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What to Buy a Teenager
I’ve emptied my brains and wandered down memory lane to recall what I’ve bought the teenagers in my family – both boys and girls. Often, I’ve reverted to gift cards and cash. I know this is really appreciated as they have the freedom to choose or put it towards something they’re saving for. However, I still love the fact that they often want a ‘surprise’ and are still delighted to unwrap a gift – even if it’s just a stocking filler.
Whilst many gift ideas become eye wateringly expensive for teens (phones, tablets – even trainers with the rather expensive Nike Air Force 1) I’ve come up with some cheap ideas suitable for stocking fillers, some eco-gift ideas for the environmentally conscious, some bohemian inspired ideas and tech gadgets.
Eco-Friendly Gifts (£20 and under)
Bamboo Reusable Make Up Removal Pads
My sister recently bought our teenage Niece some bamboo reusable make up remover pads which went down really well (my teenager really wanted some too). There are loads on the market but for a gift, there are lots in beautifully presented in boxes (no plastic packaging). The pads are often made from bamboo and come with a laundry bag, so once used, the pads can be put in the bag and popped into the washing machine, ready to be used again.
Bamboo Razor
For the teenage men, they can be eco-conscious too with a bamboo razor. This one seemed to get pretty good reviews on Amazon.
Double Edge Safety Razor with Long Natural Bamboo Handle | The Perfect Shave | High Quality | Sustainable and Durable | Environmentally Friendly |Fits All Double Edge Razor Blades | Bambaw
by Bambaw
Reusable drinks bottle
Both my children have resuable drinks bottles for school. A popular brand is apparently Chilly’s (although in my opinion any will do if it helps cut down on plastic waste). Chilly’s are popular as they are vacuum insulated which I believe means they will keep the contents either hot or cold for a guaranteed amount of time.
Sprout Pencils – Plantable
A great stocking filler and fantastic concept – a true eco-pencil! The pencils are apparently lead free, non toxic, biodegradable and sustainably sourced. Once the pencil is too short to use, it can be planted as the tip contains a seed pod so it will hopefully grow the plant on the pencil (usually a herb or flower depending on the set).
Lip balm & body butter kit
I’ve been looking for a kit to make with my daughter which has natural ingredients and have come across this one. The product information states there is no palm oil, no toxic chemicals, is nut allergy free and suitable for vegans as it doesn’t include beeswax. The products state it’s shea butter and olive oil so sounds like it ought to be great for skin. This is on my list of things to do with my children over Christmas.
Other ideas
Tech gadgets (under £20 except the switch!)
Webcam Privacy Covers
My sister recommended these and they aren’t expensive but are a really handy thing to have…they are small covers for the camera on devices (phones, tablets and laptops) to give you peace of mind for privacy. You’ll need to check the spec with your tablet or phone but they are certainly worth a stocking filler and a really useful one at that…
Phone Accessories (portable charger shown)
Almost every teenager seems to love their phone so it does provide an opportunity to buy some smaller gifts & accessories related to this. For example:
pop sockets
novelty cable covers
phone holders / stands
portable charger power pack.
I do like the power pack as they are fairly small so easy to carry around and there isn’t any excuse not to call as they have an extra way of charging their phone if they are out and about. My teenager spends hours at her sports events so she has asked for one for Christmas – I’ve looked into this and there are is a huge range to choose from, it’s quite baffling from size, weight, number of charges it holds, design. I’ve had a look for my daughter and one which comes out well in external reviews is this one, so we’re going to give this a go for her.
Phone Stand
A handy phone stand and due to the design the phone can be charged whilst on the stand – much better for a teenagers desk than lying flat on surface ready for the next drink to be spilt!
Nintendo Switch (expensive gadget warning)
I personally loved the wii but the new switch is portable so can be played as a hand held console or linked up to the tv for multi-player so in that way is really useful for a long journey or to take on the go. Our girls love it but it is expensive. We recently bought the fitness accessory ‘Ring Fit Adventure’ as I loved the wii fit games but this is nothing like the games on the wii and in our household the jury is still out on whether this is a good fitness accessory.
Other ideas
Bohemian gift ideas
Wall hangings
Once again, this is straight from my teenagers list of room decorations she bought when she got her own bedroom (I think I might have had something similar as a student too). Having shared a room with her little sister, there wasn’t much she had for her own room so this helped cover one wall by her hanging chair (I’ll try and take a photo once her room is tidy!) There are some beautiful colours but she choose the blues as in the picture. The one trick we did was to neutrally paint the walls but add the colour via items like this so if she wanted a colour change it would be much easier than painting a room again.
Salt Lamps
I’ve bought several of these. The first one I bought for my teenage Niece, as she was working for exams in her bedroom and salt lamps are supposed to counteract the positive ions from computers (the manufacturer says it helps to reduce computer sickness). They are also supposed to help with air quality. To be honest, I’ve no idea if they work but I’m a great believer in feeling as if you’re doing something positive. My niece loved it and if nothing else, it’s a great lamp with a lovely warm glow which I feel is relaxing. I ended up buying some for our house and have one near the computer too. My daughter also wants one for her room so it’s on my list again. There are lots of salt lamps on the market – I think it’s personal preference (size, base etc) but I’ve included the link to the one I bought as it still works, looks great and was a good price.
Diffuser
I’ve bought this twice! One as a gift for a teenagers bedroom and one for us. I think they’re ideal for a teenagers bedroom when used with essential oils – maybe one like lavender before bed or bergamot when studying. I used to burn essential oils but I wouldn’t have candles and burners in my kids rooms, even if they are teenagers and more responsible – I just feel it’s not a risk worth taking so this diffuser is a much safer alternative. There’s so many oils available now and they often come in smaller sample packs so you can try different ones before deciding on your favourite. I’ve bought the Naissance essential oils before (cruelty free) and added a few drops to the water in the diffuser and it works really well.
Hanging Chair
We moved house a few years ago and my eldest finally got to have her own room and this hanging chair was top of her wish list. For the first week in our new house we hardly saw her – she sat in the chair and read books! She would definitely recommend it and 2 years later it’s still going strong. I’ve scrolled though my past orders and this is the exact one we bought. You have to buy the fixing separately – in hindsight we bought one that was probably way too big but it still does the job great!
Other ideas
We hope you’ve found this useful and it’s given you a few ideas – we’ll keep adding to the list to keep the inspiration going.