10 stocking filler gift ideas for your baby

 Sick of party bags and stockings filled with tiny little toys with a life span of a week that find their way into every crevice of your house? We are!! 

Here are 10 stocking fillers that won’t break the bank but your baby will still be playing with next Christmas… PLUS our tips on how to use them to support your baby’s language and motor development.  

10 stocking fillers to support your baby's development

1. Magnets

A pack of $2 magnets from Kmart (or any non breakable magnets you can find) are a constant winner in our households. Keep them low on the fridge and allow your baby to explore taking them on and off.

Walky Tips: 

👣 Sitting babies: pulling magnets off is great for strengthening little hands, experiment with size and shape to make it easier and harder. Reaching and pulling magnets while sitting on the floor or kneeling is great for developing balance.⠀⠀⠀⠀

👣 Pre-walkers: great for developing standing balance. Standing holding a vertical surface is more difficult than holding onto a couch or coffee table. Letting go with one hand to pull magnets on and off makes it even trickier, and lowering into a squat to post magnets in a container is harder again! 

⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 

Talky Tips:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

💬Pre-talkers: wait to see which magnet your child looks at and see if they will start a ‘conversation’ with you by showing it to you. Instead of saying ‘what’s that?’, label the item for them (‘a dog! Woof woof!’)⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

💬Talkers: Take turns pointing to the different magnets and saying what they are. Move the magnets up and down and model some two word phrases: ‘dog up’ ‘lion down’⠀⠀

2. Hula Hoop

Don’t know how to hula hoop? Neither can we....but our toddlers still love them! A great simple open ended play with endless options for what your little one can do with it!⠀

Walky Tips:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

👣 Baby- tummy time inside a hoop with ribbons tied to it. Your baby will pivot around in a circle to explore the different textures and colours. 

👣 Pre-walkers- great for crawling and climbing through. Bear position (downward dog in yoga) is very important for strengthening arms, legs and core. Position vertically or lay down horizontally and let your little crawler play in and out. ⠀

👣 New walkers- improve walking balance carrying and playing while standing. As your toddlers get older, you can try:

• Step in and out for single leg balance
• Jump, hop, leap from hoop to hoop like stepping stones for developing leg power
• Use it like a skipping rope and step or leap over. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
• Wiggle those hips and hula to get core muscles firing!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 

...and so many other options, you can't go wrong, get creative!!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Talky Tips:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

💬Pre talkers - keep it simple and watch how your child wants to play with the hoop. Comment on what they are doing using single words and lots of sounds ‘spin’ ‘in’ ‘round’ ‘ohhhh fall down’. You can also model some actions with the hoop for your baby to copy (e.g. ‘bang bang’ on the ground, ‘wobble wobble’ from side to side). For more about the pre-language skill of imitation, check out this blog. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

💬Talkers - Use different action words for your baby to learn and copy: ‘jump in’ ‘stand in’ ‘hop in’ ‘bounce bounce’ ‘spinning’. Remember to listen to what they say about the hoop then add on to their language (baby: ‘in’, adult: ‘jump in!’) ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

3. Bubbles

Bubbles!!! Who doesn't love them?! ... Here are a few tips for language and motor development you can add into your bubble play!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 

Walky Tips:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

👣Tummy time- blow bubbles for your baby to look at while they play on their tummy bubbles are the perfect gentle stimulation for very young babies and encourage looking up and pushing up ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

👣Pre walkers- stand and play with bubbles, your baby will want to let go with 1 hand and eventually 2 to touch and pop them. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

👣Walkers- Stomp and jump on bubbles to work on leg strength and balance. Run through bubbles, reach up high to touch, squat down low, clap them to pop them then progress to isolating one finger to poke and pop! Bubbles create so many opportunities for active play. ⠀

Need a fresh twist? Bubble trays and bubble balls are very entertaining too! Our members have a Simple Play Everyday page with lots of ideas like these and exactly how to use them to support baby development . 

Talky Tips:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

💬Pre talkers - use lots of facial expression and anticipation as you get ready to blow the bubbles. ‘Ready....steady.....’ then wait for your baby to tell you ‘go’. This might be by looking at you, gesturing or making a sound. As soon as they do this, say ‘go!!’ And blow the bubbles.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

💬Talkers - give your baby choices of what they would like (e.g. ‘blow up or down?’ ‘my turn or your turn?’ ‘Big or little?’). Choices give your baby a chance to participate in the conversation without needing to answer a question by coming up with the word independently.

