I do not have children, but I am an aunt to five, and a friend-aunt to four kids belonging to two sets of beloved friends. These kids range in age from 10 months to 10 years and I’ve purchased a range of gifts for those rascals over the last decade.

My friends and family have various approaches to gifting. My mother has gone bananas as a grandmother and has a no-holds-barred approach to presents. She lives to gift anything and everything to those grandbabies. On the other end of the spectrum, one of my pals primarily does thrifted or homemade gifts (for one of her girls’ most recent birthdays, her partner built an outdoor rock wall!).

Gift giving is one of my love languages, so I enjoy giving gifts to the kids in my life and prioritize it as a line in our budget. Here is my general gifting approach (and I’d love to hear how you handle gifts for the little ones in your life!).

The best baby gift: years ago, I gifted this diaper cream to a friend, and since then it has become a go-to baby gift. I don’t think I’ve gotten more raves about any other gift! I usually pair it with a matching hand cream for mama and some baby books, muslin swaddles, diapers, or other practical bits.

Always books: I am the self-proclaimed Book Aunt and my niblings are getting books whether they like it or not. I understand that “whether you like it or not” is not a particularly generous gifting philosophy, but that’s what it is, babe. I started out gifting some of my childhood favourites and now I’m enjoying exploring newer reads. Some recent favourite picture books include Night Walk, The Yellow Bus, Shin-chi’s Canoe, and Little Shrew, and now that my eldest nephew has gotten into graphic novels, I’ve tuned into Dog Man and Max Meow.

It’s pricey for a picture book, but personalized books can also be a hit (I purchased this Where’s Waldo-esque book for my friend’s son a few years ago.).

Group gifts: I am able to financially swing birthday and Christmas gifts for my nieces and nephews these days, but it does add up. In seasons where individual gifts aren’t feasible, family gifts (like a family board game, a set of bathtub crayons and bombs, an outdoor activity, or a basket of their favourite sweet treats) can be super fun and are a way to reduce some of the financial pressure.

Experiences: When possible (and with parental approval, since it makes work for them), I like to buy gift cards for experiences, like going to the movies, trampoline parks, or laser tag. During the pandemic with time on my hands, I created a handmade mystery (a missing chef! A trip around the world!) for my friend’s son. If you don’t have that kind of time/nerd in your soul, you can purchase a ready-made mystery kit.

Cash is king: As the kids have aged, my gifting philosophy has shifted. Most dramatically, I’ve leaned into cash in a card, particularly for the eldest kids. I really don’t want to buy plastic, disposable crap, but I’ve realized that if they want to buy it for themselves, I’m willing to contribute to that choice. My brother and sister-in-law have a lot of money talks with their kids and they’re learning about what it means to save and spend their own money on treats and toys. I think of it as supporting their financial literacy and, honestly, kids love cash (although, I do check with parents first that cash is okay.).

This is an amazing thank you card we recently received from our friend’s daughter after she received $20 (and reportedly screamed with joy) for her birthday:

What’s your gifting philosophy?

If you’re a gift-giver, what are your favourite things to gift the kids in your life?