I have thought long and hard about what to put on my gift guide this year. I've combed through various sites, taken into account my own kids' preferences, and gone to various baby shows (that's a show featuring baby gear, not a show with babies performing, although the latter sounds more fun).
I haven't paid much attention to this year's "hot new toys", mainly because last year it was topped by the Furby (now in zigzag stripes!), which is the most annoying toy in existence. Also, who has time for such things? I don't need to drive myself crazy tracking down the hot new toy when neither me nor my child knew it existed a week ago.
This is just some of my favorite stuff. Items we own, things I want, toys I'm thinking about getting my kids and a few sponsored products that I included only because I would recommend them anyway. I just didn't know about them until someone pointed them out to me.
I've also listened to you guys. When I talked about GoldieBloks the other day and the need for more math and science focused toys for girls, you said there should also be more miniature kitchen sets and dolls made for boys. If you do a little digging, there's actually a lot more available than you think. Just not where it's really important— when your child is walking down an aisle in a toy store.
While the toy stores sort all that in-person experience stuff out, let's all give a big hand for shopping online!
The following items are my picks for this year's best holiday gifts. There are promo codes and special offers for my readers throughout, along with a bunch of great brands participating in today's giveaway.
1. Off-Broadway Puppet Theater ($39) – This is great space saver too. It's just a tie-back curtain you can hang in a doorway and then fold and put in a draw when you are done.
2. Easy Playhouse Castle ($34) – Don't waste money on a huge expensive playhouse when your child will be tired of it within a month. Get the cheaper cardboard version instead!
3. Xonex Big Art Set, 1 count (30126) ($32) – Mazzy got this as a present for her third birthday. I wanted to steal it for myself.
4. Dexton 6' Great Plains Teepee ($116) – Throw a sheepskin rug in it, take a picture and you've got a Pinterest-worthy play area!
Benbini Watches ($99) are designed to be the perfect timekeeper for moms. They've got a patented double bevel that lets you mark your time so you know exactly how long it's been since you put the baby down for a nap, gave a dose of medicine, or had your last cocktail. And it has a clever right/left slider to make life easier for nursing mothers. Maybe if I had Benbini watch when I was breastfeeding, my right boob wouldn't be so much larger than my left.
Benbini is offering %15 off if you use the code HOLIDAY1, plus free shipping until the end of the year. They are also participating in our giveaway today. See details at the bottom of this post.
1. Rosie Revere, Engineer ($10) – The rhymes are just as clever and the illustrations just as great as Mazzy's favorite Iggy Peck Architect, we're just dealing with a female heroine this time.
2. Goldie Blox and The Spinning Machine ($30) – By now you've all heard of the Stanford graduate who designed an engineering toy specifically to appeal to little girls. I'd buy it just to prove to the toy industry that these kinds of toys are in high demand.
3. Melissa & Doug Super Heroine Role Play Set ($30) – Mazzy can't be the only Pink Crusader out there.
7AM Enfant was at the Biggest Baby Shower a few weeks ago and I was super impressed with the design and quality of their winter gear for babies. Not only do they make thick cozy stroller footmuffs ($172) in multi-colored Chevron, they also make these ingenius mitts for your stroller called Warmmuffs ($38). The fingers are velcroed around the bar so you can just slip your hands in and out to tend to your baby with bare hands or fumble in your purse for your keys.
7AM Enfant is giving away one pair of Warmmuffs at the bottom of this post.
1. Wonderworld City Skyline Glow Block Set ($50) – These ridiculously cool building blocks shaped like NYC skyscrapers glow in the dark.
2. I Pretzel NY onesie ($32) – These awesome onesies designed by Alex from Piccolini (a tiny toy store in Nolita) come in toddler t-shirts and a variety of colors.
3. Daron MTA Licensed Articulated Bus ($19) – I gave this as a gift to a friend's son for his third birthday. She told me when they went on vacation, it was the one toy he insisted on taking.
Piccolini is giving away one NY onesie at the bottom of this post.
