Next up in my bumper gift guide for Christmas 2021 is the most fun category - children's toys! With many of us needing to buy for plenty of children at this time of year, it seemed fitting to include this category and who knows, you could find a unique toy that you hadn't thought of before.
If you are in need of a unique but cool present idea for the kids this Christmas - I've got you covered! I just love to see small businesses making such fun gift ideas for children and they are all so unique and are sure to put a smile on any child's face on Christmas day.
Have you found the perfect gift for the kids in your life from this guide? Don't forget to tag me and the brand over on Instagram, you can find me at @small_business_collaborative.
The Wild and the Tame
The Wild and the Tame is a baby and children's boutique specialising in luxury clothing, accessories and nursery décor. Exquisite pieces, handcrafted from limited edition fabrics by mum of two Chantelle, in the Kent countryside.
Chantelle's products are characterful, nature-inspired designs that are beautiful, one-of-a-kind pieces that you can fall head over heels in love with. All items are made from limited edition fabrics, designed mainly by UK illustrators. Every piece is cut and sewn individually in the UK.
These pieces are special and made to last, I bought one of Chantelle's bags for a friend last year and they love it and still use it now as it's so well made and thoughtfully put together.
Fun Fact from Chantelle: I crazily launched the business when I was 8 months pregnant with my second baby and for the first year I would cram sewing into naptimes or work with my little one in his bouncer chair next to the sewing machine.
Price Range: £13- £110
Website: https://thewildandthetame.co.uk/
Follow: @_wildandtame_
Lucy Miller Shop
Lucy Miller is a British Designer/Illustrator and she can be found creating designs for art prints, greetings cards and recycled notebooks, in her home studio near Windsor. She has a love of using layers of texture, pattern and colour in her work and thoroughly enjoy creative processes, especially experimentation and the discovery of new things along the journey to creating original designs.
Designed and made in the UK. Monogram prints can be personalised with name and birth details or can be a single initial.
These prints would make an excellent gift for parents to be or children, especially as they can be personalised. I love that Lucy's illustrations have very many layers so there's something new to discover the more you look.
Fun Fact from Lucy: This year I launched my new pressed-flower floral range, which was inspired by lockdown walks and exploring nature with my two boys. It was a nostalgic and rewarding process - from picking and pressing flowers, to photographing and assembling the final artwork. I adore the beautiful detail in the flowers.
Price Range: £3.50- £28
Website: www.etsy.com/uk/shop/LucyMillerShop
Follow: @lucymillershop
Pom Stitch Tassel
Pom Stitch Tassel is a Devon based craft company bringing old crafts back to life and inspiring a new generation of creatives with our pom pom kits! The main ethos behind Pom Stitch Tassel is to inspire the next generation of creatives, bringing old crafts back to life and educating youngsters the importance of craft.
Handmade in the UK, British, sustainable, fully recyclable & reusable, UKCA marked for children's safety.
Emma's kits are so cute and making pom poms is a great way for children to get into crafting. Perfect as a stocking filler to keep the children entertained this festive season or as an all year round gift.
Fun Fact from Emma: Emma's career began in sewing in September 2013. She undertook a Level 3 Fashion and Textiles apprenticeship at a local textiles manufacturing company. From then she worked backstage as a seamstress, dressing West End shows, creating high end fashion garments/costumes for various theatres across the south west.
Price Range: £9.99- £32
Website: www.pomstitchtassel.com
Follow: @pomstitchtassel
Emily Spikings
Emily design and create prints, paper mobiles, cushions and plushies aimed at the younger generation all with a bold, colourful and playful style.
As a one-woman team, everything is designed, cutout, tied, sewn, packed and posted etc. by Emily at her home in Nottingham.
Emily's designs are really fun and stylish, the range includes lots of different types of products so you can be sure to find something you will love.
Fun Fact from Emily: Everything I design and make gets run past my two little helpers neither of which have developed the subtle art of flattery yet and they tell me how it is, good or bad. So I can honestly say all that I do has the approval of kids (well, my kids).
Price Range: £5- £25
Website: www.etsy.com/uk/shop/EmilySpikings
Follow: @emily_spikings_design
Green Crayon
Green Crayon is a handmade soy wax crayon company, specialising in vegan and plastic free alternatives to regular crayon sets. There are a range of shapes including toddler-friendly chunky ones meaning Green Crayon can help every little one make their mark!
All handmade by Jade from Soy wax, Carnauba wax and Cocoa Butter. They are coloured using Non-Toxic earth pigments and are UKCA marked, testing has been done by an independent lab to make sure they are safe for your little one.
Mass-produced crayons contain things like paraffin and beef talons and after finding out this, Jade decided she wanted something different and she created Eco friendly crayons that are also vegan friendly too.
I had no idea crayons contained so much nasty stuff and I'm glad there are alternatives.
Fun Fact from Jade: Green Crayon started only last year in the middle of lockdown, bored and stuck at home I needed something to do, and after lots of research and testing Green Crayon sold it's first set via Instagram- 6 little dinosaurs. These have now gone on to be my best seller!
Price Range: £3-£20
Website: www.greencrayon.co.uk
Follow: @greencrayonn_
Sheni and Teni
Sheni and Teni aims to welcome more of the world into playtime. They want to celebrate the cultures and traditions, colours, and vibrancy of African cultures and see this represented in toys, books and games in playrooms all over the world - something we don't see nearly enough of today.
At Sheni and Teni, they believe in expanding the horizons of our children - by introducing new ways of life to them and providing positive representation to black and brown children. Sheni and Teni believe the combination of these will help create a more embracing and inclusive society as a whole.
