This year’s best-designed gifts for kids
While buying holiday presents can sometimes feel like a drag, kids are among the most delightful people on the list to shop for. They’re still enthralled by the holiday season and are usually excited at just about anything you give them.
That doesn’t mean that all gifts are created equal. During the holiday season, companies will flood the market with all kinds of toys and kids’ products, but most aren’t designed to engage children for long. Well-designed products, on the other hand, are carefully designed for a child to come back to again and again, as they grow.
Here are six products that fit the bill.
A Transformable Tricycle
Doona Liki Trike, starting at $250
Tricycles are so much fun for toddlers, but they generally don’t use them for very long before graduating to a bicycle. The Liki Trike from Doona has a clever design that is meant to take a child from 10 months (when they are ready to sit up) all the way till they are about 3 years old. It works as a kind of stroller when the child is small; they sit on the seat, strapped in, while an adult pushes the device. My toddler loves this mode, because she feels like she is more active and engaged when we go out on strolls. But when the child is older, the Liki can be converted into a functional tricycle. When not in use, the whole thing can be folded to fit into the truck of a car or the overhead bin of an airplane.
Books that Open Up Worlds
The World Board Books, $10 and Joyful Season Gift Set, $32
Picture books are a child’s first exposure to art and can be a portal to other places. So why not help them see as much of the world as possible? That’s part of the mission of Barefoot Books, a publishing house that offers a global spin on children’s books and is known for finding diverse authors and illustrators who bring their distinct aesthetic to the work.
For the holidays, the Joyful Season Gift Set—for children ages 3 to 7—features one book about how children in 13 countries celebrate local holidays and another specifically focused on the diverse ways people celebrate Christmas. For younger children, Our World is a series of board books covering dozens of countries including Ethiopia, France, and Argentina, exposing them to a day in the life of a child in that country.
A Knife For The Young Chef
Opinel Le Petit Chef, $50
Children love to help in the kitchen, but often parents are reluctant to let them do any of the chopping or peeling. But Opinel, the 130-year-old French knife brand, has developed a set of tools for kids around the age of 6 to learn knife skills. The knife has a rounded tip that isn’t sharp as well as a ring on the base that helps the child position their fingers, to prevent them from touching the blade. There’s also a finger ring on the peeler, which ensures a more secure grip. The set also comes with a finger guard to protect fingers from the knife while also teaching them where exactly to position their fingers. At the same time, these tools do actually cut and peel, so the child can contribute in a material way to the meal. (And adults should always supervise children using them.)
A Solution For Childhood Keepsakes
Petite Keep, starting at $229
Being a parent means receiving endless paintings and art projects, and accumulating lots of beloved stuffies and toys that represent each new precious stage of development. Over time, this means mountains of crafts piling up around the house. Petite Keep has an answer for you. The brand creates beautiful, solid trunks with linings on the inside that can be embroidered with your child’s name and initials. You can store away tokens that are particularly valuable and feel free to discard the rest, knowing you have a trove of keepsakes that tell the story of their childhood.
A Table For Snacking and Playing
Lalo Play Kit, $280
Most furniture in the home isn’t designed for young children, so parents either let the kids take over the rest of the house or relegate their kids to their own bedrooms. This play table is a good solution. Made of sustainably sourced wood, the sleek set is designed to fit into a modern home, but creates a special child-size nook. Kids can eat snacks or meals there, or do craft activities. (Lalo sells giant coloring sheets that fit perfectly on top of the table, so kids can go wild.) They can sit comfortably to play games alone, or with a companion. Children can use it starting around 1 year of age, and will comfortably use it for the next four years.
A Coat That Doubles As a Costume
When the temperature drops, one of the most useful things you can buy for a child is a warm, waterproof jacket. But don’t settle for a boring one. Mori, a baby clothing brand known for its sustainable, durable fabrics, has created a cute coat with dinosaur spikes across the back to make the child feel like they’re dressing up. The coat is made from recycled waterproof nylon on the outside, and a warm fleece lining on the inside made from recycled polyester. There’s even a reflective dinosaur on the sleeve, so the child is easy to spot. And importantly, when I tested it, my toddler felt cozy, even on a chilly Boston day. It’s available in sizes from 6 months to 5 years.
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