it’s day number 4 of these intentional gift guides, and I have to say, i’m having so much fun with them. this year has truly been a season of stripping down all the excess & getting really intentional with what fills my environment. these gift guides have felt like such a fun way to think about gifting items to our friends & family that offer this same level of intentionality to them in this Christmas season.

in the same way we as moms can get wildly overstimulated by our environments, so do our kids! as i’ve entered deeper into motherhood, i’ve tried my best to rid myself of the idea that Shay needs a playroom full of toys & getting really intentional with what we have for him. this list will have some toys we use & loved, but mostly we’re thinking practically about what serves kiddos (& parents) without adding to the overwhelm.

last little caveat — my best advice for you, as a parent who’s been through christmas (& birthdays) already, is think ahead. when grandma & other friends/fam ask for a list, think forward to the coming months! ex: a great gift for one year olds could be a toddler car seat. babies change so fast that it’s often better to buy for upcoming developmental stages than it is to try to cater to what they need today.

obviously, there are exceptions to this, but it’s a good general tip. i’ve listed the items below based on age.. take a look through the sections that are a few months older than your child will be at Christmas for good suggestions!

that said, here’s day number 4!

anything available on amazon is linked here 🙂

Newborn (0-3 months, ish)

01 / check your own registry
if you have a fresh baby around christmas time, use this as an opportunity to take a look at your registry and look for items that weren’t purchased the first time around.

did you want a rocker but haven’t invested? is there a certain baby wrap/carrier that would make your life easier?

02 / play gym + tummy time mat
if you don’t already have a play system for tummy time, it can be a great option for the grandma who wants to be fun & buy toys, even though baby isn’t really playing. we have the Lalo play gym which Shay enjoyed, but I think i’ll invest in this one for baby #2 from Lovevery. I like that there are colors & that it has toys both on the arch and interactive pieces on the mat itself!

03 / babylist trial kits
the newborn stage is all about trial and error, learning your baby’s wants & needs.. which is why these kits are *genius* in my opinion. babylist makes kits of many kinds— diapers, pacifiers, sleep sacks, sippy cups— that each come with a handful of brands for you to try. they’re a great way to test out different products without feeling like you have to commit to one brand right from the start. basically, these kits are not only practical, but they give the gift of grace to try something new & options to do so, which every new parent could use in a double portion.

04 / teething toys
Shay started teething crazy early (gnawing on everything before 6 weeks!), so we lived on teething toys. I’ve loved Mushie’s selection- there are so many good ones! I’ll link some of out favs in the amazon storefront for today’s guide.

4-9 Months

05 / sleep sack

if your baby has been in a swaddle, around this point, they may transition well to a sleep sack! Shay hates blankets for some reason but would always get cold at night, so we transitioned to the sleep sack and love it. We’ve been through quite a few of them, but this one from WildBird is my favorite! HAYDEN10 also saves you on WildBird’s entire site (the code stacks on top of their bundle tool which also saves money!)

06 / swimming inflatable

this one’s a little specific, but we loved this float for Shay last summer & this year too! it has a built-in sunshade and allows them to sit more on their belly than most floats! this preps them for a more natural swimming position, which was so helpful as we started swimming lessons.

07 / on the swimming note… think about swim lessons!

this might feel random, especially around christmas time and if you don’t live near pools/water. but water safety is something I am super passionate about, and it’s a great thing to put on your radar from a young age. we’ve been taking Shay to the British Swim School since he was about a year old (they have classes all over!), but they start as early as 3 months. again, in a season in which more stuff in your home could be overwhelming, having your friends & fam gift something like swim lessons can be so practical!

08 / eating tools

we started baby-led weaning with Shay at around 6 months, and many of the plates, cups, bibs, and silverware he used back then are still in use now! again, I’ll link some of my favorites in the Amazon list– there are a few affordable options we’ve really enjoyed!

10 – 12 Months

09 / toddler car seat

this won’t be the most exciting gift your toddler opens, but it sure is practical. many kids grow out of the newborn car seats around this age — I had NO idea that most kids outgrow them for height wayyyy before they’d ever hit the 35 lbs weight limit. after scouring the internet for an affordable car seat that would last, we landed on this one and have been so happy with it!

10 / magnatiles

I actually got this tip from the lady who watches Shay part-time, who let us know these magnatiles are his favorites! I even found these neutral ones (which makes my heart very happy, haha). I love that they are open-ended, which gives him such creative freedom!

11 / a push cart

this might be Shay’s most used item of all time. this is the exact one we have, but there are so many cute options out there! he used to have the classic plastic learning farm version, which had tons of buttons/lights/sounds, but I’ve loved this simple wooden cart-style version for him. He can fill it up with other toys (but usually a wooden spoon and the insert to the Instant Pot) and loves pushing it around our house.

12 / a balance bike

I planned to buy him this exact bike for his first birthday, but my aunt surprised us with it for Christmas last year! this is another item that has only grown in use, and now he loves pushing it around and riding it around our living room. I need to get him a helmet so we can take it outside!

13 / a bookshelf (or other self-service book display)

as babies start showing more interest in books, it’s so fun for them to be able to pull the books off the shelf that they are interested in! if you have the space in your home, a bookshelf is a great gift. & if not you can totally make do in other ways- we have Ikea shelves on the wall that display books too! There are simpler/less expensive options, but I’m swooning over this scalloped one, especially for a little girl’s room! We have this one!

Our Favorite Kids Books:

As a bonus, I thought I’d link some of my very favorite kids books (that I don’t get tired of reading over and over again)