Best Christmas gifts for children under five – as chosen by kids themselves (and their parents)

What does an under-five want for Christmas in 2024? Well, according to Ayla, two, from London, it's "a rainbow in the sky". But short of cloud-seeding, what actually are the best gifts to delight young children?

Whether you're a parent whose repeated attempts to get them to write to Santa have failed, a grandparent panicking in John Lewis, or a close (but clueless) family friend, here are 28 ideas for Christmas presents for under-fives direct from kids, and their parents, themselves.

The best Christmas gifts for children under five Chill-out areaTipi tent, £68 dunelm.com £69.99 amazon.co.uk

I'm going to fill the tent with cushions and books from the charity shop and spruce it up with fairy lights because she loves going into tents and is obsessed with books. This will be a nice, comfy, quiet space for her to chill. Beverly, mum ofSofia, 19 months

A space for drawingIkea Flisat desk, £89 ikea.com Art table with paper roll holder, £64.90 amazon.co.uk

I'm getting her this desk because she loves my friend's little girl's one, and drawing, and I want to encourage her not to sit on my desk and draw all over it – instead, she can draw all over hers. The Ikea one is amazing, as it has adjustable legs and a roll of paper. Beverly, mum ofSofia, 19 months

Train sets for kids (and adults)Brio starter train travel set, £30 argos.co.uk amazon.co.uk

Brio sets are the best. I love building a track the night before Ollie comes down and then we play together on the new layout. I love that it's wooden and eco-friendly and will last until we become grandparents. For Christmas, I've been scouring Vinted for another set to add to Ollie's track – people are always selling it and every set will work together. Tom, dad of Ollie, three

Old-school toyPersonalised pink yo-yo, £12.95 personalisedgiftshop.co.uk Pink heart wooden yo-yo, £3.80 amazon.co.uk

I want a yo-yo like at Nana's house. I want a pink one. Effie, three

In the driver's seatFisher-Price garage playset, £45 argos.co.uk £51.55 amazon.co.uk

I'm getting this garage for Jude. The cars go down the ramp, light up and make noise – he loves things like this at the moment. Melanie, mum of Jude, one

Blok partyMega Bloksbuild 'n' learn table, £20 argos.co.uk £19.99 amazon.co.uk

I'm also getting him this building-block table to try to encourage him to stand up, as at the moment he just loves doing frog legs and jumps instead of standing. Melanie, mum of Jude, one

Music, stories – and podcastsYoto Player, £89.99 yotoplay.com amazon.co.uk

Raeya loves her Yoto for listening to music, playing the slot-in story cards and listening to children's podcasts – a guy called Jake does one every day. Ed, dad of Raeya, five

Skateboarding like BarbieSkateboard, £17.50 saltrock.com £24.99 amazon.co.uk

Sofia really wants a skateboard for Christmas. Her favourite Barbie is Renee, who is a skateboarder, and she wants to be like her. Kate, mum of Sofia, four

Paw Patrol cruiserSkye's mighty pup jet, £24.99 elc.co.uk £17 amazon.co.uk

Because I like to play with it! Dashiel, three

Magnetic tilesMagna-Tiles 32-piece set, £35 argos.co.uk 100-piece set, £41.99 amazon.co.uk

Julio loves building things and any form of magnetic tile will keep him occupied for hours at a time. I'll also be keeping an eye out for 1kg bags of Duplo on eBay – there are some real bargains on there. Ben, dad of Julio, four

Story timeToniebox, £79.95 tonies.com amazon.co.uk

Tonies story figures, various, £14.99 tonies.com Gruffalo story figure, £14.99 amazon.co.uk

George loves listening to Tonies on his Toniebox before bed. He's so into The Tiger Who Came to Tea and The Very Hungry Caterpillar and stories like that at the moment. Listening to them before bed helps him wind down, sometimes more than looking at the book. I find it really useful and he's also asked for more. Jessica, mum of George, two

Wearable princessesDisney Frozen kids watch, £29.99 argos.co.uk amazon.co.uk

I really want a watch – I love princesses and I'm excited to wear a princess watch on my wrist. It will tell me when it's 8pm, which is my bedtime. Lara, four

Indestructible drawing padDoodle board, £15.59 amazon.co.uk

These doodle tablets are great for little ones – they keep them busy on long journeys and in restaurants, plus they encourage their imagination and help them learn how to hold a pen. And they're very hard to break! Kerry, Mum of Cleo, two

Decorations and butterfliesBauble decoration kit, £10 flyingtiger.com £7.26 amazon.co.uk

Butterfly puzzle, £15.75 smallkins.com £25.99 amazon.co.uk

For Christmas, I'd like a bauble to decorate the tree, but as a present on Christmas Day, I would like a butterfly toy. Marianne, three

Bird is the wordMontessori bird feeding game, £29.55 projectmontessori.co.uk

Fraser is absolutely fascinated with taking stuff out, putting it back in – and particularly poking anything that looks like a dangerous hole. I think this toy will help with that. Bella, mum of Fraser, two

Let it goFrozen Elsa singing doll, £19.99 johnlewis.com amazon.co.uk

I want Elsa and I want a cake. Why? Because I want it. Ada, three

Power toysLego Ninjago Lloyd's Elemental Power Mech, £17.99 lego.com asda.com

Monster Jam megalodon monster truck, £45.50 argos.co.uk £17.99 for a smaller version amazon.co.uk

I would like a remote-controlled monster truck and lots of Lego for Christmas. I love building Lego kits with my daddy, especially carts. I saw this Ninjago one that looks great. Toby, four

Imaginary playWooden dollhouse, £34.99 smythstoys.com £40 argos.co.uk

Wooden farm set, £55 kidly.co.uk £25 argos.co.uk

I'm hoping to get them toys that will get them playing and imagining, so I think anything with people or animals will help with that. Camille, mum of Pippa and Teddy (twins), two

Supermarket trolleyShopping trolley, £28 johnlewis.com

I want chocolate and a Christmas trolley. I like pushing a trolley around Lidl. Freya, three

Dressing-upRapunzel dress, £35 disneystore.co.uk amazon.co.uk

Doctor's kit, £18.40 elc.co.uk £29.99 amazon.co.uk

I want a Rapunzel dress so I can dress up just like my Rapunzel doll. I also want a doctor's kit. Willow, four

Prehistoric playDinosaur toy, £11.16 rockawaytoys.co.uk

I want a T rex. I want it to be yellow, black, white and blue. Tallulah, three

Helping at home and riding bikesLearning tower, £154.99 learningtowers.co.uk Folding standing tower, £64.99 amazon.co.uk

My son has just started tottering around on two legs and seems keen to "help" in the kitchen. With this in mind, I'm planning to get him a learning tower. It's a wooden structure that stands next to the kitchen counter so that he can see what's going on up there and get stuck in. Paddy, dad of Ruben, one

ScrambleBug ride-on toy, £39.99 tptoys.com £39.17 amazon.co.uk