Toddlers are delightful beings, often challenging, and sometimes difficult to please. This means they’re also difficult to shop for.

Here’s a realistic list of what my toddler really needs for Christmas.

It’s that time of year again! Time to bust out the holiday decor, hunker down for the cold season, and make lists for loving relatives who need to know what your kids want for Christmas.

Toddlers can be hard to shop for. They may or may not be obsessed with something like trucks or balls or baby dolls. But because toddlers often have limited interests, they’ll likely get showered with those specific items by generous grandparents. Clothing can be a safe option, but if your family is anything like mine, you’ve got heaps of it and are currently working on sorting outgrown piles into a manageable system of some kind, you hope.

With that said, here’s a realistic list of what my toddler desperately needs for Christmas:

1. Impossibly perfect mittens.

My toddler needs mittens which are warm and waterproof and somehow magically fit and extend up to his elbows, while also allowing him the use of his opposable thumbs.

2. A snack.

A snack saves the day like nothing else can. Preferably something packaged, crunchy, and devoid of nutrients.

3. A banana which is perfectly cut.

This banana may need to be cut in half, or in thirds. Or it may need to be whole. This changes day to day, and is only discovered after the banana is or isn’t launched across the room.

4. A mind-reader.

A mind-reader is needed to figure out if my toddler needs the blue cup or the red cup today, if he wants eggs or pancakes for breakfast, etc. Sometimes my toddler says he wants one thing when he means to say another. A mind-reader would solve this dilemma.

5. A nap.

Probably a long one, because he’s currently transitioning from two naps a day to one, and it’s turned our life on its head. A lactating nipple must remain in his mouth for the duration of said nap.

Related: Dear Moms of Toddlers: It Gets Better

6. “Uppies.”

The child desperately needs uppies, no matter what you’re trying to work on. You must pick him up, carry him around, and show him all the things. You can’t use a carrier though; that would be too easy.

7. A room that is 100% toddler-proofed.

The room also needs to be full of friends (but not so many friends that sharing is necessary), with constantly changing toys for appropriate stimulation. This is the only way to keep him entertained for any significant period of time.

8. A shirt without tags or seams or itchy fabric.

Also without sleeves, as those are annoying after a long naked summer, but the shirt must also keep him warm.

9. The same three books.

These books must be read over and over and over again, pages turned all willy-nilly.

10. Well-rested parents.

Somehow I have faith that St. Nicholas will deliver . What does your toddler really need for Christmas?

Related: 10 Ways to Stop a (Grown Up!) Temper Tantrum

Originally published at Mothering.com

Image Credit: nbklx17 (Sandy)