If you are in the middle of your Christmas planning and shopping, you’ve come to the right place. I am sharing handpicked, tried and tested products that make spectacular Christmas gifts for kids.
When selecting the vendors, I set a couple of criteria. Instead of logging into Amazon or driving to yet another massive toy store chain, I want to support local businesses. I come from Lithuania, so I chose merchants only based in the Baltic States. That is Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.
The majority of the vendors below are family businesses that use natural and organic products. All of the items presented below are locally handmade, respecting the environment and the animals. I encourage you to shop sustainably and support local businesses. They make gifts that will definitely have everyone feeling festive.
And if you like Baltic amber, you will find number 11 fascinating!
So, get in the holiday shopping spirit and check these ideas for Christmas gifts for kids below! In no particular order because we love them all.
1. Nice Vibes Dolls
I can hardly think of a better Christmas gift for a little girl than an heirloom quality, handmade doll from natural linen. I was blown away by the concept and attention to the tiniest of details of the dolls.
It’s no ordinary doll here. Their pretty hand-sewn faces don’t show any emotion. Therefore, allowing children to play various scenarios, where the dolls can be sad, happy, angry, cheerful, surprised, curious, you name it.
By the way, did you know that role play is super important? It encourages curiosity, imagination, emotional intelligence and develops social and communication skills.
They also come with pretty linen dresses, and the color of each dress represents an emotion. For example, a yellow dress means energy. The color green stands for harmony, purple for creativity, etc.
I can’t recommend these dolls highly enough. Check out their website for more beautiful items, like dolls sisters set, mummy and daughter dolls set, as well as hand-sewn teddy bears and delightful decorations. All of these pretty items are perfect gifts for kids on any occasion.
All handmade with love, care, and best wishes to the new owners. If you drop a message to Laura ([email protected]), the creator of this magic, I promise her emails will warm your heart and bring a smile to your face.
Check out their website or connect with Nice Vibes Dolls on social media:
Facebook: @DollsNiceVibes
Instagram: @nicevibesdolls
2. Bohometry
One of the fondest memories from my early childhood is playing on the sunny balcony of my grandparents’ apartment. They lived by the seaside, near a pine forest. My grandma was amazing with plants. They just loved her. I think she would have been able to make a palm tree strive in the cold of the winters of Northern Europe. She also had several macrame plant hangers with pretty plants inside on that very balcony. That was my first encounter with the beauty of the macrame world.
I am so pleased to have met such a talented macrame artist in Lithuania while looking for Christmas gifts for kids this year. And ta-da! I am happy to introduce you to Bohometry. I love Olga’s work and especially the pretty things she makes for children.
Thea has a macrame fox decor on a wall in her room. It looks perfect. She wanted a fox, but you can also choose from a unicorn, a bear, a giraffe, a rainbow, and a hedgehog.
We also hung a darling dreamcatcher to trap those naughty dreams and let her sleep well.
Bohometry is a good choice not just for Christmas and just for kids. It’s great all year round, for all occasions. And it doesn’t have to be only a gift. Bring macrame by Bohometry into your own home for that cozy and homey touch.
If you have never held a piece of macrame before, I promise you will fall in love with it once you touch this handmade magic made by Bohometry.
Connect with Bohometry on Instagram or drop a message to Olga at [email protected] for tailor-made magic.
3. Vegan Fox
I’ve been eating a plant-based diet since 2015, so a family-run business that produces ethical, qualitative vegan cosmetics aligns perfectly with my own personal beliefs. The products made by Vegan Fox are totally cruelty-free, handmade with love, vegan, and 92%-100% of natural ingredients.
It’s not just cosmetics that are amazing about this company. Maija Rieksta-Riekstiņa, is the creator of Vegan Fox. Together with her family, she helps animal shelters and supports animal rights activists to make the world more animal-friendly. Currently, they are supporting a campaign that aims to ban the fur farming industry in Latvia.
There was a pretty card enclosed in our package which you can color by yourself. It says Animals are friends, not food. I couldn’t agree more.
Thea is in love with the pretty gray towel with an embroidered fox and the hand cream. It comes in handy now during the cold and windy winter days.
I started using bar shampoo and conditioner made by Vegan Fox, and I love them. Who could have thought that colored, dry hair could be so smooth and soft without using any fancy chemicals? Moreover, the bars that come in small carton boxes are totally zero waste. What’s not to love about this brand?
Check out their website and connect with this amazing Latvian brand on Instagram
4. familyDot
I don’t know how about you, but I strongly prefer natural wooden toys to mass-produced plastic toys from factories in China. Except for Lego and Playmobil, I’ve always tried to buy natural, sustainable, and environment-friendly toys and activities.
I came across this amazing family-run business called familyDot or PilniNamai in Lithuanian.