4. Blocks

Blocks are wonderful open-ended toys that can be used in a variety of ways. Bang them together, stack them, knock them over.
Wooden ones…colourful ones….homemade cardboard blocks, the opportunities are endless! Add these to your christmas stocking and your child will be playing with them for years.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Walky Tips:

👣 Tummy time- try a box of blocks to encourage your baby to reach in and pull the blocks out to explore. Leaning on 1 arm and reaching with the other is great preparation for creeping and crawling.

👣 Encourage play moving between a range of positions like squatting and kneeling to help work on your toddler's balance and leg strength. 

Talky Tips:

💬 comment on what you and your child are doing using some simple preposition words (‘up’ ‘on’ ‘down’)

💬 don’t jump in to help your child, wait to see what they do and encourage them to ask for help if they need it (you can say ‘help?’ and wait for them to respond with eye contact, sounds or copying the word)

💬 when you go to knock down the tower (the best bit!), start with ‘ready, steady....’ and pause before you say ‘go’. This will give your child a chance to say the word or tell you with their sounds

5. Ribbons

 Ribbons are a cheap, easy, colourful form of entertainment to have on hand. Reach, throw, catch, dance, pretend play, sort, craft...so many options! Save them from the presents you’ve received over the years, or buy them in a packet from places like Kmart or Spotlight.

Walky Tips:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

👣Babies: suspended ribbons from a hanging frame make a lovely toy for young babies developing reach and grasp. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

👣 Older babies can play with suspended ribbons during tummy time to help develop skills to transfer weight and reach. This is good for babies not yet rolling tummy to back and for babies learning to creep. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

👣 Toddlers: Ribbons move slowly through the air so they are good for developing hand eye coordination and learning to catch. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

👣 Ribbons also make great tails, tentacles and wings for toddlers practising animal walks, galloping and dancing. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 

Talky Tips:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

💬 Pre talkers: Model actions with the ribbons for your baby to copy (imitating actions is a precursor to language - your baby will first copy your actions, before learning to copy your sounds and words).⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

💬Talkers - talk about the colours you can see and what the ribbons are doing (waving, blowing, moving, shaking)

Hi guys, a quick break half way through this very long blog to ask you if you can help make our Christmas wish come true! If you are enjoying this or finding it helpful can you please forward it to a friend who you think would like it too? Our mission this Christmas is to get ALL these tips out to the families that will find them helpful or interesting... thank you so much for helping!

6. Animals

This can be anything from small animal figurines (just make sure they’re not so small that they’re a choking risk!) or cards with pictures of animals on them. Small enough to fit into a stocking and have lots of walky and talky benefits!

Walky Tips: 

👣 Toddlers- animal walks are a fun way of strengthening little legs, arms and core! Did you know the World Health Organisation recommends kids get 60 minutes of moderate-vigorous physical activity a day? Animal walks are a GREAT way to get this in a fun way!

Try a bear (below), frog jumps, kangaroo jumps, bunny jumps, fairy flutters, donkey kicks, crab scuttles and caterpillar creeps to name a few of our favourites! Add water or sand to make footprints, our toddlers think these are great!

Talky Tips:

💬 Animal sounds are wonderful to model to your baby as many of them are ‘consonant-vowel’ combinations like early babble sounds (e.g. baa baa, moo moo, neigh neigh). Whilst playing with the animal toys (or looking at animals in pictures and books!), model the sound it makes then PAUSE to see if your baby will copy the sound (they might start to do this from around 9 months of age). 

7. Ball

So many options with this one! Soft balls for throwing, textured balls for mouthing, balls that make sound or light up…..there’s so many things you and your baby can do with a simple ball!

Think about what your baby currently loves and find a ball that suits those interest (e.g. do they love mouthing things or listening to noises? Then find a fabric ball with tags for mouthing that has a bell inside! Does your baby love trying to roll, throw or catch a ball? Get a big, soft ball for them to play with).

Walky Tips:

👣 Very budget friendly, a DIY fruit bag ball (left) is great for babies to explore in tummy time, sitting or even standing. Put a scarf, fabric scraps or a crinkly material inside a left over net bag from your grocery shop. You can easily suspend these for newborns to bat at or older babies to play with in standing.

Want more on how these balls can be used for babies? Sign up for our Play the Week away mini course, one of the days includes tips on using this toy in playtime. 

Update this toy as your baby grows. A ball inside a fruit bag suspended outside makes a great target for learning to bat!

