Helpful Gifts for Infants and Toddlers

I know, I know... Clothes and toys - clothes and toys right? It's what people like to buy and I get it - I love buying that stuff too - but now that I have 2 years under my belt I can tell you that there are a few other gift ideas that would make moms and dads SUPER happy and also be great for their kids.

I know, personally I always felt bad when Katie didn't get to wear clothes that people had bought her before she grew out of them and I feel like it was a lot of wasted gifts when we didn't get to wearing them. I also know I hardly ever have to buy her clothes because her grandparents provide her wardrobe which is AWESOME - and I don't mind - but I know some people really like to pick out all their clothes for their kids themselves....

So - here are some ideas for fun gifts that will make everyone happy!

• Gift Certificates to Diapers.com
• Gift Certificates to local area activities/classes
• (Katie goes to a gym class now once a week and it's $40 a month - so if 2 people gave her $20 GC's or money with a note saying - for gym class - that would be a whole month we wouldn't have to pay for and she LOVES the gym so it's win, win)

• Tickets to local events/concerts
• Does the little kid in your life LOVE the wiggles? Or Elmo? Perhaps money or tickets for an Elmo Live or towards a pass to a park or tickets to an aquarium would be nice
• Even better - if you wanted to go with them - it could be a whole outing where everyone gets to do something fun
• Hand Me Downs - if you have clothes that no longer fit your kids - PASS THEM ALONG!! Save some sentimental items... but pass them along - if you are saving them for kids for later on, there is no guarantee the size/season will work - so pass them along to your friends and you should end up with a whole little personal network for sharing hand me downs!
• Books - my kids love books and the dollar stores have TONS OF REALLY GOOD ONES - so you can get an awesome gift for like, $5- Katie never tires of getting new books.
• Craft supplies - sometimes it's hard to keep up with little ones, so if you are crafty and the kid you are shopping for has a craft challenged parent - perhaps you can make a gift basket like this:
• Watercolor Paper, Watercolor Pencils and paint brushes - you could even draw a picture on the first page to give them an idea of what to do:)
• Stickers and sticker books - Katie LOVES STICKERS - she never gets sick of them - the dollar store has tons of them as well.
• Check with the mom before you get a character item. My friends daughter LOVES Dora - and has everything Dora under the sun - I'm sure she'd love it if people checked with her before they bought another Dora doll in case she already has it- or in case her daughter has outgrown it yet. We have the same issue with Thomas- I'm afraid she's gonna get sick of it and we have so many trains already I'd hate for someone to spend the money for nothing
• For newborns - you could make a gift basket of baby medicines... like Vapor Bath, Children's Tylenol, Mylicon, Diaper Rash Cream - they have these kids already assembled - but sometimes the items inside the kits are expired or recalled, so it's best to make your own kit by buying the items individually!
  

I hope this gave you some ideas for fun and different gifts... Post ideas that you have for stuff you've been given or that you have given to others:)
I'm not saying clothes and toys aren't fun and well received, I'm just saying that being a stay at home mom with one salary - I have realized it can be fun and helpful to think outside the box when it comes to gifts for new babies and toddlers.