The Ultimate Stocking Filler Inspiration Guide
Struggling for stocking filler ideas? Wondering what to put in your stockings this year? Wondering whether to have a stocking at all?
Like the majority of families this Christmas, we will be preparing a Christmas Stocking for both of the girls to have in the morning before we make our way downstairs to the tree. The idea behind the Christmas stocking (for us at least) is two fold – firstly it is filled with smaller / pocket money type items which are less substantial than the main presents under the tree from Father Christmas and ourselves, and secondly, they are supposed to be a form of entertainment that will ideally buy us some time before we have to get out of bed! 🙂 – If the girls had their way, we would be down by the tree at 6 in the morning!!
If you’re looking for ideas for your child’s Christmas stocking this year, check out my round up of the best small gifts for your children (both in stature and budget!
*Please note- this post contains affiliate links. This means if you click on one of my links and go on to make a purchase I will receive a small amount of commission direct from the retailer, at no extra cost to yourself.*
MGA Crate Creatures Surprise
There are 6 different types of Crate Creatures Surprise Bashers – this monster looking caged creature to collect – children can ‘free the beast’ from his crate, and then pull on his tongue and slam them down to hear them make fun noises like growls and farts!
Ready 2 RobotÂ
Embracing the surprise reveal trend, but with not a doll or a dress in sight, these ready2robot surprise packs are lots of fun. With five secret chambers and over 10 layers of mystery to unbox, each Ready 2 Robot contains a 7 bot parts to create a highly detailed robot figure, a pilot character and a cannister of slime. With 18 styles in each series to collect, and 1 in 1000 pods containing a RARE figure, there is plenty for little ones to get excited about with these! Ready 2 Robot pods are reduced to just £4.99 each at Amazon now.
Disney Tsum Tsum Mystery Pack
Tsum Tsums are super cute stackable characters from all of our favourite Disney movies. Each season has 12 characters to collect, and as usual some are harder to find than others. They will love ripping open the blind bag of these Tsum Tsum Mystery Packs to reveal their surprise character inside.
Moj Moj
A fairly new collectible on the market is Moj Moj – these little cone shaped bags contain two super cute soft and squishy characters categorised into fun collectible clubs. With over 95 characters to collect and some rare and ultra rare characters to find, this is another great surprise toy suitable for ages 3 and above.
LOL Surprise! BallsÂ
I don’t think I have met a child in Erin’s class yet who hasn’t heard of LOL Surprise Dolls – the craze doesn’t appear to be going anywhere fast, and whilst as parents the appeal may be somewhat lost, little ones are going crazy for these little balls, with surprise dolls and accessories hidden inside. There are LOTS of new ranges available this Christmas – the standard balls retail at £10 each or you can get a pack of three on Amazon here for £15.99 – ideal if you have more than one child’s stocking to cater for! These Lil Sister balls include 5 suprises, have extra clues with the spy glass and the dolls change colour when dunked in water.
Sweet Treats
One of my favourite parts of my stocking as a child was having a sweet treat of two. My mum (bless her) always used to pop a nectarine in the stocking too, but I don’t think I ever ate it. I was far too excited about Christmas to eat any fruit!! 🙂 This Haribo Sweet Medley comes with all the classic favourites in a small individual bags which are ideal for sharing… albeit the chances of that may be pretty slim!
Robo Alive Spider
I have to be honest and say this Robo Alive Spider is FARRR to realistic for my liking, but is something that my nephew would absolutely love to find in his stocking this Christmas. This robotic enhanced motion spider actually scuttles across the floor just like a real spider and can move super fast! With realistic looking features, textures and colours, you’d be forgiven for screaming if this ran across your path in the kitchen!!! I think this is great value at just over £7.
SmashersÂ
Another fairly new collectible toy but this time with a bit of a difference in terms of the grand reveal are Smashers from Zuru. Simply smash these hard ball shell of these toys against a hard surface to crack them open and reveal the collectible characters hidden inside. Series 2 is the GROSS series, meaning each of the balls looks like an eyeball – they work out best value for money when bought in larger quantities, with an 8 pack for £14 on amazon here. I would personally unpack them and pop the balls in the stockings individually to take up less space, so these larger pack sizes are ideal when buying for siblings or multiple children.
Hatchimals CollEGGtiblesÂ
Are probably the ‘original’ collectible toy – or at least the ones which Erin first became a little bit obsessed with. These tiny eggs have a small purple heart, which when rubbed or warmed, turns pink to show the egg is ready to hatch. Then simply press down on the shell to reveal the little hatchimals collEGGtibles character hidden inside. Again the larger set sizes work out at the best value for money, with this one dozen egg carton (see what they did there) retailing at £24.99. Series 4 is available at Very now, and again, these are ideal to unpackage and pop lose into stockings.
Scent Co Scented Key ChainsÂ
Erin always loves to have a little keyring attached to her book bag for school, and I think her entire class have some sort of accessory on theirs, making them easier to identify in the madness of school home time! These scented keyrings from Scent Co Inc not only look great but smell DELICIOUS – made from thin flexible silicone they are also a more lightweight option than some of the others Erin has had, making them far more practical! With a range of cute characters to chose from these keyrings retail at just £2.50 and have scents guaranteed for 2 years!
Kekilou Surprise
We recently reviewed Kekilou Surprise – a new collectible that transforms from a little bag to a tiny doll with real hair and hidden make up accessories! These mini surprise bags are just £4.99 each or you can get two packs for £8.99 which are ideal for siblings. You can see our full review of the Kekilou range here.
Plus Plus
These mini building sets from Plus Plus are a perfect stocking filler because not only are they small in size, but provide a fun activity which they can be doing upstairs whilst waiting for a more reasonable time to get up! 🙂 This formula one kit has 170 pieces and looks super realistic when it’s complete. The mini kits retail at £7 each and are available from dkltoys here.
Baby Secrets
Erin is a big fan of baby secrets, again another reveal toy with a surprise element inside are Baby Secrets collectibles. With colour changing nappies, children will be excited to learn whether they have unwrapped a boy or a girl, by dipping their babies into water to watch the colour change before their eyes. With a range of pack sizes available, the latest addition of Merbabies is likely to be a big hit, with 24 mermaid baby characters to collect.
Num Noms
These num noms starter packs are an ideal stocking filler and come with 5 multi colour fragrant Num Noms and a flavoured lip gloss. The fruit smells are really distinctive on these!
LOL Surprise Under Wraps
Last but not least, and the most expensive item on my stocking guide at £15 (and therefore depending on budgets may be more of a main present) is the NEW LOL Surprise Under Wraps, recently voted 2018’s most wanted collectible toy, and picking up more awards in the Dream Toys Toy Awards this month. The LOL Capsule comes with 15 surprises and lots of little spy glass codes to break in order to open the flaps with blind bags inside. Due to this being slightly complex than your average LOL Surprise doll, there may be some parental assistance required. Once opened, the capsule can be used as a carrying case and doll stand.
Swizzels Sweet Shop Favourites
Are perfect for stocking fillers – particularly those who love a retro favourite! You can choose from the giant tub of Sweet Shop Favourites (ideal for a family to share), or the medium sized favourites pouch. For those who have a Swizzels classic favourite – these tubes are perfect for popping into a stocking – jam packed with individual packets of their favourite sweet! YUM!
So there you have it, from spiders to sweeties, building to revealing, I hope this post gives you some inspiration on what your kids might like to find in their Christmas stockings this year!
*Disclosure – this post includes press samples which I received in exchange for inclusion in this guide. As always all thoughts and opinions are my own*Â
