Category: At Home

Best Gifts for 4 Year Old

2022 Holiday Gift Guide for 4 Year Olds

4 year olds are curious, opinionated, full of energy and are likely starting to become OBSESSED with something. It might be Lego, Barbie, Starwars, L.O.L or another IT brand out there. My guess is, that if they are obsessed with that something then you have a few good items you’re already thinking about for them. So, in this list, I am focusing on the gifts and toys that aren’t necessarily a brand specific item but toys and items that are great for helping them develop their imaginations, fine motor skills and gross motor skills.

I am a mom of 3, and I am sharing things that my current 5 year old gravitated towards when she was 4 – and of course items that she did not lose interest in after a couple of weeks. These are toys that keep getting used over and over again.

Best Toys for 4 Year Olds

(This list contains affiliate links for your convenience. This means at no cost to you, if you make a purchase using one of these links, I may earn a commission).

You can find my complete Amazon 4 Year Old Gift Guide here.

Digital Camera

Incline/Wedge Mat

Stacking Rocks

Hair Coloring Chalk (This is NOT just for girls!! My nephew loves using these!)

Geo Board

YOTO Story Player

Roller Skates

Calico Critters

Tangram Set

Marble Run

Walkie Talkies

Cash Register

Light Up Drawing Board

Metallic Markers

Mailbox Activity Set

Piggy Bank

Telescope

Sand Art Kit

How To Draw Book

Reading Light

Star Projector

Guitar & Lessons (or another instrument that they may be interested in)

Trampoline

Tablet

Best Gifts for 3 Year Old Preschooler

2022 Holiday Gift Guide for Preschoolers

At 3 years old, your child’s imagination is running wild, their language is rapidly developing and they are starting to become their own little person. Toys that are more open ended are great for this age. 3 is an amazing age, and as a mom of 3 (one of which is 3 right now) I have been able to watch my kids play and explore and see which toys they continue to gravitate towards day after day, and year after year.

Feel free to send this 3 year old gift guide on to your family members, friends and whoever else might need some good ideas for gift giving.

Best Toys for 3 Year Old Preschooler

(This list contains affiliate links for your convenience. This means at no cost to you, if you make a purchase using one of these links, I may earn a commission).

You can find my complete Amazon Preschool Gift Guide here.

Stepping Stones

Yoto Story Player

Stamp Set

Playdo Set

Garden Building

Cash Register

Wallet & Play Money

Gym Mat

Nursery Play Set

Baby Doll Carrier

Baby Doll Accessories

Floor Puzzle

Hammock Pod

Wobble Board

Doorbell Dollhouse

Rainbow Stackers

Fine Motor Tool Box

Scissor Skills Activity Book

Magnetic Dress Up Dolls

Duplo Town

Scooter

Spirograph Jr

Dress up Outfit – Whatever you think they’d enjoy best!

Mini Home Cleaning Set

Bean Bags

Stacking Rocks

Wagon

Kids Umbrella

Play Kitchen

Play Food

Kitchen Helper Set

Picasso Tiles

Skoolys

Tablet

Best Gifts for 2 Year Old Toddler

2021 Holiday Gift Guide for Toddlers

At 2, your child will start the year as a toddler and end the year as a preschooler. It’s an age where the imagination expands, their fine motor, hand-eye and sorting skills explode.

I am a mom of 3 that has been able to test A LOT of toys over the years. This list contains toys that I have tested with my own children, and toys that they have grown with and still love. It’s a great list to send to your friends and family to give them gift ideas too.

Best Gifts for 2 Year Old Toddler

(This list contains affiliate links for your convenience. This means at no cost to you, if you make a purchase using one of these links, I may earn a commission).

You can find my complete Amazon 2 Year Old Gift Guide here.

Doll Stroller

Play Sink

Watering Can

Ice Cream Set

Nesting Dolls

Mini Trampoline

Shape & Color Sorting Toy

Kids Kitchen Helper Set

Animal Figurines

Balance Bike

Tea Set

Stepping Stones

Transferring Practice Pitchers

Train Set

Jumbo Tweezers

Wobble Board

Spray Bottle & Squeegee

Tool Kit

Hoola Hoops

Play Kitchen

Play Cutting Food

Shopping Cart

Toddler Utensils

Scooter

Buckle Toy

Duplo

Skoolys

Picasso Tiles

Doll Accessories

Best Gifts for Baby 6-12 Months

2022 Holiday Gift Guide for Babies

I love gifts that babies want to use over and over and that help them master developmental skills. This list are the toys that have done just that over and over again with my girls. These are toys that we have and still do LOVE!

