Over the weekend, I had my fourth conversation with a friend in the last two weeks about what to gift little-big girls, like ages 4-8, for Christmas. Four!! That’s a lot, or it’s felt like a lot (ha!), so I thought I’d put a little guide together of my recommendations for quick reference. My girls have a solid line-up of things that they have loooooved this last year, so, mama, if you’re looking for a tried-and-true something for your daughter to love (every rec is something we own and have genuinely loved), pull up a chair. All the deets are spilled below!
1. FLUFFY ROBE & SLIPPERS // Olivia’s request for Christmas last year was a fluffy robe and slippers, and Sis has been thrilled with them all year. Olivia said she feels comfy, warm and safe whenever she wears them (she tends to throw them on right after dinner). She received this robe and these slippers, but I kiiiinda wish Santa had seen this plush robe and these fluffy slippers since they’re so similar and a little cheaper!
2. GOOD BOOKS // We gave Olivia the first book in the Kitty’s Magic Series for Valentine’s Day, and she ate it up. We’ve since read it aloud with all of the girls, and Claire and Emmy loved it, too. It’s a quick, great read — the main character has the magical power to turn into cats, and she solves mysteries as both a human and cat girl. Also, on a whim while at Costco last Spring, I picked up this Anthology of Intriguing Animals and it has been one of the girls’ favorite books this year. The 100 animals featured are varied and intriguing and super fun to learn about (I pull this out when I’m teaching our preschool co-op with Claire all the time). I was drawn to it because (surprise surprise, haha), it looks good on the shelf!
3. PRETTY LITTLE LOCKET // One of the girls’ friends has a pretty gold locket, so the girls saved up their pennies last winter to buy the same locket (from J. Crew Factory), but this one looks identical and costs a little less. I have yet to put pictures inside of their lockets, but the girls still wear them all the time. A little gold locket is a darling jewelry staple for girls!
4. A FUN PURSE // Okay girls will always find a use for a good purse. My girls use purses during pretend play, when we run errands, when they’re hiding stuff that they don’t want their sisters to play with… 😉 I randomly found these puppy purses at our local Nordstrom Rack and gave them to Claire for her birthday last year, and they’ve been a major hit. The puppy purses are here on Amazon, too!
5. A PERSONAL MAKE-UP KIT // The gold-medal gift from last year, IMO — stuffing a big, bright Caboodle full of cheap e.l.f makeup and some nail polish. “A BIG makeup kit!” was Claire’s request for Christmas and it was a huge hit! Olivia asked for “a small make-up kit,” so one like this came alongside her robe and slippers, and Emmy got this mini caboodle with her own makeup for her birthday. The e.l.f. makeup has been awesome, since it’s legit makeup (my girls would never go for the fake stuff) and it’s inexpensive. The girls have loved having and doing their own make-up this year. It makes them feel so big. It’s the cutest thing!
6. SLICK SCOOTERS // These Micro Kickboard scooters were the girls’ Christmas gifts from Ryan and me last year, and they are tried and TRUE. They glide and turn and are so fun to ride. My girls love them. Experience taught us that they’re totally worth the money, too. IE, when we moved to SD, we bought the girls these cheaper, Micro Kickboard knock-offs, and they were great at first, but they started falling apart after one year of use (the wheels started falling off, the breaks broke off, etc.). I think they’re still a good option as long as your kids don’t ride their scooters daily, but if you think your littles may put a lot of miles on their scooter, the real Micros are worth the investment.
7. A BIG ART KIT // Ryan said that of all the gifts in this guide, this Crayola Art Kit is probably the heaviest hitter. The girls get lost in their own creative worlds via these kits. Claire got this exact art kit for her birthday last year, and it didn’t take long before Olivia ended up with this same art kit around her birthday, too. Emmy had to join the party — she has her own mini art kit full of these cute, tiny Crayola markers — and, actually, the big girls are obsessed with that kit, too. They jump into Creative Land via these kits, and they can stay there for hours.
8. REALISTIC DOLLS // The girls’ wish for Christmas this year is to beef up their AG doll repertoire (my sweet sister gave Olivia and Claire old AG dolls as gifts last year)! AG is priiiicey, though, so Santa’s going with Target’s line, Our Generation Dolls. The girls specifically asked for a boy doll so that they can play family “for real, Mom — we have to have a dad!!”, so this Ryan look-alike boy doll is coming their way this year (I had to choose the boy with dark hair and dark eyes, duh 😉 ), and this look-alike doll for Emmy is coming, too (obsessed with that curly hair)! This is the OG girl doll is pictured above, but honestly all of the dolls are so cute. Also — the more outfits there are to change the dolls into, the longer the girls can stay in the game (their dolls go from waking up, to school, to swimming, etc.). So I recommend getting one or two dolls and then a bunch of outfits, especially since you can get so many via the OG line — there are tons of cute outfit options and they are so affordable.
There’s that, my moms-of-girls friends. I so hope these ideas help you out a little as you prep to find something new and fun for your girls this Christmas! Girls are SO MUCH FUN — to hang with and to spoil to shop for…I’m not biased or anything. 😉
xoxo! See you tomorrow with a gift guide for toddlers!