Moochie Custom Kid Calendars ($44) are customized with 12 personal photographs, a personalized cover with your kids' names, and a hand stamped bag with their initials. It is printed on beautiful thick paper and comes with a wood stand for an easy elegant display.
Even better, Moochie gives a discount for people ordering three or more so you can put together one calendar and then send multiple copies to friends and relatives. That takes care of both sets of grandparents!
Moochie is giving 10% off to anybody who uses the promo code MOMMYSHORTS.
1. Bitty Baby from American Girl ($80) – Nothing teaches a little girl how to help out with her little sister like having a baby of her own. Bitty Baby comes in a variety of different hair colors, eye colors and skin tones.
2. Big Sister Pillow ($30) – So much cooler than a Big Sister shirt.
3. Beco Mini Toy Doll Carrier ($29) – There is nothing cuter than walking down the street with your daughter wearing matching baby carriers. (Bear not included.)
4. Chloe, Instead ($6) – This is hands down my favorite children's book about welcoming a baby into the house. It deals with both the love and annoyance of having a little sister around.
1. Mustachifier – The Gentleman Mustache Pacifier ($10) – You've one week of Movember left; time to get started on your baby's mustache!
2. Someday I'll Grow A Mustache Onesie ($13) – Self explanatory.
3. Incog-NEATO Mustaches ($7.95 each) – It's hard to choose but I'd go with the Fu Manchu.
4. Mustache Pillow ($32) – This handknit pillow by Estella is 24" long and the perfect addition to any little hipster's room.
Casetagram's mobile phone covers ($39.95) is what I would want if I was your friend, FYI. You can buy one of their incredibly cool collection cases or you can build your own to include whatever layout of your instagram photos you wish. To make things super easy, you can create the whole thing and buy it right from your phone. Come to think of it, a custom Casetagram would also a great gift for the grandparents. If they are no longer using a rotary, obviously.
Casetagram is giving readers 10% off all purchases if you use the code MOMMY10 up until December 25, 2013. They ship for free worldwide and are giving away one custom phone case at the bottom of this post.
1. Imagine I Can Knitting Beginning Kit ($17) – A few years from now, when you are lounging around in your beautiful handknit blanket with matching hat, you'll thank me.
2. Artterro Wool Felt Wearable Kit ($20) – The cool kids create their own accessories.
3. Rainbow Loom ($20) – I've seen it. I've never tried it. I keep hearing about it.
Momma Love: How The Mother Half Lives ($45) by Ali Smith was voted the #1 Mother's Day gift by the New York Times Motherlode Blog and is definitely a great holiday gift as well. Inside are beautiful photos and stories from real mothers depicted in a way that is honest, heartbreaking and inspiring.
But don't trust me, trust Gloria Steinem…
“Ali Smith has given us a gift with Momma Love: a fresh, eye-opening, firsthand manisfestation of motherhood's contemporary realities."
Ali is selling her book for 30% off the cover price up until December 24th. She is also giving away a copy of Momma Love at the bottom of this post.
1. Mixie ($18) – This formula-mixing baby bottle invented by a dad totally blew me away at the Biggest Baby Shower. The formula compartment has a patented, airtight design so it can be filled in advance and mixed at feeding time. Somehow, the lid acts as a free-floating agitator to prevent any clumping.
2. The Baby Owner's Manual: Operating Instructions, Trouble-Shooting Tips, and Advice on First-Year Maintenance ($12) – Someone gave this book as a gift to Mike when we first had Mazzy. It was meant as a joke, but it's actually ridiculously informative and very easy to use when you have emergency questions that you are too embarrassed to call a doctor about.
3. Magnificent Baby Footie ($30) – While this looks like regular old pajamas, it's actually a high tech piece of fabric held together by magnets. Well, it's not that high tech. But it makes it much easier to change a diaper in the dark when you don't have to fumble for snaps or buttons. Especially when your baby is squirmy.
Baby Jack Blankets creates sensory ribbon tag baby blankets by hand, with vibrant colors, modern patterns and plush dimpled backings. Each blanket has a variety of textures that babies love instinctively. And falling in love with a blankie can be a miraculous thing for both parent and child— allowing for quiet car rides, easy transitions and pleasant vacations when your child must feel comfortable sleeping away from home.
