Ten cardinal rules of buying Christmas presents for other people’s kids

This post was written in collaboration with by Wicked Uncle, the home of brilliant children’s presents. I have worked with Wicked Uncle several times; to see my review posts go here.

It is now November, and therefore I do decree that it’s officially acceptable to mention (not DECORATE for, MENTION) the C word.

(On this occasion, I do in fact mean Christmas).

In the past we have tested out a lot of toys.

Although my kids really enjoy their ‘job’, not everything is a winner.

One particularly noisy, obnoxious doll that we were sent last year to review was the worst thing I’ve ever had the misfortune to bring into the house, including coronavirus. We managed to swerve the review, politely, and gift it to a friend’s small child before she knew what was going on. Luckily we’re close, so she’s still speaking to me (just) but it was touch and go there for a while.

What should you think about when buying a Christmas gift for someone else’s child?

I asked the parents in my parenting Facebook group, Whinge with Wine, to tell me what made a great Christmas gift for children in their eyes.

Obviously every child and every parent has a different opinion (some of them even liked slime! Crazy talk) but here are ten rules you should follow for picking Christmas presents for other people’s children (so their parents won’t hate you).

Rule 1: Buy something age appropriate

There is nothing worse for my kids than receiving something they perceive as a ‘baby toy’ – despite being traumatised to the point of tantrums if they catch me trying to give their own old toys away.

Conversely, something they won’t be able to play with properly or understand for another 5 years, or need a parent to sit patiently with them to use, will be disappointing to unwrap.

The vast majority of toys come with a suggested age so it shouldn’t be difficult to find something. If you do struggle, Wicked Uncle can help by suggesting the perfect gift; so if like me you’re buying for an eight year old girl, you can see their top recommended gifts for this age group with one click.

Rule 2: Make sure it has an off switch!

Noisy toys in general got a thumbs down. Emily said: ‘My son got a rapping goose on wheels last Christmas. If you pick it up by the neck it makes choking noises. Get anything, but not that.’

However it’s increasingly hard to buy must-have toys that don’t make a noise these days and even I admit that there are some great ‘noisy toys’.

But, unless you hate the parents, make sure they can turn it off or face being taken off the Christmas card list permanently.

Beth said ‘We have a horrible little monkey that laughs and says ‘come play with me’ in a really creepy voice, and it just goes off of its own accord. I hate it.’

Rule 3: Size matters

This one was pretty unanimous; parents do not appreciate having to find room in their already-packed-to-the-gills-with-toys houses for 3ft teddy bears.

In all but very specific circumstances, when it comes to Christmas presents for kids then the message from parents was that smaller is better. Sophia’s suggestion was “Buy something that fits in an IKEA Kallax unit so it can always be put away” and I think this is brilliant advice!

Jac said: ‘My cousin’s mother in law gave her child a Buzz Lightyear ride in car so big they had to park their car in the street to house it in the garage. She got it on offer somewhere, but it runs on a battery that is £120 to replace. It got left in the rain so was destroyed but she went on so much they kept it for ages even though it didn’t work’.

Which brings me on to…

Rule 4: Think the about ongoing costs

Yay! You got a bargain in the sale. But if it costs £25 for the refills or requires expensive equipment to use it, then the parents are going to be left footing the bill and they certainly won’t love you for that.

Rule 5: Make sure toys are genuine and certified safe

Please don’t buy rip-off toys from the market which could break apart and pose a danger, and make sure that any toys which aren’t bought directly from a authorised supplier (I am not averse to a charity shop bargain and that goes for gifts too!) have the CE label.

Rule 6: Don’t gift something which requires a lot of parental input

It’s my Christmas too, I don’t want to spend it cutting out tiny pieces or constructing something massively complicated while my bored child wanders off.

It’s absolutely fine if you like that kind of stuff, and it’s for your own kids, but complex crafting kits got a thumbs down from a lot of mums.

Kylie said: ‘The worst are DIY craft type kits. You spend 1000 hours doing them (if you’re lucky the kids might help for 5 seconds) then they sit for an eternity on the shelf collecting dust, not being played with but not allowed to be thrown out.’

Rule 7: Avoid anything too messy

On Christmas day, you can hardly say ‘no’ to your child if they want to open up and play with their new toys.

When that new toy is kinetic sand or slime making kit however, you are definitely going to want to. And it’s not like you can tell them to play outside if it’s below freezing…

Rule 8: Dear lord, don’t buy musical instruments

Unless you want them to buy your children musical instruments back. It could start a feud spanning decades. Before you know it, your kid has a full sized drum kit, and it all started with a recorder.

Rule 9: …Or live animals

And we aren’t just talking hamsters or guinea pigs. Vikki said “One year my crazy aunt gave my brother a fully grown chicken” so there you go. Apparently this needs to be said.

Rule 10: Consider maybe just asking?!

Jac said: ‘I can’t stand waste and the concept of ‘any gift as a gesture’. Please don’t waste your money on tat. And when in serious doubt, freaking ASK! Say, Hey, what is X into at the moment?’

If you’re buying for a child who you don’t know particularly well, then ask the parents for some ideas! Seems simple enough right? Perhaps its seen as a sign of failure or weakness for some reason. A great idea is to add to a collection that the child already has. Emma said “Additions increase the play value of what they already have and are guaranteed to be used“.

Oh, and above all DON’T forget the batteries

Some electronic toys come with batteries, and others don’t, but as a parent I can tell you there is nothing worse than opening a surprise gift on Christmas day and then having to raid remote controls to get it to work.

For help picking a suitable present, do check out Wicked Uncle where you can find hand-picked toys, sorted by by age and category.

I’ve used the site myself to and it makes finding toys for other people’s children a breeze!