Give the best gifts and still have a sane holiday without endless shopping. These tips are sure to come in handy when you are holiday shopping for babies and toddlers this season.



Does this sound familiar to anyone: The past several years have seen a veritable baby boom in your family. You and your siblings or siblings in law seem to have all been drinking the same water because you have all been blessed to become parents in the recent past.

This boom of babies has been most welcome by all, especially the delighted grandparents. As you all moved into parenthood together you have navigated certain new boundaries and still maintained a harmonious and loving family.

The advent of Christmas!

Now the blessed season of Christmas is knocking on your door and a whole new worry emerges. You would love to give a gift to each and everyone of your nieces and nephews from the oldest toddlers to the newest baby. Yet this gift giving bonanza is fraught with certain difficulties.

You and your siblings, while tied by strong family ties are not in the same places financially, in gift giving ideas and shipping distances. These differences make it difficult to know what type of gifts are appreciated or offensive.

The gift issue

All families at some point go through this same type of growing pain when grandbabies begin to arrive. You want to show your love, yet have no desire to be the one who trumps other's gifts if yours are more expensive or numerous. Worse yet your gifts end up making someone else look like a Holiday Humbug because you arrive with arms laden with gifts and all they have to pass out is hugs and kisses.

Get on the same page

To this end it is time to fill your role as a parent, sibling and as an aunt or uncle and broach the subject openly. Feelings will not be hurt if holiday gift giving plans are discussed openly among parents. This might not be the easiest conversation to begin, but it is much better to talk about it before seasons of gift giving blunders stack up and create hurt or resentment.

Get the ball rolling

To get the subject out into the open can be done any one of a number of ways. It is best to do it at a time when most of the family is gathered together in one place. Making sure as many people have a say in the initial conversation will ensure that no one feels backed into a gift giving corner because they weren't able to help set the ground rules right from the start.

Shopping for toddlers and babies at Christmas time should be full of fun. Discussing openly gift giving plans with your family will make sure your gifts are received in the same spirit of loving holiday fun.