Baby Jack Blankets is offering %15 off if you use the code HOLIDAY1, plus free shipping until the end of the year. They are also participating in our giveaway today.
1. Ikea Duktig Mini-kitchen ($80) – Totally gender neutral and matches any home decor.
2. Asher Doll by Groovy Girls ($12) – Next step for Groovy Girls is changing their name, I hope.
3. Little Henry Vacuum ($33) – Everything about vacuums is intriguing for little kids. Which is great, because if you train them early, you might be able to make them actually useful.
Baby Jives made this beautiful handmade mobile ($50) for Harlow before she was born and it remains one of my favorite things in her room. Her mobiles come in other varieties like hearts, boats and birds and are the perfect addition to a modern nursery.
Baby Jives is giving away a $50 credit today.
And finally, since I'm Jewish and Chanukah is starting next week, I thought I'd throw in one last thing…
1. Mensch on the Bench ($36) – As the Jewish version of the popular Elf on the Shelf, Moshe the Mench is here to add one more tradition to Chanukah. However, he's currently sold out. But you can pre-order one for 2014!
2. Chanukah House Do-It-Yourself Kit ($20) – With all the strutural cookie pieces, icing to hold it together and decoration you need to make it truly festive inside the box, making a Chanukah House with Mazzy was actually my very first time making a gingerbread house. That's a tradition I am happy to adopt going foward.
GIVEAWAY
Today I am giving away one Benbini watch, one $50 Baby Jives gift card, one Casetagram mobile phone case, one I Pretzel NY onesie, one pair of 7AM Enfant Warmmuffs, one copy of Momma Love, and one Baby Jack Blanket.
There will be a different winner for each item.
1) To enter, you must be a Mommy Shorts facebook fan. Then, simply leave a comment below saying what you want for the holidays this year. Not your kids, not your spouse, not your mother. WHAT YOU WANT.
2) If you would like a second entry, follow Mommy Shorts on pinterest and pin the giveaway graphic with #mommyshorts_holidaygiveaway.
Seven winners will be announced on Friday December 6th.
Good luck!!!
UPDATE: This giveaway is over. To see the winners, click here.
I want an iPad Air that my daughter won’t steal!
I want 8-10 hours of uninterrupted sleep with nobody, Nobody (sorry hubs) touching me, laying on me, or peeing MY bed, followed by an all bacon and Mt. Dew breakfast.
I would like an all-inclusive vacation and someone to watch my kids while I go…my husband can come too I guess.
I think I have everything I want but right now I’m just hungry. I can go for something awesome. Or maybe just pizza. Yup, going to buy some now! Thanks for the inspiration mommyshorts!
Quieter kids.
I want a day all to myself, massage, mani & pedi, etc without having to worry about running errands afterwards or getting home to feed the baby because he won’t take a bottle from his father.
I would love the next installment of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series even though its not going to be published until spring. I’ve been waiting for years!
I want a ring with my daughter’s and my husband’s birthstone on it. One that matches my wedding ring exactly, just difference stones.
Asking Santa for I Just Want to Pee Alone. 🙂
A piece of furniture for my big empty house.
i would like financial security!
I want books, coffee, wine, chocolate and a few stale candy canes.
I would love a new camera to take photos of my girls! Thanks!
I want an interior designer/professional organizer to put together our Master Suite. When we moved, that was the place that just kept getting neglected, and now it’s the only place in the house that is a constant mess. Once everything has a place, I can keep it up. I just don’t have the energy to find a place for everything in the first place.
Amazing! For Christmas I want a shopping spree at the bookstore and time to read all the books. Dreamy.
I want a pedicure and a new set of pots and pans.
A spa day, mani pedi, massage and a few new pairs of shoes!
I want a diamond eternity wedding band. And I’m not sorry. 🙂
Sewing lessons!
I want Dollymoo Lavender body scrub and a 3mm 1.25″ eyepiece for my telescope. Look out stars! I smell awesome and I’m coming to getcha!
I want 8 consecutive hours of sleep. And Amazon Prime.
