2021 Gift Guide for Baby, Toddler & You, Mama!

We know how this goes: The grandparents are asking what your little one wants for the holidays, but you want to be mindful of what you bring in. We’re there every year, too. Let us help!

We’re pediatric speech language pathologists, so we know all about littles, development, and play. We’re also moms of six, so we love things that are good quality, long lasting, visually pleasing, and that will grow with your little one. And, like you, we know that a few high quality, intentional items are so much better than a bunch of random toys that take up space and make your life feel cluttered! Also, we are all about supporting you! Because we know you deserve it so much. 

We’re giving you these recommendations as speech therapists and as mamas! We’ve found tons of gift-worthy items that are great for them but look beautiful, last, and that you can feel good about overall. And, we’ve added a few things to this list that are JUST for you, too.

Enjoy our 2021 gift guide, mama! We made it just for you 💛

(Oh, and just a head’s up, this post uses a few affiliate links!)

Gifts for Baby

#1 Ezpz Mini Cup + Straw Training System

Honestly, the BEST! EZPZ was created by a fellow speech language pathologist who specializes in feeding, so we’re ALL about it. These cups have a weighted bottom, and a straw that promotes lip rounding (which is essential for keeping liquid IN their mouth!), and you can use them as a straw cup or take off the lid to practice open-cup drinking. Plus it’s beautiful. Clearly, we’re big fans. 

#2 Num Num Pre-Spoon GOOtensils

Have a little one who’s starting solids? Then, we don’t wanna be dramatic, but...You NEED GOOtensils in your life (or at least in your kitchen). They promote self-feeding skills from a very early age, which, as you may already know, is a huge mom win.

#3 Wooden Pop Up Toy

This simple little pop up toy is one of our very favorites. Because it can be played with in so many ways, it can last your child years, staying interesting as they grow and develop. At first, they won’t be able to operate this one independently, but by watching you, they’ll learn cause and effect, and even start to imitate sounds like wee, whoa, and pop!

#4 Glitter and Spice Rattle Teether [DISCONTINUED]

This rattle makes a soft sound, perfect for engaging with your baby. And because it’s durable (100% food grade silicone), free of any harmful chemicals, soft on gums, and complete with a few different textures babies find interesting, it’s also great for teething!

#5 Parade Jammies With A 2-Way Zipper 🙏🏼

Carly bought a pair for Katie’s youngest when he was born, and Katie has purchased more since! They are sooo good! They’re a Canadian company, so if you’re in the US, you might want to use Amazon to purchase.

#6 Farm Animals by Xavier Deneux

When little ones first explore books, it’s super common for them to accidentally rip flaps off. Not with this book! Instead of using flaps that lift up, these ones are built into the page. Making them virtually un-rip-able. Plus, the black and white contrast is excellent for newborn to 4-month-old babies whose vision is still developing. (Remember, it’s never too early to start reading to a baby!)

#7 Miniland Sensory Balls 

This set of rubber sensory balls is super soft, easy for babies to grip, and made from natural materials. They’re great because you can let your baby bite them, squeeze them, and man-handle them however they want to 🤪  without worrying that they’ll break or pop open. They’re also great for sensory stimulation and can even help with motor skill development!

#8 Green Toys Stacker

We love that this stacker toy will grow with your baby. At first, they’ll just try to crawl to it, mouth it, and explore it. But eventually they’ll figure out they can stack one on top of the other! Plus, it looks so cute on a shelf.

#9 Jellycat Lovey

Who can resist a cute, snuggly lovey? Not us! The Jellycat lovey is so soft, and we love how your baby’s little fingers can wrap around the octopus legs.

#10 TalkBaby

Our baby language foundations course is the perfect gift for your little one! It will give them (and you) the gift of them having an excellent start to their language development, which is invaluable. You’ll love all the info and tips, and your baby will love the 15 new songs and rhymes included in the course—which you can sing together!

Tip: To gift our TalkBaby course, simply enter the giftee’s email address and they’ll receive prompts to create a unique login!

#11 Freshly Picked Moccasins

The cutest, best fitting shoes for tiny feet! Excellent quality, and so many color options, too. 

#12 Hooded Bath Towel

Did you know that H&M has some of our very favorite kid decor items?! It’s true! We love this sweet, hooded dino towel in particular because it’s a great size—they can grow into it as they reach toddlerhood. Plus, nothing is cuter than a freshly bathed babe! 😭 😍

#13 Funk’s Wooden Wonders Tipi Play Gym [Discontinued]

This little Tipi Play Gym makes for a beautiful and safe play space for your baby. The minimalist design decreases visual overwhelm, and the animals are a great thing to chat about with your little one as they work on their motor skills!

#14 Tubby Todd Body Wash and Lotion

Once you’ve used Tubby Todd, it’s hard to use anything else! These products look and smell amazing, and they’re a huge help for babes with sensitive skin.

