Our son will be just under two years old on Christmas, which is the perfect age because he is just starting to understand all the magic that goes along with Christmas. In our house, Santa brings the stockings and we kick off Christmas morning with them. So of course, there’s an extra layer of wonder and magic that goes along with them.
And I love stockings too! Shopping for stockings is probably my favorite part of Christmas prep because it’s low-pressure compared to all the other presents and chaos going on.
I do try to give myself some guidelines when shopping for stocking stuffers though.
- I don’t like to buy junk. Like breakable, little knick knacks that will just end up lost under the couch or thrown away. I keep stockings fairly inexpensive, but cheaper isn’t always better. I want stockings to be filled with items my kids will love and continue to use.
- Keep the candy to a minimum. We don’t have a lot of sweets in the house anyway. Not that I’m against them or anything, but neither my husband or I have a sweet tooth. I prefer to put one or two treats in everyone’s stocking and that’s it. If anything, we do salty snacks!
- Avoid Christmas-themed items. By the time we open stockings, Christmas is already here and will soon be over. A book or toy with Santa on it would feel “expired” in a day.
Stocking Stuffer Ideas:
Socks: Old Navy has the best socks for littles.
Dinosaur slippers: My dino-obsessed son would absolutely die. They’ve also got sharks.
Bubble bath: We normally get “boring” bubble bath, but fruity character bubbles are more fun on holidays.
Bath toys: My son loves pouring water, which usually means our bathroom floors end up soaked after baths. I’m hoping these will encourage him to keep the water inside the tub.
Bath fizzies: Like mini bath bombs — anything to make bath time more fun.
Bath bomb: Or opt for a full-sized rudolph bath bomb.
Candy Canes: The candy filled tubes are a must-have for Smith household stockings.
Festive treats: I love Target’s Wondershop because their packaging and presentation is always the cutest.
Playdoh: A party set like this is great to split between multiple kids, too.
Wooden vehicles: I like that you can buy these ones individually and choose your favorites.
Lacing toy: This one shaped like an apple and worm is really cute.
Pop-it fidget toy: Obviously these are super trendy and I had to go with a dinosaur shaped one.
Hot Wheels: Because every little boy loves cars.
Animal figures: Schleich figures are the best toys we’ve ever bought. Leo’s collection is quickly growing and he is always carrying one around.
Dinosaur figures: Same goes for Schleich dinosaurs, but most are pricier than the animals.
Crayons and Markers: The extra washable ones are the way to go with a two year old.
Stickers: I love this huge book of stickers. Melissa and Doug do no wrong.
Eating utensils: My favorite has always been the Replay ones.
Water bottle: I’ve wanted to get Leo a YETI for forever now and Christmas is the perfect excuse to splurge.
Flash cards: Leo loves flash cards and playing “can you find the…?” games.
Winter hat: My husband always wears this style of beanie, so I think its adorable when Leo matches him.
Lego Duplo: A real small set like this one is perfect for stockings.
Harmonica: You may quickly regret it, but I don’t know a toddler that wouldn’t have fun with this.
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