What We're Buying Our 6 Year Old This Christmas

I grew up in the nineties and we'd wake up to a literal mountain of plastic toys on Christmas Day. Neither of my parents ever had much as children, growing up and honestly? The delight on their faces - from being able to give us so much - was palpable too.

Fast forward 35 years to when my son was a toddler, I read that 8 was the ideal number of toys to have. I strived for that - a neat little box of carefully selected items. Then his 3rd birthday arrived. After lockdown. Overnight, that neat little box became literally dozens of things he didn't really want or need.

Nowadays, I ask for no gifts at birthday parties. Or books only, if anyone really wants to bring something. Despite our best efforts, our son has still ended up with a grotesque mountain of toys after just six and a half years! So are we skipping Christmas gifts? No. But we are celebrating more mindfully this year with these beautiful pieces:

Something he wants: Wooden building blocks

He loves the plastic version - but I'm hyper aware of how bad they are for the environment. My son is unlikely to ever want to lose any of them, but I do worry about where they'll eventually end up... Wooden blocks feel like a gentler choice.

Something to wear: An organic cotton onesie by Pure Earth Collection

This was the easiest gift on the list! My son has recently grown out of his favourite dinosaur onesie, and Pure Earth Collection kindly gifted me this one as a replacement. I love everything they do - their mission to create less plastic in the world feels completely aligned with ours. Plus, my super-sensitive son thinks their 100% organic cotton clothes are the softest thing ever!

Something he needs: Natural rubber wellies by Merry People

I was delighted to stumble across Merry People in my search for rugged yellow wellies that my son would love. Practical, durable and not made from plastic - exactly what we were looking for.

Something to read: DK Children's anthology series

We have most of the other books in this series already. They are absolutely stunning - jampacked with the most gorgeous illustrations and enough facts to satisfy even my ever-curious son's mind! As a former English teacher, books will forever be my kryptonite!

And yes, these eco-friendly, high-quality gifts cost the equivalent of the one plastic brick set we were originally going to buy.

What a privilege it is to celebrate with the people I love and to give my boy carefully chosen gifts - things I hope will nourish his imagination and fuel his desire for knowledge.

I want to acknowledge that privilege. Even a year ago, I wouldn't have felt comfortable investing this much in high-quality pieces, yet thanks to this growing community of incredible mothers, it feels possible. We wrestle with the consumer-driven feel of this season - but choosing intentionally, choosing things that won't damage the world our little boy will inherit, feels like the best way through it.

And because this season should be about more than just our family:

A mother reached out to me recently. She'd just left an abusive relationship and was worried about her milk supply. Not worried about herself. About her baby. As with every nursing mother I know, her concern was for her child first - even when she's the one who needs holding. I'm donating 100% of my social media earnings from this post and blog to her. Every view on the original Instagram post, every comment, every link click here - it all goes to supporting this warrior mama.

With thanks to Pure Earth Collection and Milk it Bakehouse who are sending her goodies this Christmas too. If this resonates, please share it. Send it to someone. Let's make sure she knows she's not alone.

Thank you for being here.

With love,

Danielle

❤️