Gift Guide 2025: Kids Tell Us What They Want

NOA: Remy, what do you want for Christmas and Hanukkah?

ROSIE: Meet Noa, my four-year-old daughter. She’s talking to her twin brother, Remy:

REMY: A tulip, a cake, and a new light…

… and a menorah!

ROSIE: I’m Rosie and this is The Wirecutter Show.

We’re nearly through our holiday gifting series where we’ve been featuring product recommendations, gifting advice, and listener questions … all about giving to those you love over the holidays.

The other episodes in this series are admittedly geared toward grownups, but in my experience, KIDS are perhaps the MOST complicated recipients on a gift list. Almost always discerning …committed to honest feedback … specific about what they want … sometimes incredibly…un-specific …

REMY: Noa, what do you like for Christmas and Hanukkah?

NOA: I like a princess thing with… and then a sparkly present for Hanukkah, which was a golden medal. And then a surprise.

ROSIE: That’s why today… we’re going straight to the source. We’re talking to REAL LIFE kids about what they like and don’t like … to help YOU get a sense of what might make good gifts for the kids in your life.

I sat down with three kids – Dior, age 8… Robinson, age 11 … and Chloe who’s 6-and-three-quarters. They’re from different places, they celebrate different holidays … but one thing they have in common is that they’re kids who love presents. Shocker.

These three told me what they’ve got on their lists this year … and I showed THEM each an age-appropriate Wirecutter gift guide to get their take on our picks and see how OUR expert recommendations were received by … the real experts.

And now…

NOA: A beautiful dress for dress-up, and some fancy shoes, and a bow tie, and some gloves,

ROSIE: Onto the main event.

REMY: and sparkly shoes, and sparkly gloves, and LEGOs, and a new book. Okay!?

ROSIE: Ok, buddy. We’ll be right back.

ROSIE: Welcome back. You’re about to meet my new friend, Dior, who, it turns out, wants just about everything she can name off the top of her head for the holidays this year. Let’s see if we can narrow down her list. Check it out.

DIOR: My name is Dior and I am eight years old.

ROSIE: We are going to talk about the holidays. Will you tell me what holidays you celebrate?

DIOR: I celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine’s Day.

ROSIE: For Christmas, let’s just take Christmas as an example, what do you do to celebrate?

DIOR: Usually we’ll have a Christmas party on Christmas Eve. And my family will come and… yeah.

ROSIE: Who’s in your family?

DIOR: My mom, my dad, my grandma, my grandpa, my cousins, my aunties, and my uncle.

ROSIE: Do you have a list?

DIOR: Yeah.

ROSIE: What’s on the list?

DIOR: My first thing is a nail kit because I really want to be a nail tech when I grow up.

ROSIE: What? Have you started doing your own nails?

DIOR: Yeah.

ROSIE: How did you learn?

DIOR: I usually would just do some on my mom or do some on my dolls, starting to paint nails. But now I really want to start doing acrylic nails.

ROSIE: That’s so cool. So this nail kit that’s on your list, what is it like?

DIOR: There’s a fake hand where you can either paint it or do acrylics on it and stuff like that.

ROSIE: I got you. I got you. Okay. That sounds amazing. What else is on your list?

DIOR: I really want more Nike shoes. I want more dog toys for my dog.

ROSIE: Do you have a dog?

DIOR: A puppy. She’s turning one.

ROSIE: Oh my goodness.

DIOR: Her name’s Chanel.

ROSIE: Chanel and Dior. Okay, so what are you trying to get for Chanel?

DIOR: Probably more chew toys and stuff because she likes chewing on stuff a lot.

ROSIE: That’s not even a present for you. It’s a present for your dog. Okay, so that may be even something that you would give. All right, what else?

DIOR: I have a reborn baby doll on my list.

ROSIE: What is a reborn baby doll?

DIOR: It’s like a baby, but it’s realistic to a real baby.

ROSIE: Is it creepy?

DIOR: A little. Some are.

ROSIE: What’s the one that you want?

DIOR: It has dark hair. I don’t know how to describe it.

ROSIE: Is it literally like a baby that you hold in your arms, and you can dress it and stuff?

DIOR: Yeah.

ROSIE: Does it cry?

DIOR: No.

ROSIE: Oh, that’s good.

ROSIE: I’ll show you some things that are in our guide and you tell me if you would be excited about them or if you think maybe even your friends would be excited for them. So this is a drawing tablet. Do you like to draw?

DIOR: Yeah, I love to draw.

ROSIE: Yeah? What do you usually like to draw with?

DIOR: Probably some scratching pads or whiteboards.

ROSIE: Nice.

DIOR: I don’t really use paper.