They make handmade, high-quality wooden educational toys and homemade playdough which are all amazing Christmas gifts for kids. It’s even difficult to describe the incredible texture, soft feel, smells, and vivid colours! Due to its natural composition, this play dough is safe even for the youngest players and explorers.
Thea loves her beekeepers set lovingly handmade by familyDot. It includes two jars of playdough, a roller, wooden stamps of bees, flowers, honeycombs, and other bee-related wooden tools. They are made from Lithuanian oak trees and coated with coconut oil.
I am amazed at the diversity and creativity of the products and playsets that they produce. These sets make perfect educational gifts for children of all ages. From space exploration to farming, there is something for everyone.
From thoughtful packaging to the final product, they are perfect inside out.
Take a look at their Etsy shop and use the discount code for 15% off your order: THANKYOU15
Or AČIŪ10 if you shop on www.pilninamai.lt for 10% off
FamilyDot is on Instagram too!
5. Odrop Aromatherapy
I simply love aromatherapy. I strongly believe in the incredible healing and protective properties of essential oils. That is why I am so happy to have found Odrop. This company sells certified organic essential oils and natural, handmade products containing them.
Aromatherapy diffusers are switched on constantly in each room at our home. And it’s not just for fragrance. From diffusing to aromatherapy massages, essential oils can help in myriad ways.
One of my favorite use of essential oils is placing a drop on each shoulder. Their healing and protective properties keep guard against viruses and other nasties, especially during cold winter days. It’s just like having two guardian angels on each shoulder. This is immensely useful for little children who attend pre-schools and kindergartens and have close contact with other kids.
I love the natural products made by Odrop and especially the powerful mixtures of several essential oils. For example, my favorite mix is called Strong Immunity. It consists of tea tree, lavender, eucalyptus, lemon, ravensara, red thyme, and oregano organic essential oils.
TIP: place a drop of this mix on each shoulder every morning. These two little drops, like guardian angels, will keep guard against viruses and other nasties, especially during cold winter days.
In addition to guardian angel duties, you can use it in a diffuser to cleanse the air from viruses, bacteria, and fungus. This mix of powerful essential oils stimulates the immune system and protects from infections.
Caution: use essential oils for yourself and your children, however keep all aromatherapy products out of their reach.
Learn more about Odrop by visiting their website and connect on Instagram.
6. Your Letters from Patrick
Your Letters from Patrick is an educational program for children aged 4-9. What happens here is that a magical postal pigeon, called Patrick, travels all around the world. Not only that. He sends personalized snail mail letters to children every week!
Meet Patrick the Pigeon!
Patrick becomes a new friend who writes about the countries that he visited, the interesting things he had seen and heard. By listening or reading letters about Patrick’s adventures, children learn a variety of new topics, develop a love for reading and learn so much about the beautiful world that surrounds them.
In addition to entertaining letters, Patrick sends a folk tale from each country, stickers, positive affirmation cards, and little gifts. Colorful envelopes addressed to the child arrive every week and bring joy every single time.
Each folktale comes with hand-drawn individual illustrations and sketches. Children can color them to their liking. Here are a couple of illustrations for folktales from Germany, Peru, and Tanzania.
Patrick has teamed up with Plant for the Planet- an NGO that manages reforestation projects around the world. For every subscription, Patrick plants a tree as part of their latest project.
This means that Your Letters from Patrick are not just carbon-neutral, but they actually help cleanse the air we breathe and help the animal kingdom!
More information about this program can be found on Patrick’s website or by saying hi at [email protected]
This educational program for children is available in English and Lithuanian.
7. ULECE Kids
I am so happy to introduce you to a brand created by a mother and a daughter.
In fact, three women are behind this beautiful brand.
Agnese is the mother of the two girls and is the driving force of ULECE. Luiza is the eldest daughter, designer, and creator of Heatable Toys. And the little sister called Anna, with who it all started.
When Anna was just a little baby, she used to have colic pain. One thing that helped was a heated toy with a bag of millet inside. Unfortunately, the material of that toy was synthetic, and after a while, the millet started to cause allergies. So, a toy from natural materials and cherry pits was created, and it helped Anna perfectly!
So, the ULECE brand was created, named after Luiza’s first doll, which was handmade by her mom. Luiza chose to design bed warmers- cuddle toys and Anti-colic heating pads in black and white, the first colors that a baby sees.
All of them are lovingly handmade in Latvia. The fabric is 100% cotton, certified with Oeko Tex 100 standard. The toys contain natural grape or cherry pits. Recycled, hypoallergenic polyester fiber is used for stuffing.
Heating pads shaped like stars and whales are filled with grape seeds to help relieve tummy aches for babies. Warmth reduces muscle spasms and thus soothes babies and makes them sleep better.
