For family and friends seeking children’s toys for children’s stockings and children’s birthday presents, it can be a stressful and costly time. This article highlights money-saving gift ideas, how to check toys are safe and lists 10 high quality, safe Christmas toys to suit your budget.
Table of contents
Key Points
- The article offers budget-friendly children’s toy recommendations for 2025, including popular options like Squishmallows and Mega Bloks learning toys, all priced under £20.
- Money-saving tips include creating a budget early, sharing costs with family members and considering handmade, pre-loved, or experience-based presents.
- To ensure safe toys, look for toys with the UKCA or CE mark.
What children’s gift can I get on a tight budget?
Worry not. Here is a list of 10 budget-friendly children’s presents for young kids from major retailers.
(All gift prices are correct 26 November 2025).
1. Squishmallows Wasabi the Green Sea Cucumber Plush soft toy.
Sale Price: £15.99. (Usually £25) Retailer: John Lewis. Age: 3 years +
Popular with children, Squishmallows are cuddly, soft toys and there are a wide variety to choose from. Each Squishmallow has a unique name and bio – Wasabi is a dentist who specialises in tooth extractions! Squishmallows are sold by multiple retailers.
2. Peppa Pig Bath Bundle
Price: £13. Retailer: Argos. Age: 9 months +
Popular TV character Peppa Pig continues to be in high demand including toy figures. Daddy Pig, Mummy Pig, Peppa and George can squirt water.
This children’s present enables a child to have great fun in the bath with these bath toys offering opportunities for sensory and imaginative play.
3. Mega Bloks ABC Learning Train
Sale Price: £8. Retailer: Argos. Age: 1 year +
Mega Bloks ABC Learning Train is a buildable train with 60 pieces of building blocks and letters A-Z.
Children can have fun with this children’s gift connecting three rolling wheelbases to make a train.
A child can stack the letter blocks on top to learn ABCs or make whole words.
This toy helps children develop fine motor skills, spatial awareness and practice problem solving.
4. Bluey Toy Doctor Set
Price:£10 Retailer Argos. Age: 3 years +
Be just like Nurse Bluey! This fun carry case in the shape of Bluey contains all the play accessories you need to be just like a real medic. Contents include pretend stethoscope, thermometer, otoscope, syringe, plaster, scissors, mirror, tweezers and a sticker sheet.
The hard-bodied case is perfect for little Bluey fans to use for storage and take everywhere they go. When all the medical emergencies have been attended to, all accessories pack away into the case.
This toy is great for children to engage in imaginative roleplay and empathy. It helps with understanding the world and social interaction.
Photo credit: Argos.
5. My First Thomas & Friends Radio Controlled Train
Price: £16.99. Retailer: Smyths. Age: 18 months +
A child can control which route Thomas the tank engine takes with this remote control set.
The remote control has big buttons, making it perfect for little hands. The toy helps with fine motor control and hand eye coordination.
With fun sounds and phrases, a child can move Thomas forwards and backwards and spin him round.
- Top speed 2MPH.
- Batteries required: 6 x AAA (not included).
- Up to 240 minutes drive time.
Photo credit: Smyths
6. Play-Doh 4 Pack Classic Colours
Price: £4. Retailer: Amazon. Age: 2 years +
Children can get creative with this soft and malleable shape-making toy. It makes a safe but cheap children’s gift for a child aged 2+.
This toy helps with colour recognition, fine motor skills, sensory play, imaginative play and self-expression,
7. Infantino Sensory Sound and Light Ball
Price: £13. Retailer: Argos. Age: 9 months +
This ball has four catchy melodies, seven stimulating colours and lights and six textured areas for children to play with.
Great for colour recognition, sensory development and motor skills.
8. Joseph Joseph Play Pretend Sandwich Set
Sale Price: £11.25 (Usually £15) Retailer: Argos. Age: 2 years +
The Joseph Joseph Go Eat toy set makes imaginary play for little ones who can make a ham and cheese sandwich and put it in their lunchbox.
Toy includes: Chop2Pot cutting mat, Elevate knife, GoEat lunchbox, bread, tomato, cheese & ham play food.
There is a tomato to chop which may help with fussy eaters. This toy teaches children about the importance of organisation and preparation than with food-orientated play.
This children’s toy helps nurture a child’s imagination with role play, fine motor skills practice, social skills and language development.
Image Credit: Joseph Joseph
9. LEGO 10713 Classic Creative Suitcase
Price: £13.50. Retailer: Amazon. Age: 4 years +
This LEGO Classic Creative Suitcase is a portable toy storage case has fun colourful building bricks. It is a good starter set for budding LEGO builders as young as 4 years old.
