AD | Includes gifted items
Last Christmas Erin was just about to turn 2 (on 1st January) and I found choosing her gifts pretty easy. Now that Erin is nearly 3 though it has become a bit harder as she has clear preferences and will say exactly what she likes and what she doesn’t. With that in mind, today I’m bringing you some gift ideas for pre-schoolers!
Toys
Growing up we always used to get one big present for Christmas every year and something I always remember wanting was a doll’s house, probably because my Nanna had one that was amazing. I’m loving the Bigjigs Blossom Cottage as a starter house for pre-schoolers. It’s a really lovely size, has a front and roof that opens and it’s just big enough for a toddler to get to grips with how to play with the set and what can be done!
Disney fans will be in for a treat if they get this amazing Disney Sing and Sparkle Ariel Doll for Christmas this year. I love that Ariel can be played with in different ways and both in and out of water. This Ariel can say over 20 phrases, sing songs like ‘Part of this world’ and when you put her in the water she can do even more. Children will love seeing Ariel’s tail shine and light up!
When it comes to fun toys I am so in love with Crate Creatures right now. The Crate Creatures Surprise toys come in their own crate and there are 4 to collect. You have to break them out with a crowbar and each creature has over 40 sounds and even comes with their favourite toy! You can see Blizz’s tongue sticking out in the picture above and when pulled, he makes a funny noise and his eyes light up. Crate Creatures are strange but super fun and really different!
Thanks to a certain television show Erin has a bit of an obsession with dogs. We’re not in a position to have a real dog The Animagic Woofles My Playful Puppy will make puppy sounds as he gets ready to play and you can also use his squeaky bone to get him to react to you. Woofles is a great option for any dog mad pre-schooler.
When I was a child I desperately wanted a My Little Pony and I never got one and although the TV show has changed somewhat, I’m so glad to see it’s still so popular. This year the My Little Pony Singing Rainbow Dash toy will be a massive hit with any My Little Pony Fan! Rainbow Dash can say 15 phrases and sings 5 songs as well. You can let Rainbow Dash sing on her own, sing with her in a duet or your child can sing on their own!
We really try to encourage Erin to be creative and embrace messy play and I don’t think you can go far wrong with a new Play-Doh set. Erin has said ‘Wow’ pretty much every single time we have seen this advertised. The Play-Doh Ultimate Swirl Ice Cream Maker comes with a 3 in 1 ice cream maker set, 15 accessories as well as 6 tubs of Play-Doh!
Bath time can be one of the most fun parts of the day and Erin could easily stay in hers for an hour if we would let her! I don’t think there are too many bath toys on the market now once you get past baby age but the Hape Rainy Day Fun Set is so much fun! There are loads of ways to play with this bath toy and although it’s suitable from age 1, it will last a lot longer than that.
Erin loves anything a little bit magical and a bit special. Even though this next product is really aimed at children a bit older than Erin I am including it anyway because I know that it’s something she would love. The So Glow DIY Magic Jar Tool Case lets you make 3 sparkly, magic mood jars and I think these, with parental supervision, are something a bit different for pre-schoolers.
We have only recently discovered Super Wings but as soon as Erin saw the main character Jett, she was glued to the TV. The Super Wings Robot Ready Talking Jett is nearly 10″ tall, can say over 15 phrases, lights up and works on motion sensor! This would be such a fun gift for any Super Jett fan or anyone who likes planes!
Books
Pre-schoolers have such great imaginations and books can be a wonderful of encouraging this. One thing Erin is particularly interested in at the moment is rockets and space so Brian The Lion Goes Into Space would be a really fun choice for her, or any other space fan. This book follows Brian the Lion as he goes off exploring but soon realises that he misses home more than he thought he would.
Do you struggle to think of crafty activities to do on a rainy day or during the school holidays? I’m rubbish with this kind of thing and I always struggle with ideas. If the pre-schooler you’re looking to buy gifts for this year likes to get crafty then the ‘I am not a’ series of books from Carlton Publishing will give loads of ideas and they use items from around the home. The set consists of:
- I Am Not a Toilet Paper Roll: 10 Incredible Things to Make with Toilet Paper Rolls
- I Am Not an Egg Carton: 10 Amazing Things to Make with Egg Cartons
- I Am Not an Old Sock: 10 Awesome Things to Make with Socks
- I Am Not a Cereal Box: 10 Exciting Things to Make with Cereal Boxes
These books will keep children occupied for hours and it’s also a set that a child can grow up with!