Bed warmers/cuddly toys shaped like a bunny and a mouse contain a cherry stone pillow inside. They are aimed at toddlers and older children. These toys are perfect if your toddler is giving up the crib or moving out of the family bed, or moving to their own room to sleep. These cuddly toys help build a bedtime routine, gradually preparing a child for sleep.
Moreover, it is a source of physical warmth, which plays a psychological effect – association with mummy’s warm arms, creating a sense of security.
Both – heating pads with grape seeds and cherry stone pillows (removable from the bunny and mouse) can be heated in a microwave, in an oven, or on a radiator. It stays warm for up to 30 minutes.
To learn more about the brand and select the toy for your little one visit
They are also on Instagram as @ulecekids
8. Muulin. A sustainable clothing brand
I am in love with this Estonian brand. Just look at these pictures of all the gorgeous clothes for children made from the cleanest organic fabrics!
They also produce clothes for adults who appreciate classical beauty, Scandinavian minimalism, and quality over quantity.
I appreciate that Muulin is adhering to high-quality, Fair Trade principles, and zero-waste production stands as a cornerstone of this brand. To minimize their ecological footprint, the brand uses all of the leftover fabrics and redirects them into new designs.
If you look at clothing and items for the home, you will see that Muulin only uses natural fabrics and doesn’t promote artificial ones. When you will receive your beautifully wrapped package from Muulin, you will also notice that hand tags are made from recycled paper. I applaud their efforts in supporting the movement of making the fashion industry cleaner for future generations.
As the saying goes, a picture says a thousand words, enjoy the beautiful pictures and visit their website. It’s impossible to NOT add something beautiful to your shopping cart!
Muulin is on Instagram as @muulin_brand
9. Saulės Žolės
In the Lithuanian language, we have a saying about skillful people who have exceptional abilities to create and make beautiful things. We say that they have golden hands.
I certainly know someone with golden hands in Lithuania.
Liusė Kniūkštienė is truly a beautiful and talented soul who handmakes crochet wool rugs and poufs, Lithuanian linen table decor, linen bags and baskets, crochet carpets, and other gorgeous items for home decor.
One of the most popular and eye-catching items that she makes is crocheted cat and sheep-shaped poufs for children.
As with everything in her store, the quality and workmanship are top-notch. These sheep-shaped floor cushions/bolster pillows of neutral colors make perfect Christmas gifts for children. They are handmade from natural 100 % organic sheep wool. It takes approximately ten days to crochet a large size sheep.
Carefully wrapped, the items are shipped worldwide, so check out Liuse’s Etsy store here for something nice and cozy for your home.
You can also contact Liuse by email: [email protected] and connect on Instagram: @sauleszoles
10. CeMMe
A brand from the Latvian seaside that I am happy to include in this list is called CeMMe.
They create clothes and accessories for children, adults, and dogs. If you are looking for a new bandana for your four-legged pal, CeMMe is a good place to start.
All products, from design to sewing, are locally handmade in Latvia. I love the sweet prints of forest animals and cute hedgehogs on childrens’ clothing. The ceMMe team uses water-based inks for printing, which do not contain harmful substances and heavy metals and thus are safe even for tiny babies.
Zane and Atis, the creators of CeMMe, share that when creating products they aim to combine high-quality fabrics, original designs, and sustainability.
Thea loves her soft, long-sleeve sweater with a cute animals print. The fabrics are of amazing quality and feel cozy and soft to the skin. I find the patches on elbows charming. It kind of reminds me of Mr. Bean. If you ever watched this British sitcom, you will probably remember R. Atkinson’s outfit and the jacket with patches on the elbow area.
Visit the CeMMe Etsy shop or website for unique accessories, mini-me outfits, and other pretty things.
11. Forgaminnt Kids
I was not kidding when I said that number 11 is a surprise.
Allow me to introduce Forgaminnt. A family business founded by two sisters Aiva and Zita.
Forgaminnt makes super cute handmade clothes and toys for babies and young children.
Here is an example of the outfit by Forgaminnt. Can you tell which material the clothes are made of?
Whichever material popped into your mind, I am pretty sure that amber was not one of them. Sounds unbelievable, but it is true. The outfit is made from Baltic amber! Using technology developed by Riga Technology University, the amber stone is being crushed into amber sand and then turned into composite amber fibers.
And what happens when you combine amber thread with organic cotton? A piece of luxurious, soft, and cozy fabric from amber yarn with health properties. The amber yarn line is called MADE FOR HEALTH for a reason:
- It is breathable;
- Improves blood flow, soothes, preserves the body’s natural temperature;
- Protects from magnetic fields and ultraviolet rays;
- Thermoregulatory;
- Does not cause skin irritation or skin reaction
Perfect for the health, well-being, and style of the little ones!
