Gift Ideas (and More Gift Ideas) for Kids

One of the lucky perks of being a writer for parenting publications is I get to review toys, all year round and even more so in the holiday shopping frenzy that leads up to Christmas. I go to the annual Toy Fair in New York City and to smaller events throughout the year and find out both what's hot from the big players and what's cool from the smaller specialty companies.

So... if you're looking for gift ideas for kids this holiday season, here are my picks for the very best toys:

New Jersey Family Magazine Holiday Gift Guide - this gift guide has gifts in categories from WOW! Factor to Making a Difference. You'll find something for every kind of kid and occasion.

10 Best Gift for Kids this Holiday Season - I'm sharing my own favorite picks on BaristaKids.com for kids toys and gifts, most which have been personally tested (and approved) by my three kids.

I also have eight gift guides I wrote here, covering everything from the Best Wooden Toys to toys with the words a parent most likes to see: No Assembly Required.

And if you've already moved on to the gift wrapping portion of your holiday season, here are my tips for wrapping gifts without tape, and even without wrapping paper.

Note: The Happy Holidays blocks pictured top left are from Uncle Goose, these handcrafted wood blocks made in the USA are one of my favorites and come in lots of fabulous designs, including the Hebrew alphabet and the newly issued Stack and Scare.

 

Do you have a favorite kids toy? Share in the comments! And more importantly, if there are any to avoid let me know!

TOYS WITH NO ASSEMBLY REQUIRED: The Eighth Edition of Anna's Super-Fun Non-Commercial Gift Guide

Today was the fourth night of Hanukkah. It was also the fourth night in a row that I spent frantically trying to detach, put-together, and battery-ize toys for three kids, all the while working against frantic kid clocks which think the toy should be ready in ten seconds, or is possible, less.

All this is just to say, I have a renewed appreciation for toys with no assembly required.

Here are a few great toys that won't make you look for a screwdriver, or the batteries, or eventually your sanity:

• Perplexus ($21-24) - This toy is a huge hit with my kids (ages 6 and 8). Perplexus is a maze contained in a clear ball, and the kids need to roll the ball along the numbered path towards the finish by flipping, twisting and spinning. Perplexus comes in three versions - Rookie (ages 4+), Original (ages 6+) and Epic (ages 8+), and according to my kids it is "not too easy."

• Frigits ($24.50) - This fun marble run is attached to magnets and goes on a fridge, or if you are a New York City apartment dweller, on your front door. Just take it out of the box, and it's ready for marble fun. Ages 3+.

• Little Helper's Grocery Cart by Step2 ($37.99) - When this arrived, I took one look at the box and groaned - as I was certain that the rest of the morning would be spent putting this together for my wide-eyed toddler who would spend the whole time asking me at 20-second intervals, "me have it now?"

So you can imagine my - uh, I mean his - delight when I opened the box and realized it was already completely put-together and ready to go - there's even room for a doll or stuffed animal to ride in front.

My son Ziggy took it for a spin around the house immediately, and he has been filling (and re-filling) it with much enthusiasm ever since. Ages 2+.

Do you have suggestions for other no assembly required toys? Or, even better, do you have an assembly strategy?

This is the eighth edition of Anna's Super-Fun Non-Commercial Holiday Gift Guide. You can read the other seven here.

I received a Perplexus and a Little Helper's Grocery Cart for review. Neither my opinions or those of my kids who loved these toys were influenced. The Frigits is a long-time favorite family toy.

SHOP LOCAL MADE IN NEW YORK: The Seventh Edition of Anna's Super-Fun Non-Commercial Holiday Gift Guide

I love shopping local, and this seventh edition of my Holiday Gift Guide brings a few great picks for amazing items made right here in New York. Each of the designers have some cute-yet-edgy picks for the pint-sized, as well as some fantastic choices for the less pint-sized, from fun totes to gorgeous quilts.

Karin Alexis - all of this New York designer's items are made in New York City. She has adorable tutus ($42, featured in an earlier Gift Guide), responsible Eco Totes ($24):

and Burp Cloths in fun, retro prints like this one, Fashion Girl ($10).

