Toy Parachutes. I got this idea while watching Toy Story with my toddler one day. It’s one of the early scenes where the army men are going down to Andy’s birthday party to report back what toys he is being gifted. Using their parachutes, they land safely right before Andy’s mom steps on one. We have a loft in our home, and one of the biggest rules we have for our toddler, right after not standing on anything to look down, is that she cannot throw anything over the edge. Until now.

For about $6-$8, you can get 4-8 toy parachutes with little guys attached to toss over a deck, balcony, banister, swing set–any higher surface–and it will be met with hours of fun. We’ve had these for almost two years now and Viv still enjoys playing with them (with supervision, of course).

Temporary tattoos. Not only are these a huge hit with small kiddos, they wash off in the bath eventually or with some baby oil and a cotton ball. Viv is three-and-a-half and loves tattoos. We have a multi-pack of 300+ that we ordered from Amazon for about $6 and I’m certain we won’t go through them for at least a year.

Necklaces, bracelets, or other costume jewelry. You can find these at just about any dollar store or dollar section to add to your toddler’s dress up bin. Lots of places even have masks or cloth hats that would also easily fit into a stocking (pirate hat, sailor hat, felt animal masks, etc.). I actually recommend looking at a Dollar Tree or any related store over Amazon on this one unless you need more than 20 of them.

Hatch-An-Egg. I realize this feels more appropriate for Easter baskets, but the joy my toddler gets when that egg cracks open to reveal a dinosaur or mermaid or whatever is hidden inside after letting it sit in water for a day and a half is absolutely baffling to me. Big hit, very inexpensive. Not to be confused with Hatchimals, which are very expensive compared to what I’m talking about.

Character T-shirts. Or any lightweight shirt that can roll up and fit right down the side of the stocking. I like to get a “fun” shirt, one with a favorite character or from a show or book she likes. Most of these fun tees are anywhere from $5-$10 each, depending on age and size.

24-Pack Crayola Crayons. It may seem odd to include “Crayola,” but there are truly no better crayons, in my opinion. I don’t know one kid that doesn’t appreciate a brand new pack of crayons to use, and they’re under $2/pack.

There are also some pretty fun specialty packs, like glitter, neon, or color max that would make for a fun alternative to traditional crayons.

Flash cards or card games. Alphabet, colors and shapes, math, animals, words, or any other educational type of flash cards for kiddos to practice. You could also do a plain deck of cards or a card game like Uno, Spot-It!, Phase 10, Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza, Skip-Bo, Smack It, Old Maid, or Go Fish.

Hot Wheels. Boy or girl, these little babies are fun to zoom around on any floor or hard surface. If you’re already a Hot Wheels household, it’s just more fun to add to a track. They come individually, in a three pack, or a five pack, and all of them fit in a stocking, depending on how much room you have left.

Bath bombs for kiddos. I know there are a ton of other options out there, but these are my personal favorite for my toddler. No dyes, no glitter, no weird fragrance. Just eucalyptus scented foaming bath bombs that are also great for stuffy noses.

Viv loves to play with these in the tub even when she’s not stuffy because they foam and fizz just like all the other ones. And I don’t have to worry about her sensitive skin getting a rash or her smelling like a cherry slushy when she’s done.

I highly encourage you to check labels before purchasing ones that have color or glitter. I would hate for your little one to have a reaction, or for you to be scrubbing your tub because it has a red ring around it.

Ornament. If you don’t do an ornament exchange each year or if you need a filler, add in a fun Christmas tree ornament. Lots of them could be personalized for each kiddo simply by putting their name on it, and I’ve seen more and more ornaments have a little year tag hanging from them (2024) to commemorate the year it was received.

If you’re worried about it breaking, go with a non-breakable ornament. There are lots of cloth or acrylic ones that won’t shatter if someone accidentally drops it or kicks it (I know how it gets on Christmas morning!).

Toothbrush and toothpaste. Or just a fun toothbrush. For $6, you can get a fun kid’s electric character toothbrush that runs on batteries. For even less, you can pick up a standard toothbrush in a fun color. If you are including candy, I would highly recommend including one of these too 😉

Stickers. My toddler is in her sticker era for sure. Anytime she colors a picture or makes a card for someone (we’re learning about mail and how it works to send letters) she has to include at least a couple stickers on her work. Stickers are very cheap (another dollar store find!) and you could even get holiday themed ones.

Hair accessories. Headbands, clips, hair ties, bows, faux colored hair clips, scrunchies, or anything fun for hair. For boys, you could do a new stocking hat or some colored hair gel that washes out in the bath.

Bubbles. If you’ve never blown bubbles in the cold, you’re missing out! It may seem like just a spring/summer thing, but blowing bubbles in the winter and snow makes them freeze and it’s pretty cool to create some frozen art.

Water bottle. If you haven’t unassembled your kiddo’s most used water bottle lately and cleaned every single part individually…buy a new one and probably just toss the other one after they go to sleep. These germ collectors tend to accrue black mold and gunk in the seals and mouth pieces. And even if they are fine, encouraging hydration in these small humans is never a bad idea.

There are tons of colors and characters to choose from in a wide variety of styles. Personally, I try to just go with ones that have a lid and a straw. The less I have to take apart to clean, the better.

Straw toppers. This piggybacks off of the idea above, but if your kiddo uses a water bottle with a straw like mine does, straw toppers are a fun, cheap, very small idea to add to a stocking. You can usually get a few to a pack for $5 or less and I’ve even seen seasonal ones. These are great if your kiddo brings their water bottle to school, sports, or daycare because it helps prevent other kids from accidentally (or purposely) putting their mouth on your kid’s straw.