This year I’ve decided to work on a Christmas guide for parents, with love from toddlers. A few months back, I found myself stumped with what on earth I would be buying for my two year old for Christmas, for his stocking, from us and from Father Christmas. We have never been big into going over the top and spoiling him, especially from Father Christmas, because we believe that as kids grow up, there will always be a child less fortunate than us which means that when they go back to school after the holidays and compare gifts – it can often be a tough thing for kids to deal with. Especially if ‘Father Christmas’ gave one child a pile of toys, and another child only one small gift. I try to encourage parents to keep this in mind at Christmas time.
It has been such a treat to get to know so many local, smaller businesses this year! Supporting local is totally the way forward, and this is why my TODDLER CHRISTMAS GUIDE FOR PARENTS is only based on products from local companies, and it also saves me having to do a single moment of shopping at a mall for my little person this Christmas! (This makes me feel as if I have just won the lotto!)
So, let’s get to the list!
For starters, we do two Christmas stockings. One is from Father Christmas, and one from us (which, by the way gets filled with little individually wrapped gifts from not only us, but from Grandparents). Our must-have stocking and sack is from:
Monochrome Stocking: Zana
http://zanaproducts.co.za/shop/swiss-cross-christmas-stocking/
Christmas Sack: Work of Heart
https://www.facebook.com/work.of.heart.co.za/
Stocking Stuffers:
1. Wooden Bakkie: Houtkappers
https://www.facebook.com/houtkappers/?fref=ts
Handcrafted out of the incredible French Sycamore, this sweet wooden bakkie was handcrafted by one very talented carpenter from Khayalitsha! I fell head over heels for this stunning product which I knew a lot about from social media, but fell even more in love with when I found it at a gift fair I attended a couple weeks back. Little Olly couldn’t stop talking about it for the next half an hour, and I managed to sneak the purchase while he wasn’t watching!
2. Camera Plushie: Two Peas and a Peanut
https://www.etsy.com/listing/478495281/say-cheese?ref=shop_home_active_9
I’m sorry, but how cute is this? Cameras seem to be the new trend with littles this year, and I can totally see just why! This camera plushie is perfect stocking filler this Christmas! One gift with two purposes – to hang on the wall as decoration as well as for the kids to play with and to snap into their very own imaginary world with. Such a great gift!
3. Organic Snuggle Buddy: Suzi B Crochet
https://www.facebook.com/Suzi-B-Crochet-856873141092331/
Cleverly created without any buttons makes them totally safe for little ones. Her range of baby toys and baby products are made from locally hand dyed eco-cotton and each item is hand crafted by local, mainly retired ladies. Their precious faces are hand embroidered. There’s nothing like a local, hand crafted little soft toy like this to add to their stockings this year – especially for a toddler.
4. Peg Dolls: Rose & Vickory
https://www.facebook.com/roseandvickoryco/?fref=ts
They have to be the absolute cutest little peg dolls I have ever laid eyes on. A perfect addition to his brand new big boy room! He also loves playing with them in his own little imaginary world – especially on his car mat. They tend to enjoy playing in traffic. 😉
Father Christmas:
5. Garden Swing: My Little Woods
http://mylittlewoods.co.za/products/garden-swing
I have no words to describe this gift. All I can say is that Santa is only bringing this little boy one other thing this Christmas, because he has used up his magic gift giving skills on this one! This handcrafted pony swing is absolutely magical! Handcrafted from birch pine, and finished without a single flaw – this gift is a total winner! I cannot even begin to explain my little boy’s excitement to you! We were sneaky with this gift by photographing him swinging on it at a friend’s house. We took it over for him to swing on, and little does he know that soon it will be his very own!!! He’s two, and he’s already telling us that he hopes Father Christmas will be bringing him his own pony swing… on a daily basis!!!
6. Busy Bunny: Polly and Bloom
http://pollyandbloom.com/products/the-busy-bunny
A perfect gift for little ones below the age of 2 and a half (dependent on your child). This busy bunny was handcrafted specially for my little boy. Complete with zips, Velcro, buttons (firmly attached) and ribbon – this was created by a genius to keep your little ones stimulated and busy! These can be custom made by colour and arrive on your doorstep without a single flaw!
From Mom & Dad
7. Rocking Horse: My Little Woods
http://mylittlewoods.co.za/products/rocking-horse
There are no words. This handcrafted, wooden rocking horse honestly reminds me of my childhood! You’re bound to be the popular one this Christmas if this gift gets unwrapped and it’s from you! An incredibly beautiful gift for any boy or girl.
8. Wooden Camera: La Fede
http://www.lafede.co.za/shop-la-fede
Being a mommy who is so often photographing my little boy, all he wants is to play with my camera. Much to his dismay, the answer is generally ‘no’. Which is why he will soon be getting his very own camera that he can play with as much as he likes! Handcrafted by La Fede, and painted with a splash of blue to finish it off, this sweet design is perfect for every little boy or girl. The beauty is it is a toy that cannot be destroyed! Yay for indestructible gifts!
9. Handmade Chalk Board
There’s nothing like a handmade gift, especially when the parents get to enjoy making it for them knowing it is something they’re going to absolutely LOVE! At this age, he just loves drawing, especially on a chalk board.
10. Fox and Moon: Fish Plushie
http://www.foxandmoon.co.za/index.php/product-category/pillows/
11. Bunny Chair: Dovetail
http://hellodovetail.co.za/products/bunny-stool
Believe it or not, my 2 year old son is semi-obsessed with décor! I was given a little plastic chair at my baby shower for him which he has obsessed over and sat in daily since he was sitting! It has officially been outgrown, and it’s time for an upgrade! An upgrade and a half, should I say! This gorgeous bunny chair will be a perfect addition to his Big Boy Room!
12. Sherbit the Seal: La Fede
http://www.lafede.co.za/shop-la-fede
Another sweet little handcrafted soft toy, who was named Sherbit the Seal by little Olly. La Fede has a large variety of soft toys you can choose from.
13. Canvas Beach Tent: Little Beach Tribe
http://www.littlebeachtribe.co.za/product/canvas-beach-tent/
We spend summer at the beach every year, and this product is a must-have for every family that spends their summer outdoors! We can’t stand the closed off baby tents as they get so incredibly hot and stuffy inside, and this just simply keeps your entire family covered and creates an incredible amount of shade for everybody and nobody has to worry about sunburn whilst spending the day at the beach.
14. Bop Bag: Mambos
Ok, so not quite a ‘shop small’ item – but we couldn’t resist paying just R35 for such a cool gift! A bop bag (they punch the inflatable bag down and it always comes back up again). A perfect gift for a boy or a girl and so much fun. I remember having one of these as a kid, and it was most certainly a highlight of my childhood.
15. Leather Sandals: Shooshoos
http://shooshoos.com/english_za/
My child is obsessed with shoes!!! I can’t go into a shoe or clothing store without him making me stop to look at every single pair of shoes for little boys. The kids obviously follows in my footsteps. With him starting playschool next year, we knew that some comfortable, good quality, good support shoes were in order. Shooshoos has the most wonderful selection of shoes for baby and toddlers for such an affordable price! There is literally a pair of shoes for every child!
16. Linen: Bunny & Clyde
http://www.bunnyandclyde.co.za
There’s nothing like 100% reversible products, especially duvet covers! With Olly having his brand new big boy bedroom, we thought it would be a fantastic opportunity to get him some brand new, amazing linen – and the fact that it’s something he gets excited about is great!
one modern mom blog 
Wow this is wonderfull gifts.
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