You know that family? Maybe it's a neighbor or a friend or maybe it's your sister and her husband and kids- the ones who use 'weird' soap, always have some sort of 'health contraption' running at their house when you show up and are constantly telling you of the life changing green slug they have been drinking lately. Well I know that family, because it's our family.
Every year around this time I get emails, Dm's and comments saying something to the affect of "Oh my goodness, this person is so hard to buy for because you never know what they're doing, using and trying lately! You remind me a lot of them, Alyssa, with what you share and what your values are, can you give me some ideas?"
Well HERE IT IS my ultimate gift guide to help you find the perfect gift for the Super-Crunch, Travel Loving, Outdoor Exploring, Organic Eating, Babywearing, Co-Sleeping, person who is always carrying around a giant water bottle- in your life. Maybe they even sent you this list when you asked what they wanted.
These are some tried and true favorites that we use in our home often.
(Some links in this post include affiliate links or Discount Codes where we make a small commission at no additional cost to you!)
They are divided into categories by each of our family members and I have provided options at a variety of price ranges.
For the Crunch Mom:
Wanna spend $5-$10?
Acupressure Dots or 'Ear Seeds' These are great for your crunch moms who prefer acupressure to monomolecular drugs sold by Big Pharma to addict people and control their pocket book and life. Anyway...moving on...
Organic cheese cloth- for all of that fermented food, yogurt and sour dough she's been making or will be making now that she has this!
Wanna spend $10-$50?
Essential Oils Diffuser - if they don't have one they want one and if they do they want another! (This link has 3 different sizes for different room sizes)
Books (Here are a few of my Favorite Authors: Dr Joel Furhman, Dr Joel Khan, Dean Ornish, John and Ocean Robins)
CRUDE Cleanse System. Taking skincare to the basics using simple oils to cleanse your skin instead of petroleum byproducts, harsh chemicals and detergents. You can also get 20% off of your order with the code ALYSSA20 (Yes, even if they have another sale going on or you subscribe for another 20% off!)
A Jar of Raw HAWS BEES Honey- how can it get any more pure than that. This is one of my favorite gifts to give to my feeling crunchers because they appreciate all the painstaking working we go through to preserve the quality of this beautiful, naturally wax and pollen speckled honey.
Wanna spend $50-$150
Essential Oils (We use Doterra and Young Living. The one I linked is my FAVORITE christmas time oil to diffuse!)
Instant Pot -With all that cooking a Crunch Mom is doing to be sure she knows exactly what is in each meal she needs ALLLLLLL the gadgets! If she doesn't already have one you're about to be someones new BFF
Vivo Barefoot Shoes - this is for the Crunch Momster who likes to have her feet free and au natural but is normal enough to not want to make everyone else uncomfortable with that. My favorites are the LITE because they move around like a pair of socks would and I can leave them on all day without feeling restricted! Your feet will thank you... your knees will need to get use to having to do a little more work the way they were designed to. They also have a very handy size calculator that can tell you your size just by you taking a picture of your foot next to a standard size sheet of printer paper! So if you can some how subtly take a picture of someones foot next to a white paper then you'll know exactly what size they need without giving yourself away!
Wanna spend over $150?
Berkey Water Filter (Here is the one we have. Also, beware of fake Berkey that can be contaminated with other heavy metals and are not stainless steal or safe!)
For the Crunch Dad:
Wanna spend $5-$10?
Wanna spend $10-$50?
The Sprout Book by Self-Made Sprout Expert Doug Evans who because so while looking for a hack to eating healthy homegrown food without having a space to garden, time or money
Waffle Mix from Local Juicery THESE ARE THE BEST WAFFLES IN THE WORLD and now not only do they sell a mix for them they sell it in their online store that you can get shipped right to your door! Do we still go to Sedona just to order these?... Yes... do we have to tho?... Only if we want to :)
Glass meal prep containers for lunch at work- because he brings his own lunch, and he keeps taking the family dinner pyrex!
Alpha by HAWS BEES Moringa Leaf Powder: sooo good for you! They either already use it and will be blown away you have found our brand with such high quality (right from our very own trees that we planted ourselves) or they have read about the amazing benefits of the Moringa leaf and they have been wanting to try it and haven't gotten around to it. If you want to impress them even more make a suggestion on how to consume by suggesting they put it in their morning smoothie.
Wanna spend $50-$150
EMF Radiation Protective laptop case by SAFESLEEVE if you have ever heard your crunchy loved one say anything about not sleeping next to your phone this is the gift for them! Phones aren't the only EMF producing product the use!
Alpha By HAWS BEES CBD Ru - so amazing for sore muscles but the Menthol takes it to a whole new level or relief and doubles as a great chest and foot rub during a cold (without all the literally DEADLY IF CONSUMED poisons that are the first 4 ingredients of VICK's... not saying we recommend eating it though, not to mention they warn against using it on babies or more than 3 times a day right on their own website because of the affect it can have!) so if the Alpha by HAWS BEES menthol Variety is in stock snag it while you can! If not go classic. Either way you can't go wrong with the straightforward ingredients and spot on potency. While you're checking it out take a look at the impressive 3rd party tested potency results that we post publicly! (Did you know most CBD products do not actually contain the potency that they claim?! That's actually why we started making our own for personal use and then people kept asking us to sell it! And now here we are.)