This is also a perfect list of to be able to send to family and friends who are asking what they should get for your little one.

Best Toys for Babies 6-12 Months

(This list contains affiliate links for your convenience. This means at no cost to you, if you make a purchase using one of these links, I may earn a commission).

You can find my complete Amazon Baby 6-12 Month Gift Guide here.

Scarf Pull

Rolling Drum

Spinning Drum

Foam Playset

Baby Doll

Coin Box

Stacking Cups

Toddler Utensils

Egg & Cup

Toddler Drinking Cups

Large Knob Puzzle

Pop Up Toy

Ball Drop Object Permanence Drop

20 in 1 Block Set

Shape Sorter

Ring Stacker

Poke A Dot Book

Best Gifts for Baby 0-6 Months

2022 Holiday Gift Guide for Babies

When it comes to babies, a lot of times wrapping paper and boxes are what they end up playing with the most. So if you’re looking to save some money, you might want to go with things that they NEED like diapers or teethers.

But, if you’re like me and still want to get them a little something, these are the perfect gifts that babies 0-6 months will actually use. And even if you don’t want to get something, it’s the perfect list to be able to send to friends and family members who are asking what they should get.

I’m a mom of 3 with a 5 year old, 3 year old and 1 year old so I have been able to test a lot of toys and see which ones babies REALLY gravitate toward. This list is filled with things my kids have loved and used over and over again.

Wooden Play Gym

Black & White Cards

Wooden Rattle

Rolling Bell Cylinder

Spinning Drum

Interlocking Disks

Teething Spoons

Textured Balls

Teething Toy

Tag Lovie

Wooden Clutching Toy

Floor Mirror

Maracas

Baby Brush Set – This one is great for cradle cap!

Best Gifts for 1 Year Old Baby/Toddler

2021 Holiday Gift Guide for Babies/Toddlers

At one year, your toddler can do a lot more than he/she could just a couple of months ago. They are little sponges learning and taking in something new every second and quickly gaining new abilities. Toys can be tricky at this age because they can outgrow them as they enter these new stages.

This list contains toys that I have tested with my own children, and toys that they have grown with and still love. Make sure you send it to your family and friends too!

Best Gifts for 1 Year Old Baby/Toddler

(This list contains affiliate links for your convenience. This means at no cost to you, if you make a purchase using one of these links, I may earn a commission).

You can find my complete Amazon 1 Year Old Gift Guide here.

Duplo Set

Buckle Toy

Toddler Drinking Cups

Toddler Utensils

Barn & Animals Set

Jumbo Tweezers

3 Drawer Object Permanence Box

Push Wagon

Mini Flashlight

4-in-1 Trike

Shopping Cart

Pounding Toy

Pretend Wallet

Animal Figurines

Skoolys

Lock Practice Puzzle

Object Permanence Box Sorter

Large Lacing Beads

Horizontal Dowel

Egg Matching

Cutting Play Food

Pop Up Toy

Car Ramp Racer

Carrot Size Sorting

Stacking Boxes

Musical Instruments

Fine Knob Puzzles

Pull Toy

Chicken Cordon Bleu Slow Cooker Recipe

I first tried this meal when getting prepped for Rosemary to be born. I wanted to have lots of dinners freezer ready so that I didn’t have to make dinner for awhile after she was born. It was sooo good and such a comfort meal that I knew I wanted to make it again when we started getting into colder weather. Below is my adaptation of this recipe – I just tweaked a couple things to my preference. Mainly, I didn’t think it needed as much ham or cheese as the original recipe called for. This really does make a great freezer meal and the directions are pretty much to layer the ingredients in a bag instead of the slow cooker and freeze, but you can get more in depth directions on her site.

This recipe makes enough for about 6 people.

Ingredients for Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

  • 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
  • 8 oz. deli ham
  • 10.75 oz. can cream of chicken soup
  • 1 box of instant stuffing
  • ¼ cup butter
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cups shredded Swiss cheese

Instructions for Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

You can see me make this recipe in this video

  1. Melt the butter and combine it with the cream of chicken soup and milk to make a ‘soup’
  2. Cut the chicken into cubes and place it at the bottom of the slow cooker.
  3. Pour half of the soup mixture over the chicken.
  4. Cut the ham into bite sized pieces and spread half of it over the chicken.
  5. Sprinkle half the cheese on top.
  6. Add half of the stuffing on top.
  7. Layer the remaining ham, cheese, and stuffing on top.
  8. Cook on low for 4 hours.

It’s that easy!! And it’s super delicious too. I have paired this with asparagus, broccoli, and most recently carrots & snap peas. I would say any vegetable would make a great side dish to this.

Hope you enjoy!