Mrs M's BIG Christmas 2013 Gift Guide - Gifts for Children

Welcome to the first of my 2013 Christmas Gift Guides - Today I am sharing some of the things I've seen and read about that I think make great gifts for the children in your life. There as so many fabulous toys and products out there that it was very hard to limit myself to just ten. There's a good chance I may need to do a second guide!

1. Always a big favourite at Christmas, there are a range of gift ideas from The Snowman and the Snowdog this year.  My personal favourites are The Snowman Puppet Play Book (RRP £10.99) and The Snowdog Book and Toy gift set (RRP £12.99). The gift set includes a mini picture book of The Snowman & The Snowdog with a really cute little plush Snowdog toy whilst the puppet play book has classic artwork and a snowman hand puppet. Both are sure to be a hit with little ones this Christmas! Both of these are available to buy on Amazon and other good retailers.

2. Bee Smart is a new toy brand who has recently revealed it's first collection of toys aimed at the under-fives. The toys, designed to enhance fine motor skills, are high quality wooden toys combined with vibrant colours and high quality materials. I fell in love with this little owl as soon as I saw it and I already have a little girl in mind for this one!  The owl musical instrument set has an RRP of £27.99 and is designed for children aged 18months+. It has two little kiddy-sized beaters that can be safely stored in the owl's feet and the two back legs create a tilt for easy play. I don't know about you but I think it's beautiful.  Bee Smart toys are available from Amazon, some independent toy stores and direct from the Bee Smart website.

3.  I recently ordered a book from Lostmy.name for my niece as a special present. I'd heard about them through the Twitter grapevine, and let me tell you, I was not disappointed.  Lost My Name is a unique children's book - customised for your child. The books tell the story of a child who has lost their name and sets off on an adventure to track down all the letters. Each character has its own funny story and gives the child a different letter. The books are beautiful and such good quality. When it arrived I was over the moon with it. They make absolutely wonderful presents for young children. The books are £16.99 with free postage and can be sent worldwide. 

4.  If you're looking for a slightly more unique gift for a child this year then how about a "Zoo Keeper Experience"? Folly Farm in Pembrokeshire offers animal mad visitors an opportunity to get hands-on with zoo animals with an experience that includes a behind the scenes tour of the animal's enclosure, a chat with a real Zoo Keeper and helping to feed the animals. At the moment you can choose from Giraffes or Humboldt Penguins. Each experience costs £30 and visitors must be aged 8 or over to take part. Find out more at the Folly Farm website.

5. If you've got a young child who is just getting into books and reading then this interactive storybook from Hallmark may well be a good present choice. I love the interaction with this book - as you (and your child!) read the story aloud, the character in the book will respond with questions or choice. Once you answer, the character will respond - like you're having a real conversation. The books have more than 30 possibilities, which makes it a little different each time you read it. There are two interactive storybooks available "All Aboard!" and "A Day at Fairy Grandmother's". Both are available from Hallmark with an RRP of £14.99.

6. Any budding young bakers in the family? I think this Mason Cash Gingerbread Man Baking Set would make a wonderful gift. The set comprises of a 21cm diameter version of their classic stoneware mixing bowl - perfect size for little hands and embossed with gingerbread men and ladies on the side - and includes a wooden rolling pin, wooden spoon and a gingerbread man cookie cutter. Available from Mr Cookshop, the Gingerbread Man Baking Set is priced at £13.95.

7. It's not Christmas in our house without some toiletries in your stocking, and that includes the children! These fun sets children's bath specialist H&A will go down a storm at bath-time! The "Minnie's Must Haves Polka Dot Pamper Bag" is available exclusively at Boots (RRP £14.00) and is a stylish toiletry bag complete with a trio of shower gel, shower creme and body butter whilst the "Disney's Planes Bubble Bath and Wash Puppet" is a mild and gentle formula bubble bath complete with Dusty Crophopper wash puppet that sits neatly on top of the bottle and is available at Sainsbury's, Boots, Tesco and Morrisons with an RRP of £5.00.

8. I think these mini tins from Parragon Books make perfect stocking fillers. There are four mini-tins in the range -  Catwalk Cuties, Mini Monsters, Paper Planes and Pop-Up Animals, all with an RRP of £7.99.  Each tin is 5.5" x 4" making them ideal to go into a stocking and with over 60 planes/monsters/animals/cuties to make, these little tins can provide hours of fun! Find out more about the mini tins on the Parragon website.

9. Both my children are complete Build-a-Bear Workshop devotees. I won't tell you how many they have got, it's shameful but suffice to say, there's quite a few and there's always begging for a new addition. I've found Build-a-Bear Workshop gift vouchers GREAT presents for children - they can either put it towards making a bear or buy clothes and accessories. This year they have a fantastic range of festive furry friends. Along with Rudolph, Clarice, Santa, The Snowman and The Snowdog, there is also the very lovely Merry Mouse and Snowy Sparkles Bunny.  You can order your pre-stuffed furry friends online or head into your local store and watch them being made up for you! Find our more by visiting the Build-a-Bear Workshop website.

10.  It's not Christmas without a Hexbug! A firm favourite in our household, this year Hexbugs have some great new products out including the new Hexbug Nano V2. I'm sure you're already familiar with the Hexbug Nano, but the V2 takes it to new heights - literally! The tiny robotic creature uses vibration to scurry up and along multiple levels of tubes. Two of the new sets that you can get are the Hurricane (RRP £39.99) and the Watch Tower (RRP £34.99) which allow children to customise the design and layout of the multi-storey sets and watch the Nano V2 travel up, down and through the tubes to explore the set. If you want to find out more about the Hexbug Nano V2, check out the Hexbug website.

Hope you enjoyed my festive gift picks - if you seen any cool ideas for children's gifts, leave me a comment below!

Disclaimer: I have not been paid to promote the products featured in my Christmas gift guide. I may have undertaken product reviews of some of those featured in the blog posts and this will be mentioned where it is relevant. Many of the products I have featured in the gift guide series are there purely because I like them! I always try to be upfront and honest - if you have any questions, please get in touch via email.

Image Credit: Baubles from http://christmasstockimages.com/