Gift guide
Gifts by age group
Six bands, newborn to eighteen. Start here if you know roughly how old they are but not exactly what they are into. Each one tells you what actually changes at that stage, points you straight at the exact age page, and has a full Amazon list if you would rather shop the whole band at once.
By Age
Nineteen pages, newborn to eighteen, every one with its own list.
By Age Group
Six bands, for when you do not need it narrowed down to the year.
By Interest
Sorted by what they are actually into, not how old they are.
By Occasion
Baskets, boxes and party bags – Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s, Easter.
Babies
Nothing needs batteries yet. At this age the gift is really for whoever is holding the baby, so the things that last are the ones that are nice to look at, easy to wipe down and safe to chew.
Toddlers
Everything gets carried, dropped, stacked and climbed on. Open-ended beats one-trick at this age, and anything with small parts still goes straight in the mouth.
Shop the toddler list on Amazon
Preschool
The pretending years. This is when play kitchens, dress-up and small-world sets earn their shelf space, and when the first real building sets start getting used properly rather than just tipped out.
Shop the preschool list on Amazon
Kids
School has started and so have strong opinions about what is cool. This is the age for kits they can finish on their own, games with proper rules, and anything they can show someone afterwards.
Shop the 6 to 8 list on Amazon
Big Kids & Tweens
They know exactly what they want and they will tell you. A gift that respects the specific thing they are into beats a generic toy by a mile, and most of them would rather have one good thing than three fillers.
Shop the 9 to 12 list on Amazon
Which guide do you need?
If you know what the gift is for rather than how old they are – a stocking, an advent calendar, a party bag, a teacher at the end of term – the occasion guides are sorted that way instead. And if you already know the exact age, the age guides go year by year, newborn to eighteen, each with its own list.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Everything on the lists is something we have used or would buy ourselves – nothing is on there because a brand asked.