#15 This Is My Happy Place Banner

This little banner would be such a sweet addition to your little one’s nursery. Hang it over their rocking chair, in a book corner, or over their crib! We love that it would easily grow with them into toddlerhood.

#16 Monkey & Mouse Canvas Hanging Swing

This visually-pleasing outdoor or indoor swing is a gift your baby is sure to love! The bobble additions are brilliant AND you can throw the canvas part in the washing machine—so smart!

Gifts for Toddler

#1 H&M Kids Dinosaur Bedding

On our Instagram, “Where did you get that dinosaur bedding?!” is asked as frequently as “How many words should my child be saying?” 😂  If your little one is transitioning out of their crib, this dinosaur bedding is quite adorable! Super good quality too.

#2 Songs + Stories Membership

Taking something off your plate and finding high-quality, engaging screen time for when you need a few minutes to yourself is TRULY the gift that will keep on giving! With a Songs + Stories membership, your family can access weekly storytimes and monthly songs and rhymes classes every month, all led by speech therapists. It’s something they will love, and you can feel really good about.

#3 Simple Car Ramp

Zoom! Wee! Ready, set, go! A car ramp provides so many helpful opportunities for getting your toddler talking. We love the simplicity of this wooden one because A) It’s eco-friendly and B) It looks good on a shelf.

#4 YumBox

Snack size or lunch size, you pick! YumBox makes a snack at the park super easy and fun for your toddler. It travels so well and comes in a variety of colors and designs. Plus, it’s super good quality. We both have a few!

Use the code WEETALKERS for 10% off at the checkout!

#5 Construction Utensils

Have a picky eater? A little one who loves things that go?! Do you just want to make eating fun?! These construction utensils have been a hit in our houses for years! The bulldozer is really helpful for pushing peas on the plate (you’ll be surprised how they also end up in your toddler’s mouth). These make an excellent stocking stuffer if you ask us.

#6 Fubbles No-Spill Bubbles

Every speech therapist knows that bubbles are where the magic happens! With bubbles, your toddler can practice signs for “open” and “help,” or they can knock on the bubble container as if to say “open.” Plus, there’s LOTS of word repetition with bubbles! (Pop, pop, pop!) And, these Fubbles bubbles are no-spill, making them even more magical.

#7 Magnetic Blocks

Katie’s had magnet blocks in her home since her oldest was 18 months old (he turns 8 soon!). They’ve held up SO well and are often in the toy rotation. This set of magnetic building blocks come in tons of different shapes, but they all stick together really well, so kids can build allll kinds of things—and practise their constructive play skills.

#8 Ball & Hammer Toy

This ball and hammer toy is awesome for helping littles understand cause and effect. It has a predictable pattern to it that your toddler is sure to try out over and over again!

#9 Chunky Transportation Puzzle

Melissa & Doug’s chunky puzzle pieces are perfect for little hands—making them soo good for introducing your toddler to puzzles. Model for your little one the sounds the cars, trains, airplanes make and watch how they look at you! You’ll feel proud of your sound effects! 😂

#10 Kwik Stix: Quick Drying Paint Sticks

Love to encourage creativity but not a huge fan of mess? First of all, same. And second of all, you’ll love these! Kwik Stix are super fast-drying paint sticks with vibrant colours little ones love. They’re easily one of the most used items in our craft closet! We love to use them on cardboard boxes (upcycling win!) or roll out a big sheet of paper and let our toddlers go.

Use the code WEETALKERS10 for 10% off your purchase.

#11 Minikane Baby Dolls

Baby dolls are great for all kids because when you play with them, you can model sounds like “shh,” “waaa,” and “awww.” They’re also the perfect gateway to pretend play, because your child can pretend to feed the baby or put them to sleep. We love baby dolls for introducing a real life baby into your family, too!

#12 IKEA Kitchen

Ahh, the play kitchen. Our #1 go-to toy for speech therapy and our own kids! Play kitchens naturally foster language development and play skills because they allow toddlers to practice following directions, and imitating sounds while increasing their vocabularies! In short: we’re here for all of it!

The IKEA kitchen is awesome because it’s super simple. No buttons to push or unnecessary bells and whistles. Your toddler gets to do the talking and exploring.

#13 Wheely Bug

Your toddler will love zooming around on this cute wheely bug. And you will love that it helps encourage their balance and promotes their gross motor skills!

#14 Doctor Kit

A doctor kit is such a fun way to encourage pretend play for little ones. You can model the names of body parts, and practice fun words like “yay!” “ow!” and “ahhh” (sticking out tongue). Plus—parent hack—it’s one of our favorite things to play when all we feel like doing is laying down. (You can be the patient and your toddler can be the doctor!)

#15 Poke-A-Dot Books

Have a little one who’s not so keen on reading books? Then you need the Poke-A-Dot series! They make reading a bit more interactive, making them our very favorite books for kids who need a little convincing that books are fun.

