The perfect Christmas stocking

[Blessedbethefruitz]

What is the perfect Christmas stocking (contents) for under 8s?

I never get the Christmas stocking quite right (3 goes now for ds, dd enjoyed eating the paper last year for her first...)

I think it'll be a cheaper Christmas as these things go, there are no new obsessions and they have everything they could want/need now. So I want to really nail the stockings!

You will get some people who thing diamond earring and Nintendo switch are ideal socking ‘fillers’ and others who think some nuts and a stashma is pushing out the boat!

in our house stockings are actually stocking size (not sacks) and it full of cheap little bits - always a chocolate orange and a character toothbrush, if you can find them those expanding flannels, things like a Lego figure or a windup toy, if they are into something maybe a figure eg when it was Thomas a new wooden train or something. Some other Christmas themed chocolate/sweets, dad would often have a cute pair of earring from Claire’s or somewhere, often some cute socks.

Yes sorry, to be clear, I have regular stocking sized stockings, not huge, not pillowcases! Lego and duplo (for baby) polybags were hits last year, but sensory toys were not. Obviously chocolate coins for the toes...

Windup toys are a good shout, we still have a set of beetles from 2 years ago thay they both love! Maybe I'll look for more animals...

The lego calendar last year was awful, while the playmobil from the year before is still played with and permanently on display. I'm never quite sure what will hit home. I was hoping there is a catch all perfect list lol. Ds is now into mario but switch games are not stocking fillers and I can't get him excited about character pants or socks. Baby girl likes penguins and cheese and is not an issue this year😂

@BrieAndChilli

dad would often have a cute pair of earring from Claire’s or somewhere, often some cute socks

😂

@ThursdayFreedom a dad wants what a dad wants ;)

@Blessedbethefruitz Bath crayons or paint? Pens/pencils? Dinosaur or a Schlick (sp)animal. Matchbox car. Trick?
cards? Very small remote control?

@Blessedbethefruitz

DD is my kind of girl. Penguins & cheese!! So many great penguin things around at Christmas!!

eeeeeK! This has just popped up in my 'active' feed - my first reacation was WTF??!!.
And then I realised what board it was!

Apologies - carry on and ignore me - as you were :)

We used to get bubble bath in ours. Good old Matey!

Mine both think these are an integral part of christmas after a particularly successful stocking one year:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bath-Sprudels-Single-Sponge-Bombs/dp/B00A5V5Z1I/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=2935NKCTY5UEM&keywords=sprudels+bath+bombs&qid=1686344783&sprefix=sprudels%2Caps%2C66&sr=8-3

they colour the bath (not the bathtub) AND they have a different sponge animal in the middle of each one.

We have so much stuff already, there's an amazing charity shop 2 minutes away dedicated to toys. Think the huge £120 shark hot wheels stunt tracks for £15 kind of thing. It makes it tricky to make an impact.

Dh has banned bath crayons for cleaning reasons, and both kids are afraid of bubble baths! Yet bubbles or baths alone are great... I always had colour changing matey too! Not tried exploding flannels yet but they do like their bath mits so maybe this year!

@ThursdayFreedom She likes a lie in too, she's the best 🤣 They're both after penguin clothes so maybe that will be a thing!

I always get something that lights up. For an 8 yo - a super whizzy light up yo-yo?

also:
-“Paper laser” toy
-Rubik cube or snake
-one of those biros with lots of colours in
-invisible ink UV pen with light on end
-interesting marbles
-juggling balls
-bath stuff - bath crackles or fizzer
-fidget toy
-Smiggle keyring
-candy: big multicoloured lolly or candy cane; jelly beans; etc.
-compass
-magnets set
-crystal garden or crystal growing kit
-joke toys like a fake moustache, finger in slime, fake bug, spy kit etc.
-bug viewer

for the baby - DD loved light-up bath ducks at that age!
-soft toy
-any bath toy
-buggy book
-interesting teether
-mini babybel? As she likes cheese 👍😂

Second thoughts - with a baby around, maybe marbles and paper lasers aren’t such a good idea! Or magnets with small pieces!

