Whys & Finds

Pick a unicorn gift she will use every day. Before you order, check the size in inches, what age it is made for and what she does with unicorns.

Show Notes

What is a good Christmas gift for a 3-year-old girl who loves unicorns?

A unicorn gift she will use every day, chosen after you check three things: the real size in inches, what age it is made for, and what she actually does with her unicorns. The CPSC, the U.S. product safety agency, says to "choose toys that match each child's interests and abilities."

Ellie and Ben talk about buying blind: choosing a gift from a picture, then finding out it does not fit. They talk about what she does with her unicorns, why a unicorn that sings and flashes leaves her less to do, checking a backpack's size with a tape measure, a plush unicorn she can take out for a hug, and a unicorn lamp for her room that an adult switches on.

Sources:

Whys & Finds is made by Naturally KIDS.
This episode uses AI-generated voices for both hosts.

What is Whys & Finds?

The whys parents and gift-givers ask about little kids, and the finds that actually get used. On Whys & Finds, two hosts, Ellie and Ben, take one question per episode, answer it up front, and are honest about when something else would suit a child better. Both hosts are AI-generated voices. Made by Naturally KIDS.

Ben: She's three, and she loves unicorns. So you search "unicorn gift" and get page after page of pictures. You pick one, it ships, and you never really find out if it fit.

Ellie: Welcome to Whys & Finds. I'm Ellie.

Ben: And I'm Ben.

Ellie: Today: what's a good Christmas gift for a three-year-old girl who loves unicorns?

Ellie: Let's keep it simple: a unicorn gift she'll use every day, not one she looks at once. Something she carries, or something that lives in her room. And before you order, check three things. The real size in inches. What age it's made for. And what she actually does with her unicorns.

Ben: That's more homework than I usually do for a gift.

Ellie: It's about five minutes of reading. And it's the difference between a gift she uses and a gift that sits in a closet.

Ellie: The mistake I want to talk about has a name. I call it buying blind. You choose from a picture, and you never check it against the real child.

Ben: Let me play that out. You're the aunt, a few states away. You find a unicorn backpack. In the photo, it's on a kid who looks older. You can't tell how big it is. You order it, it ships, and you hear "she loves it" on the phone.

Ellie: And then?

Ben: Then you visit. The backpack hangs down to the back of her knees. So it goes in the closet.

Ellie: That's buying blind. You saw a unicorn, and you never checked the size.

Ben: So what size should it be?

Ellie: The CPSC, the U.S. product safety agency, has advice for holiday toy shoppers. It says to "choose toys that match each child's interests and abilities." That's the child she is now. Not a kid two years older.

Ben: So no "she'll grow into it."

Ellie: Not for a gift you want her to use now.

Ellie: Now, the unicorns. "She loves unicorns" is a start. But what does she do with them?

Ben: Isn't that overthinking it? She loves unicorns. Buy a unicorn.

Ellie: That's how you end up with the closet. Some kids carry their unicorns everywhere. Some line them up and put them to bed. Some want unicorns all over their room. Those are three different gifts.

Ben: Okay. Fair. But I'd guess she does all three in one afternoon.

Ellie: Some do. Then ask the parents which one happens every day.

Ben: That I can ask without spoiling the surprise.

Ellie: ZERO TO THREE, a U.S. nonprofit focused on early childhood, has tips on choosing toys. About toddlers, it says: "They enjoy roleplaying as characters like kings or queens." A unicorn can be one of those characters. So a unicorn she carries around and talks to is a real choice. It doesn't have to light up or teach anything.

Ben: And the unicorn that sings and flashes?

Ellie: ZERO TO THREE has a line for that too: "The more a toy does, the less your child has to do." If the unicorn does all the singing, she just listens.

Ben: So a quiet unicorn leaves the voices to her.

Ellie: Yes. She does the talking.

Ben: Say she's a carrier. Her unicorns go everywhere. What do I check?

Ellie: Take a backpack with a plush unicorn on the front. Naturally KIDS makes them in a few sizes. Find the size in inches on the product page. Then hold a tape measure up and picture it on her back.

Ben: A tape measure for a gift. Okay.

Ellie: It takes a minute. The inches on the product page and a tape measure give you the real size.

Ben: And the unicorn itself? Is it sewn on?

Ellie: No, the plush is removable. She can take it out for a hug and put it back.

Ben: So the unicorn is the toy, and the backpack is the everyday part.

Ellie: Two gifts in one box. Now, if you can't decide between the sizes, I'd lean to the medium. It holds more, and she'll use it for longer.

Ben: Wait. Isn't that the thing you just warned about? Buy it bigger so she grows into it?

Ellie: Go on.

Ben: You said to buy for the child she is now, not a kid two years older. She's three. A backpack that fits now gets used now. And if you haven't seen her in months, you're guessing anyway. So when you're guessing, guess smaller.

Ellie: You're right. I argued against my own advice there. For a three-year-old, the small one. The medium can wait for a later birthday.

Ben: I'll take that win.

Ellie: Now, the girl who wants unicorns all over her room. A unicorn lamp, for example.

Ben: A lamp? That sounds like a gift for her parents.

Ellie: Partly, yes. It's for her room, and the grown-ups run it.

Ben: So she doesn't switch it on.

Ellie: No. A grown-up turns it on as part of the bedtime routine. She gets a warm light shaped like a friendly animal, and it brightens story time.

Ben: Okay, that I can picture. What do I check before I order?

Ellie: Where it will stand. A dresser or a shelf with an outlet close by. The lamp comes with an LED bulb and a step-by-step setup guide, and a grown-up sets it up.

Ben: And when she outgrows unicorns?

Ellie: The lamp still works. It's a lamp for all ages: a kid's room, a teen's room, a home office or a living room.

Ben: So the backpack is a gift for her, and the lamp is a gift for her room.

Ellie: That's a good way to say it.

Ellie: Now, a few different situations. If she already has a backpack she uses every day, look at a set of six plush unicorns, each a different color. That's a whole row to line up and put to bed. A unicorn book for story time works right away. If the parents asked for no more stuff, time with you is a gift too: a walk to the park, a story read together. And if her unicorns are making room for dogs or dinosaurs, the same backpack comes with a dog, a giraffe or a T-Rex.

Ben: Okay, let me see if I've got it. One: don't buy blind. Check the size in inches, not just the picture. Two: choose a gift that matches her interests and abilities. That's the CPSC. Three: ask what she does with her unicorns every day. Carry them, put them to bed, or look at them. Four: check the size in inches with a tape measure, and check what age it's made for. If you're guessing, guess smaller. Five: a lamp is for her room, and a grown-up switches it on at bedtime.

Ellie: You've got it.

Ellie: And if a unicorn backpack for her, or a unicorn lamp for her room, sounds right, Naturally KIDS makes both. The backpack arrives gift-ready in a kraft box, and the lamp comes in a box ready to give. Just check the inches first.

Ellie: That's it for today. A reminder: the voices in this episode are AI-generated. Whys & Finds is made by Naturally KIDS.

Ellie: That's today's why. See you at the next find.