Your choices for your child's Christmas presents

Soon the letters for Father Christmas will be flooding into your homes and you're going to have to make choices to spoil your children, please them and give them the magic of Christmas, without forgetting your values and personal ethics. You're going to be (over)solicited by marketing campaigns with ever more tempting offers, with Black Friday sales, catalogues from the big names and supermarket promotions...

Marketing campaigns are designed to do just that, to trick our brains into letting go of our ideals and lighten our wallets. Because it's easy and because we live in this consumerist world.

So I'm writing you this post today! Take it as a reminder of your values, the little lighthouse candle that lights the way and guides you through the tumultuous ocean of over-consumption of industrial Christmas toys...

Here are the questions I'd like you to ask and answer before you do your end-of-year shopping:

• Will this toy appeal to my child? Or does it appeal to my inner child?
• Does the toy match my child's current interests, abilities and needs?
• Is the material healthy and safe for my child's health? 
• And from a sensory point of view, is it interesting or enjoyable?
• Is this toy open enough for my child to use it to his or her heart's content?
• Does this toy or game correspond to my values? Are the values or symbolism conveyed by this toy the same as those I want to pass on to my child (warlike symbolism, polluting vehicles, make-up palette, feminised/sexualised dolls, etc.)?
• Can I find this game or toy second-hand? The manufacture, transport, storage and end-of-life of a toy all have an impact on our environment.
• Is this toy made responsibly and ethically? In which country, what are the working conditions there, who makes these toys in the workshop or factory?
• Can I make this game or toy myself?

That way, you can make informed, conscious choices when it comes to buying toys that suit your child and your requirements. Yes, that's right, be demanding in your consumer choices, because children don't have a say in what's on offer, and they're the victims of your choices. So you have a major responsibility here: to offer them the best, a simple equation between their needs and your values.

At the same time, you'll be optimising your spending, buying fewer quality items that last longer. You'll be preserving your child's play and living space by preventing an accumulation of toys, allowing them to play with their toys freely, avoiding conflicts over tidying up, and encouraging boredom and, by extension, creativity!

I hope it speaks to you, that it guides you in your journey towards more responsible, sustainable and ethical consumption. And to make choices that are more in tune with your child's natural needs.

Read on to find out more about my guide offered on free toys: