The 57 Best Stocking Stuffer Ideas for Kids in 2025
Chopsticks for little hands
These animal-themed training chopsticks are appealing to kids, simple to use, and easy to wash.
These Marcus & Marcus Learning Chopsticks sport adorable animal faces on their helper hinges and are among our favorite kids chopsticks. Beyond their cute factor, the hinges give a nice level of tension for nabbing tasty morsels. Guiding rings (for righties and lefties) help keep hands in the right position for proper chopstick technique. Best of all, you can eventually remove these training wheels, leaving simple, shorter, dishwasher-safe chopsticks for kids to use when they’re ready. For a full complement of chopstick critters, these delightful cat-themed chopstick rests prove equally irresistible.
—Marilyn Ong
Instant slip-ons
Elastic shoelaces — a TikTok trend we can get behind — can turn most lace-up shoes into slip-ons.
Made of flexible elastic and what I think can only be pure magic, stretchy shoelaces are an alchemical stocking stuffer — a lighthearted, inexpensive gag gift that may become a practical staple. Though I was skeptical of the concept at first, I changed my mind once I laced up my high-top Converse sneakers and pulled them on as easily as slip-ons. Of the laces we tested, Bread laces look more like traditional shoelaces, were softer and lay flatter, and were less fussy to get in place. They’re available in six sizes and 12 colors (check out Bread’s website for sizing information).
—Elissa Sanci
Punchy pouches
This long, slim silicone pencil case comes in several adorable animal options, such as a cat or a penguin.
When unzipped, this pencil case unfurls into a single continuous strand.
Pencil cases hit that stocking stuffer sweet spot: a pragmatic little gift that comes in an endless assortment of whimsical designs. A few years back my son discovered a Zipit Monster Pencil Case in his stocking. Amusingly but impractically, the pouch unzips into a garland-length strand. It’s silly but durable, and he’s still using it several years later (it actually comes with a lifetime warranty). When we tasked 100 kids with choosing their favorite pencil case, the squishy Lihit Lab Pen Pouch (pictured above) took best in show thanks to its cute animal face and tail, its smooth zipper, and its surprisingly roomy capacity. Blue Q bags are another fun option I’ve owned over the years. I picked out a bigfoot-themed one a couple of years ago, but there are many choices, from artsy botanical drawings to a faux evidence bag.
—Kalee Thompson
Bright bandages
These cheery bandages can help turn a frown upside down.
I’ve been known to fill stockings with facial tissues and floss. This year, I threw bandages in the mix. Specifically, latex-free fabric bandages from Welly, which come in a variety of appealing prints that could help take the proverbial sting out of minor cuts and scrapes. Choose from rainbows and unicorns, jellyfishes, or sloths, among other motifs. If you already have a container to store bandages in, skip the tin and opt for a refill pack of 24.
—Tracy Vence
Mini cooking tools
A short handle and thin head make it easy for little hands to flip pancakes or scramble eggs with this petite silicone spatula.
This 8-inch whisk is lightweight and easy to handle.
For budding bakers and eager young cooks, kid-size kitchen tools are a practical yet unexpected little gift. The OXO Good Grips Silicone Small Flexible Turner has a handle that’s easy for little hands to grip, and it outshone others during our testing for the best tools for cooking with kids. With its textured, silicone handle, the GIR Mini Whisk is similarly well suited to wee would-be chefs. Both are fully functional, quality utensils, so you might find yourself grabbing for them too.
—Ingrid Skjong
A cute slicer
Kids can start honing their knife skills with this cute kitty chopper.
Even the smallest hands can slice and dice in the kitchen, and this adorable chopper offers a safe introduction to learning knife skills. Another one of our favorite cooking tools for kids, the Kuhn Rikon Kinderkitchen Chopper Cat is made for young chefs, and it is comfortable and intuitive for them to use. It has a dull blade and no sharp corners, but it effectively cuts fruits and vegetables.
—Ellen Lee
Kitchen coverup
Our favorite less expensive apron comes in several fetching patterns, including submarines and bunnies.
A kid-size apron is the best — and cutest — way to protect little ones’ clothes and bodies from kitchen escapades. They can also give kids a sense of ownership and pride in the kitchen. We’ve long recommended the Hedley & Bennett Kids Apron, which is durable, adjustable, and effective, in our guide to kids cooking tools. It’s also pricey. For a less expensive option, we like the Urban Infant Little Helper Kids Apron (the submarine and dinosaur patterns above). Though it’s made of a thinner material, it’s a solid barrier against cooking messes, and its delightful patterns add some excitement to this utilitarian gift.
—Ellen Lee
Strokes of genius
These toddler-friendly brushes and sponges outshine those in other art sets we’ve tested.
Unlike some of the flimsy toddler art tools we’ve tried, the brushes in the Micador Early stART Stuff for Painting Kit feel a bit more special, with rounded and weighted plastic handles made for chubby little tot hands. The set is suggested for ages 3 and up (though our 2-year-old used it without any problems). It comes with five brightly colored brushes: three textural sponge brushes and two traditional bristle brushes, providing multiple options for kids to channel their artistic vision. My son has been using one of the bristle brushes a few times a week for several months, and it still hasn’t started shedding. The set also came in handy when we hosted a toddler painting party, with each child easily dotting, mixing, or globbing paint onto canvases.
—Kerry Davis McGuinness
Undies that’ll last well beyond next Christmas
Of the 15 kids underwear brands we tested, Hanna Andersson’s high-quality, long-lasting ones were the most comfortable.
These briefs are equally soft and durable. They come in fun prints and colors and have a functioning fly.
The great stocking debate: Are they meant to be filled to the brim with delightful trinkets alone, or is the stocking a legitimate delivery vehicle for the staples a kid needs to get through the year? Your stance on the question is probably inherited (and may also have something to do with the size of your family’s stockings). We’re not here to convince you that underwear must come down the chimney. But if that’s already a thing for you, the long-lasting soft cotton underwear and briefs from Hanna Andersson, which we recommend in our guide to the best underwear for kids, will feel like something special. (The company’s iconic jammies are also some of our favorites.) The undies come in solids and stripes, and briefs, boxer briefs, and hipsters — as well as Star Wars and Disney princess designs. No itchy tags, no pilling, no wedgies. A bonus: After your kid opens up a package of undies, the chocolate Santa they find next will seem even sweeter.
—Kalee Thompson
Wacky boxer briefs
Your kid will look fire wearing these boxer briefs that come in a host of zany prints.
Even if day-to-day undies feel too staid for your stockings, the wild prints on Ethika boxer briefs tip them into gift territory. These boxer briefs come in the craziest patterns we’ve seen on kids underwear. Our kid testers found them as comfortable as our more understated boxer briefs pick from Reebok (though the Ethika briefs fall a bit farther down the leg), and they’ve held up to many washings over our years of testing.
—Nancy Redd
The future’s so bright
These sweet shades come in several styles and sizes for kids as young as 6 months.
Sunglasses that are sturdy enough to withstand kid-dealt hard knocks are priceless for parents. And cool shades with a grown-up feel are a likely hit with kids. Babiators sunglasses tick both boxes. The nearly indestructible frames house lenses that don’t shatter and that provide 100% UVA and UVB protection. These shades come in several styles (polarized options included) and colors. We love the Original Aviators and the Navigator sunglasses, pictured above, both of which we recommend in our guide to the best beachwear for kids. The best part: Register these sunglasses, and if something goes awry within the first year, the company will send you a replacement pair for free (minus the shipping).
—Ingrid Skjong
A handy headlamp
This headlamp has all the practical features kids need, plus fun effects they love.
Kid testers fell for the colored light settings on the Black Diamond Wiz Kids Headlamp. But there’s even more to the Wiz. Striking a nice balance between practical and playful, this headlamp is lightweight, durable, and easily adjustable. (And it is our pick for kids in the guide to the best headlamps.) Along with the rainbow-colored lights, the high-quality Wiz headlamp also has red and white lights, plus a strobe mode. Its headband comes in three colors, and the price is more than right, so Santa may appreciate getting one as well.
—Ingrid Skjong
A warm hat that lights the way
Part novelty gift, part practical purchase, this headlamp-meets-beanie threads the stocking stuffer needle
My kids love the L.L.Bean Kids’ Rechargable LED Pathfinder Beanie, an unusual twist on the common Christmas gift of a new winter hat. A built-in headlamp gives the kids a sense of independence and adventure. Also, since they wear the hats all day (we live in rural New Hampshire), their hats’ lights are always there when needed. An added plus: These hats are pretty warm, and it’s really easy to see the kids when they’re running around the woods at night or in the yard after dark. When we’ve tried headlamps in the past, our kids seemed to lose them, but no one has lost this hat … yet.
—Doug Mahoney
Goggles that make a splash
These goggles are a reliable choice for both sport and play.
In a stocking, swim goggles offer an abundant promise of fun — for the pool, the beach, and even the tub (a kid’s gotta practice, right?). The Speedo Jr. Hydrospex Classic Goggle (pictured above left), a pick for kids in our guide to swim goggles, is a durable pair, with eyecups that don’t leak or fog up. The lenses have an anti-fog coating and UV protection. The straps can be a bit finicky to adjust.
—Ingrid Skjong
Holiday hydration
This easy-to-use bottle lets you both sip and chug from its dual spout, and it comes in many color combinations.
Bright colors, effective insulation, and a faster-flowing spout make this our favorite water bottle for older kids.
If your kid has been asking for a new water bottle, you can top off their stocking and their lunch box in one fell swoop. Sturdy and reliable, the stainless steel Takeya Actives Kids Insulated Water Bottle With Straw Lid — our pick for older kids in our guide to the best kids water bottles — is available in several bright, happy hues, and its double-wall insulation keeps drinks cool for hours. The trendy Owala Kids’ FreeSip was the top choice when we brought 100 kids to our office to test back-to-school supplies. It comes in more than a dozen bright color combos, and the lid pops open with just the push of a button. For a more lightweight plastic bottle, the straw-top CamelBak Eddy+ Kids (another of our top picks) comes in a variety of kid-friendly designs.
—Ellen Lee
A counterpoint to all that candy
Animal stickers add some charm to our favorite electric toothbrush for kids.
On Christmas morning, the Philips Sonicare for Kids Design a Pet Edition could fit right in, nestled between that practical underwear and a sweet treat. This toothbrush, the top pick in our guide to kids electric toothbrushes, has a small brush head and handle, a timer that helps young ones remember to brush for the full two minutes, and a long-lasting rechargeable battery. Even though a dental-hygiene tool might not seem like a particularly exciting stocking stuffer, the Design a Pet Edition comes with adorable animal stickers that children can use to decorate their brush (and make the handle feel less slippery). It can also pair with an optional, interactive app, which some kids might find encouraging.
—Nancy Redd
This article was edited by Ellen Lee, Sarah Gannett, Amy Miller Kravetz, and Kalee Thompson.