ROSIE: So I feel like a tablet could be kind of fun. All right, so yes to the tablet. We’re cooking. Let’s see what else we have on this list. Oh, you might be into this. We got some classic white slip-on Vans.

DIOR: Yeah.

ROSIE: You have outfits that would go with these?

DIOR: Yeah.

ROSIE: Do you like ice cream?

DIOR: Yeah.

ROSIE: Would you make ice cream?

DIOR: Yeah.

ROSIE: In an ice cream maker?

DIOR: Mm-hmm.

ROSIE: If you opened this and you got an ice cream maker, how long would it be until you ran to the kitchen and made ice cream?

DIOR: Probably five minutes.

ROSIE: Yeah. That seems reasonable. Have you ever seen one of these?

DIOR: Yeah, at my school.

ROSIE: A lava lamp?

DIOR: Mm-hmm.

ROSIE: What? What would you want one, though?

DIOR: Yeah.

ROSIE: You’d be excited about that. So we know that you like ice cream. Do you like cookies?

DIOR: I love cookies.

ROSIE: So this is a cookie subscription. Like a box of cookies just that, you open it up.

DIOR: Yay.

ROSIE: The people at home can’t see your face but I think you just got really excited, hearing about the cookies?

DIOR: Mm-hmm.

ROSIE: Yeah. Okay, cool. So that’d be a good gift. Do you like stuffies?

DIOR: I love stuffies.

ROSIE: I love stuffies. Nobody loves stuffies more than I love stuffies, but maybe you’re second. This stuffy is a capybara. It’s really cute. What’s your favorite animal?

DIOR: A dog.

ROSIE: Chanel?

DIOR: Yeah.

ROSIE: Specifically?

DIOR: Yeah.

ROSIE: Love it. Oh my gosh. What if you got a stuffy that looked like Chanel?

DIOR: I would die for it.

ROSIE: Okay, fair enough. Me too. Oh, I have one more question. What do you like to give for gifts? What are you going to give your parents?

DIOR: Probably for my mom, I would give her slippers, pajamas, because she loves PJs.

ROSIE: Nice.

DIOR: And then for my dad, probably a journal book and some new clothes, because he’s trying to start a business and he can write down all his plans.

ROSIE: I love that. That is so thoughtful.

DIOR: If it was for my cousin it would probably be like those hair mannequin things, because she loves doing dolls’ hair. And probably a makeup kit, because she loves using makeup and stuff.

ROSIE: How old is your cousin?

DIOR: 10.

ROSIE: So is this what you’re going to be doing next year if you come back and we talk about gifts?

DIOR: Yeah.

ROSIE: Happy holidays, Dior. I hope you have such a good time with your friends and family.

DIOR: You too.

ROSIE: It’s gonna be hard to go wrong with gifts for Dior this year. But specifically – gifts for nails, dogs, and cookies are all winners. Good stuff.

Ok next up, we’re growing up! My new pal Robinson has some ideas about what might be on a pre-teen boy’s radar. And he’s definitely got thoughts about what is not. Let’s hear it:

ROBINSON: I’m Robinson. I’m technically 11. I turned 11 five days ago.

ROSIE: Tell me about your family. Who is in your family and what holidays do you spend?

ROBINSON: I have a brother. He’s 14. My mom is with my dad. We do Christmas, Hanukkah.

ROSIE: So what’s your feeling about gifting? Do you like receiving gifts or giving gifts? Or equal measure?

ROBINSON: Equal measure because there’s the satisfaction of knowing you gave the best gift and there’s also the satisfaction of getting a good gift.

ROSIE: I could not agree more. How do you figure out what you’re going to gift to your parent, for instance?

ROBINSON: That’s honestly hard because the way I would gift to my mom or my dad is, for instance if I’m giving a gift to my dad, my mom will tell me what my dad wants.

ROSIE: Got it.

ROBINSON: And that’s how it works, because I don’t have as much of an understanding in that way.

ROSIE: Got it. Is that the same with your brother, too?

ROBINSON: No. I know my brother better.

ROSIE: Really? Okay, so tell me. Well, tell me. What are 14-year-olds into?

ROBINSON: Honestly, we’re into very similar things.

ROSIE: Okay, hit me.

ROBINSON: Like Pokemon video games, LEGOs. We both like LEGOs a lot. DnD, which is Dungeons & Dragons.

ROSIE: Yep.

ROBINSON: And they have a lot of different things you can buy and waste your money on. Pokemon cards.

ROSIE: Take me through your list. Let’s keep on Christmas for a minute.

ROBINSON: Generally, my birthday just happened and honestly making lists is hard because I have to find out what I actually want. But the main is-

ROSIE: How do you find out what you want?