All illustrations are by artists based in Africa. 10% of proceeds of our book - Ara Becomes Thundergirl are donated to Centrepoint UK to help alleviate homelessness in youths.
Fun Fact from Folasayo: As a Nigerian living and working in the City in London, I’d always felt a little like I was missing something. Staying connected to Nigerian culture through food, music, media and literature gives me a happy balance between my everyday life and something much deeper - a sense of belonging and a shared understanding of where I'm from and who I am.
When I had my babies, two boys, I knew that they'd need that reinforcement too. That connection. But none of the toys or books at nursery showed anyone that looked like them. I went to the local shops, the big shops... and then I looked online. There weren’t many books with characters with brown skin and there were no games showing off the amazing cultures and people of Africa. I decided to do something about it and Sheni and Teni was born :)
Price Range: £8- £38
Website: www.sheniandteni.com
Follow: @sheniandteni
Tommy & Lottie
Tommy & Lottie are a unisex, ethical and sustainable brand specialising in well made, organic cotton basics, including t-shirts and sweatshirts for children and adults, babywear, backpacks, wall prints and plantable seed cards all with a wildlife theme.
Tommy & Lottie help save species, together – There are many benefits to why we need to protect wildlife for our own wellbeing both physically and mentally and for the health of our ecosystems and planet and Tommy & Lottie are very proud of the three charity partnerships they have set up with Ocean Generation via Work For Good the Sumatran Orangutan Society, and the Hertfordshire and Middlesex Wildlife Trust. Money is donated to the charities every time one of our polar bear, orangutan, bee or butterfly products are sold.
All materials used are sustainable. These include organic cotton to make our clothing and recycled plastic bottles to make our backpacks.
I love that raising money and raising awareness goes hand in hand with Tommy & Lottie's products. Each piece is a great conversation starter about the animal it features so makes for the perfect Christmas gift.
Fun Fact from Katie: Hi, I’m Katie Carr, mum of two (Tommy & Lottie) who inspired me to start the business. I live in St Albans, Hertfordshire with my partner and our three children Tommy, Lottie and Bevan our cheeky terrier.
I spent my childhood in nature as I grew up in rural East Sussex and spent a lot of my time outside. My parents taught me a lot about wildlife and how important it is to respect it for a healthy environment and our happiness.
Price Range: £6- £70
Website: www.tommyandlottie.com
Follow: @tommyandlottie
Colour Celebrations
Colour Celebrations is a lifestyle and gifting brand creating unique gifts for children of colour. Our mission is to help children and their families celebrate colour, culture and heritage boldly and proudly. It is the only company offering baby milestone cards and luxury gifting for Black and mixed-race babies. Its products intentionally celebrate babies’ skin colour and provide an alternative to the current “colour blind” baby gifting options available today.
Each product has been designed by me (Debs the Founder). Most items have been made or designed in UK and for clothing, all items are organic or sustainably sourced as part of our dedication to green and eco-friendly practices.
I really admire when anyone come across a problem and decides to do something about it to make a difference. These milestone cards and all of Colour Celebrations products make excellent gifts and I love that they celebrate the babies skin colour.
Fun Fact about Debs: Deborah Ajaja founded Colour Celebrations after the birth of her son in 2018. As a proud first time Mother, she was keen to share pictures of her precious little baby with friends and family as he grew and hit his various developmental and cultural milestones. When she struggled to find any milestone products which were representative of her son’s hue, her family’s culture and the variety of celebrations they honoured she decided to do something about it. Having quickly realised that this was truly a problem and there was a gap in the market, the Colour Celebrations Milestone Cards were born and she worked tirelessly to bring the vision to life.
Price Range: £16- £19
Website: https://colourcelebrations.com
Follow: @colourcelebrations
Knitaboo
Handmade knitwear for newborns, babies and toddlers.
When you place your order, each item is lovingly hand-knitted by Mia with your chosen colour and design. You can also rest assured that your item is ethically made from the yarn, needles used to knit your item and to the delivery. Knitaboo works mostly with cotton yarn that is spun and dyed to a high standard in the UK with no impact on the environment. Mia picked Three Bear Yarns for their values towards their employees, their love for the environment and that these values align with mine. Knitaboo plants trees every month to offset their carbon emissions.
I love knitwear and hand-knitted pieces in particular, and I think they make wonderful newborn and children's gifts. Knowing that they are knitted here in the UK makes Mia's pieces extra special.
Fun Fact from Mia: Growing up, handmade knitwear was always part of my life. Beautiful and simple designs made by my mother and grandmother. Timeless and effortless, from the choice of yarn to the colours, this is the inspiration behind my knitwear here at Knitaboo. Each item makes for a perfect gift for a new arrival or adds a beautiful touch to a natural wardrobe.
Price Range: £12.90- £70
Website: www.knitaboo.co.uk
Did you find a unique but fun gift for the kids in your life in this guide? I love all of the handmade and thoughtful gifts, that children can use for years and years to come.
If you'd like to see the full Christmas gift guide for 2021 please visit this link.
I would love to see if you have supported any of the small businesses featured so don't forget to tag me over on Instagram, @small_business_collaborative.
Thank you once again to all the 260+ businesses that took the time to apply to this year's gift guides, I really appreciate you all and it was so much fun putting it together and seeing everything you do. And thank you to Adele who helped me put this together. If you need help with your online product listings for Etsy, Faire, NOTHS, Shopify and more, Adele can help. You can find all your details on her website.