When it comes to books we like to make sure Erin has plenty to choose from and we definitely don’t stick to her age when it comes to what we choose. Tate Publishing have some absolutely beautiful books on offer this year with a really wide range of subjects. Pictured above are The Lost Horse, The Lost Property Office and The Wobbly Waitress.
At home
Erin is showing a lot more interest in what I’m doing in the kitchen and now, she often wants to make her own breakfast or help with dinner. Something I always want to do more with Erin is to bake, even if I’m not very good at it. Royal Worcester Wrendale Designs Children’s Baking Set is an absolutely stunning gift for any budding baker and it comes with mixing bowl, spoon and apron, all in a super cute woodland design.
As I mentioned earlier, Erin absolutely loves bath time and like me, she has a preference for certain products. I love to get bath treats as Christmas gifts so I don’t see why that should be any different for children. This year we are loving Johnson’s Baby Bedtime Shampoo and Johnson’s Baby Bedtime Bath Wash. We have actually been using these since Erin was born and they smell amazing. A bath bundle would make such a lovely, and different gift for any pre-schooler who likes to have some fun in the tub.
PJ Masks is one of those cartoons that appeals to such a wide age range and both boys and girls. What isn’t to love about superheros for children? For any fan, the PJ Masks Projector Light would make a wonderful gift this year. This can either be used as a nightlight or it can be used to project the 24 images it comes with.
If your child has a favourite cartoon then a themed set would make a great Christmas gift. Spearmark have sets from shows like Peppa Pig and In The Night Garden and you could get something lie this Paw Patrol Tumbler, Bowl & Plate Set and matching Paw Patrol Cutlery Set. We actually got Erin these last year and she has used it so much that we wanted to get a second set!
We are not a family who really restrict technology. Erin does plenty of other activities on a daily basis so I am happy for her to use her tablet when she wants to. The problem with this though is that sometimes Erin can be less than gentle with it and often drops it on the ground or somehow manages to launch it off the couch. If your pre-schooler has an iPad then the iGuy iPad case will help to protect the iPad and it can also stand on it’s feet for tabletop viewing!
Another throw back to my own childhood is the Musical Fairy Jewellery Box from ReRoom. My sister had something so similar to this and I loved it. Erin is always after my jewellery and desperately wants something similar for herself so I think a musical jewellery box is a nice place to start.
Sometimes I think it’s really important to buy children things they need but maybe in a more fun way than normal. Erin is very hit and miss with wanting to brush her teeth so the Woobamboo children’s toothbrush set and Bubble Berry Toothpaste is a fun way to get her interested again. The toothbrushes are natural and biodegradable and the bristles can even be
When we went on holiday last my Mum gave Erin some money of her own. She has a nice mix of coins that probably add up to around £3 but Erin loves that they are hers. Soon we’ll be giving Erin money of her own and I think the Love Heart Personalised Money Box from GiftPup is a really special gift to help her save it up!
Little bakers can often get really messy, and that’s part of the fun of baking to me! However, the personalised children’s giraffe apron from GiftPup would definitely help to protect children’s clothes and they would also look super cute while wearing it. There are different animals available and they can be personalised with a child’s name to make the gift just that bit more special.
Out and about
Now being nearly 3, Erin is past the age for ride ons and push along toys and she craves a bit more freedom and adventure. One way of doing this is with a three wheeled scooter and the Zycom C100 Mini Cruz comes in plenty of colour options and is a great starting place for a starter scooter. For older children, you might want to look at AO Scooters. Remember safety when buying a scooter for any age and think about protection and helmets!
We might not get to do it as often as we’d like but we love getting out and about for the day as a family. Maybe you have a child who loves an adventure or maybe just loves something for themselves, like a drink bottle. Sigg have an amazing range for children with designs suitable for everyone. Pictured above are the Sigg Miracle Love Unisex Children Water Bottle and the Sigg Viva ONE Sharkies Kids Bottle.
I remember always loving getting clothes and fun accessories when I was a child and John and I plan to continue this with Erin as she gets older. It’s okay to buy children something practical that they’ll get a lot of use out of, compared to something fun, and the BUFF fox hat is super cute and great for the colder months! If this came in an adult size I would have it for myself.
I hope you’ve found some inspiration in this gift guide! Does anything here take your fancy?
PIN IT FOR LATER
Wow I love the look of so many things in this post. I will definitely be adding the Disney sing and sparkle Ariel, and the So Glow to Krystabelle’s Christmas list this year. I’m also loving the look of the woobamboo toothbrushes, we will definitely be swapping to these soon. I think we should all get rid of plastic toothbrushes.
Great post xx