All non-sale items gift wrapped free of charge.

Haptic Lab - this Brooklyn design studio makes soft maps, which are "quilted maps of cities and neighborhoods that represent someone's unique place in the world." Custom quilts - of anywhere you like - are created by hand in Brooklyn and take over 200 hours to complete. They also have baby quilts ($145-200) of several major cities, like the one pictured of Brooklyn, which can be personalized with baby's name, birthday and several locations of choice - all hand-embroidered.

For us grown-ups, there are queen sized City Quilts ($450), New York City is pictured.


Map Tote - another Brooklyn-based company with a geography theme, the husband and wife team behind Map Tote make environmentally friendly, reusable totes that feature a ton of different places including Park Slope

and New Jersey (both $17), as well as Mapnote cards ($4.50) and baby onesies ($25).  All of their fabric is cut, sewn and printed in Brooklyn.

Do you know of other made in New York companies? Please let me know, I'd love to add them.

You can see the rest of my super-fun non-commercial holiday gift guides here.

No compensation for this post, I just heart all these products. Karin Alexis I know from my Upper West Side days, and the Brooklyn folks I met at the New York International Gift Fair in August.

BLUE AND SILVER GIFTS: The Sixth Edition of Anna's Super-Fun Non-Commercial Holiday Gift Guide

My picks for super fun non-commercial blue and silver holiday gifts (from left to right):

1. Go Car Blue (by kid o)

2. Silver Racecar Metal Speedster (by Schylling)

3. Refrigerator (by Plan Toys)

4. Sequin Mix Top (by Splendid)

5. Bilibo Blue (by kid o)

6. Holiday Cardigan (by Splendid)


You can see the rest of the gift guides here.

Next up: shop local with gifts made in New York and New Jersey!

I was not compensated for this post.

Holiday Crafts You Can Make with Duck Tape

For those of you who know me in real life (or blog life, now that I think about it) you are already aware that there is a fairly decent-sized Duck Tape obsession going on at our house.

In addition to our usual repertoire of Duck Tape creations, my kids and I are planning to make some of these fun holiday ideas from the incredibly creative folks at Duck Tape:

Holiday Wreath
Our door is still woefully undecorated, and I love the idea of making this homemade Duct Tape Holiday Wreath with the kids:

Duct Tape Holiday Ornaments

These are really fun to make, and my nice Jewish kids, as they don't know any better, call their's meatballs. (Does that sound sad? It's not, really.)

We are not planning to make this Duct Tape Poinsettia, because we know our limits, but wow... it's pretty amazing.

Duck Tape brand duct tape has lots of fun holiday prints and colors, like this fun Candy Cane Stripe:

Are you crafting for the holidays? Would love to hear about your projects - leave a comment!

I was not compensated for this review. I did receive some Duck Brand duct tape to fuel my obsession to review.

RED AND GREEN GIFTS: The Fifth Edition of Anna's Super-Fun Non-Commercial Holiday Gift Guide

My picks for super fun non-commercial red and green holiday gifts (left to right):

1. Appletters (by Bananagrams)
2. Leon the Cat and Car (by Vilac)
3. Irony Red Suit Watch (by Swatch)
4. Red and Green Pen Twin Pack (by Sharpie)
5. Bilibo Green (by kid o)
6. Bruno Racing Car (by PlayForever, Babesta)
7. Modern Table and Chairs (by Plan Toys)
8. Candy Cane Tape (by Duck Tape)

You can see the rest of the holiday gifts guides here.

Next up, Hanukkah gifts in blue and silver!

Appletters and Duck Tape provided to me for review. Influence on my opinions very, very tiny.

HOLIDAY PAJAMAS: The Fourth Editon of Anna's Super-Fun Non-Commercial Holiday Gift Guide

In this fourth edition of my Super-Fun Non-Commercial Holiday Gift Guide I'm sharing my picks for great pajamas for kids and grown-ups. Because who doesn't like a new pair of pajamas for the holidays?

