Grandparents tend to get excited about Christmas, I know my mom does. Sometimes this excitement translates into piles of gifts. Plastic, plastic everywhere. I think I’ve seen this question on every mom related Facebook group I’m in, how do I stop the grandparents from buying a ton of plastic toys?

First, and often the easiest thing to do, is to set up an Amazon Wishlist for your kids. I’m actually still using my Amazon baby registry for this, since my husband and I can both add stuff to it, but a regular wishlist would work, too. This way you are encouraging grandparents to buy great gifts, instead of telling them what not to buy. Most grandparents want to buy things that their grandchildren will love and will make their kids happy. If you provide them with a wish list, they are much less likely to walk into a big box store and buy the it-gift of the season.

Since you can add anything to an Amazon wishlist, try suggesting experience presents. Ask for a membership to your local museum. Or suggest a trip with Grandpa to the ice cream parlor. Sometimes people need to be reminded that its not just about things that can be unwrapped, gifting experiences means building a closer relationship with grandkids, and what Grandparent would turn that suggestion down?

Some grandparents, however, really love the whole unwrapping experience, though, so if they want to buy a material present, I have a few suggestions:

If they are internet savvy enough, take a look at my Handmade Christmas posts, and point them in the direction of your favorite Etsy store.

If not, here are a few of my favorite gifts that you can order straight from Amazon without any “getting lost on the internet” as Kai’s great grandmother puts it:

Babies:

• CaaOcho Baby – 4″ Natural Rubber Sensory Rainbow Ball
• Uncle Goose Constellation Blocks
• Guidecraft Mirror Blocks Set
• Wonderworld Rainbow Sound Blocks
• Rainbow Playsilk
• Grimm’s Set of 5 Small Wooden Stacking & Nesting Rainbow Bowls
• Grimm’s Beads Grasper

Toddlers:

• PlanToys Animal Memo
• PlanToys Lacing Sheep
• Acrylic Safety Mirror (12×24 Inch)
• Hedgehog Balancing Pods – Set 6 (These are plastic, but they are a life saver in my house for indoor gross motor play on really rainy days.)
• Oakiwear Trail Rainsuit
• Camden Rose Child’s Broom (Kai loves sweeping.)
• Bigger Present: Extra Large 12-Piece Rainbow Tunnel Stacker
• Bigger Present: Wooden Balance Bike

Pre-Schoolers:

• Automoblox Mini Cars
• Crayon Rocks
• Cherry Play Clips
• Creative Preschool Peg Board
• Grimm’s ‘Bauhaus’ Mobile Doll’s Home
• Oakiwear Trail Rainsuit
• Slackline Kit
• Bigger Present: Lifetime Geometric Dome Climber (Best backyard play purchase we’ve made so far.)

Our favorite pre-reader books:

• Tiger in My Soup (Kai’s favorite book.)
• Ada Twist, Scientist and Rosie Revere, Engineer
• The Rain Stomper
• Kitchen Dance
• The Tomten and the Fox
• Sweetest Kulu
• My Heart Fills with Happiness
• Quest, Return and Journey
• Slow Loris
• The Good Luck Cat

Our favorite art supplies:

• Stockmar Beeswax Stick Crayons
• Stockmar Beeswax Block Crayons
• Stockmar Watercolor Paint
• Camden Rose Cherry Wood Six Jar Paint Holder
• Stockmar Natural Modeling Beeswax
• LYRA Unlacquered Triangular Giant Colored Pencils
• Canson XL Series Watercolor Pad
• Mungyo Non Toxic Square Chalk

Hopefully, this will get you started and the wishlist will help you, help grandparents to buy more natural toys. If not, check back next week for more strategies we use to keep the amounts of toys in our home to a dull roar.

This post contains affiliate links. Affiliate links provide us with a small commission when you use them to purchase goods.