Every year I search and search for the perfect gift for my three little girls and every year I love sharing all the fun items I find with all of you.
This year I am doing things a little different. I am breaking up my gift guide in 4 parts to create a minimalist gift guide for girls.
Here is why.
In our house we have a rule in regards to how many gifts the girls get. We love spoiling our girls but we want their gifts to be meaningful and appreciated so we put this rule into place to help that happen.
First, we have our big Santa gift. This is usually a joint gift (or just one similar gift per girl) and something that shows up on Christmas morning, unwrapped and hidden somewhere in the house. We use flour and a stencil to make Santa’s footprints from our tree to where the gifts are hiding. Santa brings the one big gift and the rest of the gifts are from the family and the way we pick them goes a little something like this:
Something they WANT
Something they NEED
Something they WEAR
Something they READ
This has worked really well in the past and is incredibly helpful in keeping me organized when gift-giving. So this year I am splitting up my gift guides into WANT, NEED, WEAR, READ and a gift guide called “SANTA” for my Santa’s gifts of years past (plus this year which might be my best year yet).
You are probably looking at this gift guide and thinking… what the heck is minimalist about this? There are like a million things.
I compiled this list with things from the last 6 years to best serve your family and your needs. This minimalist gift guide for girls has a variety of items for each category to give you some inspirations and ideas to choose from. This was never intended to be a “BUY ALL” type of list.
My hope is this helps you when deciding what to get your little girl this year.
View all of my Christmas Gift Guides here!
Want
- Cuddle + Kind – We recently got one of these hand-knitted dolls and she is stunning. The quality is impeccable and the mission behind the brand is unbelievable. For every doll purchased they donate 10 meals to kids in need. It is really amazing. I will be giving Stella to Hazel this year and I am sure this is the first of many Cuddle and Kind dolls in our future.
- Friendship necklace – No doubt about it my girls are best friends and I thought this would be a fun way to instill the joy of giving. I am going to give them each one and ask them if they want to give it to their sister without them knowing they are getting the matching one in return. I love Lucky Feather. They have the cutest jewelry, and although this necklace isn’t necessarily a child’s necklace I think it will work perfectly for them
- Family games – We are always looking for new age-appropriate games for family game night and this one looks like tons of fun.
- Waterbeads – A few months ago we tried water beads for the first time and now my girls are addicted. A fun sensory activity they will be begging to do.
- Pretend Make up – Lucille loves makeup and I am so thankful for Little Cosmetic because it looks so real she doesn’t even mind.
- Princess and the Pea Mouse Playset – I don’t know if this is more for than or for me. I just think this is the cutest little set ever.
- Coffee set – Tea is so last year. Now it’s all about playing coffee shop and pretending to be your favorite Starbucks barista.
- Magnatiles – Fun turned educational. I will take it for my future engineers.
- Barbie – I live in a Barbie obsessed house. This is the newest wish for my girl’s ever-growing Barbie collection. It is pretty darn cute.
- Purse – Along with makeup my Lucille goes crazy for a cute handbag. When I saw this one I about fainted because I know that Lu will do the same when she sees it on Christmas morning.
- Unicorn Pillow – Edith actually asked me for a real-life Unicorn (emphasis on real) and we all know that can’t happen so this cute pillow for her new bed will have to do.
- Toy Snap Beads – This looks like so much fun and my girls will love making their own jewelry.
Need
- Beddy’s Bedding – Both my big girls have bedding from Beddy’s and I have to tell you that it is the best invention ever. Not only are the designs beautiful but the comforter zips up each side to make making your bed so easy. My girls love zipping their beds each morning and I love that their bed is made. I am so impressed by how soft and comfortable the fabric is and I love the comfort panels that make the comforter extra long on the sides. This is my top pick on my “need” list because I am so incredibly impressed with this bedding and I really believe this is something every mom needs for their kids.
- A year of classes – My girls take a lot of classes, (ballet, gymnastics, swim) and that can get really expensive. I know gifting them something that isn’t tangible isn’t that fun on Christmas morning but we try to get them something that we can incorporate into this gift idea. For example, my daughter Edith will be starting soccer this year so we found this inexpensive soccer set with goals, cones, and a ball so she can practice at home. Lucille will be starting the piano so we found this fun pink keyboard and a book so she can do extra practicing. *** update: this is a great playtime piano but if your child is taking classes and wants to take it a bit more seriously I would suggest this one instead. We upgraded to this one after a year and love it so much more.
