Xmas 2019: Gifts For Kids

[AD – Gifted] This post contains gifted item(s).

Since becoming an uncle to my niece last year, I’ve had the perfect excuse to take a walk down the toy aisles in supermarkets during my weekly shopping trip. I’ve also been able to take a wonder around the likes of Smyths Toys and The Entertainer (yeah, I definitely felt like a giddy kid all over again!) It almost feels like being transported to a whole other universe, right?

One thing that did crop up in my mind over and over again was the vast choice of toys available to children nowadays – I mean how are we adults supposed to know what to buy them in order to avoid a temper tantrum and total meltdown on Christmas morning?! Here are a few ideas for Xmas gifts for kids to suit all ages:

Mini Hornit LIDS Head Candy (£29.99) Designed to look stylish and fun, Mini Hornit Helmets are a lot cooler than most kids bike helmets. They are fully adjustable, comfortable and lightweight. They also have an added safety feature in the form of an integrated LED with three different modes, useful for riding in the darker evenings. These make all-round great gifts for mini bikers!

Little Brian Paint Sticks 2-in-1 Art Station (£29.99) Brilliant for creativity anywhere, the Paint Sticks art station has a fold-up, double-sided easel with a whiteboard and chalkboard side. It includes six classic Paint Sticks, six Chalk Sticks, sheets of A4 paper and a duster. It’s also portable with handy pots to hold both the Paint Sticks and Chalk Sticks as well as easy to fold & store away making it great to take out and about. The best thing about this product is that there is no need for brushes, water or the usual mess that comes with painting as the solid Paint Sticks twist up and down (similar to a glue stick) and allow colours to be transferred onto a range of materials making it the ultimate present for the little artist!

Bastet & Bee FLOW Starter Pack (€20.00) For older kids who appreciate spectacular design and luxury stationery, this starter pack is the perfect gift. It consists of two A5 notepads made from premium quality and sustainable paper alongside two squared wooden HB pencils – great to brighten up any desk!

Maki Stack (£21.95) This board game makes a fabulous gift for kids who love action-based games which challenges their dexterity. It involves executing sushi orders, as shown on the card, by helping teammates balance and arrange game pieces to avoid toppling them over.

Fairy Nature Garden (£24.99) Complete with two fairies, animal friends and many other play pieces, Fairy Nature Garden comes with a two-storey flowerpot playhouse that opens up to offer hours of imaginative play! It also includes two growing areas to sow seeds and grow edible plants. It’s a lovely gift to allow kids to discover the magic of nature whilst learning through play.

Colour Changing Glitter Lamp (£6.99) Emulating the retro lava lamp in style, this glitter lamp is simply activated by shaking and phases through different colours to create a relaxing and sparkly focal point without wires, making it a great night light!

Speck Case-E 9.7-inch iPad Case (£34.99) Speck specialises in a range of cases for a variety of devices. This particular case has been made especially for kids to use, whether at home or on the go. It provides superior shock barrier drop protection of up to six feet for the iPad as well as ensuring child safety which is why Case-E is formaldehyde-free, PVC & BPC free EVA. The case’s playful nature also provides hours of entertainment for the kids – it’s detachable arms transform into a convenient stand for viewing and it can also be used for kid-friendly, hands-free backseat in-car viewing.

Zimpli Kids Slime Baff (£4.99) / Smelli Gelli Baff (£4.99) / Crackle Baff (£4.99) / Snoball Play (£4.99) Zimpli Kids design, manufacture, market and supply some of the most unique and innovative children’s toy products on the market which help creative, cognitive, social, emotional and physical development. All their products are made in the UK, 100% safe on skin and non irritant as they are non-toxic as well as easy to clean and stain-free! Gelli Baff, Slime Baff and Crackle Baff are fantastic products for turning bath time into an exciting and unique experience – perfect for sensory, tactile and messy play. Snoball Play feels and looks just like real snow making it great for snowball fights all year around. These products are excellent must-have gifts for kids of all ages!

Who Did It? (£10.99) Who did it? is an exciting, fast-paced game in which players must race to get rid of their cards to avoid being blamed for being the owner of the pet which pooped. It’s a great kids game which doesn’t require much skills and allows all the family to get involved!

Dobble (£12.99) Dobble is the smash-shit observation game, relying on a sharp eye and quick reflexes, in which players compete to match the identical symbols between cards. It makes an exciting game for both kids and adults alike, ensuring all players are involved in the action!

Xtrem Smart Bot (£29.99) Welcome a new edition to the family; Smart Bot has 50 programmable actions and gestures – it can walk forwards, backwards as well as sideways and even dance! It’s friendly LED eyes can display a variety of facial expressions and it emits realistic robotic sounds. It also has built-in motion detection to recognise hand gestures. The Smart Bot comes with a remote control for ease of use and a USB cable for recharging. 

Playmags 32 + 6 Piece Junior Set ($59.99) Playmags are designed for children to encourage their creativity and enhance their motor skills. They are made from unique magnets which connect the tiles to one another on all sides (and even when flipped!) Playmags are a brilliant way for kids to learn through creative play; some of the knowledge they can pick up on are magnetic forces, geometric shapes, symmetry, architecture and basic maths concepts! These would make great gifts for kids of all ages.

My First Bananagrams (£14.47) A fast-paced word game similar to Scrabble, Bananagrams is a fantastic way to nurture a child’s love for wordplay and word games. The tiles can also be used for educational mini-games such as spelling names, putting letters in alphabetical order or letter matching! The best bit is that the letter tiles come in a lovely banana-shaped pouch which can be zipped up, making it brilliant for playing when out and about!

JackSprattBaby Personalised Black & Gold Rucksack (£24.00) Made of lightweight polyester and padded for comfort when carrying, this black rucksack is the perfect companion for young children and has a whopping 6ltr capacity. The gold zip adds a stylish touch and keeps the rucksack firmly closed, whilst the personalised stitching is a wonderful way to make the rucksack unique to the recipient.

Hopefully, this gift guide has been useful and offered inspiration to you on some brilliant gifts for the lucky little ones in your life! A big thank you to the brands who’ve collaborated with me on this gift guide and provided my readers with amazing product recommendations! Until next time.