Wednesday, November 25, 2020

Really cool gifts for kids and teens with disabilities 2020

Because our kids and teens deserve especially great treats this year. 

A custom t-shirt

Max's favorite phrase is "Los Angeles is my home." His second favorite phrase is "New Jersey is disgusting." How could I not get him the t-shirt?! I bought the one above from Custom Ink and while I can't say it was a bargain, their customer service is exceptional. Within about 10 minutes of placing my order, I got a call from Cindy who pointed out that the color I'd picked might not show up so well. She helped me choose a different one. (For the record: We are expecting Max to wear this out in public only under a jacket, so as not to offend the many people who love NJ.)

A gift certificate to favorite restaurants

You support local business. Your child gets yummy eats. Win-win!

A bean bag chair

The microsuede bean bag chairs by Sofa Sack are highly rated and come in a variety of colors. Find them here

Scented play dough

Aroma Dough is eco-friendly, easy to manipulate and comes in fun scents including Tutti Fruity and Lollipop Lime. Find it here. Crayola makes a holiday-scented gift pack; find it here.

Also makes good scents: Aromatherapy shower steamers

For any teen who loves to shower! You place these aromatherapy shower steamer tablets in a corner of the shower and they just inhale and hopefully relax. Find this gift set here.

Soccer boppers

A super-fun way to get kids' arms moving—these slide onto their hands and they can bop you, their siblings or just the couch. Find it here.

A magnetic connector toy

Magnetic-based toys are great for STEM learning and fun, and can be easier to manipulate than other toys because the magnetics instantly stick. I'm a fan of the ones by Geomag; find this 35-piece set here. Some children may need help with grasping the balls. 

An inflatable sled 

The inflatable winter sled by Funboy has back support and room for two. Find it here

A great fidget

A flippy chain fidget with large-ish rings, like this one by Tom's, can be manipulated in any number of ways. Find it here.

A custom portrait

For any child or teen who loves to look at themselves in the mirror. It's easy: You just zap a photo and get a digital portrait emailed to you. I especially love the colorful ones by Etsy store Pittura Portraits.

An Echo Dot

The latest Echo Dot smart speaker has a clock, too. Find it here.

Spikeball

Super-fun, great for gross-motor and fine-motor skills and extremely bounce-tastic. Find it here.

A microwave pasta cooker

Kinda random but: If you have a teen with fine-motor-skill challenges who's a pasta maniac, like mine is, this silicone microwavable pasta maker by Lekue is easier to manipulate than a big pot with water. Find it here

Conversation cards

There are a variety of these cards available, but I like these new ones—TalkMore Cards— because they're positively worded and encourage empathy and social awareness. Find them here.

A gift box subscription

I've heard great things about Little Passports and KiwiCo. Or try a beauty subscription from Allure or Causebox (which offers socially-conscious products), or a grooming kit for your handsome young man from Birchbox

A pandemic pet fish

This is for any parent like me who just can't commit to a puppy. Betta fish are considered especially low maintenance.

A waterproof speaker

More shower fun for those shower-loving teens (or just any music-loving teen). We have this kind by JBL—available un a bunch of colors—and it's awesome. Find it here.

A gift certificate to a movie theater offering streaming

We recently discovered that one of our favorite haunts, Angelika Film Center in New York City, is streaming indie movies. See if any in your area are offering the same.

And if you'd like to check out previous Love That Max gift guides...

1 comment:

  1. I love these gift ideas! I've always wanted to get a bean bag for our little one. It seems to bring kids such comfort. May just ask for one from Santa this year!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for sharing!