I remember when my daughter was a toddler, and I was desperate to have her partake in all of our Christmas traditions. I especially wanted her to help decorate our tree. She was excited to, but then I realized my mistake when she dropped ornament after ornament, shattering them on the floor. (I had just started working at Good Housekeeping, and a tip I read in an earlier issue really saved me—a soft piece of bread is really good for picking up small shards of glass.)
If only I had known about Step2’s “My First” line, I probably would have saved myself a lot of hassle—and we all still would have gotten into the Christmas spirit. Those who don’t want to repeat my mistake can get some of the festive Step2 items on sale for Amazon Prime Big Deal Days.
SHOP MORE OF OUR EDITORS’ FAVORITE PRIME DAY DEALS THIS WAY
Shoppers can find the biggest deals on the My First Snowman and My First Advent Calendar. Both of these items let toddlers celebrate in an age-appropriate way, while also working on some skill-building while they’re at it. (Sadly, My First Christmas Tree is not discounted.)
The My First Snowman lets kids have the fun of building a frosty friend without the whole rigamarole of trying to wrestle them into snow pants, mittens, and a hat. Once they’ve assembled the body, kids can snap on different faces, hands, and accessories, which helps them work on their gross motor coordination. Then, as an added bonus, it lights up and plays songs (three AAA batteries required).
Adults have to do a little bit more work with the My First Advent Calendar. This one looks like a cute gingerbread house, with 25 numbered drawers for each day leading up to Christmas. The drawers, though, come empty. It’s up to each family to fill them for themselves. This is half the fun of it, though, since they don’t have to fill every drawer with toys—some can be treats, fun notes, activities, stories, you name it. Best of all, the same calendar can be reused year after year.
And then the My First Christmas tree, even at full price, is the one I wish I had when my daughter was little. It comes with toddler-sized ornaments that don’t actually break when you drop them. Kids can hang them from hooks on the tree wherever they like. And there’s also a cute little toy train that circles the base of the tree that they can play with. If only I had gotten this years ago, I would have saved myself a lot of pieces of bread!
