Stuff Parents Need

Easing the chaos in the nest, one find at a time.

Colors Straight Out of Eric Carle Books: Stocking Stuffer Idea

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Products provided for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always. 

Like many children all over the world, my kids are fan of several Eric Carle books. The Very Hungry Catepillar and Brown Bear, Brown Bear are both much-loved and regularly read in my home. Part of the beauty of these books lies in the color-rich images.

eric carle chunky colored pencils

How fun it is, therefore, to see those exact colors being offered in chunky color pencil sets. These are a PERFECT stocking stuffer for the toddler on your shopping list, friends! The child will likely recognize the images on the packaging and really delight in getting to put those colors to paper.

eric carle 2

You can find the Eric Carle Chunky Colored Pencils sets at retails such as Barnes & Noble, Walmart and Amazon. The online prices are always in flux, but at the moment, the best deal seems to be at Walmart.com (just trying to save you some $$$!).

Add Some Holiday Smiles to Your Shopping List: Affordable, Fun Stocking Stuffers

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If there’s one thing I’ve learned about having to take on the role of Santa Claus it’s that those stockings can really deceive you! I distinctly remember my very first Christmas married to Tim. We filled each other’s stockings, and we both came up WAY short! They looked so pitiful, and were probably about 1/3 full. Both of us thought we had enough to fill the stockings until we set about our tasks late on Christmas Eve. Oops!

Don’t find yourself in the same position this year! I have some gift ideas for you that are affordable and that will take up some space in those stockings.

Right now, Walmart has Colgate Holiday Packs for children that feature Dora the Explorer and Spongebob Squarepants. These combo packs feature a battery operated toothbrush and toothpaste, and if you buy the combo pack, you save $1 over purchasing the components separately. That’s $1 that can go right back into your pocket, or more realistically, right back into your stocking! 🙂

I searched high and low at my nearest Walmart and wanted to purchase both packs for Darah. She’s a big Dora fan and is a HUGE Spongebob fan. In fact, her Grammies (that’s my mom) recently got her a small tube of Colgate toothpaste with Spongebob on it, and she was the most enthusiastic I have EVER seen her be about oral care while she had that toothpaste. She would run into to the bathroom saying, “It’s Spongebob time!” when it was time to brush her teeth. When the tube was used up, she burst into tears (I swear!). If you’d like to follow along with my shopping adventure, click here.

While I found a good buy on Dora toothbrushes

And I found the Colgate toothpaste with Darah’s favorite characters on them

I didn’t find the holiday packs. And I went shopping two separate times to try to get them! Unfortunately, I also couldn’t find an employee who was willing to help me look (I found employees, just not willing-to-help employees). Hence this look on my face…

But I wasn’t leaving without some stocking stuffers for Darah, so I went for the Colgate value pack toothbrushes with Dora on them, and I got one of each of the Colgate toothpastes. She will be thrilled, I know it.

As you are wrapping up your shopping (or perhaps you are just ramping up your shopping!) remember these great products from Colgate. They are very practical, but also very fun. Isn’t it great to find a way for toothpaste and toothbrushes to become a special present?! And isn’t it also great to know that your stockings will be stuffed thanks to additions like this? Who know #HolidaySmiles could be this easy?

In addition to checking out the great Colgate Holiday Packs, also be sure to follow Colgate on Twitter and Facebook. That’s the very best way to hear about special promotions and discounts. I know I love a good coupon, myself, and I don’t want you to miss out any any, either!

I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Colgate. #CBias #HolidaySmiles #SocialFabric. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Stocking Stuffer Ideas for Toddlers

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I’m at the point in my holiday shopping where I’ve pretty much just got the stockings left to do (so lame that Santa doesn’t take care of that for me…guess I’ve been too naughty!).

Here are some of the things that will be in Darah’s stocking (she’s 2, as a point of reference)

  • Chalk
  • small canister of play-doh
  • small plush Christmas lamb
  • fruit leather
  • lollipops (her favorite special treat)
  • socks (I can’t wait for her to open these…her socks are always getting lost and I’m tired of hunting for them!)
  • scarf
  • small spreader so she can attempt to make her own peanut butter crackers

I think that’s all I’ve got for now. I’d LOVE to hear any ideas you have for toddler stocking stuffers! Please share so we can all copy be inspired by each other!