DD (3 last Xmas, will be 4 this year) adored the foam squirty soap last year so that’s being repeated.
Other successful things were:

A set of tiny Fireman Sam books (they get read a lot)
Magnifying glass
Hair clips and hairbands (Peppa Pig)
Chocolate coins
Bubble wand
Seeds to plant-she loves growing stuff
Stickers-she is sticker mad
Character plasters for her doctors bag, we basically get covered in plasters most days. She’s obsessed.
Playdoh

The little Jacob's Ladder I put in DD's stocking many moons ago is still much beloved. It's in our living room now and everyone who visits has had a play. A proper silly joke book was another hit and I would second the expanding flannels. Torches (little metal Maglite type or the Little Larry light with magnet) can be a fun addition too. I always used to add a Magic Tree when she was younger too because it's lovely to watch them blossom through the day and a handy distraction to send them to check growth while lunch prep is underway...

I think it fully depends on how you do stockings, for us they are just an extension of Christmas tree gifts, they are not opened separately or made a big deal of. Our stocking fillers tend to be what ever fits in them. One year I did do solely chocolates and sweets in their stocking.

Ooo AND, very randomly, Blu Tack in a different colour! We've had pink and white so far.

For us, when the dc were little, the stocking always had a little bath toy (ducky, bath crayons, pluii) some sort of musical instrument (egg shaker, swannie whistle, harmonica), some sort of stationary (crayons, glitter pens, scented pens), a tiny book, choc coins, a choc reindeer, a satsuma.

Now they are a bit older, kawaii stationary is a big focus, washi tape, bluetack, and various smellies and nail varnishes.

We used to go for variety.

They'd always get a Lego mini figure to make.
A joke book or comic annual
A fun tee shirt with a character they love on it
Sweets
Another food treat - ours loved USA stuff like marshmallow spread or pop tarts which they were only allowed at Christmas.
Something that transforms - anything like a bath bomb or those tiny squares that become face cloths when you put them in water, or crystal 'trees' that grow.
A packet of sparklers to light on NYE.
Novelty mug or pen or toothbrush with a character they love on it.

Mumsnet has taught me stockings are wildly different for everyone.

I grew up where stocking weren't really a thing, more decoration hanging by the fire but with a bag of nuts, fruit and maybe a selection box sometime in them (well placed near them). My DH was the same with stockings just being decorative.

I decided to start doing them for my kids because I love whimsy and my kids do enjoy them. For me they are a tradition (like crackers rather than 'from' Santa) and just cheap unwrapped novelties and sweets.

They consist of:

• chocolate coins (main tradition)
• chocolate orange
• box of panda biscuits
• 2-3x bag/packs other sweets they like
• sticker sheet
• each get a 3rd of a game to share
• 3-4x other small 'novelty' items (bath toy, rubix cube etc...)

it cost less than £10 for the stocking easy. The biscuits, chocolate coins and stickers etc... are usually only pennies (25p-50p) and the other items approx. £1 each.

Thanks, some interesting ideas here!

Stockings here are from father Christmas as a standalone before we get up. He also brings 1 tree gift. So they're not pricey but not plastic rubbish destined for the bin!

I always like adding some snacks from some Asian supermarkets, they are just a little bit more interesting or unusual with colourful labels etc

Have a look at The Little Things Christmas stocking kit, they’re amazing! The send you a box with everything you need for the stocking. You can either get the one for younger kids or slightly older kids. Perfect for 8 and under!

Thanks @LuckyNumber6 - I’m sorted with the contents (well, I’m not, but I know what I want) but it’s the actual stocking I’m stuck on.

Stockings are a big deal here. We open them in bed, before going downstairs.

Things I tend to add:

• Magic trick
• lego poly bag
• fidget toy
• book
• action figure
• fossil/crystal for DC collection

Then a few consumables, like sweets, bubbles, etc.

How I fill stockings for my 4 dc:

Smarties
Chocolate coins
Socks
Gift card
Filler 1
Filler 2
Filler 3

• I have this on a note I my phone which I fill in and tick off hence how it's written. Gift card is related to their interests - smyths toys, Google play, Roblox, primark, costa etc. it's a £10 gift card usually.

The 3 fillers are small (£5-£10) toys such as a small Lego box, friendship bracelet making kit, candles, card games (uno, top trumps), collectible cards (Pokémon or football cards), nice hair accessories, poppies or whatever the latest craze is at school etc. I try not to buy too much tat and definitely not anything big and expensive. The purpose of our stockings is for the dc to have something to open as soon as they wake up, and to keep them quiet in bed until the rest of us are ready to go and see the tree gifts.