and b) it’s a lot of work! We would always get them a few packages of fresh-frozen meat to stock them up, so they could treat themselves whenever they wanted throughout the year. Of course not everyone is a lobster fiend, but special/hard to find items like that show that you pay attention to what they like and also put in the effort/time to track it down!

One other idea for elderly relatives or friends who may be in nursing homes, look into the policy on decorations for their rooms. They may not be able to have all of the same decor that they’re used to from home, but it makes such a difference to brighten up their space with some holiday cheer – especially homemade crafts or bringing in long-loved items from home.