Too Much ‘Stuff’? The Best Vancouver Experience Gifts For Your Baby or Toddler This Holiday Season
If you’re anything like me, when it comes to shopping for babies and toddlers, the last thing any parent needs is more stuff taking over the living room (Hello, Vancouver shoebox-life!). It is Just. So. Overwhelming. Experience gifts are really the way to go - they spark joy for longer than 5 minutes (which let’s be honest, is usually how long it takes for a baby to be over it), creates memories, and avoids the avalanche of colourful plastic to trip over. Whether you’re gifting for your own little ones or someone else’s (or want to send the grandparents some inspiration), here are the top experience-related ideas (with a couple of thoughtful products sprinkled in), that hit that sweet spot of fun, meaningful, and ridiculously useful.
1. Nature & Adventure Days
Kids are tiny explorers, and Vancouver is basically a playground. Think:
Grouse Mountain: Now with a fun play park at the top, Family Passes are the way to go (& get the best Santa photos in December!)
Capilano Suspension Bridge - regular admission gets you a free annual pass if you’re a BC resident, including access to all of the holiday lights.
Maplewood Farm - Old MacDonald on repeat
These outings are screen-free, outdoor, and guaranteed to burn off energy (hallelujah).
2. Art, Music & movement classes
Many baby & toddler activities offer gift cards you can purchase, to put towards a class:
Chorus & Clouds classes - located on Main Street, you can buy a gift card to put towards their art & music classes for infants, toddler, or preschoolers.
Tumbletown - a safe space to roll, tumble, & flip has has got to be on every toddler’s wish list.
Uphoria Yoga - Our friends at Uphoria offer postnatal & toddler yoga classes… a present for baby AND mom.
Little Words Studio (Burnaby) - This adorable studio runs baby sign & music classes, as well as drop in playtimes.
Little Sensory Co (Burnaby, Surrey, Langley, Delta & Richmond): Baby sensory workshops support early development through lights, music, textures, and play… and are one THE funnest baby-focused things you can do. Gift cards can be purchased over email ($20 covers one class).
3. Local Annual passes
Think of these as gifts that keep on giving all year. Perfect for rainy day midweek outings, when you don’t want to be cooped up at home.
Vancouver Aquarium - Parents love the built-in rainy-day plan. Toddlers love fish. Everyone wins.
Science World - Learning and a great indoor playground in one!
4. Performance Tickets
Even tiny humans deserve a little showtime. Carousel Theatre is all about kid-friendly shows… and while most are from preschool-age up, there’s definitely some that babies can attend… including the occasional Baby Rave. Short, sparkly, and absolutely magical.
5. Open Play Passes
A lifesaver for those unhinged afternoons.
Playscape - Main Street’s play cafe offers pre-paid packages, as well as gift cards. The perfect playdate spot!
Kidopolis - Richmond’s play centre offers gift cards, and is a great spot if your pre-schooler is into pretend play
Oh My Land - Purchase single admissions or packs for indoor ride-on bliss, water play, and ball pit fun in Coquitlam.
10-pass for any toddler gym - These spaces are built for running, sliding, and wearing them out… purchase from the Rec centre you want to attend, or even better, grab a Vancouver Park Board Gift Card that can also be used towards classes, swimming, etc.
6. An adorable keepsake
Okay, so this is still a physical product, but it’s oh-so-meaningful and I promise it’s not going to add to your pile of multi-coloured plastic. Print and add family photos to a cuddle book from local, mom-owned company Cotton Lane, for the perfect gift for littles to flick through. Cotton Lane even provides templates like photo collages, flashcards, and nursery rhymes via their free digital library… a fab resource in itself (picture colouring pages, advent calendar activity cards, scavenger hunts etc). And even better, use the code “Flock15” for 15% off your order.
7. Capturing Memories
Gift a family photography session, for the present that truly lives on. Years from now they’ll cherish the memories from this ‘season’ (even if it feels particularly hard right now!). Our go to is Mona Iredale Photography… not only is she a MotherFlock group facilitator, she captures a moment in time so naturally. MotherFlockers get 15% with the code MotherFlock… send her an email to organize and she’ll get you a cute card you can print as a gift.
8. Practical-but-Fun Gear
Either put together a little basket or bundle of next season/size up of supplies, and/or accompany with a gift card to a go-to brand. Because parents appreciate useful - but cute - things… and it’ll take one thing off their purchase list for next year. Themes might look like:
Next season’s rain gear - think rain boots, umbrella, waterproof gloves, or a gift card for Jan & Jul.
Swim/summer gear - think floaties, sunhat, sunscreen, sandals, or a gift card to Honeysuckle Swim Company.
9. Memberships, Subscriptions & At-Home Play
Perfect for routines and rainy days:
A Yoto player (storytime without screens? yes please.)
These spark independent play or are perfect for incorporating “quiet time”… aka a present for you too! ;-)
10. Gifts That Support Their Future
The least glamorous but most appreciated category:
Contributions to their RESP fund. It’s not flashy, but parents will silently weep with gratitude. Some banks offer a way to give an RESP Gift cheque, or you can set up an gifting link through websites like Embark.
Experience gifts aren’t just presents - they’re an invitation to connect, explore, and make memories that outlast any toy. Whether you go big with an annual pass or small with a cuddle book, these ideas are guaranteed to delight the tiny humans and relieve the exhausted adults raising them.
