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When I was a pre-teen, every mall had at least one booth that would airbrush your name on any number of gifts. The quality was not great and the style left a lot to be desired, but the fact that this knick knack bore my name somehow made it feel special.
Now my generation is having babies and, perhaps nostalgic for our mall rat days, we are seeking out personalized products for our own kids…this time with a little more flair.
Personalized products for babies and children are popping up all over the place, providing unique gift options for special occasions. Adding a child’s name to a baby shower gift honors the parents’ choice of name and toddlers enjoy knowing that present is just for them. If you are lucky, some creative relative or friend of the family will design the perfect personalized gift. For those who do not have the craft skills, the Internet marketplace has a wide variety of fun and fantastic options. After the jump, you’ll find some of my favorite personalized gifts for kids…
Decor:
This one’s an oldie, but a goodie: The Original Puzzle Name Stool (starting at $53) from Damhorst Toys and Puzzles. My daughter drags this stool from room to room to reach the sink or her booster chair, proudly exclaiming that the letters spell her name.
Ellie Cates makes a more modern, updated version of personalized kid’s furniture, including hand painted, child-sized stools (starting at $35; pictured) and rocking chairs.
Olive Kids has become a popular destination for sweetly traditional, personalized children’s decor in a colorful, graphic, cartoon style, including personalized kids clocks ($25) and a variety of gifts.
A fun option for personalizing a nursery or child’s room is decorative wooden letters. You can pick up wooden letters at most crafts stores and paint them yourself or with an older sibling, or you can purchase letters from a variety of local or online stores. Posh Dots ($15-17) will create your letters in any font, size or chic design. Kori Clark Designs (starting at $8) will match any decor theme. Or check out the Hand Painted and Decoupaged Wooden Letters from Circle of the Sun ($10).
Another fun accent is an embroidered or appliquéd pillow personalized with an initial, monogram, or name. Check out Southern Sassy Pants ($33.50 and up) and BellaMarie Designs ($40) for chic options on Etsy.
Toys and Gifts:
Although their blankets are bit on the pricey side ($39-105), Fill in the Blankie is a beautiful keepsake. The fabrics are ultra-luxe and each side of the blanket may be embroidered with up to 50 characters, allowing for a whole new level of personalization.
Another classic is the Maple Landmark Name Train ($24.50 and up; shown above), a wooden train with the letters of your child’s name. Like many of the items here, these trains are made in the USA with non-toxic finishes.
My daughter’s personalized spoon ($25) from Beaded Things, is one of her favorite things. This is a fun variation on the “silver spoon” baby shower or christening gift and it also makes a wonderful first birthday present for a toddler mastering the art of self-feeding.
Clothing and Accessories:
Plaid Giraffe appliqués burp cloths, hoodies, and snapsuits with hip fabric letters. Check out this personalized burp cloth set ($20).
Copper Hill Kids allows you to customize snapsuits, children’s smocks/aprons, totes, bibs and more, with both a motif and your child’s name. In her personalized smock ($14), my daughter expresses her own creativity. Embroidery options range from the adorable to the edgy.
All About Baby has a variety of personalized products for kids, including toddler robes and baby hooded towels in funky mod prints ($30-35) and their exclusive Cookies for Santa Plate ($45).
Books and Music:
I’ve seen a lot of personalized books, and even big photo printing services are including these in their product lines. Two that stand out are Custom Made for Kids and Freckle Box. Custom Made for Kids publishes the First Adventures of Incredible You ($33), with hip graphics and rollicking rhymes. Freckle Box offers several options ($20-35), including My Name Is… (with illustrations that spell your child’s name using elements from the story, such as leaves, stars, ladybugs, seashells, pigeons and more) and …Goes to the Zoo (in which your child’s name is camouflaged on every page).
Name Your Tune does an amazing job of seamlessly integrating your child’s name into songs, because the original, award-winning artists actually record the names. My daughter giggles and dances when she hears her very own name sung out from the speakers. The Name Your Tune CDs ($20) are a huge improvement over the kiosk personalized CDs from decades past.
These gifts range from the very reasonable to the luxury splurge, but you do not have to break the personalized piggy bank to make a big impression. A little creativity and some paint will do the trick. And customization can transform even a smaller item into a special birthday or shower present.
