For new parents, the Holiday season means introducing your baby to a delicious whirl of holiday traditions. Whether you're celebrating your baby's first Hanukkah or preparing for their first Christmas, we're big on holiday cheer and have options for parents to choose from. If you’re expecting and want to spread the good news, give our Christmas pregnancy announcement ideas a try.

For your baby’s first Christmas, fill their world with unforgettable experiences. Meeting Santa. Singing jingle bells. Seeing the Christmas lights twinkle on every night. A tree in the house.

The list goes on. Many parents especially treasure watching their babies light up on Christmas morning as they see what Santa left them.

But if you’ve spent the last few holidays shopping for adults or older children, you may find yourself wondering what types of newborn christmas gifts make for the best stocking stuffers?

We’ve compiled a list of baby stocking stuffer ideas—along with a gift guide and some tips on things you may want to avoid—to help you inspire some Christmas joy for your little one. Because sometimes you deserve—sorry, Santa deserves—a little support.

Six Toy Ideas to Fill Their Stocking with Holiday Delight

Since the holidays are just around the corner (seriously, how has the year gone by so fast?), let’s jump right into the fun part—great stocking stuffer gift ideas!

In addition to listing some of our favorite baby Christmas gifts, we’ll break down why we love them so you can decide if it’s the right fit for your little one.

1. A Stuffed Friend

A soft stuffed friend gives your baby something to cuddle with when they’re young and play pretend with as their imagination grows.

Some of our favorites include:

Whatever stuffed animal you choose, try to find one you can surface wash. Sometimes your baby’s best toy friends will get messy, and you’ll appreciate the ability to clean them off.

2. Bath Toys

We always love warm baby baths, but they’re especially cozy on cold winter nights. Adding some of these bewitching new toys to your routine can help give baby another reason to look forward to bath time:

Because companies often make bath toys out of plastic, we recommend always checking the materials before purchasing. You want to feel good about everything your baby’s putting near their skin—and in their mouth.

3. Pull Toys

Pull toys (aka, those friendly wheeled toys on strings that toddlers like to pull along behind them) can help your little one improve their motor skills. As your child grows, they may also want to incorporate their pull toy into their pretend play.¹ Hello, pet alligator!

Our favorite pull toys include:

• PlanToys Dancing Alligator
• PlanToys Pull Along Snail

Both pull toys are made with eco-friendly materials and can invite your little one to play and imagine.

4. Mind Cubes

Babies tend to find strong contrasts fascinating for the first four months of their lives.² These four soft cubes combine ribbons, letters, numbers, patterns, and shapes to create high-contrast graphics that can stimulate your baby’s visual development.

That makes this a gift ideal for fitting in a stocking and playing with on Christmas morning.

5. A Soft Noise Rattle

For the littlest Christmas angels, we recommend a beautifully crafted soft noise rattle. While there are plenty of cute options out there, we particularly love these, thanks to their adorable shapes and colors:

• Meri Meri Bunny Baby Rattle
• Meri Meri Giraffe Baby Rattle
• Meri Meri Banana Rattle
• Meri Meri Peach Daisy Rattle
• Meri Meri Lion Rattle

These rattles combine organic cotton, fine craftsmanship, and playful characters with a soft rattle sound that babies will love.

6. Soft Books

Reading together can help you and your baby bond.³ But paper books normally tear too easily for toddlers. Instead, toy experts recommend soft, waterproof books that can withstand chewing.¹

Some of our favorite soft books include:

• Llama Soft Book by Manhattan Toy
• Farmer's Market Counting Book by Manhattan Toy
• Under The Sea Soft Book by Manhattan Toy
• Where's the Bone? Activity Book by Manhattan Toy
• Buzzing Through Activity Book by Manhattan Toy

Each of these books features colorful pages to pique baby’s curiosity, along with fun textures and charming characters. Whether your little one’s playing on their own or you’re curled up together for a bedtime story, these books can help foster a love of reading in your little one.

Tips for Selecting the Perfect Stocking Stuffers for Babies

Whatever stocking stuffers you choose, some tips can guide you in finding the right ones—and in knowing which ones to save for when they’re a little more grown up. Here are some hints to help you prioritize joy, no matter the toy:

Focus on the Memories

We often think of gifts, especially baby gifts, as purely about the other person. But some of the best gifts help people make memories together. As you hunt down the best possible stocking stuffers for your little one, keep an eye out for gifts that will help you bond and play together.

These might include:

• Toys you can play with together
• Books you can read together
• Treats to make regular care routines like bath time even more fun

We all like the magic surprise of presents—but we like them even more when we can share them with people we love.

Look for Baby Gifts that Improve Your Life Too

We often associate Christmas with big, flashy toys. The dollhouse. The train set. Or, for babies, an activity center like the Playground Adventure.

Those are fun! But stocking stuffers can also offer an opportunity to slip in some of those quieter gifts you know will make baby—and you—happy in the long run. These might be items designed to entertain your baby on a long car ride or super-soft blankets to keep them comfortable.

When picking out the best gift, think about what will make them happy on Christmas morning. But also think about what will make you both happy as you move past the Christmas bubble and into a brand new year.

Try to Avoid These Two Things for Their First Christmas

Babies’ incredible curiosity can make gift shopping easy. Half the time, they love the box as much as the toy.

But experts do recommend avoiding these two types of stocking stuffers, at least until your little one is a few years older:

• Highly produced electronic toys – You might think a toy that does a million different things at the push of a single button will thrill your baby. But actually, experts say that babies can grow bored of those fairly quickly. Instead, try simpler toys that require more interaction from your baby.⁵

• Candy and sweets – Many families like to put sweet treats like candy canes and chocolate coins in their Christmas stockings. But medical experts now recommend parents avoid feeding their babies added sugars for the first few years of their life. So consider skipping the candy until they’re a bit older. Instead, try a toy they’ll love for years (or at least until it’s time to pass it down to the next baby in your family).

As you're considering different toys, experts also recommend paying attention to the age range on the box. A toy that will delight a 3-month-old might bore a 6-month-old, while a toy for a 10-month-old might frustrate a younger child. Checking the age label and thinking about your child’s current favorite toys, can help point you to something special your child will love.

Celebrate Baby’s First Christmas with Monica + Andy

At Monica + Andy, we think you deserve to give your little one the world. From the first blanket you use to wrap your baby in as you take them home from the hospital to the outfit they wear at their 10th birthday party, we create and curate well-made childcare items you can trust.

That includes your baby’s first stocking stuffers. We partner with talented, respected, caring companies to bring you and your little one an exciting range of developmentally appropriate toys.

We can’t wait to be part of your baby’s very first Christmas.

Sources:

1. Insider. The best toys for 1-year-olds that encourage fun and development. https://www.insider.com/guides/gifts/best-toys-for-1-year-olds
2. Memorial Care. What Does It Mean If Your Child Stares At The Ceiling Fan? https://www.memorialcare.org/blog/what-does-it-mean-if-your-child-stares-ceiling-fan
3. Raisingchildren.net.au. Bonding with newborns and babies: in pictures. https://raisingchildren.net.au/newborns/connecting-communicating/bonding/bonding-pictures
4. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. Scientific Report of the2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/sites/default/files/2020-07/ScientificReport_of_the_2020DietaryGuidelinesAdvisoryCommittee_first-print.pdf