HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE 2020

It’s here! Holidays in 2020. While things are looking different this year, we’re still celebrating. In fact, judging by the amount of Christmas decor I have already crafted, things may even be a little extra this year. Finding all the little moments of good and really wanting to celebrate.

Sharing some of my favorite gifts for babies, kids, and mamas here today. I am often asked about the “best” toys for kids as a speech therapist, and the best toy for a child is really what they’re uniquely interested in, which you as the parent will know best and can vary so widely from kid to kid, even between siblings. One kid is interested in art, another loves to move. Think about what lights them up and what they’re interested in this year. Our favorites are always the simple, open-ended, non-battery ones that can be used in a variety of play contexts, and especially those that encourage pretend play. Sharing some of our tried and true, year after year favorites here.

FOR BABIES

Bannor Toys, for modern wood and personalized toys that make an heirloom style gift.

KiwiCo Panda Crate for 0-24m. Blaire got this as a gift this year and the activities and toys have been so fun. $10 off here.

Pinhole Press Photo Book. Still well loved after 4 years, and great for speech and language development.

Rainbow Stacker. There are many of these out there, we have a small wooden one. Open ended play and cute as decor.

L’ovedBaby. Their organic cotton zip rompers were all that Blaire wore her first year. 15% off here.

Bucket Swing. If you happen to have a backyard play set, or a really good tree, Blaire got one for her first birthday from a great grandparent and I thought it was a creative and unique idea for babies if your parks are closed.

FOR KIDS

Green toys. Made from recycled milk jugs, we have the ferry, firetruck, and garbage truck (for babies: the stacking cups). Great for pretend play, dishwasher and bath safe.

Pretend Play Kitchen. A classic we have loved for years.

Cookie Baking Set. We got this one at a garage sale. Wood, well designed, fine motor practice, love the velcro cutting concept, often in use in our pretend kitchen.

Dollhouse. (now sold out at that link! Similar one here) If you’ve seen my stories you’ve heard me rave about the one I found second hand for $20. It is incredibly well made and gets daily use. I am actually embarrassed to say I didn’t think of getting a dollhouse until I had a daughter, and my son actually plays with this every single day, and builds all kinds of complex pretend play schemes with it. It is beautiful and stays out in our living room, and was the best kid item we bought this year. (I also love this one too, but it’s also sold out right now. Similar: the bakery. There is some really amazing modern doll house furniture on Etsy, and less modern but still wood and super cheap at the dollar store!)

Dollhouse people. Marc the Skateboarder and the Camper set by HABA. Trey got really into camping and skateboarding this summer, so this is a fun set that is a little more boy inclusive for dollhouse pretend play.

Dolls. Even for boys! Inexpensive and racially diverse one that we don’t have but looks good here. We also love Cuddle and Kind. Next Christmas I will introduce Blaire to American Girl dolls and I can hardly wait.

Doll stroller. I found two of these on OfferUp last summer and they are another well loved toy item around here. This one is fun in that it looks like our jogging stroller, but any kind is great.

Pretend make up set. Blaire is always taking my makeup so I think she would really love this. Wood, not plastic! And small shop find.

KiwiCo. We have loved these monthly STEAM crates this year for both kids. Age specific and developmentally appropriate activities mailed to your door, and the creations often get reused in pretend play. $10 off with this link here.

Magnatiles. These make the list every year. Have heard good things about the less expensive version, Picasso Tiles.

Scooter. Another multiple year winner. The mini deluxe is our favorite for ages 2-5. (Don’t forget a helmet!) $10 off with my friends & family link here.

Trey is more into creative play than building, but LEGOS are a classic, along with Duplos for younger ages, and Plus Plus is the newer, cooler cousin (the smaller size is tiny tiny, make sure you get the big size for kids under age 4-5).

Art supplies of all kinds from your favorite local art store. Also, surprisingly IKEA has a great selection of art (and other pretend play items) at good prices.

Wobble Board. A grandparent got this for Trey for Christmas. A bridge, a slide, a balance board, I’ve seen these for years and I think he’s going to really love it.

Similar: Wobble Chair. We have a very active preschooler. We were sent this to try out, and it seems really fun and Trey likes “wobbling” on it while drawing. Sometimes I even sit on it while I work! Great for core strength and kids who need to move to focus, I wish I could gift this to every child who is now zooming for school.

