Holiday Gift Guide {for the kids} | While He Was Napping

Holy Cow! Everything I had planned for this past month totally didn’t happen! And I mean everything! Psshhaw on real life, right?! But, it’s Christmastime, “the most wonderful time of the year”, as they say. And, even if you don’t celebrate Christmas, you can ‘t help but be caught up in the holiday season! I love it.

Well, I hope everyone (here in the US) had a fantastic Thanksgiving weekend and the rest of you, I hope you had an awesome normal weekend. With the passing of Thanksgiving we are now OFFICIALLY in holiday shopping mode. Confession: I’ve been shopping since August… and I still don’t seem to have enough hours in the day to complete everything I want to.

For me, the hardest people in my life to shop/gift for are the guys and the tween/teens. I’m not made of money, unfortunately, and they seem to want pricey gifts. What to do? What to do? I usually resort to handmade, partially because of cost and partially because then maybe they will feel too guilty to realized it’s not something from the top of their wish lists… diabolical? Maybe. But, I love handmade gifts and, to me, they are usually more meaningful than something off the shelves.

GIFTS FOR THE KIDS:
Our kiddos are 3 and 10 months this Christmas. This is what is topping my list of gifts for the kids this year:
1. Gizmos and Gears. My Little Monkey (3) would love this. Not only does he get to build it, it moves when he’s finished! And he can play with it again and again, each time building something new.

2. Playskool Busy Basics Form Fitter. Little Gator (10 months) would probably chew on this more than anything at this point, but he’s starting to show an interest in puzzles and what’s better than a waterproof puzzle for the guy who has to taste everything?

3. One of our faves is Monsters, Inc. and Little Monkey would love this Mike Wazowski shirt. Get the tutorial at A Little Tipsy on creating this awesome shirt for cheap.

4. My kiddos need some hats this winter. This is one I made for my cousin’s little cutie in a Minnie Mouse version. I’m thinking my boys might need one too… Mickey version of course.

5. Little Monkey will be getting a DVD coloring case. I love that this is small, easily transported and all contained. Get the tutorial on this at Handmade by Stacy Vaughn.

6. This one is for my Gator. I have seen similar ideas with fabric books and love the idea… however, I have a feeling it would take me clear til Christmas to get all that sewing done. My kids are just too curious about the sewing machine to use it when they are awake and they rarely sleep at the same time, so that time is too precious to spend it on one project. But this photo version… this I can do! Get the details at Everyday Chaos.

7. How cool is this DIY Geoboard?! Get the details on making your own at Mama Jenn Blogs. I used to love geoboard days in school. I can’t wait to show Little Monkey how to make different shapes!

8. Some days I need a little help coming up with things to do with my kids to keep them busy and entertained. It seems to work better for me to have a list of activities somewhere other than on Pinterest because I always get sucked in to that darn site. It’s all the pretty pictures, I tell ya! To keep the temptation away and my kids out from in front of the screen I often reward my three-year-old with activity cards like these Kid’s Stocking Stuffer Activity Coupons.

9. I want to get my Gator one of these. Stacks and it’s a teether?! Scoooore! This kid puts everything, and I mean every stinking thing, in his mouth. It would be nice to have some toys with that purpose in mind.

10. Last, but not least, are books. I am a BIG believer in books. I loved to read as a kid (still do, but two kids of my own don’t leave much time for reading) and I want my children to know that it’s okay (heck, it’s awesome) if they would rather read than sit in front of a TV, computer, tablet or phone screen. I don’t think you can ever have too many books. Because books can be spendy, I like to buy off of half.com. I don’t need a brand new copy so this works perfectly for me. If I’m buying myself a book, I’ll probably only read it once and don’t feel the need to have a crisp, new book. And my kids are only going to trash the books further, so if it has a little more loved feeling to it than one at Barnes & Nobel, I’m okay with that. The $10+ savings helps me see right passed that “loved” quality. As long as pages aren’t torn, scribbled on or missing and the binding is in decent shape, it’s good enough for me. Get some ideas of the best kid’s books at Children’s Books Guide.

What are you getting your kiddos this Holiday season?

P.S. Today is the last day for the Black Friday sale in my Etsy shop. Save 35% off your order with BLACK12 in the coupon code box, plus take advantage of the digital BOGO. Ends at midnight tonight PST.

This post was written by Krista and originally appeared on While He Was Napping.
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