Below are some pictures of baby clothing from the amber line collection. How cute is that?
The company recently launched a new product line – hats, leggings, tunnel scarves, and baby blankets from environmentally-friendly, extra-fine 100% Merino wool.
Being environmentally friendly, heat-regulating, and easy-care yarn, with the breathability and softness of the best Merino wool, these clothes make perfect Christmas gifts for kids. Especially now during the cold season.
Check out Forgaminnt Kids website and connect on social media- Facebook & Instagram
12. Claudia Paper Dolls
When I was just a little girl, there were no Barbies and no fancy toys like kids have nowadays. So, I used to make my own toys and to create my own activities. One of my favorites was drawing dolls and various clothing items for them to wear on thick paper. I would then cut them all out, and voila! Those dolls had impressive wardrobes.
I honestly thought it was a thing of a past long gone. Luckily, that’s not the case! Agnese, a beautiful soul from Latvia, creates pretty dolls with national costumes from Latvia. They come in high-quality carton sets which children can cut out and color to their liking.
There are multiple designs to choose from. All equally beautiful, thoughtfully, and lovingly made in Latvia.
Thea has a set with a doll called Liga, who comes from the Vidzeme region. The most impressive adornment of national costumes from this region was the skirts. They were made brightly colored and beautifully embellished with stripes, checks, and different patterns. With their impressive embroidery, the shawls of Eastern Vidzeme are among the most artistic examples of Latvian clothing.
By the way, the capital Riga is located within the territory of Vidzeme.
Visit the website or the Etsy shop to select a nice and original surprise for your little one.
13. Linen is Love
I come from Latvia and Lithuania, so my fondness for linen is probably in my blood.
I love linen dresses, bedsheets, and linen home decor.
Therefore, I am happy to introduce you to a family-run business from Lithuania called Linen is Love. As the pretty name suggests, they hand-make a variety of beautiful items made from natural Lithuanian linen.
The one home decor item which I hadn’t seen before is linen sheets with Christmas tree prints.
They come in several sizes and designs. Thea loves her Christmas tree print created for kids’ rooms and nurseries. Such a wonderful idea for Christmas decoration that instantly creates a festive spirit.
It can easily be used instead of an actual Christmas tree. So, no need to cut trees when you can have one just as amazing!
Skirmante, the creator of these beautiful items, has a shop on Etsy. I encourage you to visit and explore her linen magic. I promise that there is something for everyone, for every home, and for any occasion.
14. Elia- dresses for a little princess
ELIA dress creates organic and sustainable clothing for little girls. To be honest, it left me speechless. Every little princess should have at least one dress made by this talented artist in her wardrobe. I simply can’t recommend ELIA highly enough.
The founder of this sweet brand Indre is a mother of two beautiful daughters. Sewing has surrounded Indre throughout her childhood because both of her grandmothers were seamstresses. Together with her mum, grandmothers taught her to sew. Judging from the top-notch quality of garments that Indre sews, you can tell that they were extremely efficient teachers.
Indre explains that when her first daughter was born, she felt an indescribable urge to decorate her and thus rediscovered sewing. As parents, we want the best for our children. Therefore Indre always searched and chose only the gentlest, softest and safest fabrics.
Everyone was praising and admiring the outfits that her daughter was wearing. Eventually, this encouraged her to start her own business and bring pure joy to more little girls. That is how the ELIA dress was born.
Thea received this beautiful white linen dress beautifully gift wrapped to perfection. Isn’t this an amazing Christmas gift for a little girl? The fabric feels divine. Truly an heirloom quality dress. This dress was handmade from organic Lithuanian linen with the attention to the tiniest of details. Organic linen is super soft, naturally hypoallergenic, and safe. Moreover, linen is well-known for its strength, absorption, and coolness to the touch.
By the way, did you know that globally only less than 1% of linen is organically grown?
Overall, you can easily tell that Indre puts all her heart into making each dress, stroking every corner of the fabric to perfection.
Visit her online store here, connect on Facebook or send a message at [email protected] to preorder. Production starts after the order is placed, and it takes about ten days to complete. Definitely worth the wait!
While preparing this blog post and talking to owners of these businesses I found myself feeling impressed and inspired. I am simply blown away by the creativity, quality, and craftsmanship of the products that they produce.
Overall, I am proud of all these beautiful people who put so much love and care into bringing unique things to life and bringing joy to so many of us.
These businesses ship worldwide, so I encourage you to visit their online stores before placing orders on Amazon. I am sure you will be impressed!
4 Comments. Leave new
Amazing blog ❤️
Thank you so much, we are glad that you like it!
Thank you Vaiva and Thea 🙂
…and Vaiva is so talanted to present everyting so nicely.
Thank you, Aiva, that’s very kind of you!