I want a serger, my 5 month old to sleep more than 30 minutes at nap time and a new wardrobe for my current post partum body.
I pinned! http://www.pinterest.com/pin/244390717252890724/
I would love a massage! And a food processor. New workout shoes and clothes would be nice as well. 🙂
I want a vacation getaway. No baby. Just the hubby and I somewhere warm.
I follow you on Pinterest and unpinned the giveaway picture.
I want to be able to, for my two weeks off – sleep in but be productive, relax and read lots but spend lots of ime with my kids, and eat lots of yummy holiday treats but kickstart my eating clean diet. So I want conundrums I guess … oh well should be fun no matter what. As for a material present I don’t know. I would love a Blendtec but it’s too expensive and impractical (don’t have the storage space). Not into jewellery, hate traveling that time of year (expensive, crowded). I’m happy with my first list! 🙂
A day off!
A full night’s sleep would be amazing.
I would love a pair of cozy slippers and a good book!
I’d love sleep and a cleaning lady! But since that’s just a dream I’d like to let Santa know to put an iMac under the tree!
As a new mom of a 3 month old that nurses around the clock, I want one day where I get to do whatever I want whenever I want.
What I want for Christmas, non-material thing, a nap… A nice long one and not to feel guilty about it. But if i were to choose something you can buy in the store, I would choose those teething beads necklace. I know, so simple, but spending $20 bucks on a teething necklace seems ridiculous right now but I know my drooly teething daughter would love something to gnaw on besides my fingers.
I want an extra family vacation this year. The bonding that happens is priceless!
I want a really cozy, oversized, thick cashmere sweater!
I would love my own leather jacket so that I can stop borrowing my husband’s cost.
a nescafe lattisse latte/cappuccino maker!
I want comfort. Bublebath, chocolate, fuzzy blankets.
I would like another pair of sheep skin slippers and for my middle to back to normal. And my normal I mean not saggy baggy elephant. Bonus points for hot yoga gift certificates and a movie night with my friends.
I would love a Thermomix! Or a lovely brightly-coloured quilt for our bed! We have two that hubby bought before we got married, and they’re both rather dark-coloured 😛
I would love a new couch 🙂
Oh my gosh, a massage. No doubt about it.
I want a really nice juicer!
I want to sleep in. Like at least until 8.
I want a nap, some good books and a couple of really cute bags.
Awesome gift guide. I really really want a food dehydrator, and now I think I need that watch for baby #2.
I would like more than 2.5 hours of sleep at a time. Between having to force feed my newborn every three hours because she was born really small, and pumping because she has to eat out of a bottle, I get no sleep!
A vacation ( one night is fine!) sans kids with husband.
A bath. A long bath in a huge bathtub where I can’t hear anyone calling me for at least an hour!
I would like a clean, organized, uncluttered house with new furnishings. Oh, and a really long uninterrupted-by-hearing-or-worrying-about-the-baby nap without feelings of guilt!
A new laptop!
I want a real vacation- just an overnight trip where I can enjoy a clean space that I can mess up . . . . and not have to clean it again (with no family guilt). That isn’t much but it would make me happy.
I am already a pinterest follower.
I would like an extra few hours in the day, to fit in exercise and extra sleep,
I want a benbini watch! I have an almost 3 year old and a newborn that i’m having a hard time keeping track of. This watch would help a lot!
I would love a makeover 🙂
I want to stop giving ridiculous amounts of gifts this year and just give one heartfelt or homemade thing to each person. Alas, my husband does not agree, so I will be hitting the mall. But a girl can dream.
I would love to get a kindle fire! I love to read and my toddler keeps finding my books and ripping the pages :/
I want to join the rest of the world and own an iPad! Also since my kids are teenagers…if I could get time to stand still – they are growing up too fast…
i want a weekend getaway, either alone or with my girlfriends to NYC!
I want six, no seven hours of uninterrupted sleep and a Nest thermostat.
Very comprehensive list! I want a new watch for Christmas 🙂
I’ve pinned the image!