Games. Our preschooler is starting to get into games and we have quite the game cabinet now. Some of our favorites: The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel, Zingo, eeBoo Picnic game, and Spot it.

Cardboard Castle. We got this for my nephews last Christmas. Great for indoor play in the winter.

Gym mat. Speaking of indoor active play. I have my eye on these. Ikea has this pretty ombré one too.

New books out:

My Favorite Color. I love this one because so many children (and adults!) have a difficult time picking a favorite color. This book acknowledges that there are many different colors, even in the same shade, and has translucent pages that highlight the subtle differences in color.

Christmas is Joy. Sweet and simple with repetitive text and cute illustrations.

Mouse’s Night Before Christmas. A darling story about a mouse wishing for a friend!

Peppa Pig and the Day of Giving Thanks. A little late, but my nephew is a big Peppa Pig fan so I looked into this one. Highlights thankfulness and the fall season, and also there’s a rainstorm, which is so applicable for us since we’re in the PNW and it rains a lot here. Come January it’s easy to become ungrateful with all the rainy weather, but this story spins it for good.

FOR MAMAS

Everlane perform leggings. I have three pairs and they are my daily uniform. The fabric is amazing.

LVX luxury & 10-free nail polish.

A virtual creative workshop like my friends Brooke and Kristi have started over at StudioLife

Coolest modern, inclusive, woman-owned puzzles. 10% off with code ALLIE.

Love hot baths at night in our freezing winter months. Rediscovered all the benefits of salt baths and now I want Epsom salts in bulk

BLK + GRN black owned, cleaned beauty from multiple brands all in one place

The leather tote I’ve carried every day for years and is ethically made! I have the black/cognac version. I wish all my purchases were as inspiring as their company slogan: “Challenging the culture of the fashion industry by creating transformative opportunities for women.” Yes, please. (AND that tote is on sale right now)

EASTER BASKET GIFT GUIDE 2020

Just the strangest time for a holiday gift guide, but this was planned pre-outbreak so I’m following through. If you’re skipping Easter baskets this year - kuddos. We’ve got plenty of other priorities right now. If you’re doing them and you’d like to support some small shops at this time, read on for some ideas.

Spring themed/Easter Books. New releases by Candlewick Press:

Hoppy Floppy’s Carrot Hunt - with lift-the-flaps, based on a popular game similar to Sneaky Snacky Squirrel

Bathtime with Ducky Duckling - waterproof, great for the bath or high chair and wipeable

Follow Me, Flo! - predictable text, nice for language development

Hazel and Twig: The Lost Egg - beautiful and sweet little story of a lost egg

(Kind of a pool/beach/travel theme)

FloatSuits. On our recent trip to southern California we realized these UV FloatSuits (this print and this one) and the Go Splash Swim Vest are so much better than the “Puddle Jumpers” because they allow for natural arm movement, in the same motion as swimming.

Klean Kanteen water bottles. Our favorite, B corp, give back, reusable, insulated water bottles. This size is my favorite for preschoolers. (For me: this narrower size fits my diaper bag water bottle holder best and I pair it with the sport cap.)

Hooded towels (for bath or pool or swim lessons) - New by Copper Pearl. This print reminds me of our Disney trip and this one is cool enough that I want one.

CozyPhones - best travel headphones for kids. They stay on, and the sound doesn’t go too loud either which I like for hearing protection. Trey has these (big hit with four year old boys!) and Blaire has these.

CozyCase - turn your iPad or Tablet into a stand, or use as a headrest mount holder while in the car. Also great for a travel case and a place to store your CozyPhones. No more stacking books to hold our tablet up while we all try to watch a show!

Spring themed teethers for baby: Pastel Rainbow and Strawberry. So cute, and comes with a clip to keep off the floor.

Smaller basket fillers: egg shaped chalk (from target dollar spot long before closures), bubbles, art supplies, stickers, hair bows, nail polish, wind up toys, mini lego sets, face paint.

Happy almost Easter. It’s going to look so different this year, but we can still make it a good one.

MY MOTHERHOOD GAME CHANGER

I’ve shared a million baby items and motherhood recommendations, but today I’m sharing the absolute one and only life changing item in my mothering toolbox. For a twist: you can’t buy it, register for it, or gift it, but I cannot mother well without it.

