One of the best things about Christmas morning is rushing down the stairs and seeing what Father Christmas has left in your stocking. Even though the main presents are always tucked away under the tree, stockings are still a great way to give your kids some smaller presents to open and play with, keeping them busy while you wake up and get yourself ready for the big day ahead.
From toys to treats and stories to socks, stocking fillers can be anything, but here are some of our favourites for 2017 which have been split up by age group.
0-1
Sophie the Giraffe Teether – £11.99
At this early stage in your child’s life, they can’t really appreciate many gifts so it’s a good idea to get them things which will help aid their development. This Sophie the Giraffe toy is a great choice, which has been helping babies through the teething process for over 50 years.
It’s a classic baby accessory which is easy to grab and bite, stimulating and soothing your little one’s senses.
Baby’s First Christmas Personalised Blocks – £28.50
Building blocks are a favourite toy of young babies and toddlers, so why not get some which will make for an excellent keepsake in years to come with these personalised ‘Baby’s First Christmas’ blocks?
Building blocks are a great way for your kids to start learning and developing their motor, language, and social skills at an early age too.
1-3
Crayola Beginnings First Markers – £3.83
As they get older, you can start to embrace your little ones’ creative side with this marker pen set designed specifically for smaller hands.
Don’t necessarily expect them to be creating artistic masterpieces just yet, but it’s a great gift to let them have fun while still helping to develop their creativity at the same time.
And don’t worry too much about the mess as the ink should rinse right off clothes and skin.
Chocolate Coins – £2.49
A staple of stockings for many generations, you can’t really go wrong with a bag of chocolate coins!
4-9
Pocket Handscope Handheld Microscope – £7.49
If your little ones like to get outside and see what they can dig up in the garden, they might enjoy these handy and compact microscope toys.
Simply hold something underneath the scope, whether it be a creepy crawly, a leaf or whatever else they can find, and it’ll be magnified up to super-size!
Lightsaber Toothbrush – £4.99
Stockings are often a great way to sneak in some useful presents without your kids realising it, and what better way to make brushing their teeth fun than by turning their toothbrush into a lightsaber?
Complete with light and sound effects, these cool toothbrushes even flash after a minute to let kids know when they’re done.
Whether they choose the light or the dark side, rest assured that they’ll be winning the fight in dental hygiene!
10-12
Socks – Various
There’s no denying that kids are at a tough age to buy for here. While they might want to be grown-ups, they’re not quite there yet and are still children in many ways, which is why it can be a good idea to play it safe sometimes.
And how much safer can you get than socks? Ok, so it’s a bit boring and cliché, but we can guarantee that their sock drawer has seen better days and you can always make it into a joke by buying some funny novelty ones.
Secret Message Writing Set – £6
If they’re starting to keep secrets from you, they’ll probably love this secret message writing set so that they can write down their deepest secrets in invisible ink, which is revealed by a UV lamp in the cap of the pens.
Perfect if you’ve got a budding spy, and it comes with two pens so that they can share secret messages with their bestie.
13-18
Gift Card – Up to You!
It’s a bit of a cop-out, but teens are notoriously difficult to please. If you want something you can’t go too far wrong with, get them an Amazon gift card or one for their favourite shop (or even for a cheeky Nandos!).
Colour Changing Unicorn Mug – £12.99
Unicorns are all the rage, so this mug is already awesome, but it gets even cooler (or should that be warmer…).
With a colourful mane and horn, what really makes this mug stand out is that the unicorn will light up when you fill it with your tea or coffee! A must for any unicorn-loving teens.