Here are a few of my favorites from Esme and Tea Collection:
ESME
I will admit to buying my daughters and me matching Esme pajamas, and to have really enjoyed waking up in the morning and having breakfast together in all our matchy glory.

For those of you who want to do the same this holiday season, Esme has lots of options:

For sibling matching, here's a great Long Sleeve Lounger Set in turquoise from Esme Baby ($39):

Which pairs with the girls Cami Lounge Pajamas Set, also in turquoise ($49):

For mother-daughter matching, Esme Women has a Red Short Sleeve Lounger Set ($64):

which matches with the Girls Red Longsleeve Nightgown ($58):

Esme makes pretty-and-comfy maternity and nursing pajamas, too.

TEA COLLECTION
Tea Collection makes the best pajamas - they're super-comfy, last forever and have fantastic patterns.  My son is currently a big fan of the Dueling Tigers (on sale for $30.50), and there are also some other perfect choices for the holidays:

Origami Pajamas (on sale for $30.50):

Delicious Daisies Pajamas (on sale for $30.50):

Little Citizens Pajamas (on sale for $30.50, and in true holiday spirit proceeds go to the Global Fund for Children):

You can see all of the holiday gift guides here.

Disclosure: I received some great Tea Collection items for purposes of review, but it did not influence my opinion.

HOLIDAY CLOTHES: The Third Edition of Anna's Super-Fun Non-Commercial Holiday Gift Guide

I may be a nice Jewish girl, but I like a Christmas dress as much as the next girl.

Seriously, check out this vintage dress from back in the 1970s - hand-sewn by my grandma.

Arty photo could not have been taken by anyone but my big bro.

Here are some festive and fun clothes for celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, and all the rest of the winter holidays.

From Tea Collection (note: free shipping with code WOWFREESHIP until Friday 12/9):
Tea Collection makes beautiful and holds-up-well-in-the-wash clothing for everyday wear, as well as stunning holiday pieces in their Highland Holiday line that are perfect for winter celebrations.

The Lantana Wrap Dress ($33) in Rumba Red is perfect for holiday photos and parties, and availability in sizes 6 months - 12 years, makes for some fun options to mix-n-match with siblings.

Photo from TeaCollection.com

The dress pairs great with Sparkle Stripe Leggings ($25), and because I can't resist a little bit of matching, I had one daughter in the leggings, and one in the Sparkle Stripe Mockneck ($30)

In Stuyvesant Square, Manhattan

The sparkle striped mockneck also looks great under the Corzo Chambray Dress ($49):

Photo from TeaCollection.com

Again, this dress comes in sizes 6 months to 12 years for lots of matching options, even with mom ($108.50):

From Blume Girl:
This is one of my favorite brands for snazzy dressy tees that are still 100% kid-comfy. My son has been known to wear his tie tees just about anywhere. A few great picks for the holidays are the Small Pocks Baby Tee ($48, also available in kid sizes):

Little Lady Kid Tee with Tie ($52):

And there's even a onesie with a tie ($52) for babies with style:

From Karin Alexis:

I have loved Karin Alexis clothes since I used to be a regular at her Upper West Side boutique, which is sadly now closed. You can still get her amazing designed and made in New York kids clothes. And what could be more perfect for the holiday season than a gorgeous tutu? Pictured here is the fantastic Dorothy Tutu ($42):

What are you favorite holiday clothes?

Next up on Saturday: my picks for holiday pajamas!

You can see all the holiday gift guides here.

Whatever you're wearing... Happy Holidays!

Disclosure: I received some great Tea Collection items for purposes of review, but it did not influence my opinion.

THE BEST WOODEN TOYS: The Second Edition of Anna's Holiday Gift Guide for Super-Fun Non-Commercial Toys

My kids have great collection of wooden toys they've gotten over the years - mostly from Grandma and her wooden toy pusher, Playing Mantis (32 North Moore in TriBeCa, if you want to get a wooden toy fix yourself).  They are all admittedly expensive, but many are made in American and Europe, and are of incredible quality, and they really do last.

