Are you ready for the holidays, or looking for some ideas? And here are some of the some of the pieces that were new to our family, or that the kids were particularly drawn to this year
0-2 Years: Gift Ideas
Ages 0-2 represent a huge range in development, don’t they? Isn’t it lovely that there are gifts you can buy that will last such a long time! Some of these will start as beautiful decorations, but all of these will get play too, and past 2 years old. How satisfying to know you’re giving something that will last! Grimms and Grapat are geofenced, so these items are not directly linked on this page, but instead have brand-specific buttons below. [necessary disclaimer–you know your kids best! please monitor them for safety regardless the age recommendation of the toy]
The Grimms Nesting Cups are recommend from age 1+, but before the child is ready for teh full set, just one of the mid-sized pieces is a lovely grasping toy. Later they are lovely for sorting.
The Grimms Nesting House is bright and beautiful from day one, and a lovely first stacking toy and introduction to small world play.
Large Square Nesting Boxes from Grimms are sturdy, good for building–they can quickly arrange into a doll house or integrate into another build–and great for sorting/organizing.
Many of the Grimms sets come in a Pastel color palate–the Grimms Mosaic set shows it off beautifully! I love this as an starter block set for the under-3 crowd.
Silks are a wonderful play choice for all ages. Babies love the texture, they’re great for peek-a-boo and pretend. They come individually, in sets of multiples, and in 35 inch and and 21 inch sizes.
Grapat rings are excellent grasping toys from the start, and later are good for stacking, hiding peg-person friends and threading. Rings on a playsilk are fun for a baby, or pair with Grapat coins for color matching
If there’s any one toy I wish I’d known about when my kids were babies, its this–Climbers like this are such a perfect toy for babies to gain strength, stability and agility.
Stockmar block crayons are a great first crayon choice–they’re easy to grip, they draw well and the colors on paper are beautiful. (not to mention–they last for EVER–we’ve had ours for 3 years and they still almost don’t look used)
Musical Instruments that are not harsh sounding are wonderful for kids, and not jarring to their parents–a good xylophone was one of our best investments with little people!
$10 off $50 at Happy Monkey with Code: Rainbow10
This push-n-pop cloud from le Toy Van is a sure shot for fun! (and not a noise maker). At Happy Monkey , or Amazon Prime
Another one we didn’t have, but I’ve seen these in shops, and they’re beautiful. I love that the Oli & Carol teethers look like real vegetables–and the texture is delightful too (and because they look real–they’ll spill over into small world play later)
Normally I’m ALL about the bright hues, but sometimes kids need a visual calm too–and these stood out to me for being made in western Europe (Denmark) as well.
Holztiger animals are a delight–lovely to grasp, lovely to play with, and beautiful on the shelf. For the 0-2 range, pick the animals that are small enough to grasp, but big enough not to be a choking hazard
Its hard to resist a stuffed animal when shopping for a little person, and our favorite brand of by far is Jellycat. They’re super soft, snuggly, and so friendly!
One of my top favorites as a child, and one my own kids loved over and over. The Litte Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear is one of our go-to gifts.
Sandra Boyntons The Going to Bed Book is a treasure. Funny to all ages, short and sweet and while nothing will ever convince a child to sleep–this one kept the process entertaining
Duns Sweden is some of our favorite kid clothes. Responsibly made, beautiful colorful patterns, and soft fabrics. It’s hard to go wrong with Scandi style!
The Tea Collection clothing company is known for drawing inspiration from different regions of the world. Each season they visit a new local. A fun way to incorporate art and culture into your kid’s wardrobe
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At first glance, the Bauspiel Giant Rainbow looks familiar and perhaps similar to other sets, but on closer inspection, the size and proportions reveal that really it plays more like a remarkable set of blocks than the typical rainbow stacker.
Each year as earth day rolls around the kids and I talk about changes we can make to live more responsibly. Sometimes it means using less of things, sometimes using different things, sometimes it means looking for ways to use things longer, and other times it means making new choices next time you shop. Here are a few of our favorites.