As with all DIY toys Walky Talky Baby recommends close supervision when your baby is playing (not that we are questioning your craft skills but you know, cheeky monkeys and all!)

Talky Tips:

💬 Watch how your baby plays with the ball and comment on what they are doing (e.g. ‘shake shake!’ ‘pat pat’). 

💬 If the ball makes a noise, lights up or is a water ball, show your baby how it works, then pause to see if they will take a turn!

💬 A great toy for playing ‘ready, steady, go!’. Take turns rolling the ball back and forth to each other, but add in ‘ready….steady….’. PAUSE to see if your baby will tell you they want you to GO by looking at you, reaching for the ball, gesturing or saying ‘go’.

 8. Instruments

Home made instruments through to instruments from a store (think bells, maracas, drums, tambourines) - these are an instant favourite for all ages (just be prepared for a lot of noise in your house!).

If making your own, grab some empty containers from around the house, fill them up with whatever you can find (rice, kidney beans, bells, lentils), tape them very securely shut....and you have yourself a musical instrument your baby will love! If you use clear containers too, your baby will love looking at what is inside.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Walky Tips:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

👣Sitting babies- great for learning to stay balanced while moving arms and legs around. This works the core muscles important for crawling. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

👣Pre walkers- standing at the furniture holding with one hand and shaking with the other is a great way to build standing balance. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

👣Walkers- dancing, shaking while walking and squatting down to pick up shakers will help to strengthen your toddler's legs and improve their balance. Give them free access to a box of home made shakers and they will do all kinds of wonderful things!

Instruments in action... sitting with home made shakers, kneeling with saucepan drums and standing playing the xylophone.

Talky Tips:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

💬Pre talkers - Get shaking and show your baby how to make the sound, and wait for them to copy! Shake up high, down low, fast, slow, stop and start - use all those simple words to talk about what you are doing to!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

💬Talkers - Use lots of descriptive language to talk about what is inside the shakers (colours, size etc) , and to describe how you are shaking them (fast, slow, up, down).⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

You can also talk about who is shaking them: 'Mummy shaking it' 'dolly shaking it' 'Baby shaking it'. ⠀

9. Books

A perfect stocking filler that will last - this is an item that reaches our Christmas stockings every year for our kids!

When choosing a book for your baby, it doesn’t have to be the simple ‘First Word Books’ you see everywhere for babies. Instead, look for books that contain pictures/characters that your child loves/shows interest in. These will capture their interest for many years! For more tips on types of books to buy your child, check out this blog.

Remember when reading a book to your baby, you don’t have to read all the text! Check out the Talky Tips below for more tips on how to read a book to your baby.

Walky Tips:

Don't forget that reading is a motor task too!

👣 Young babies won't be able to turn pages yet (though may enjoy munching on a fabric book). Reading during tummy time is a great way to support your baby and entertain multiple siblings at once. Young babies need both arms to hold the position, they can't reach and play yet. Reading to your baby in this position lets them know you are close to support them (tummy time is hard work at first) and gives them something to explore visually that they don't need their arms for. 

👣 Older babies can turn pages, open and close flaps, and explore "touch and feel" book textures to support the development of their hand skills. 

Talky Tips: 

💬 Instead of reading the text (unless your baby is old enough to hold their attention to this), you can comment on the pictures to talk about what you can see and what the characters in the pictures are doing.

💬 Watch to see what picture your baby is looking at, and comment on this using simple language (e.g. ‘dog! Dog walking’. This will provide them with the language to describe the things they are interested in, and therefore give them more chance of taking in that word!

10. The Walky Talky Baby or Toddler Membership!!

Looking for a gift that both you and your baby will love? 

A gift that definitely fits inside your stocking and that you can use all the way until your baby is walking and talking?

Our Walky Talky Baby membership is your perfect Christmas stocking gift.

Buy it for yourself, to help you and your partner feel confident about supporting your baby's communication, movement and play skills all the way from newborn stages to walking and talking. Go into the new year with a wealth of information (all easily accessed online from the comfort of your own home!) about every tiny little milestone, with photos and strategies to support you each step of the way and simple play ideas to use every day to support your baby's development!

Plus you get access to us, Alison (Physiotherapist) and Chiara (Speech Pathologist) anytime to ask us questions or share your wins!

Did you know we also sell gift vouchers??

Give someone else the Walky Talky Baby membership this Christmas - you can purchase a 3,6 or 12 month membership package