Lots of little things – a wok, mini-muffin pan, case for ipad mini, travel mug, oh and a new kitchen sink would be swell.
I want a three quart crock pot and a pair of black riding boots.
Just a note…clicking that toy kitchen that you say is $80 brings you to one on amazon that is $136 plus shipping. Wrong link or wrong price? Just wanted to let you know…
Hm, time?
I’m a FB fan! I would LOVE to have… a new house! :O Or get a little kitten (which is a no-no since we’re at the limit). Oh! Here’s some that are more in the range of what I can wish for (it took me a while to remember these)- A sweater dress, and some Mr. Fluffy dvds!
I would like to join the rest of the world and own an iPad!
I follow on pinterest and pinned! http://www.pinterest.com/pin/327285097892100488/
All I want for Christmas is time to get my hair cut & colored!!! 🙂 A 5 year old, a 2 year old and a baby due on the 27th…I don’t see Santa coming through for me! 😉
I’m finally giving in to fashion and want a pretty pair of boots this year (have never owned a pair before). Or a KitchenAid mixer which has been on my list for years! (I’m a FB Fan and pinned the giveaway graphic) Thanks!
I want new skis and ski boots for myself (but they are definitely not in the budget!)
I want an all inclusive paid vacation…for free! hahahaha
a tablet….
I would love a shopping spree for a brand-new wardrobe.
Oh, sleep, above all else! And maybe a new camera lens, or a new (non-diaper) bag.
I want a weekly massage for the rest of my life. Is that too much to ask?
I told my husband I wanted stackable birthstone rings for Christmas and he berated me for wanting something so expensive when we’re on a ridiculously tight budget. But hey… A mom can dream, right?
I would love a spa day…just for me….all by myself! A whole day! Not too much to ask, right??
I want new lingerie. Pretty, sexy, non nursing, lingerie.
Uninterrupted sleep and eye cream for the dark circles!
For Christmas I want some nice new clothes that fit me. Having kids does change your body in strange ways!
I want new black riding boots and new bras…. ive been pregnant or nursing for 4 years straight and these girls need some new support. Oh and personal training sessions
I would love a cheap car…it’s so hard for me without one and my grown kids live too far away to help. Second, which is cheaper: a surround sound system, mine just bit the dust.
I would like a brand spanking new Nikon DSLR camera…I have an older model Olympus that has been loved immensely but it it time to move up! AND I have the perfect excuse, a new nephew AND a new niece are on their way next month! I’m one excited auntie!
I would love to have date night with my hubby…When you have 5 kids it never happens!!!
I would just love a girls’ weekend. Nothing crazy or out of control, but I haven’t been away from my daughter since she was born two and a half years ago (with the exception of my two nights in the hospital earlier this year). I just want to relax, watch movies, have a drink or two, make an amazing dinner, TALK TALK TALK! and reconnect with myself and friends.
I’d like a spa day!!
I want big, fluffy towels with no holes, that actually fit all the way around me, and are long enough to cover stuff up. 🙂
I would sincerely like a nap. Barring that, a kid free night for a game of cards against humanity would be lovely.
I would love a piece of “mom” jewelry –with kids’ initials.
I would love a weekend getaway with a spa package, and a babysitter to let me enjoy said spa package. 😉
What I want is not cheap but I want a mattress for my bed, and a top of the counter dishwasher…so sick of dishes by hand!!
I want my cleaning lady back! I thought with the kids in school full time I wouldn’t need her but the dust bunnies suggest otherwise! That, at one entire day without my kids arguing!
I would love a new pair of shearling scuff slippers. Mine are worn out!
To read the paper just once with no interruptions! Or maybe even a phone conversation!
I want, and am getting, a vacation from my family. I’m headed to a wedding 3000 miles away for 10 days. It will be my first time overnight away from my 2-year-old.
What I want and WON’T get is a clean house upon my return.
I would love to be able to fly to Knoxville and see my Daddy. I haven’t seen him since March and his health isn’t the greatest.
New clothes!! Nothing fits the same since I had my second child and the weight is coming off soooooo slowly 🙁
I’m a fan and I would like a facial and a massage.