The ultimate gift guide: These are the 4 products your children really want

Are you still unsure what should be under the Christmas tree this year? You can’t go wrong with technical gadgets when it comes to children, and good devices provide great joy long after Christmas.

However, parents shouldn’t just blindly choose any product. Nothing is worse than the disappointed faces of children when the Christmas present turns out to be not that great or, in the worst case, perhaps doesn’t work as originally intended.

1. Game consoles

2. Tablets

3. Music boxes and Bluetooth speakers

4. headphones

5. Don’t miss an offer

Of course, children often want the well-known brand products from advertising and not a cheap alternative – that was the same for many of us in childhood. Of course, parents don’t always want to buy the expensive products, but if the child wants a Nintendo, an all-in-one games console with 30 bad games for 29 euros might not be the best choice.

So let’s take a look at four popular categories and find really recommendable products that will bring a lot of joy and prevent long faces on Christmas Eve. Tip: For expensive gifts, you can perhaps team up with grandma and grandpa or give the game consoles to all the children together if you have several.

Game consoles

Games consoles have been on countless wish lists since the 1990s at the latest. But which console to buy? The Nintendo Switch is our clear recommendation for children of primary school age. There are numerous child-friendly, colorful games for the console – and many popular games such as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe offer a multiplayer mode if you have several children or their friends are visiting.

There are now three different Switch models – the regular one, a slightly higher quality one with an OLED display and the handheld Switch Lite. We recommend the classic models that can be operated on a television. Whether it’s an OLED model or a classic switch is up to you. However, the latter is cheaper and you won’t notice any difference on the TV. Here are two current Switch offers where you can get the console at a good price.

Are you looking for a games console for older children or teenagers? Then we would recommend the PlayStation 5 from Sony. The console is far superior to the Switch in terms of performance; games simply look much better on the device. The PS5 can also be used as a Blu-Ray player. The “Slim” model of the console is completely new. This has more internal memory and the drive can be easily replaced if it breaks.

The PS5 is also available with games in a bundle. You can find the currently best PS5 offers in the linked article.

Tablets

Tablets for children are also likely to be very popular with many people. The devices can be used for surfing, playing, streaming, but also for learning. Good children’s tablets are characterized by a robust protective cover, but even more important is the ability to configure parental controls so that the little ones move around in a child-friendly environment.

The Fire HD 10 Kids tablet from Amazon is particularly suitable for preschool children. It offers sufficient performance for learning content, games, etc. The 10-inch display is sufficiently large and the protective cover is thick and robust.

Parents can configure the parental controls extensively, and they also get a year of “Amazon Kids+” free with purchase. Here children can find games, books, apps and more. Amazon also offers a “2-year worry-free guarantee” – if the device is defective, it will be replaced immediately.

The Fire HD 10 Kids is available in the Pro version for children of primary school age and older. This is characterized above all by a slightly thinner protective cover. Otherwise, parents can also configure extensive restrictions here; Kids+ and the worry-free guarantee are also on board.

Should the tablet also be used at school and, if possible, work well for a long time? Then our recommendation is: Buy an Apple iPad. The devices receive updates for many years and have large performance reserves. Of course, the tablets are significantly more expensive than the Amazon models, but you will be able to enjoy them for a long time.

Our price tip: Go for the 2021 model – this is the model that still has a home button. It is a good 150 euros cheaper than the newly designed version from 2022. Of course, the iPads also offer the option of setting up extensive parental controls. There are also practical accessories for the tablets such as the Apple Pencil or keyboard cases. If you want to ensure the best protection, you can use a sturdy protective cover.

Music boxes and Bluetooth speakers

Should there be a music box for children under the Christmas tree? There is a market leader here, but also two interesting alternatives for children. Let’s first come to the most famous box, the Toniebox. Parents can’t go wrong with this model. Although the box and the small Tonie figures are not a bargain, the selection of listening content is huge and significantly larger than the cheaper alternatives.

The Toniebox also offers the option of uploading your own content to the so-called “Creative Tonies”. The battery life is up to seven hours, and the internal memory can hold up to 400 hours of listening content.

Parents can also restrict sound operation using the mobile phone app. In addition to the speaker function, there is a headphone output. The individual pre-recorded Tonie figures cost between 13 and 17 euros, but they are sometimes available on offer for a little cheaper.

Another approach: The “Hörbert” is significantly more expensive, but also more sustainable. Over two hours of content is pre-installed on the music box, and pre-recorded memory cards can also be ordered. Also possible: You can copy your own content onto the memory cards.

The wooden radio play box is shockproof and waterproof, has a microphone and internet radio and is powered by rechargeable batteries. This means that the box doesn’t end up in the trash because the built-in battery dies at some point, which is sometimes the case with competing products. If desired, WLAN and Bluetooth can be deactivated. Nine playlists can be started using the colorful buttons on the front. Of course, like the other devices, there is also a sleep timer integrated.

Do you have older children in the household? Then a music box is probably no longer an option. Instead, you should choose a “real” Bluetooth speaker. This allows you to easily stream music or radio plays and audio books from your cell phone to the portable speakers. The speakers from JBL are a price-performance recommendation.

For just under 120 euros you can get the JBL Flip 6. Despite its size, the compact speaker ensures a decent sound in the children’s room or outside, and it is also protected against water. The JBL Charge 5 provides a little more pressure – at 140 euros it is a little more expensive, but it also serves as a power bank and can charge the cell phone while playing music.

headphones

Special headphones for children are primarily characterized by the fact that they offer a volume limit and do not get too loud. Tonies offers suitable headphones for the Toniebox, although they do not offer Bluetooth but are connected via cable. The “Tonie eavesdroppers” offer soft padding and a volume limit of 85 decibels.

An alternative with Bluetooth and cable option: The JBL JR310BT offer a battery life of up to 30 hours and can also be used as a headset thanks to the integrated microphone. The on-ear headphones can be connected via Bluetooth or audio cable.

Although there is no volume limit, the OpenFit from Shokz offers significantly more safety on the way to school. They are significantly more expensive at 150 euros, but rely on a special concept. Despite the compactness of in-ear headphones, they do not close the ear canal, but leave it open. The music reaches the ear canal via small miniature speakers, while ambient noise such as traffic noise remains audible.

Despite the open concept, the earphones offer good sound and, above all, are very compact. They are also protected against water according to IP54. The battery life is up to 28 hours.

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