- Art Supplies – I don’t know about you but we go through a ton of art supplies. We incorporate a lot of art in our homeschool day so I like to stock up on the necessities during Christmas that I know we need all year long. I love this big art case to keep all her coloring materials organized. Of course, play doh is always a must. Construction paper, glue, and paint, are fun items we always include.
- Dishes, Utensils and Cups – I feel like we always need to stock up on these each year and Christmas is the perfect time to do it. I recently fell in love with Re-Play Recycled. Such great quality, easy to clean and really durable compared to ones I’ve used in the past. They make their dishes from recycled milk jugs and I love the fact they are helping the environment as well. These are basically one of the only dishes we use now, we love them so much.
- Tickets to attractions – we love going to the zoo, aquarium, or theme park and so why not buy the tickets as Christmas gifts. You might question if this is really a NEED gift but to our family, it’s things we do anyway so incorporating it into our Christmas gifting helps takes the financial strain off of us later on in the year. We really loved our visit to Orlando’s Crayola Experience earlier this year. The girls had such a blast and there were so many educational aspects that I would love to drive them over to visit again. Use coupon code: GRAYRUBY to get the cheapest ticket price available!
- Backpacks – these are such versatile gifts. We use them for so many things and I love that my girls can be responsible for their own things. I picked these Rainbow backpacks because they are a bit bigger to hold more items for our upcoming trip to North Carolina.
- Bath items – This can be anything from shampoo and conditioner to a cute hooded towel. We also like to get them new toothbrushes, bubble bath and bath paints for their stocking.
- Planetbox lunchbox – This lunchbox is amazing and I have been wanting one for years. Now that I have it we use it all the time. Its the best on the market in my opinion and we all fight to use it so this Christmas we are adding another one to our family collection.
- Essentials – maybe you are traveling and need a new umbrella stroller or maybe your little one has outgrown their car seat. Use this opportunity to gift something that you really need.
Wear
****Update: this post was written in 2017 so most of these items are not available. Use this guide as a list of some of my favorite shops to buy clothes for little girls.***
- Remie Girl – If you follow me on Instagram you probably already know that I am in love with Remie Girl. I got the girls new dresses and leotards for Christmas and I can wait for them to open their gifts and start wearing these cute styles. You can even use the leotards for a “need” gift when gifting ballet or gym classes. If you want clothes that you and your girls will love than you have to get your girls a Remie Girl dress this holiday.
- The Little Spoons – I get so many questions about Hazel’s green romper on Instagram that it was a no brainer to include Little Spoons in this year’s gift guide. Quality made items that make my girls feel good. Now I just need that floral skirt in my size.
- Tea Collection – I have always been a huge fan of Tea Collection. They are the pieces in my girl’s closets that get passed down from girl to girl and still look brand new. Beautiful classic pieces that fit great and last. We recently got some long sleeve shirts for our trip up North and I love how they fit my petite little Edith. Its hard finding things that fit her properly and these shirts are long and thin with the perfect amount of stretch. Check out the slider below to see some of my favorite styles.
- FabKIDS – Great boots that are really inexpensive (which is what you want when your kid grows a size a month) I love the trendy styles.
- Rain Boots – Hazel is in a serious boot phase. Wakes up asking for her “shooos” and don’t even think of taking them off, she screams if you even try. We love these boots and have them in several colors.
- Primary – I love these simple pieces and I am even more in love with the quality and durability. These are my go-to play dresses for my girls.
- Stella Bella – I am so in love with Stella Bella Bows. It’s a subscription service that send three beautifully curated bows a month. Best part is that with every subscription purchased they donate bows to girls in children’s hospitals to brighten their day.
- Pajamas – My girls always need new pjs, they are growing so fast and I can’t keep up. I put some of our favorites in the slider below including the pjs in the santa pictures above.
Read
Find most of my book pics here
- Telling the Time – Another interactive book with a fun story. This book talks about a day in the life of the Boots family and as the day goes by they talk about the time. There is a small interactive clock to help them learn about time and they are able to move the little hand and big hand to match the time on each page.
- Antoinette – The illustrations in this book blew me away and what’s better than a book with great illustrations and a beautiful story.
- Lift The Flap, What Makes it Rain – This is the cutest non-fiction book with fun flaps and little bits of info for early learners. It should have all the answers to the questions I am sure your little one is already asking you about.
- Julia, Child – This is a darling autobiography with the sweetest illustrations. My girls are falling in love with cooking and this would be the perfect book for them with a little cooking set.
