On the 22nd Day of Christmas...

I bought this Gazillion Bubbles Machine £15.99 for my godson on his fourth birthday. He had all his mates in a village hall for a do and this made them go crazy. Honestly, I had no idea. The only downside was a very slippery floor but the nippers were all having too much fun to notice. I can't recommend this toy enough for hours of fun and it can be wheeled out time and time again. Available from Toy's R Us and other large toy stores. 

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Here is something that parents either love or hate. It's up to you but I know for a fact that kids absolutely love them. Bath Crayons £4.00 from Hawkins Bazaar is the perfect way to encourage creativity even whilst bathing (we should all be so lucky). I have given these before and received withering looks as a consequence so choose your audience. They do wash easily off all surfaces and have a clever retractable mechanism for storage between use. Hours of splashy fun! If you are too late for the post, find similar at The Early Learning Centre. 

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Amazing and original and packaged in a lovely tin with a hand-drawn design printed on it. This witty range of Clothes Plasters (from £2.99) are embroidered patches designed by artist Jennie Maizels and require only a hot iron to affix individuality and flare to your children's clothes. They come in packs of one, two, five or ten (£9.99 the ones in the tin above) and there is a style to suit all. My favourite is the "Love" range mainly because I have a favourite jumper with a moth hole at the chest and I think one of these would prolong its life considerably. Gorgeous!  

On the 19th Day of Christmas...

It is astounding how quickly children grow up and once they are standing, it's fun to keep track of their progress. My dad used to mark the height of my brother and I on the doorway to the kitchen with a biro. They've just had a refit but those little scratchy marks and dates are still there - a little piece of family history. This Davy Dragon Height Chart £31.00 from Kid's Rooms is a beautifully conceived decoration for the nursery or playroom to help chart their progress. It is made from fabric, attaches like a hanging to the wall and has little fabric picture frames that mark the latest height of each child that you can put a photograph in. Perfect as a christmas, birthday or new baby gift that will last for years. 

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Only a week left until the big day. So exciting! I took my daughter to her first birthday party yesterday and to save a lot of aggro, we all drew names in a Secret Santa style arrangement so that each child got one present from another child. So simple. So sensible. I drew my friend's son Oscar and we chose two Rubber Ducks £5.00 each from John Lewis for him; the two blue ones at the top in fact because I love the little rubber ring they have 'boy' written all over them. Also a great stocking filler idea for some seriously stylish splashing. 

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How cute? Why not stuff a stocking with this Blue & Red Rose Coathanger £4.20 from This Is Pretty. I met someone once who (quite vehemently) believed that padded hangers were the work of the devil and I could never understand why. Obviously some are nicer than others (pastel yellow, crocheted and smelling of mothballs are a no-no of course) but who could say that this child-size hanger isn't cute as a button and wouldn't look so smart with a pretty dress hanging from it in a wardrobe or on the back of the nursery door. It would also make a lovely present for a 1st birthday or new baby. 

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Sometimes lovely things serve no purpose other than to add a little superb decoration to your life and this is one of them. Santa's Magic Key £5.50 from East of India at The Contemporary Home is a little piece of wrought iron joy on a vintage manilla gift tag and would make a lovely stocking filler, advent calendar gift, present embellishment, party favour, table or tree decoration. I would most like to hang it on the wreath on our front door. Gorgeous. 

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Completely scrumptious. This Breakfast Menu Tray £12.00 from Jelly & Blancmange is a lovely toy for a small child. I'm a big fan of traditional wooden toys and there's something about the smoothness and roundness of these pieces that is particularly eye-catching - I love the cheese! The Jelly & Blancmange site is choc-full of good quality festive accessories, tradional toys and magic party bag fillers so go and have a wander around. I know twelve quid might be a bit steep for the stocking but I reckon individually wrapped they'd take up quite a bit of room and it'll kickstart the training for when the little darlings are old enough to start serving you breakfast in bed (which is when...roughly...by the way?)

On the 15th Day of Christmas...

So cute. My daughter was given this little Owl Holdall £13.75 by my aunt for her first birthday. It's great because she is getting interested in everything and she simply loves the opportunity to empty my handbag. Now I just fill it full of interesting things from the nursery, kitchen and bathroom and watch her go. I've trawled the internet for them and most places seem to be sold out but I found some available at Bazaar Barnstaple and Amazon do them as well but at almost twice the price and even they are running low on stock so they must be very popular. I particularly love the design of the holdall because the neck of the bag is narrower than the rest of it so even if it gets up-ended, you won't end up with absolutely everything on the floor in Tesco. Don't you just hate it when that happens?

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More sweet treats for your little ones (and big ones as well) this time from master confectioners Hope & Greenwood. A great way to reward all that good behaviour, For A Good Boy/Girl £3.50 are perfect for stockings of for trimming the tree. Each small decorative box contains milk chocolate balls wrapped in silver foil and topped off with a ribbon. I also think they would make rather original favours for a festive wedding or formal dinner. Vintage sweetie heaven. 

On the 12th Day of Christmas...

 

Depending on your point of view, this Doodle Table Cloth £30.00 from Sophie Likes is either a Godsend or the worst idea ever conceived. My guess though is that the idea of encouraging creativity and keeping the little darlings at the table for the duration of a meal will drop most in the former camp. And it's a wicked present for an auntie, uncle, grand- or godparent who doesn't have to deal with the washing machine anyway ; ). I once got a mildly withering look from a friend after I gave her kids bath crayons but they were ecstatic and I'm sorry, but it is the recipient's joy that counts. It comes complete with 8 different colour felt tips and the colours wash out at 40 degrees in the machine so the fun can just go on and on and on. Have a look because Sophie Likes also has a pillow case, and single and double duvet options but even I am not brave enough to recommend drawing on bedding. It could result in some pretty embarrassing conversations after sleepovers. Still a brilliant idea though and could be an original present for those older 'children' that you know.

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Something for everyone and so indulgent. This is the Christmas Present Card £10.95 from The Biscuiteers - a business that has made an art form out of cakes and cookies. Choose your personal message and take pleasure watching them eat it. And what's more, the gorgeous gift box it comes in can be used afterwards to keep trinkets and personal keepsakes. Knocks a tin of Roses out of the park. Yummy!