6 Christmas gifts that will be a guaranteed hit with your kids.

Community service announcement: Christmas is next week! 

Okay, not literally or calendar…y. But from where you’re sitting right now, in this moment, reading these words — it may as well be.  

Now, I know what you’re thinking… I’ll have loads of time to do my Christmas shopping when the kids' winter sports seasons wrap up.

When that big project at work is done and dusted.

At this rate, when the kids move out.

But also, I know that if you’re reading an article about Christmas planning than you are currently living in "time poverty" and you shall remain there for at least another 20 years. So we’d best get cracking, yes? 

Let’s start by asking ourselves the following question — which category of humans is Christmas for? The tiny ones! 

So, let’s get them sorted first, yeah?

Kids aged one and two 

b.box Sippy cup, $15.95

Image: b.box.

If you’re not yet familiar with this age group, you may be dubious of this gift being a ‘hit’. Trust us on this. The b.box is The Wiggles of water bottles. 

Every parent knows about the eternal quest that is finding the perfect drink bottle for your child, especially when said child starts drinking water for the very first time. These b.box drink bottles have a cult following and for good reason. 

Under ones can easily grip the handles, they don’t leak, can sustain a mighty toss from the cot and the design makes it easy for kids to drink from it from at any angle (which sounds weird but parents of toddlers know the strange shapes these little humans make pretzel themselves into in their cots). 

And if you’re still dubious, wrap this gift in several layers of paper as that’s all this age group will be interested in playing with anyway. 

Kids aged three and four

Thready Bear, $80

Image: Moose Toys.

Remember when you were a kid, and the absolute pinnacle of sophisticated interactive toys was the doll that wet its nappy? Well, brace yourselves people. Technology truly has come a long way. 

Meet Thready Bear, a gorgeous interactive teddy bear that basically comes to life in front of your eyes.

A quick search on TikTok will show you how Thready Bears are a huge hit with kids all over the world, from three to about eight years old. It’s clear whoever designed this bear genuinely 'gets' what kids and parents want from an interactive toy. 

Firstly, Thready Bear can emote over 70 expressions through his (surprisingly not annoying) sound effects which are also visually brought to life through his magical button eyes. So Thready Bear laughs, snores, cries and winks in response to what your child is doing and saying. Smart! 

These features have been specifically designed to inspire kids' imagination, provide comfort, companionship and a feeling of safety. It also helps kids hone the incredibly important skill of identifying a range of emotions which experts say is key in developing emotional literacy and intelligence.  

The biggest 'wow' though is the whole ritual around bringing your Thready Bear to life which is SO magical and sweet it’s almost guaranteed to make the "core memory" storage system. Basically, inside the button container you’ll find Thready Bear's button heart and the promise card. You and/or your babe make the Thready Bear promise by reading it out loud. Next, you attach Thready Bear's heart to his chest, press his button heart and make a wish for him to come to life. Lastly, your babe squeezes his paw and watches Thready Bear's eyes open as he truly does come to life. Cue magical sound effects and possibly tears of joy seeing your child's face in amazement. Definitely a hit!

IKEA DUKTIG Toy Kitchen, $149 

Image: IKEA.

If your friends or siblings had kids before you, or if you're familiar with the kid world in any way shape or form, chances are you’re familiar with the toddler toy kitchen. These tiny structures are Gen Alpha childhood icons. They can be found in most Australian houses who have a child in this age group, usually located in the middle of a high traffic area that makes no sense either logistically or aesthetically, until you have a toddler, that is. 

Is it pretty? No. Does it take up a chunk of space? Yes. Is it the only thing this age group will play with for more than 4 minutes, so nobody cares about aforementioned cons? Indeed.

Kids aged four to six

Strider Balance Bike, $199

Image: Strider.

We cannot underestimate the bang for buck that is a balance bike for this age group. Seriously, step away from the trike. Forget training wheels ever existed. There's only one set of wheels the four to sixers need for guaranteed bike success. The balance bike!  

If you're not familiar, balance bikes are designed to take the super traumatising aspects of riding a bike out of your child’s lived experience. They will scoot around on this bad boy for a couple of years and then, when they're ready, you’ll give them a bike with wheels and peddles, and their muscle memory will transition them almost by MAGIC! 

Yumbox Bento Box, $30

Image: Yumbox.

Here’s the thing, if the child you’re thinking about buying this for already has one – just get another one. At this age there’s (hopefully) a village raising these adorable but exhausting and fast little humans so more snacks equal less stress and more vessels to pack snacks also equals less stress. You get it. 

The earth, the parents, the child don’t need another light up toy. Google Yumbox, click add to cart. 

Kids aged six to eights 

Officeworks Photo Book, $24.95  

Image: Officeworks.

Ok, so we know this one might come as a bit of a surprise. You’ve never seen a movie scene where a 6-year-old unwraps a photo book on Christmas morning and screams with delight. But we’ve seen it in real life – so trust us. This one is pure gold. 

The photo book doesn’t have to be a massive effort on your part. You literally just have to download the app and create an album on your phone and the rest is done for you. 

And why is the photo album such a huge hit? We reckon it might have to do with the fact that these little humans, for whom Christmas is all about, just want to feel loved. And their very own book of memories of the people and moments who reinforce that is… well, everything. 

Shop Thready Bear from your nearest toy store. 

Feature Image: b.box/Strider/Yumbox/Moose Toys.