Young kids advent calendars, premade or refillable

[Blessedbethefruitz]

My kids will be almost 2 (f) and almost 5 (m) this year. I have a peppa pig book calendar that baby girl will love, but nothing picked for ds yet.

Last year's lego city went down like a lead balloon. It was pretty crap tbf. The year before we had playmobil farm which is still played with now. But I'm uninspired by this year's or older ones. The car calendars look a bit naff, the puzzle ones seem to have boring pictures, and I was thinking brio, but you don't get much for the money - and we have a huge set as a joint Xmas gift for them both now. Has anyone been inspired this year yet? Maybe I'll look at books so they coordinate?

I'm pondering refillables for next year and onwards, so I can alternate things for their interests - little cars, chocolates, balloons, hair accessories, stickers, buy bulk playmobil etc. Does anyone have a good refillables they can share? Do the kids love them? I don't want to keep accumulating excess stuff!

Honestly just get him a £1 chocolate one he will be perfectly happy with that.

I have one I painted myself from hobbycraft - they do lots of different plain wood styles to customise yourself - the kids love it

Reusable every time. Even my 22 year old still has his. They're fun to fill

I had lots of grand plans but have ended up using a shaped Christmas biscuit tin that MiniFool saw in the supermarket's January sale aged 1! We have a mix of events and treats for advent, so one morning a pile of Christmas books might appear, another it's a North Pole breakfast, and on some days 'Christmas bear' is sitting at the breakfast table with either a gift inside or a clue to what we're doing that day - eg cash & a shopping bag for our reverse Advent for the food bank, or a special bath fizzer, or gingerbread to take on a walk to look at Christmas lights.

I have little canvas bags, I put a hook up and hang it the night before next day (I'm not fancy lol) then little books/trinkets/bath bombs/socks/chocolates in it in the morning

Mini chocolates from one of those pouches eg foil wrapped snowballs

Pokémon/football cards (buy a pack and divide up one per day, I didn't do one for every day, just one every 3-5)

Stickers (also buy a packet and cut up into batches)

Depending on if your advent calendars are kept out of way and opened with an adult, you can get mini bath fizzers about the size of a large marble, often pick & mix your own in gift shops. One every 6 days could signify "playful bath" with extra bubbles added etc. that evening.

Mine are 7 and 5 and this year I have bought an absolutely beautiful fabric refillable one. Going to do activities and a few chocolates in it.

I packed my refillable ones away it got too much hassle and expensive filling them. We do the £1 chocolate ones and a toy one. What dose your DS like? On Amazon there are a few, dinosaur, cars, Spider-Man etc..

I got a cardboard fill your own one from hobby craft last year and filled it with baby snacks (ds was 1 year and 3/4 months) and he wasn’t really bothered and we didn’t even open them all 🤷‍♀️🙈 I’m just going to get him a regular chocolate one this year 😅

Mine only ever had the traditional picture ones, teenagers now & always enjoyed the countdown without the endless tat. Took it in turn to open doors & I had to keep a tally of who's turn it was to open. no 24

I've done a refillable one for years! I got it from tiger about 9 years ago, it's got decent sized pockets and I can hang on the door. My previous one the boxes were too small for anything so cost more trying to find stuff that fitted!

Each year I've just bought a bundle of their current interests second hand, over the years we've done - lego minifigures, moshi monsters, little animals, lol dolls, jewellery, mini pokemon figures/cards, happyland, retro kinder egg toys, fidget toys, stationary, barbie on day 1 & different outfit each day. I also get fun chocolate for some of the days - pretend lindt balls, shaped chocolate lollies (aldi), a few xmas percy pigs in a little bag. I set a budget of £15-20 per child. Some years were much less. Last year I got a bundle of knick knacks off olio free for dd2 I used in the calendar so worth keeping an eye out!

I did a book advent of second hand books for dd1 when she was little. I got a bundle of free ones and topped up with charity shop ones. Wrapped them up and she opened and we read a different one at bedtime.

The last couple of years dd1 has had the funko one but was a birthday present (November birthday!). Was good value if they like that particular theme but expensive advent calendar! Shes had nightmare before christmas, five nights at freddys and Harry potter.