Here are some of my absolute favorite wooden toys that have given my kids (and me) many hours of family fun:

Marble Run ($110.95)
This marble run is endlessly enjoyable for all ages (and by all ages I mean all the ages that don't swallow marbles). Each level of wood plays a different tune, so the marbles create a delightful song every trip down. Kids can experiment with different sized marbles, and listen to all the various sounds that are made.

Color Frames ($54.99, currently on sale for $46.74)
I had a hard time picking just one toy from Learning Materials Workshop, because honestly, I (er, I mean my kids) could play with any of these fantastic creations all day long.

The Color Frames set can be arranged in an array of gorgeous color patterns, or used to build amazing constructions, pave multi-colored roads, or demark one sister's area from the other.

I'm also a huge fan of the Cubes, Bobbins & Beams set ($49.99, currently on sale for $37.49) that can build fanciful creations that turn, twist and just be generally fabulous.

Note: Lots of the Learing Materials Worshop's products are currently discounted (15-25%) as part of their Holiday Sale though December 10.

Birch Wood 8 Tone Diatonic Xylophone ($99.95)
This xylophone is fun for the kids doing the playing, and perhaps even more importantly, perfectly delightful for the adult doing the listening. Ages 3+, or whenever they stop using the mallets for weapons.

Maple Wood Anamalz ($8.95 for the critters, $119.99 for the barnhouse)
I love these Australian-designed, environmentally friendly critters, with whimsical expressions and bendy limbs that can be endlessly posed. How could you not love this dancin' giraffe? All ages.

And if you want to know your Anamalz have a comfy home, you can get them the Barnhouse ($119.99)

All of the products in my holiday gift guide are free of licensed characters, batteries or a focus on being good for "a boy" or "a girl." All the products also have in common that I sorta want them for myself.


I'll be back on Wednesday sharing my picks for great holiday clothes.


Disclosure: All toys purchased by me (or Grandma).

THE BEST BUILDING BLOCKS: The First Edition of Anna's Holiday Gift Guide for Super-Fun Non-Commercial Toys

I love shopping for my kids. And, as they are now the ripe-old ages of 2, 6 & 8 I've found some really great toys along the way, which I'll share with you all in a series of posts I'm calling Anna's Holiday Gift Guide for Super-Fun Non-Commercial Toys - because what kind of blogger would I be if I didn't have a Holiday Gift Guide?

Today, I'm sharing my favorite building blocks, though to be honest really only Kay builds stuff at our house. The other two kids just tell her what to build for them- sometimes going as far as to draw detailed blueprints - which as you can imagine, both delights and infuriates me.

Kay's building blocks of choice are:

• Magna Tiles - These ingenious magnetic tiles from Valtech can be put together to make patterns and designs, houses, boxes or whatever else your kids imagine. Great for ages 2-10. $46 for 32 pieces; also comes in 100 pieces for $115. Ages 3 to 10.

• Tegu Blocks - These blocks are also magnetic, and like the magna-tiles can be used by kids to build whatever they want in endless possibilities. These blocks have a great smooth feel, and come in great neutral and pastel shades. The Tegu Original Set in natural is $125 for 52 blocks, in an assortment of four shapes. Ages 3+.

• Uncle Goose Blocks - Made from sustainable Michigan basswood, these classic ABC blocks are handcrafted and available in a variety of languages, from Dutch to Arabic as well as in Braille and Sign Language, all sets are $37. Merry Christmas Blocks pictured at top are $22. Ages 2+.

• EduShape EduColor Building Blocks - These foam blocks are easy to grasp, and sturdy enough for even the littlest builders to stack with success. Set of 30 blocks is $19.99. Ages 1+.

Here's a tower made from EduShape blocks:

And what kind of non-commercial gift guide would this be if I didn't point out that anything can be used as a building block - of late, Kay's building material of choice is her beloved Duck Tape.

All the products in my holiday gift guide do not have licensed characters, batteries or a focus on being good for "a boy" or "a girl." All the products also have in common that I sorta want them for myself.

I'll be back on Monday sharing my picks for great wooden toys.

Disclosure: All purchased myself, with the exception of some of the Duck Tape which was provided to me for purposes of furthering my addiction review.