#16 I’m Feeling... Poster by Betsy Petersen

If there’s one thing toddlers are REALLY good at...it’s showing us the true spectrum of emotions 😅  This beautiful poster helps give toddlers the words they need to express their big feelings. We love that it’s also available in Spanish!

#17 Toddler Backpack

Okay, every toddler backpack is cute...but this dinosaur toddler backpack is the CUTEST! Toddlers are always prepared with well-packed (??) backpacks filled to the brim with only the most “necessary” items (random rock, pipe cleaner from the craft box, and bouncy ball...So they need a bag that will stand up to their pressure tests! We love that this one has a chest strap to prevent the “toddler backpack slip” (IYKYK), and that it comes in a few colours.

#18 Hanna Andersson Pajamas

Toddler jammies are the best. These ones are made from organic cotton, so they hold up really well and feel super comfy. Plus, they come in super cute designs!

#19 Unbreakable Initial Mug [Discontinued]

Toddlers love to be like you! If they’ve watched you sip coffee or tea, they’ll love their very own mug. This mug isn’t breakable (always a plus), and it shows the first letter of their name, giving you bonus early literacy skills points. Just be sure to point out the letter and the sound it makes!

Gifts For Mamas

#1 Mama Sweatshirt

What mom doesn’t love a cozy sweatshirt?! This one is quite adorable and we love the color.

#2 Solly Baby Wrap

We are big fans of baby wearing, especially in those early months. Solly wraps are our favorite carriers. They come in the most beautiful designs! 

Use the code WEETALKERS for 10% off your purchase.

#3 Bink Water Bottles

If you’ve spent any time with us at all, even just on IG, you’ve probably heard us talk about Bink water bottles! These bottles are made in Austin, Texas, they’re glass with a silicone wrap-around, and they come in really cute colours. They have us magically drinking so much more water!

Pro Tip: Get the straw cap with it. Hydration game changer.

#4 Flecks of Gold One-Line-A-Day Journal 

Are you super sentimental when it comes to your kids like we are? Because if you are, you’ll love this. This one-line-a-day journal is a simple, beautiful way to record some of these everyday moments that you’ll love to look back on later. And because it’s just one line a day, it won’t feel like work or another big to-do. 

Get 10% off with the code WEETALKERS10

#5 Primally Pure Products

With little kids at home, a shower—which used to be a humble daily necessity—feels like a mini getaway some days! And these products definitely up the vibe. In particular, we love the cleansing oil, everything spray, deodorant, and the baby line. 

Get 10% off with the code WEETALKERS 

#6 Glossier “Balm Dotcom” Lip Balm

Glossier products never disappoint! And their lip balm is one of our favorites. It’s hydrating, and it uses natural emollients to make dry, chapped lips feel so much better. You can get it in clear or a colour. It really does make the perfect stocking stuffer!

#7 Gola Sneakers

We are jeans and t-shirts kind of girls, so these cute tennies complete our mom uniform. We love these ones in particular, but there are lots of cute options at J. Crew!

#8 Madewell Leather Keychain

This collar-stud keychain can be clipped inside your diaper bag for quick access. We love that it’s big enough to find but isn’t huge, and that it’s easy on the eyes.

#9 Lululemon Belt Bag

The belt bag (nee fanny pack) is back—and living up to the hype in a big way! Go to the park, run into Target...live your best life, hands free!

#10 Only Love Today Book

For reminders to breathe more, stress less, and choose love, one of our favorite books to read and reread is Only Love Today by Rachel Macy Stafford. It offers daily inspiration that helps you feel connected, let go of little distractions, and lean into what really matters in your day-to-day life. We really feel like any and every kind of mama will love and benefit from this book.

#11 Rifle AirPods Case

The only downside to AirPods? Keeping track of them, and making sure they’re charged. Thankfully, this Rifle AirPods case is making that WAY easier for us. It’s super practical and really lovely, with a gold ring you can clip onto your bag or your keys. 

#12 Tula Glow Get It Cooling + Brightening Eye Balm

For the days when even a shower is too much to ask, applying this product will give you 45-seconds of spa day vibes! It uses hyaluronic acid to hydrate and cool your eyes, which helps reduce lines and wrinkles, giving you an instant refresh! Treat yourself to this product, you won’t regret it. (And keep it in the fridge if you’re feeling fancy.)

#13 Spotify Membership

Especially when paired with a smart speaker, having Spotify on lightens the mood—letting you listen to a podcast while folding laundry, washing dishes, or packing lunches. 

Pro Tip: We’ve created a few Spotify playlists full of kid’s songs that won’t make you want to pull your hair out. 😂  Just search “Wee Talkers”or tell Google or Alexa to play Wee Talkers on Spotify!

Remember, For Kids, Less Is More!

We put these together for fun and because we know it’s nice to have ideas. If you’re trying to keep things simple, that’s so great! Research has shown that kids actually do better with less choice when it comes to play. And if your family already has tons of toys, we love the idea of a toy rotation!

Happy holidays! We hope this helps you shop with intention 💛

Katie & Carly