Children can organise their LEGO building bricks and take them wherever they want for creative building on the go. There is a sturdy yellow suitcase with sorting compartments and a range of colourful pieces: building bricks, shapes, wheels and eyes.
Excellent for fine motor skills development, creativity and self expression.
10. ‘That’s not my…’ books
Price: £6.99. Retailer: Waterstones. Age: 3 years+
There are many benefits from reading books to your child. Fiona Watt’s That’s not my… book series are many children’s first introduction to books. The bright pictures and textured patches for children to stroke, are designed to help develop sensory and language awareness.
The ‘That’s not my…’ series for babies and toddlers come in different prices and have expanded from animals to over 50 titles to include festive treats such as ‘That’s not my elf’, That’s not my Christmas Tree’ and ‘That’s not my Santa’.
(All gift prices are correct 26 November 2025).
How can I make money last longer with gift giving?
- If you want to spend less and are keen to find a cheap but good quality children’s presents, it is a good idea to create your budget early and stick to it.
- Make a list of what you will get children.
- Save up your money and buy gifts early instead of waiting until you receive your last monthly salary before your child’s birthday or Christmas Day.
- Consider joining with other family members to buy presents for children. You could suggest a gift group with family members and friends. This involves each having only one person to buy for and agreeing a spending limit per person.
Money-saving gift ideas for young kids
Parents may be keen to find money-saving solutions. You may wonder if giving your child a cheaper present is even possible.
The good news is children aged up to four years old are too young to talk about, research and compare the latest trendy children’s present with their peers like teenagers do. Most young children can find delight and get pleasure from simple objects.
Children’s gifts do not need to be bought or expensive to be loved presents.
- Very young children often find joy in tearing apart and playing with wrapping paper and boxes. Wrap up a box filled with paper, ribbon and straw for your child.
- Create handmade gifts. For instance, a doll or teddy bear can be hand stitched with fabric and stuffed to create a unique toy for a child.
- Make edible gifts. Chocolates can be given as sweet gifts.
- Source pre-loved toys and games. Make sure the toy displays the UKCA mark on the packaging. While the toys may not be brand new, they are still new to your child. Arrange a book or toy swap with friends, so that children can swap an item for something different.
- Create experiences together for example by getting your child involved in baking.
- If your child is sending letters to Santa at Christmas, encourage them to talk about their wishes and hopes instead of focusing only on presents.
- Giving a child the gift of your time can be one of the most precious treats. This could simply be playing with your child, making them laugh and smile and engaging in activities with them to show them you love them.
How do I know if my child’s toy is safe?
If you are seeking an affordable Christmas toy or children’s birthday present, make sure it displays the UKCA mark on the packaging. This follows concerns that people are unknowingly buying potentially dangerous toys for children.
Toy testing by the Chartered Institute of Trading Standards on a toy bow-and-arrow set revealed the product contained 100 times the legal limit of phthalates. Phthalates are plastic-softening chemicals that are used to make plastic more durable. Testing also revealed a doll set was 300 times over the legal limit.
Fakir Osman, head of the Heart of the South West Trading Standards (which covers Devon, Plymouth, Somerset and Torbay), said: “To safeguard your family I would urge parents to buy carefully from reputable stores and toy companies and avoid dangerous toys that are putting children at risk.
“Always look for the UKCA or CE mark, as this shows that the product has been tested and is safe.”
The Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT) recommends:
- Toys from reputable brands are made to be safe. If you’ve never heard of the seller or the brand and price is very low, it could be dangerous. If toys come from an unknown seller on an online marketplace, a market or small discount store, they may also be unsafe.
- Watch out for cheap copies of popular toys. They may not be made to UK safety standards.
- Check if the toy has been removed from sale because it’s unsafe. Visit gov.uk and search ‘product recalls’.
- If you buy something that looks unsafe, trust your instincts and send it back.
Unsure how safe your child’s toy is? Do these checks:
With children receiving gifts from relatives and friends, the Child Accident Prevention Trust recommends:
- Parents check battery compartments for accessible button batteries or loose spares in the box.
- Check for any loose small magnets.
- Give the parts on a toy a quick tug and check for small parts that come off.
- Look for long cords or access to stuffing.
- Check if there are any age restrictions or safety warnings on the product.
- Report dangerous toys.
- If you spot or buy a toy you’re concerned about telephone: Citizens Advice consumer helpline: 0808 223 1133 Citizens Advice consumer helpline (Welshspeaking adviser): 0808 223 1144. Advice Direct Scotland helpline: 0808 164 6000. Northern Ireland Consumerline: 0300 123 6262.
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