(Remember that scene from Legally Blonde, where Elle Woods has the epiphany in court and says, “Exercise gives you endorphins, endorphins make you happy, happy people just don’t shoot their husbands!”? It’s kind of like that.)

When Trey was nine months old I thought I was experiencing postpartum depression, so I marched myself to my doctor for a prescription. I knew I didn’t feel like myself and wanted to change that, and it seemed like a straightforward fix. My doctor said, “I get it. But also, how much are you working out?” My response: “Working out? (Thinking, “Do I look like I have the time to work out? I have an infant.”) “Not at all.” She said, “I will write you something, but first I want you to try working out every day for thirty minutes for one month, and then tell me how you feel.”

I agreed, but I actually thought, “This is bad practice.” Telling someone who is depressed to work out felt like telling someone to swim upstream with weights on. The mountain feels insurmountable. Even just finding and putting on shoes takes so much mental energy, let alone moving your body enough into a jog, and when would I even find the time? Also: I come from a thin-framed family, and it seemed like the marketing message I got for the primary reason for working out was for weight loss, and I couldn’t see beyond that for any other immediate benefits.

I have never been so wrong in my life.

I started my “prescription,” by running two miles, every single day. Maybe because it was orders from my doctor, or because I felt so desperate, but for whatever reason, I somehow stuck with it, stringing days together, then weeks. I slowly felt better and better, and at some point, the fog completely lifted. I was back. Everything felt easier again, and more lighthearted. I was my usual self. Little things that used to bother me didn’t as much anymore. I found joy again in motherhood. My email inbox didn’t seem so overwhelming. I became an absolute believer in endorphins. I found a way to fit a workout in every single day, and I was hooked.

Maybe perhaps the most radical idea about all of this is that it was an internal fix, not external, and my doctor knew this and trusted me enough to get there. I came out of it on my own, and I now had this tool in my back pocket should I ever need it again in the future.

And yes, I would need it again.

Fast forward three years to this past summer when we welcomed our next baby. After a traumatic pregnancy, I knew I was poised for another round of postpartum depression. I knew the stats, I went in wide-eyed, I knew it was more likely to go there this time, and maybe even sooner than before.

It did. The first week after Blaire’s birth I felt amazing. She was here, she was whole, she was healthy, we made it. Then something shifted and It was more intense than the time I experienced it before. But this time, I knew what to do. At 5 weeks postpartum I laced up my shoes and started running again, mostly because I was so desperate. We also joined a gym and I discovered a love for group exercise. I made it a priority and I found a way to sweat, every single day.

Miraculously, it worked, again.

I don’t know why I was so surprised, since it worked for me before. Maybe because my PPD felt more intense to me this time, or because when you’re in it, you can’t really imagine anything getting you out of it. Regardless, I was back to my normal self within a few weeks and life didn’t feel so hard. I could handle all the normal ups and downs of life and even the more intense emotional and hormonal shifts that come with the territory of a new baby.

The moral of the story is: if you are struggling in motherhood, whether you are two weeks postpartum or two years, make time in your day for exercise. Maybe group exercise isn’t your thing, maybe it’s swimming or spin (I actually despise both), but give me some running shoes and a good playlist, or a dance class with fun choreography and I am so in. Find what works for you, something, anything, and do it every single day. Get those endorphins however you want, it doesn’t matter the medium, it just matters that you get them. If you think you don’t have time, the truth is, you don’t have time not to. Even if you already fit in your pre-pregnancy jeans. My life is infinitely better in a multitude of facets from endorphins, and it’s pulled me out of PPD twice. I am an endorphins advocate, and I want everyone to know it.

Notes: this is just my personal story to share, I am not a doctor. I realize that no two cases of PPD are alike, and for more moderate to severe cases of PPD, exercise might be helpful but likely not the whole solution. There are many other tools for treating PPD including medication and therapy. Please please please reach out to your health care provider, partner, neighbor, or anyone if you are struggling. You are not alone and you deserve to feel better.

Shared in partnership with my local favorite: Brooks Running. I wear the Launch 6 and Adrenaline GTS 19 and love them both. Grateful to partner with this local company who has made such an impact on my mothering, mental health, and overall outlook on life.