Hey Everyone,
We hope you’re enjoying the beginning of the holiday season. All of our OT-friendly gift guides are out and we have one more week of posts before taking a much-needed end-of-year blogging break. For this month’s Things We Loved, we’re recapping our busy November, prepping for a crazy December, and sharing the things that are getting us through both.
shopping
Holiday Gift Guide: Alternative Gifts
Lately, when people ask me if the girls want or need anything for Christmas, my immediate answer is NO. From sensory toys to learning toys to active sports equipment, we already have it covered. If anything, I’m begging you not to bring in any more stuff into my house…
A couple years ago, when my mom asked this same question, I told her gift cards. She got visibly disappointed and said that the girls NEED to open something Christmas morning, like I was just going to have no actual presents whatsoever.
First, I want to get out of this frame of thinking, that the holidays aren’t special unless there are a mountain of gifts. NEGATIVE. I’m pretty sure my girls are young enough that there wouldn’t be any emotional difference or disappointment between opening 5 presents or 15 presents.
And second, in going with my 2021 resolution to become more minimalist and sustainable, there are plenty of other gift-giving options besides buying the entire toddler toy section
Continue readingGift Guide 2021: Preschool/Elementary Kids (4+)
If you ever notice the toy description in this age range, no one cares about whether its educational or developmental. It’s all about how entertaining and fun it is to play with. We’re here to say that some of these exciting toys can still provide advantages to enhancing your kid’s growth.
Here’s our top choices for children 4 and up.
Holiday Gift Guide 2021: Toddlers
Holiday shopping for toddlers can be a bit tricky. They’ve outgrown basic baby toys and in most cases, are way too young for all the popular and full-sized toys. Our picks are somewhere in the middle. They still promote fine and gross motor development, while also bringing in imagination, pretend play, and body movement.
Here are our recommendations for toddlers, 1-3 years:
Continue readingChild(ish) Advice Holiday Gift Guide 2021
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:
Continue reading
Child(ish) Advice 