Its another Christmas themed post I’m afraid! I have been much more organised with Christmas shopping this year and this has actually worked out really well. Most of Amelia’s presents this year have been bought when there were sales on or with discount codes etc which means I’ve spent less…well not entirely it means I’ve bought more. I think its fair to say I have gone maybe not overboard but I’ve definitely bought enough presents for Amelia this year. But her birthday is a long way off so she needs enough bits and pieces to keep her going. I’m finished with Amelia’s Christmas sack/stocking so I thought I would share with you what I have got and it can hopefully give you some ideas if you are stuck or after some inspiration.
What I really like this year is that the presents can be separated into groups of things; bath stuff, educational toys, books and arty/messy play supplies. I can’t remember the price of each item but I will include where I bought them; some bits were from actual shops and some online.
Arty Supplies:
- Giant colouring book – ASDA
- Painting Tub- ASDA
- Play Doh – Lidl
- Paint brushes- Net price direct
- Water colour paints- Net price direct
- Chunky crayons- Net price direct
- Washable Markers- Net price direct
- Chunky pencils- Net price diret
I’m so excited for these bits to be opened and used. If you frequently read my blog/follow us on twitter you will know that I love doing crafts and messy play activities with Amelia and all of these bits will come in handy for that. This is Amelia’s first colouring book and something like crayons and pencils make for excellent stocking fillers. I found this site Net Price Direct and have actually bought a few bits off here. The prices are quite a discount for what you might spend in shops and they have some really fun bits (especially the wooden toys!)
Bathtime/bedtime bits:
- Alphabet foam bath letters – Sainsburys
- Bath Crayons- Sainsburys
- Gruffalo socks- Sainsburys
- Peppa Pig slippers- Next
- Minnie Mouse Cuddle robe- Home Bargains
I’ve wanted the bath crayons for such a long time but thought it was best to wait until she would use them properly and I think foam bath letters are present in every household bathroom if you have children! I love the Minnie Mouse bath towel and its an actual Disney product from Home Bargains and I think it was something like £1.50, could be wrong but it was super cheap. Amelia is a huge huge Peppa Pig fan so pretty sure the slippers will go down well plus they are fur lined so will keep her feet super toasty. The Gruffalo socks were a little extra and come in a pack of three!
Educational toys;
- Gruffalo puzzle- John Lewis
- Seashore threading fun- ELC (Mothercare)
- My complete learning pack cards- ELC (Mothercare)
- Star links- ELC (Mothercare)
- Wooden stacking train- Lidl
- Wooden animal skittles- Sainsburys
- Stacking cups- Sainsburys
These are the bits I’m probably most looking forward to using. I absolutely love wooden toys and when we were away glamping they had a skittle set that we taught Amelia to play with so I think she will really enjoy these plus she loves throwing and rolling a ball. She has a set of four stacking cups and can stack them but I think this set comes with 10/12 so she can get better at balancing things. This puzzle is great as each one has an extra piece so one is 2 pieces the next is 3 etc etc. She is starting to be able to push pieces together plus who doesn’t love the Gruffalo. The cards are more for introducing words to Amelia being able to point to the picture on the card and say the word so she can start to copy. I’ve seen a lot of threading and cotton reel sets but they are quite intricate but this set comes with thick laces and chunky wooden characters with large holes to thread through. The star links will also be good for concentration play to learn how to push them together and pull them apart. I know babies learn through all of their toys but I don’t see the harm in introducing some educational toys especially when it is as subtle as this!
Books and extras;
- Goodies selection box- ASDA
- Milkybar buttons tube- Lidl
- The Highway Rat & Zog Multipack- Tesco
- Peppa Pig Little Library- TK Maxx
- My first books set of 4- TK Maxx
- Sofia board book- G&T’s
Who doesn’t love books! She has got a few other books coming as under the tree presents but these were all my bargain books! We love Julia Donaldson books and have most of the collection with Axel Scheffler but when I saw the multipack for just £5 I had to get it as you can normally only grab one board book by Julia Donaldson for that price. Amelia loves Sofia and although this book only has a couple of pages I think it was £1 and I’m sure she will like it as she will recognise the characters. We already have the original Peppa Pig little library so when I saw the fairytale version I had to get it; plus they are small books which are easy to keep in a bag whilst you are out and about. The set of my first books were an absolute steal for the price. They were £3.99 for the four and are bright, colourful and will be great when Amelia starts saying more words. I haven’t bought books from TK Maxx before but I would definitely recommend having a look as they have lots of great pack’s and sets for really discounted prices.
I have also been pretty eager and wrapped these bits already to get a head start…
So this is it bar the odd present I may just HAVE to buy in the next couple of weeks. I had an entire roll of the brown tree wrapping paper from last year that I thought I would do the stocking bits with and I’m hoping to get some Peppa Pig wrap or something fun for her presents under the tree.
What do you think are great stocking fillers?
Thanks for reading!xxx
Alice & Amelia 