Christmas gifts by age

The two failures that are specific to Christmas

Every other day of the year, a toy that needs batteries or an hour of assembly is a minor inconvenience. On Christmas morning, with the shops shut and a child holding a box, both are the difference between a present that works and a present that waits.

Batteries. A great many toys arrive with demonstration cells intended to make the toy work in the shop, not to run it. The type is frequently AAA or a coin cell rather than the AA in your drawer. Read the battery line before wrapping, buy double, and include them in the parcel. Better still, buy something from the battery-free list, which is most of what we recommend anyway.

Assembly. Anything that arrives flat and stands up afterwards — a play kitchen, a water table, a trike, an easel — should be built on Christmas Eve. Every parent who has done a two-hour flat-pack on Christmas morning with a four-year-old “helping” builds the next one the night before. See how much assembly is waiting for you.

Buy for February

The present that photographs best on Christmas morning and the present still being used in February are usually different objects. Blocks, tiles, track and art materials are unremarkable to unwrap and continuously used; the light-up electronic thing is the reverse.

If you want both, wrap the durable boring thing in the biggest box. It costs nothing and it consistently improves the day.

The multi-buyer problem

Christmas is the one occasion where a child receives presents from six people who have not spoken to each other. The result is duplication, volume, and a child who opens fifteen things and settles with one.

Two fixes, both easy. Coordinate on one substantial present between several people rather than six mid-priced ones. And hold two parcels back for the days after — the 27th of December is when a present actually gets played with, and there is nothing else happening. The full argument is on one good toy instead of five.

The safety point that is specific to the day

Christmas is the day of the year with the most new small parts on the floor and the least effective supervision — a full house, unfamiliar toys, and children of several ages in one room. If there is a toddler present, decide before the unwrapping where the 3+ sets are going to live. See the choking hazard guide.

Prices in December

Toy prices move more in November and December than at any other time of year, in both directions. Every price on this site is read live from Amazon and stamped with the date it was read, and it disappears rather than going stale — but the price at checkout is always the one that counts, and in December it may well have moved since you loaded the page.