Hammock Camp Chair. Take it to the great outdoors or just pop it up at home in the back yard in your bare feet to get some grounding it
Wanna spend over $150?
Therabody Thereagun Mini.
Small but mighty this first of it's kind muscle tension reliever pounds away the pain. Grab this and a magnesium supplement and you will have one happy work out Loving Crunch Dad. Also, don't be like me any try to buy a slightly cheaper brand the first time and get one that wears out in 6 months and smells like burning electrical wires for 3 of those months.
SQUARE ONE Chris Beat Cancer's Online Class- this class changed our lives and we didn't even have cancer threatening us to take it! It's a great class for those who want to overcome cancer without the traditional side affects of the medical system (including the $$$$ side affects). It walks you through exactly what Chris did when he was diagnosed with Colon cancer, what he wish he had done differently and what he things you can do if you're going through it vs. trying to prevent it. It is a phenomenal resource for anyone who is looking to get their body running optimally through our simple and inexpensive God-given resources- the food around us as well as shedding light on the importance of emotional recovery for healing ie forgiving those in your life who have wronged you and calling it quits on things in your life that cause high amounts of stress.
For the Crunch Kid (Brighten is 4.5):
Wanna spend $5-$10?
This is the age they really start to realize that their family does things differently than other families. Brighten has allergies so although she is use to not having treats when other kids do she really lights up when there is something for her! All of our family on both sides is always asking for alternative options for her.
We love raw nuts, fruits and vegetables but every once in a while we get her own 'version' of some things her cousins have around her.
Chocolate Conspiracy Hot Coco Mix is a recent find for us. It is out of Salt Lake and we LOVE it! Although we are just fine mixing maple syrup, cacao and cashew milk this makes it a breeze out of town and visiting family! Check out the ingredients!
Here is our favorite dairy-free chocolate bar HU Brand has been a long time favorite and you can sometimes catch them BOGO FREE at sprouts! That's when we really stock up! They also have some new Grass-Fed Dairy Milk Chocolate if you're into that.
(contains coconut)
To replace candy we sometimes use Sweet Smarts but ultimately prefer to just nix the candy saturated traditions or swap for new none food variations (swap ginger bread house making for elf house making out of old PRIME boxes and colorful puff balls stuck on with glue dots) and instead of emphasizing cookie decorating for Santa, and stockings full of candy we emphasize putting out oats for the reindeer and stockings with small fidgets- especially things that light up because our girls like that.
Wanna spend $10-$50?
This unstained wooden doll house from Ikea is perfect for a plastic free, Imaginative gift! I love that it comes ready to hang as a shelf and we have it hung on the wall in the girls room so that it doesn't get tipped and it saves precious floor space in our small home! I got some hand painted peg dolls and my dad made her some mesquite wood furniture, from an old log, last Christmas and it has been by far one of the most used toys in our house this year- by both girls!
Hydroflask Water Bottles perfect for plastic free families no matter the reason
H&M Organic Cotton Toddler Clothing Options
Learning or 'School' Material for Homeschooled Kids.Try this Learn to read in 100 lessons Book that we LOVE (mom of child will probably have a list of curriculum that she wants so reach out and ask if you can get something as a gift!)
Wanna spend $50-$150
We love when our kids are active! Especially outside gettin that VitD! Any sort of experience based gift will be treasured by a crunchy family! One year my sister got Brighten a life jacket and then we went rafting with them in Colorado!
A trip to the zoo together or a National Parks Passport Book and a promise to take them on a hike at the nearest national park will never be forgotten!
Or Grab them an America the Beautiful Pass (gets you into ALL National Park, Monuments and Memorials for an entire year for just $80! You can purchase at any National Park!
Our Family buys one every year and always gets our moneys worth! The month you purchase it is the month it expires the following year so don't be afraid to buy it in December, because it will be good all the way until the next December not the calendar year!
Wanna spend over $150?
Gross Motor Montessori Toys are the best! We love our balance board. The girls use it as a slide on the couch, as a bridge, a fort and so much more!
The Pickler Triangle will be our next addition once we have the space for it.
Montessori Toys are great for Imaginative Play (most crunchy families enjoy imaginative and multipurpose toys where there is no 'wrong way' rather than brightly colored eye catching toys that tell you exact directions on how to play).
A Trampoline or a jump castle or even a swing set are sure to be a favorite for the whole crunchy clan. Although we don't abide by or believe in every Montessori philosophy most of it aligns really well with our lifestyle so if you're not familiar with Montessori methods especially for young children go give it a quick Google Search and learn a bit about it.
For the Crunch Baby (Sage is 18 months):
Wanna spend $5-$10?
Wood and Silicone Teethers. As a Crunch Family we avoid plastic more than the average person but ESPECIALLY for babies who are teething and put everything in their mouth!
Simple Things in Things toys. Sage is at the age where putting anything INTO something else is fascinating. We got her THIS wooden ball and box toy this year.
