5 Very Unique Present Ideas for Little Ones at Christmas

Christmas will be here before you know it, and if you have a young child on your shopping list this year, these five unique and personalized gift ideas are sure to please. All of these ideas are inexpensive and able to last a lifetime.

The first idea is to create a story book for the child. You can do this via an online photo company, such as Shutterfly or Snapfish. It is not a hard craft to make; you simply upload your pictures to the photo site of your choice, and then choose from templates, backgrounds, etc. to customize your book. You choose the pictures; how many pictures are on each page, and you write the storyline. It's very simple and quick, and the results are really amazing. I have two of these that I have made for the baby in our house, and everyone just loves them. We did one that was pretty traditional, depicting an event, and then we did another one that was just about silly faces. On the left-hand side of each page we chose a photo of the baby making a silly face (a different one each time) and made that the whole page. On the right side, we chose a series of photos that matched the large one and created the story. Both are big hits.

The second idea, is also to create a story book for the child; only this time you do not have to do the writing. There are websites available, such as the aforementioned Shutterfly.com that offer this service for a very reasonable price. Turnaround time is very fast, and the results are as cute as can be. You simply upload one picture into your account, making sure to follow the direction for the type of picture you need. For the one we made for a friend's child, the photograph had to be of the child looking directly into the camera, head straight. The company you choose will take the head of the child and put it on the body of a storybook character throughout the book. Also, the child's name, birth date, and other personal information may be listed as well. You just simply fill out a few questions and the company incorporates that information into the book. The best part is that many times you can find your favorite character for the theme of the book, such as a Sesame Street character, Dora the Explorer, etc. Your child truly becomes a part of a story right along with their favorite characters. This is a really, really neat idea.

The third idea is to have a baby blanket handcrafted. I am not talking about simply having the child's name and date of birth stitched on a blanket, although those are nice. I am talking about coming up with an idea, taking it to a local quilt maker, and having the blanket created. My husband chose to have a sports-themed blanket made for his friend's small child (college football). The results were incredible. You could really tell the difference, in a great way, between the store-bought blankets or quilts, and the customized one.

A fourth idea is to have clothing customized in a way that is very personal to the child. For instance, you can have a romper with a team number on the front and the child's name on the back (first or last). Or, you could have a sweatshirt with the child's favorite character on the front and his or her own name printed on the back, or on the leg of the sweatpants. My husband's mother had a nickname for him when he was a child and we came across that same nickname stitched on a romper for small children, with the added option of being able to add the child's name on the garment as well. The product is really cute and always gets a compliment or two when we are out and about.

The last idea is to have non-breakable dishes such as a child's plate, cup, or bowl made with the child's picture on it. I have seen this done two times and the child in both cases, was just delighted to see his or herself on the dinnerware.

These ideas are all very simple, very cost effective, and very thoughtful. The recipient will love it, and the recipient's parents will appreciate the time and effort you took into finding just the right present.