Now that I'm a mama, it's easier to understand what kids want/need. My single 24-year-old self, would just stick with a toy but would of probably paced up and down the toy aisles to figure out which toy to get, "Spiderman or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle? But if I get Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, will he like Leonardo or Donatello? Wait, what if he has all of them already?" I can be very indecisive when given the time and in my younger years, I had time to roam around for hours. I still do if Brookie allows me to, but most times, it's in and out of stores in a timely manner. So nowadays, it's a lot of pre-planning and knowing what I need to get before I go to the store. We were invited to our friend's son's 3rd birthday party and I came up with ideas on what to give as a gift.
1. Pete the Cat books | 2. Crocodile Creek Vehicles puzzle | 3. Indikidual zig zag joggers | 4. Kukukid monsters sweatshirt | 5. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Lego Juniors | 6. Zingo game
Books - Books, Books, Books! In my opinion, these are the best gifts to give a child or baby. As a parent, reading to my child is part of the daily routine. It has helped her learn words faster. She understands us when we tell her, "Go pick out a book for us to read." She walks over to her books and decides which one she wants and we read. I encourage all first time mamas to start reading to their baby early, it truly helps.
Books - Books, Books, Books! In my opinion, these are the best gifts to give a child or baby. As a parent, reading to my child is part of the daily routine. It has helped her learn words faster. She understands us when we tell her, "Go pick out a book for us to read." She walks over to her books and decides which one she wants and we read. I encourage all first time mamas to start reading to their baby early, it truly helps.
Clothes - When buying clothes for kids, they're usually true to size, but it is best to ask the mama beforehand to make sure. Same with shoes, always ask before buying and include a gift receipt.
Puzzles and Educational games - Anything that helps a child's cognitive development is always a good gift. At around age 3 to 4, kids begin to learn how to put puzzles together and enjoy board games. Puzzles are a treat for parents too because it is fun for the whole family and kids can sit for hours trying to put a puzzle together. Okay, maybe not hours, but enough to give the person in charge a quiet little break.
This is what I decided to give the birthday boy.
- We Are in a Book by Mo Willems (His books crack me up! I'm a fan and will continue to buy more of his books)
- Pirate puzzle for ages 4+
- Waterproof Disney Planes toy (Kids love playing with water)
- Candy (Not a fan for mamas but I know he loves candy. Plus, you can't have treasure without candy!)
Isn't this chest box awesome?! I'm all about useful gifts. I can imagine him adding his own treasure in it and creating a map to find his treasure. It also works great as a cool storage box for his mom to use.
We stopped by Abbot Kinney (again) before going to the party. We just love the atmosphere there. I love the cute stores. It makes me want to buy everything. Jathan loves the aesthetic and taking photos. We talk about how cool it would be to have a beach house near there.
I can seriously wear this dress everyday. It's so comfortable! Being a mama, I'm all about throwing something on and being comfortable. Shout out to my sister, for buying this dress for me!
It's cute when they're independent. They're content playing with whatever they have around them while the mamas and papas enjoy talking with one another. It's the little things.
The birthday boy was happy eating his birthday cupcake!
