The holidays are going to be crazy this year. Yes, there are staffing shortages, mailing delays, and supply-chain bottlenecks. People are frustrated but also excited to have bigger, in-person events. Before getting into actual gift recommendations, we want to make sure you pack your patience. Get mentally and emotionally ready for this, so you don’t lose it on holiday workers who are just doing their best.
And now for gifts…
A lot of grandparents and family members want to make sure that they purchase something that is not only entertaining, but educational. Then, there are also family members that get the craziest, loudest, most popular thing on the shelves. So, to help balance expectations and simplify the process, we’ve put together our 2021 holiday gift list.
None of these are sponsored. We ran to Target/browsed Amazon and picked out a couple things per age group that we thought were pretty awesome and also OT-friendly.
Here are our recommendations this year for newborns to 12 months:
Baby Einstein Flip For Art High Contrast Floor Activity Mirror with Take Along Cards
Why we love it:
Look for high-contrast color toys (black, white, and red). These are stimulating to babies to promote visual attention, curiosity, and engagement. Babies also enjoy looking at faces, including their own, which is a wonderful motivator during tummy time.
This baby-safe mirror and high-contrast flashcard set is a two-for-one deal. It is propped on a collapsible stand. The flashcards can also be taken on-the-go with an included link for strollers and carriers.
Baby Einstein Explore & Discover Soft Blocks
Why we love it:
As your baby gains more control of their movements, they begin to interact with objects and realize the concept of cause-and-effect (ex: shake a rattle or grab a crinkle toy, it makes a noise).
These soft blocks are riddled with sensory surprises. From crinkle and rattle noises to ribbon tugs and peek-a-boo mirrors, these little interactions can keep your baby engaged while they figure out how to toss, stack, and knock them down. Additionally, their large size encourages using both hands, promoting midline orientation and integration of both sides of their body.
Fisher-Price Play & Crawl Hedgehog Mirror
Why we love it:
Encourage your child to crawl about with toys that roll or have wheels. This toy on wheels has a mirror. As we have said earlier, babies love faces and will be motivated to investigate them. Just give it a push and your child will want to go after it. It also has fine-motor and sensory components on it for your child to explore and engage with as well.
Fisher-Price Giant Rock-a-stack
Why we love it:
Learning to stand and walk requires good trunk control and balance. This HUGE version of the original we grew up with (it’s 15 inches in height!!) still has that dynamic base that not only challenges your child’s visual-motor skills and eye-hand coordination, but also their posture while sitting or kneeling. As they gain more body awareness and trunk control, they’ll be able to stand and drop the rings onto the base. Bonus: Crouching down to grab rings and then placing it on the dowel helps build strength and stability in the legs for walking.
Stocking Stuffers
Some other small things that you can fit in to up the sensory (and cute) factor:
All of the linked items can also be found on our Child(ish) Advice Holiday Gift Guide Amazon List.
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