- Count to 100 – I love the thick pages of this book since I know this one will get some use from all three of my girls. Bright fun pictures for my 1-year-old. Easy beginning counting for my 3-year-old and skip counting for my 5-year-old.
- There is a mouse about the house– this is a fun interactive book. The book comes with a little mouse and there are slots in each page for the mouse to go through. The mouse moves through the story and my girls are going to love pushing the mouse through the slots.
- I Can Draw Animals – I am going to include the art supplies I shared above. It is perfect for my little budding artist and simple enough for those just learning to draw.
- The Puffin In Bloom Collection
- Listen and Learn, Spanish Words – Now this isn’t your traditional book. This book comes with cards that fit into a flap and when you push the picture the books say the word in Spanish. My girls are going to love this and it’s going to be such a huge help for me as we jump into learning Spanish this year.
- A poem for every night of the year – My girls love poetry and I love reading it. What a great way to end your day with a poem from this beautiful book.
- What Do You Do With An Idea – I would love this book for my little budding entrepreneurs. This book has won all kinds of awards for its unique story and encouraging message.
- Above and Below – Another non-fiction favorite. This book has flaps to show you “above” and “below” in different habitats. So much great info and I learn so much as I read.
- Secrets of the Seashore – This is a shine a light book. That means if you shine a light on the back of certain pages a secret picture will appear. This is also non-fiction with tons of great info built into a story.
- Lift The Flap Q&A Body – I am really trying to grow our non-fiction collection. I love finding non-fiction books that are engaging for preschoolers and these Lift The Flap series are just that. Little bits of information that is fun for kids since they get the answers to their questions by lifting the flap.
- Cow Takes A Bow and Other Tales – My oldest is really working on her phonics and this book is great for that. Lots of sound repetition and fun little stories. There is even a guide for the parents to help their little ones learn to read in the back.
- 1001 Things to Spot In the Sea – An educational version of Where Is Waldo. This book is so much information in here and the kids won’t even realize it because they will be busy searching for their favorite underwater creature.
SANTA
- Kent Starshine Bike – you guessed it, our big gift this year (or better known as our Santa gift) will be bikes. We spent countless hours researching the best bikes for each girl’s age and ability and choose this unicorn themed 16” bike for Lucille and I know she is going to love it. Kent makes great quality bikes for an affordable price and in all kinds of beautiful styles. We have actually chosen Kent bikes for everyone in our family this year, including mommy and daddy. Guys, we just love them so much. This year we want to focus more on spending quality family time and being outside and these Kent bikes are going to help us do just that.
- KaZAM v2s No Pedal Balance Bike – Making sure you pick the appropriate bike for your child is so important. Building a strong foundation of skills and confidence not only helps them learn to ride a bike but helps them fall in love with bike riding. Edith is still a little young for a pedal bike and so this year she is getting this awesome balance bike. This is a great introductory bike to help your little one who still wants to ride but can’t master the pedaling just yet. Once she builds her confidence she will be ready for a more traditional bicycle.
- KaZAM Mini Trike – This is the perfect size for Hazel (1 yo) and now she can feel just like her big sisters this Christmas. Plus this is the cutest! I love the classic style and it comes in a variety of colors. We still want Hazel to be included in our family rides I am also getting her the ibert seat so she can sit right on my handlebars and enjoy the view.
- Play Kitchen – We have had this play kitchen for years and it is one of the most played with items in our house. This is a great investment that your kids will use for years.
- LOL Camper – We actually didn’t get this for Christmas but it’s a great gift idea none the less. My daughter has been talking about this gift a lot!
- Doll House – My girls love this house and its big enough to use with their barbies. This dollhouse is a big one so you will for sure get the wow factor on Christmas morning.
- Trampoline – I was really hesitant to get a trampoline for my kids. I felt like it was just asking for injury but this trampoline is small enough that they can’t really launch into the air and I love it has the protective sides. If you watch my Instagram stories you know my girls are on this every single day.
- Baby Doll High Chair – A fun accessory for your little mama. Hazel loves this and is always bringing her babies bananas :)
- Outdoor Play House – This is one of my favorite Santa gifts. It is adorable and the girls play with it all the time. I am actually really impressed with how its held up for the last two years since it sits outside in all the elements. I hope to paint it one day to have it the same color as our house.
Here’s more Christmas Gift Guides here!
Check out some of my past gift guides here:
Gift Guide For The Breastfeeding Mom
Gift Guide For Your One Year Old