ROBINSON: Well, for instance, Pokemon, I just keep on track with the news of what’s happening. LEGOs, I get a LEGO magazine every month.

ROSIE: Nice.

ROBINSON: And for books, honestly, normally I just see a book that I think might be good, ask for it.

ROSIE: What kind of books do you like to read?

ROBINSON: Honestly, I read a lot of manga. Shonen manga as a category.

ROSIE: Nice.

ROBINSON: Yeah.

ROSIE: So you’re just in bookstores and you’re subtly pointing things out like, “Hey, my birthday-“

ROBINSON: Not like that.

ROSIE: No?

ROBINSON: More like I put them on the list. Books aren’t as major presents, so you can expect to get more.

ROSIE: Got you. I got you.

ROBINSON: The best good way to get certain presents is you point out an expensive present and then point out less expensive present after. But there is also this thing that is this much. They’re more likely to go for that. Yay!

ROSIE: You are giving away all your secrets.

ROBINSON: Well, my mom’s not going to hear this, right? Right?

ROSIE: I didn’t say that. So I want to show you this. So we have guides-

ROBINSON: Ah, yes. The guide of things for me to critique and judge.

ROSIE: So be gentle. And to be fair, this is a 10-year-old guide. You’re not technically 10 anymore.

ROBINSON: It’s five days, all right? Five days.

ROSIE: So look through and just tell me, what do you think about what’s here?

ROBINSON: Bearaby Nappling. A fuzzy, big blanket I guess.

ROSIE: Yeah. So you’re playing your video games and you’re on the couch or whatever.

ROBINSON: Okay.

ROSIE: Are you snuggling with this blanket or not?

ROBINSON: Nope.

ROSIE: Not really?

ROBINSON: Seven pounds. What?

ROSIE: Are you a weighted blanket person or no?

ROBINSON: Not really, no.

ROSIE: Okay.

ROBINSON: But I do like them. But $140 for a blanket?

ROSIE: A weighted blanket.

ROBINSON: That’s crazy though. That’s absurd. I was like, “This is a somewhat good idea,” but $140 is too much.

ROSIE: I got you.

ROBINSON: Brother. What is it? A sewing machine?

ROSIE: It’s a sewing machine.

ROBINSON: I’ve never done sewing ever.

ROSIE: Okay, so pass. Now we’re something-

ROBINSON: Yes, yes, yes.

ROSIE: What are you looking at?

ROBINSON: The LEGO chess set. Chess is a great game. LEGOs are great. Yes. $75. What a great deal. Yes.

ROSIE: Yes. Okay, that’s a yes.

ROBINSON: 100%. Anybody could build this. Anybody could play it. Acrylic paint set. Okay.

ROSIE: Do you paint?

ROBINSON: No, I do not. I don’t know what acrylic does. I’ve never been into a lot of art and stuff. It’s $19, so it’s good.

ROSIE: Okay. The vibe I’m getting from you is that the value is important, so the theme has to be-

ROBINSON: Yeah, definitely.

ROSIE: Okay.

ROBINSON: Planet. It’s a board game. Have I played this? Players take turns adding magnetic tiles to terrains, to their planet based on the terrain. They also play animal cards. All right, that, actually yes. I kind of like that, honestly.

ROSIE: You’d be into that?

ROBINSON: I would play that. I bet after I understand it, I’d play it.

ROSIE: Right. And now we’re going to end on LEGO again.

ROBINSON: All right. That is fine.

ROSIE: So what’s the vibe here? What are we looking at?

ROBINSON: Okay, so LEGO Creator Bird Three in One Bird House. All right, so it can transform into a beehive and a park bench for a squirrel and hedgehog. Now, this actually looks really nice and fun to build because, yeah, it’s three in one, which I honestly like those.

ROSIE: Awesome.

ROBINSON: Yes, I would take this.

ROSIE: Cool.

ROBINSON: Good.

ROSIE: Thanks, Robinson.

ROBINSON: All right.

ROSIE: Alright so for precocious boys in the pre-teen age range… I’m hearing… Legos. Oh, and maybe anime? And definitely video games. Most important: YOU’VE GOT TO BE THINKING ABOUT VALUE, PEOPLE.

Next up, we’ve got a first-grader who already HAS a lot of things on Wirecutter’s list. Let’s see if we can find something new she’d be interested in for the holidays.

CHLOE: My name is Chloe and I’m six and three quarters.

ROSIE: So tell me, Chloe, what holidays you celebrate.

CHLOE: I celebrate Christmas and New Year’s.

ROSIE: What is Christmas like at your house? What do you guys do?

CHLOE: I don’t do it at my house. I go to my grandma and grandpa’s house.

