Useful & Sustainable Stocking Stuffer Gift Ideas For Kids

It's the festive time of the year and if you are tired of accumulating plastic junk and excess packaging as a result of kids' stocking stuffers and gifts, consider a sustainable and useful option instead. 

We're here to help you with sustainable stocking stuffer ideas that all kids will love, so you can minimize waste and environmental impact. It is also important to think about the usefulness of your gifts, will your kids actually use the gifts or play with it for an hour and be retired to the bin. It's also about minimising plastic packaging and ensuring the gifts are actually useful and enriching for kids. 

See our sustainable and useful gift ideas below:

Homemade Food and Treats

Treat your little ones to a sweet treat on Christmas morning with some homemade gingerbread, cookies or slices. The gift of home made cooking never gets old, get creative with your packaging, perhaps an upcycled glass jar or reusable snack box to compliment!

Our favourite kid friendly and health conscious baking treats can be found here.

DIY Playdough To Keep Them Entertained For Hours!

For younger toddlers and kids who are discovering their sensory environment and love to use their hands, playdough is a fun way for them to use their creativity and develop fine motor skills. SKip the store bought playdough which comes in unnecessary plastic packaging, and try an easy, environmentally friendly recipe. Store your playdough in a jar or reusable container!

When you make playdough at home, you minimise waste, as the ingredients like flour, salt and oil all come in minimal recyclable packaging and you are not creating new waste. 

Our favorite recipe is here.

There are endless ideas of things to make with playdough, our favorites include: 

• Make a play dough pizza
• Create little monsters
• Learning and creating numbers and letters with playdough
• Mixing playdough colours and learning
• Make your own hungry caterpillar

The best thing is once the playdough has been used, you can store it away to be used again minimising waste. Some play dough recipes are also compostable making it a sustainable option. 

Thrifted Books and Activities

The op shop is a great place to shop for sustainable gifts for kids and save money on your gift buying budget. Browse your local op shop for a range of kids books and activities that you can bundle into a little activity kit or hamper. 

Some great inclusions and ideas include:

• Books
• Puzzles
• Activity kits
• Art sets
• Educational tools like flash cards, games and flip books
• Sporting goods like tennis racquets and balls

You’ll be surprised how much quality second hand gifts are available, plus feel good about supporting a cause and minimising environmental impact when you shop second hand!

Reusable Bento Boxes

Minimising food packaging waste is a must, give the gift of good habits with a reusable lunch box for healthy meals and snacks on the go. Most schools encourage minimal waste lunches and a lunch box is a great starting point. 

Choose from stylish lightweight aluminum lunch boxes with compartments or easy to use reusable plastic lunch boxes that will last for years. Our favorites include 

Photos and Keepsakes

Photo frames, photo books and keepsakes are a great stocking stuffer addition for kids. Creating memories that kids can take with them for years and keep will always be appreciated. With digital cameras and phones being commonplace, a physical photo in a frame will be a novelty for kids who are growing up in the digital age. Minimise your environmental impact by thrifting for a photo frame, and choosing sustainable print options. 

A little photo book can become a tradition, incorporating your favourite photos from the year gone by and collating a photo book recapping each year. By the time your child is grown up, they will have little moments to cherish from each year of their childhood! 

New Shoes For the School Year or Season

Kids shoes are a great gift idea as they are used every single day! With seasons changing it may be time to invest in some new sandals or boots for your little one. Bobux shoes are designed and built to be durable and long-lasting. This means that Bobux shoes last longer than cheap mass-produced shoes from discount retailers. Reduce your environmental impact with Bobux shoes, which are crafted from premium leathers and textiles ethically sourced. Cheaply made kids shoes are not only damaging for growing feet, but they also often end up in landfills after only a short period of wear, contributing to excess waste. 

Give the gift of new shoes this Christmas. Discover the range of kids sandals, kids boots, kids sneakers and more online at Bobux! You’ll find the perfect special girls shoes and boys shoes that will last and are ethically produced!

For babies' first Christmas, a pair of soft sole baby shoes are a special keepsake that can be cherished for years to come. Featuring cute animal designs, they will sure be a hit on Christmas day festivities. Bobux soft sole shoes are the perfect for little ones from newborn up to age 2 years, and make excellent indoor shoes and pram shoes. 

Give Sustainably This Holiday Season!

At Bobux, we are passionate about ensuring a sustainable future and protecting the world that our kids will grow up in. 

“May we each do our best to tread lightly on the earth” - Chris Bennett, Bobux Co-Founder

Try one of our sustainable gift ideas this holiday season and help leave the world a better place. By investing in homemade gifts and quality kids shoes that will be used, you will minimise environmental impact and making a difference. Shop Bobux kids shoes including girls sandals, boys sandals, girls boots, boys boots, girls sneakers, boys sneakers and more gorgeous styles for every little one. 

Read more about our sustainability journey and our manufacturing process at Bobux, and give gifts that minimise environmental impact. Discover more helpful blog articles for advice on kids feet as well as fun gift ideas this holiday season:

The Best Gifts For Active and Outdoor Loving Kids

7 Kids Shoe Fitting Hacks

How Much Growing Room to Leave in Kids Shoes

Christmas Holiday Traditions For Your Little One