Alternative to toys this Christmas?

[Florencenotflo]

Hear me out, I'm not a complete scrooge! But I have a 5 and 2 year old. I have just done a huge tidy up and clear out of their toys and I've managed to get rid of very little . They love their toys and play well with them together and on their own. That being said, we have run out of room. Their bedrooms are full, our conservatory is full of storage and the bigger items (easel, ice cream cart, toy kitchen, ride on car etc). We have also shared out what we can to Nanny and Grandads house to play with there when they visit.

So what could we get or ask for this Christmas when family and friends ask instead of toys? MIL enjoys shopping for clothes for my girls (she only had DH) so she usually sticks them up with a few bits for the coming year.

I'm thinking of getting my Nephews a season ticket for the local wildlife park.

Experiences! You can all be given tickets to a nice day at to various places, that way the whole family can enjoy and you don't have to have a house full of crap again!
Clothes are always useful as you said, you could figure out the things they'll need coming up such as coats/shoes etc and they can pick their own ones but it's a gift from MIL etc.
Books are always a great one, I know it's a physical thing you have to find space for, but books will last forever and be reused way more than toys ever would! Hope this helps 😊

Books!! Classes to something they're interested in, tickets, membership somewhere. DMs neighbour is lovely and buys for ours since my DM helped her out when her grandchildren moved in years ago but it's always something that takes up loads of space. It's really generous and we don't want to hurt her feelings so we just keep saying how into books they are and thankfully she's gone with them the last few times.

Boxes of chocolate stashes.

Movie night hamper ie. 1 or 2 dvds, snacks and drinks in it that they can share.

Clothing and accessories.

Bedding and bedroom accessories ie. Cushion/ nightlight/ ornament etc.

Toiletries - toothbrush set, bath bombs, bubble bath ..

Adopt an animal that you can visit? Books? I hear those Tony audio things are pretty popular then each new character could be a gift and take minimal room I think?

Mine are 6 and 7 and I've literally cleared out most of their toys so I see where you are coming from. So much stuff!!
Mine love blankets and beanbag. Cosy stuff for their room.
You can get lovely Wall heads in the shape of dinosaurs or whatever if they would like that.

But 2 seems small for vouchers but they won't know any different so go for it.

Maybe art supplies as they get used up, or necklace making kit or something where the end product is quite small.

Experiences

Has the 2yo been to a cinema ?

It depends what the kids might like but zoos and aquariums were loved by my kids.

What about a weekend away including a hotel stay ? My kids enjoyed that for years. You could ask on here for specific trip advice (there's been a lot of London threads recently)

We've done experiences the last few years - lion king tickets, camping at chessington, riding lessons and pony days etc. My kids get more out of that than a load of stuff.

Bedroom stuff like duvet cover, rug, poster, fairy lights/lamp.

New book series you can read to them.

CD player with audio books.

Dressing gown, pyjamas, slippers, hot water bottle in cute cover.

Swim/sports kit, swimsuit, googles, swim bag, towel.

Adopt an animal at a local sanctuary that you can visit, get a matching cuddly toy if one isn't included & maybe a book about the breed.

Art supplies, paints, crayons, A3 pads of paper, stencils, stamps.

Garden toys like slide, swing, football on elastic, hula hoop, den building kit, walkie talkies, outdoor chalks.

Cooking/baking set with simple cookbook for kids.

Season tickets or voucher for soft play, trampoline park, swimming pool, cinema.

Books
Lessons like swimming lessons, gymnastics, football whatever they're in to
For the little one, baby classes like toddler dance or music bugs
Day tickets or season passes to fun places

We bought a zoo pass last Christmas and it’s been worth every penny, we go at least once a week I’m going to buy it again this year along with a swimming pass to the local pool. Anything that gets you out and about is great, days out are expensive so it’s a great gift and frees up money during the rest of the year.

I'm getting my 2 year old bedding as we're going to be transitioning him to a big boy bed at some point after Christmas. He's also getting cutlery and a dressing gown. Then I'll get books and stuff like play doh that will get used up. I'm pregnant with number 2 and I'm trying to keep the stuff to a minimum before the next one comes along! The pile of toys is already alarming enough after last birthday and christmas!

Course of swimming lessons, with maybe a swim bag, towel, inflatable toy etc.
Season ticket to a local farm/zoo/attraction etc. Maybe National Trust family membership as a present for you all.
Tickets to a theatre performance, if there is something suitable for a two year old.
Character bedding, pyjamas etc.
Classes for the 5 year old for a term eg football, ballet, gymnastics etc. Similar for the two year old if you or grandparents are able to take them in the day eg baby gym, music, dance.

Merlin pass
Zoo/local attraction membership
A trip away
Make the stocking disposable - ie sweets and basically tat that isn't needed forever- things like nail stickers or temp tattoos

CBeebies magazine subscription

Depends on what other people usually spend as the cost of a small toy is nothing like the cost of a zoo pass etc. I hate giving ideas and always stick to something small to avoid looking grabby cost wise. Maybe pjs, crafts, fun bath towel etc.

At similar ages we bought passes to a local zoo park. They got loads of use and the kids really enjoyed themselves all year.

How about some things that you might use outside or on holiday/days out over the next few years

Good quality kite
Zogg sticks (ours are still going strong ten years on)
Pop-up football nets
Giant football
Collapsible bucket and spade

Magazine or craft subscription
Annual passes to the local zoo
Sand pit or water table for outside
Colour changing bubble bath, bath crayons etc…
Bedding
Lamp for bedroom
Wall stickers

Similar to other ideas but for several years DD had an annual comic subscription from one grandparent (didn’t help on the clutter, she kept every copy!). We also had family contribute to a fund for her to get Merlin pass which was brilliant. We’ve also had a local zoo pass when she was younger.
I appreciate your dc are young but will the 5 year old be starting any clubs or hobbies, DS and DD have had hobby equipment, clothing in the past. Eg dancewear, climbing shoes.
Another nice idea might be for grandparents or other close family member to get tickets for something and go with them to have special Christmas treat together instead. Our local theatre do any age kids shows on Saturday afternoons or in December that last about 50 mins. Tickets usually around £30 for group of 4 and might become a tradition they treasure.