Glass bottles, Silicone and and Stainless steel cups are what we use in place of traditional plastic options.
For toys we focus mostly on things made of wood, natural rubber, glass, stone, organic cotton fibers (be aware that natural rubber can get brittle and break so you need to watch closely around small babies). If youre interested in why you can check out THIS BLOG I wrote about reducing your Childs toxic load or THIS PODCAST I recorded about the top toxins in textiles and baby products.
Wanna spend $10-$50?
Organic Baby Clothes: (some of our favorite brands)
Make Make Organic (we like their little girl dresses. Comfy for the girls, easy to crawl in and cute. This brand is also great for gifts because they come in individual cloth bags)
Tenth and Pine - we love their graphic tees. This is where all the girls 'honey' and 'sweet as honey' and 'Organically Grown' Shirts people often ask about on my instagram come from
Mebie Baby (we love them for their basics and neutrals that go with anything)
The Simple Folk is one of my all-time favorites for SLOW fashion. These items will last forever and not disintegrate in the washer after the first use like their fast fashion competitors. The only down side is you can expect the price to match. Changing your mindset to have a few good quality pieces that kids wear over and over again and then pass down from kids to kid (they have tons of gender neutral options which most crunchers like me love because they know how much quality clothing costs and want to get as much use out of it as possible) I love all of their clothes and they have some for mama's too! It has very cottage core vibes and makes you want to go move to the country and make sour dough when you look at their website. These orders come with dust bags too.
H&M has some great affordable options for babies and toddlers too but you have to sort through to find the organic stuff and most of its is made with organic cotton but not GOTS or OEKO-TEX certified.
Or just pick up a box of Honest Diapers or wipes! Babies at this age care more about the paper they're ripping off anyway. They're happy with anything. And even if we are cloth diapering it's always nice to have a few packs of disposables around for all our travels!
Wanna spend $50-$150
Minimalist Play Kitchen from Ikea (Full disclosure we don't have this kitchen but I love it and suggest to everyone who asks because it's the one I already have designed into the girls play area of our house plans and it's, of course on brand with IKEA, very simple and calm colors). There is also this cheaper iteration for those looking for something even simpler or more affordable.
A Baby Balance Bike (my friend suggested this when her so got one and loved it. Sage loved the challenge and has slowly learned to get on and off, balance, ride and steer in just a few months of use
Wanna spend over $150?
We love Nuna brand products. If you listen to the Podcast I suggested above you know why. When it comes to shopping for baby gear and carseats there are surprisingly few options when it comes to the material quality and sourcing. The focus on impact safety is great but as something your baby is going to be riding in daily any toxic off gasing (especially since it is not suggested to purchase used carseats) is going to be happening right there in your back seat!
We have both the Nuna Pipa and two of the Nuna Rava carseats and our Travel Stroller is the compact but still-infant-carseat-compatible Nuna TRVL (if you have older kids an umbrella stroller usually works just fine for travel and is a lot less of a stress to make sure it doesn't get broken). They have the prettiest colors and I would get something other than black except that we eat a lot of messy and colorful food and it would just look so gross after a short time so I stick with the 'Caviar' color for everything. Look at this color though:
Speaking of the Travel Bag I've mentioned a few times here is the Travel Bag I use for our Pipa and Brighten actually uses THIS CARSEAT and IT'S TRAVEL BAG when we travel, rather than her Rava because it is SUPER light and handy making about HALF the size of The Nuna Pipa when both are packed up in their travel bags.
We get asked often about why we chose the Pipa over the Pipa Lite so just adding this for those wondering: we chose the OG Pipa (we actually have the Bugaboo Turtle One trim package if youre getting technical- because it matches our stroller) and suggest against the Pipa LITE for frequent fliers like us because although its a pound or so lighter than the original Pipa it is not made for use without the base. Meaning anywhere you fly, any uber or taxi you get in or even transferring it to grandma's car for a quick babysitting venture- you're going to have to lug around the base too. Making it over all a LOT heavier than the Pipa. This might not bother people moving it from car to car but for us our protective airport bags have precious extra room for other baby essentials we cram in there like baby blankets and diapers that we don't want to have to give up for a carseat base. Or if you're staying in a big city and using taxi's and ride shares you're going to have to cary that base around the city with you! Yikes! If you do get the Pipa Lite we suggest getting an extra base and think twice if you enjoy traveling or use ride share often (check out their NEW Pipa Urbn if you live in the big city and use ride shares and Taxis more than your own car!). For homebodies Pipa Lite is still a great and lighter weight option :).
To finish of the list I want to say to everyone who cares to match someones lifestyle with the gift you give them you are so thoughtful! Keep in mind that families like ours are extremely adaptable (you have to be in a world where you do things a little differently than everyone else). If you have a great idea or something not on the list be confident! I can't speak for anyone else but for us when someone gifts us anything we are always extremely grateful and feel the message of love! We never get annoyed or expect people to cater to us in a specific way. <3 Remember giving gifts is about expressing love and if people miss the point of that it doesn't mean that you got the wrong thing. Unless you bought this:As a parent This is always the wrong thing . Haha
Happy Gift Shopping and a Very Merry CHRISTmas.