CHLOE: Because they have a lot more space, and we don’t have a Christmas tree.

ROSIE: Do you give presents or do you get presents then?

CHLOE: I open presents.

ROSIE: And who gives you presents, usually?

CHLOE: Usually my mom or my grandpa and grandma.

ROSIE: Your mom and your grandpa and grandma. Okay.

CHLOE: And my dad.

ROSIE: Let’s not forget your dad. So have you thought about what you might want for Christmas this year? What’s on the list?

CHLOE: I have a lot of things.

ROSIE: All right, hit me. I’m ready.

CHLOE: First thing is I have one of these at my grandma and grandpa’s house but it moves too fast, so I got a slower one. And it’s like this remote control snake. And it’s like I can move it wherever I want.

ROSIE: A remote control snake. So it’s on the ground and it slithers around your house?

CHLOE: Yeah.

ROSIE: That sounds creepy. What else is on the list?

CHLOE: A sleeping bag. I already have one but the pillow, it pops up. So I want a different one.

ROSIE: And what color? What color are you asking for? What’s your favorite color?

CHLOE: It’s a unicorn one.

ROSIE: Oh, it’s got to be a unicorn one. I love a unicorn. Okay, so we’ve got sleeping back, we’ve got remote controlled snake. What else would make you so excited?

CHLOE: A Barbie doll house. I already have Barbie doll plain, but now I want to get a Barbie doll house.

ROSIE: How many Barbies do you have?

CHLOE: 1,000.

ROSIE: 1,000 Barbies. Okay, so would you be happy or not happy if you also got another Barbie?

CHLOE: Not happy.

ROSIE: Really?

CHLOE: I don’t have 1,000, but it’s like I’m saying 1,000 because there’s a lot.

ROSIE: There’s a lot. Okay, I got you. What else?

CHLOE: A panda that has this little baby bottle. And also it comes with a toilet.

ROSIE: That sounds really silly and very fun.

CHLOE: It also has a diaper.

ROSIE: So what? Are you going to change this panda’s diaper? Oh, brother. Okay, so can I show you some of these gifts?

CHLOE: Yeah.

ROSIE: And I want to see what you think. We can just look at these. And I want to see if you think that you would want something like this, or your friends who are also six.

CHLOE: What is that?

ROSIE: This is a inner tube. This is a snow tube. Do you go snow tubing in the winter at all?

CHLOE: I only sled down. Sled.

ROSIE: Only sled. So would you be excited if you got a sled?

CHLOE: I already have one.

ROSIE: Well, there we go. Moving on. What is this?

CHLOE: That’s a bicycle with three wheels, but I already know how to ride a two-wheel bicycle, so no.

ROSIE: So what I’m hearing is you’ve got to make sure, if you’re going to give a six-year-old a bike, you got to make sure that they don’t have a bike and that they don’t already know how to ride one, because you already know.

CHLOE: Yeah, that’s too easy.

ROSIE: It’s too easy. Got it. Magna-Tiles, are you into them?

CHLOE: I already have some.

ROSIE: How do you feel about building stuff? Do you like to build stuff?

CHLOE: Yeah.

ROSIE: So things like this or LEGOs, like-

CHLOE: I sort LEGOs a lot more than I build them, so if I had to pick between this and LEGOs, I would choose LEGOs because I sort them more and play with them more.

ROSIE: I got you.

ROSIE: How about painting? Do you like to paint?

CHLOE: Yeah.

ROSIE: So if you got a paint set, that would be cool?

CHLOE: There’s too many paints. But if there was an outline or something, I would paint it inside. Yeah.

ROSIE: I love it.

ROSIE: It sounds like NEW markers and craft supplies could be a hit with six-year-old Chloe. And if you’re relying on our guides for gifts this year… check in with the parents in your life to make sure you’re not double dipping.

Super special thank you to the kids and families that participated in this episode. We hope you hear about something new that gets your wheels turning for the little ones on your list.

We will drop links to these kid-approved items in our show notes. And we’ll also link to the age-based Wirecutter gift guides we talked about today.

And if you haven’t caught them yet, go check out the first two episodes of our gifting series… about our staff’s favorite items of 2025 and giving to the hard-to-shop-for adults in your life.

Next week, we’ll drop the final bonus episode in our series on gifting… and it’s for you last-minute shoppers out there!Ideas and suggestions for great gifts on a quick turnaround.

Thank you so much for listening!

CHLOE: And also I play hockey and I do ballet and gymnastics.

ROSIE: How do you find the time? And you go to school?

CHLOE: Yeah.

ROSIE: I don’t know when you’re going to have time to change this panda’s diaper.

CHLOE: Yeah.