Ten Eco-friendly Stocking Stuffers for Babies and Toddlers

Like a mini Christmas within Christmas, stockings capture the magic of the season like few other traditions. Brimming with tiny treasures, tasty treats or well-curated keepsakes, Christmas stockings are often the overture to a fun-packed day of unpacking Yuletide delights.

We owe this festive ritual, if legend has it, to Saint Nicholas, the 4th Century Bishop of Myra in Turkey. Nicholas was known for his generosity and is said to have helped a struggling family by discreetly throwing bags of gold down their chimney. The gold landed in the daughters’ stockings, which were hanging by the fireplace to dry.

By filling our own Christmas stockings, we’re following Saint Nicholas’ generosity of spirit and spreading hope and love through the medium of small gifts. We might not be able to run to bags of gold, but we can bring joy to small faces by showering them with thoughtful tokens for them to play with, eat or read.

Stocking fillers shouldn’t be disposable

But in a world filled with disposable trinkets and too much plastic, how can we continue the spirit in a way that’s fun, magical, and kind to the planet?

In a world full of disposable trinkets - many of them plastic - can we carry on Saint Nicholas’ good works without doing any harm to the planet?

The good news is that you definitely can! Here are our top ten favourite eco-conscious stocking fillers for babies and toddlers.

A seed bomb

More suitable for older babies and toddlers, a seed bomb is the gift that keeps on giving. You might have to wait for warmer months to plant the seeds if you’re in the UK or northern Europe, but it’ll be worth your patience once your garden or window box is a riot of colour.

Seed bombs make great gifts for toddlers as they’re old enough to understand how a seed can turn into a beautiful flower and many younger children love to watch this amazing process unfold.

A toasty pair of recycled or organic fibre socks

It’s never too early to learn the joy of a new pair of socks, especially if they’re fluffy and feature an animal design! There are so many varieties to choose from - you could opt for 100% organic cotton or bamboo or pick out some made from recycled polyester. There’s even the occasional fabric hybrid if you can’t make up your mind.

Vegan or natural crayons

Many of the crayons you’ll find on the high street contain petroleum products, which is something lots of us are trying to avoid as they can cause allergies (1). Petroleum byproducts are also not great for delicate skin, so if you want to give your child the gift of creativity this Christmas, make it kinder for them and the planet by choosing beeswax-based or vegan crayons.

Sustainably-sourced wooden toys

We’re not talking about big sets of building blocks here, so don’t worry, there’ll still be lots of room in that stocking! You can pick out little wooden animals, shapes, spinning tops, mice on wheels (it’s a thing) or rattles.

PlanToys makes an amazing range of sustainably-sourced rubberwood toys that look beautiful and don’t contain any formaldehyde (2) (a common ingredient in wood glues and MDF). Even better, they’re painted with non-toxic, water-based dyes which is especially important as babies are notorious for learning with their mouths!

A hot chocolate spoon

You might wonder why you’d want a spoon made from chocolate - after all, it’ll melt, right? That’s exactly the point. A hot chocolate spoon is usually a slab of chocolate attached to a wooden spoon that you dunk and stir into hot milk - an ideal treat when you come in from a cold Christmas Day walk. You can buy one for each member of the family so you can all enjoy a pick-me-up together. Older toddlers especially will love stirring their sweet spoon into some warm milk and watching it melt into a luxurious drink. Best of all, there’s lots of Fairtrade and sustainable options out there.

A plastic-free craft kit

There are dozens of UK retailers offering plastic-free craft kits for busy little fingers but we particularly like Conscious Craft and their range of mini projects, including mask making kits and Christmas decoration sets. Many of the kits are ideal for an older sibling to help your toddler with on Christmas Day, keeping them both quiet for a few precious minutes while you check on the roast potatoes.

Plastic-free finger puppets

Colourful, fun and full of character, finger puppets are an eternal favourite for children and adults alike. Finger puppets encourage imaginative play, language development and eye-hand coordination (3). They also fit very well into a Christmas stocking so you can populate it with an entire family, all ready for Yuletide action. Even better, grown ups love to get involved too, making finger puppets a great all-round - and compact - gift.

Muslins

Not quite as exciting as a menagerie of finger puppets, but just as essential - to parents as well as babies! Etta Loves carries a beautiful selection of sensory muslins which help to develop your baby’s eyesight and focus (as well as soak up the inevitable spills that come with the territory…). New parents can never have enough muslins and if some multitask as educational items, what’s not to love?

Teethers

Another small-but-essential stocking stuffer; teethers have been around since ancient times and have helped many a baby and toddler through the trials of cutting teeth.

Natural Rubber Toys sports an impressive array of teethers made from - you guessed it - natural rubber and coloured with safe, natural pigments. Cactus, Saturn, coral, sheep, penguin… you can find them all here and they’ll all make teething that little bit easier for everyone.

A crinkly publication

Babies love crinkly sounds and scrunching up fabric and paper. These crinkly little “newspapers” offer visual and auditory stimulation as well as the chance to exercise those pudgy fingers and hands. Best of all, you don’t have to wash the newsprint off when the scrunching fun is done for the day.

A last bonus

We did say that our list of stocking stuffers was for the grown ups and planet as well, which is why we think you should offer a reusable nappy or two, especially to new parents. You can never have too many cloth nappies and finding a colourful, soft new diaper to love is sure to fill even the most exhausted new mums and dads with seasonal spirit.

Citations and References

(1) Healthline. “Everything You Need to Know About Petroleum Jelly.’ 2024. Web. https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/petroleum-jelly

(2) National Institute of Health (NIH). National Cancer Institute. “Formaldehyde.” 2024. Web. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/substances/formaldehyde

(3) Leicestershire County Council. “The Effectiveness of Puppet Play & Storytelling to Promote Children’s Social and Emotional Development.” Web. https://resources.leicestershire.gov.uk/sites/resource/files/2023-03/Puppet-play.pdf