How to make a kids' gift list everyone actually uses

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Every family has the same December problem: three people buy the same LEGO set, one relative asks you six times what the kid wants, and somebody's thoughtful gift turns out to be a duplicate of something that arrived last birthday. A gift list fixes all three, but only if it's quicker to make than it is to answer the questions. Ours takes about four minutes, and you don't write it — you edit it.

The idea in one line

We suggest the gifts. You cross off what they already have — the one thing we can't know. Then family claims what they're buying, and everyone can see what's covered.

That's deliberate. A blank wishlist is a chore, and Amazon already does blank wishlists. Starting from twelve picks matched to the kid's age means your job is deleting, which takes seconds.

Making one, step by step

1. Who's it for

First name, age, and whether the picks should lean a particular way — or "Either", which most people should use. Then the occasion and, optionally, the date.

Add the date. It's the single most useful field on the page: the invitation shows a calendar tile and a countdown ("that's in 3 weeks"), which is how a relative decides whether there's still time to have something delivered. Without it they guess, and guessing means late.

2. What kind of kid

Up to three chips — Sporty, Builder, Artsy, Reader, Techie, Brainy, Outdoorsy, Performer, Princess, Action hero. They steer the list, they don't lock it. Skip this step entirely if you'd rather see a broad spread, which is often the better answer for a kid whose interests change every four months.

Change the chips whenever you like. The list rewrites itself underneath, and anything you've already crossed off stays crossed off.

3. Cross off what they already have

Twelve gifts arrive already on the list. Hit the ✕ on anything that misses and a fresh idea slots into the gap, so the list never shrinks while you prune. Crossed something off by mistake? "Undo last" and "Put them all back" are right there.

Be ruthless here. You know the toy cupboard; we don't. This is the entire value you add, and it's the reason the finished list is better than anything an algorithm could hand your family directly.

Want more choice? "Make the list longer" adds six at a time, up to forty. Most lists work best around twelve to twenty — enough that everyone finds something, few enough that nobody has to read a catalogue.

4. Save it

Add a note for the family if you like, then your email address. Nothing is stored until you press the button — and the email is how you get back to your list, not a newsletter signup.

Getting it to the family

The moment you save, you get an Invite the family box. Type in up to ten addresses and we send each person their own invitation — no copying, no pasting, and nobody sees anyone else's address. It arrives from "Your name via ToyDecider" so it doesn't read as spam, and replies go straight to you.

There's also a plain link to copy for the group chat, WhatsApp, or anyone whose email you don't have. Same list, same claiming — it works for whoever holds it.

Your two links, and why they're different

• The family link shows the list and lets people claim a gift. Send this one around freely.
• Your private link does all that, plus edits the list, shows you who claimed what, and can turn both links off. Keep it to yourself.

Both are emailed to you when you save. There's no password and no account, which means there's nothing to reset — so don't delete that email. If the family link ever ends up somewhere you didn't intend, open your private link and turn the links off: everyone gets locked out, you get a fresh pair by email, and every claim already made survives.

How claiming works — and its one honest limit

A relative opens the list, taps "I'm getting this", types their first name, and it's marked for everyone. They can undo it. So can you.

Claims are self-reported. We can't see anyone's Amazon orders, so "claimed" means somebody said they were getting it — not that it's bought and paid for. In practice this works fine, but it does mean one thing is worth saying out loud in your note: claim it before you buy it, not after. A gift bought silently is exactly the duplicate this was meant to prevent.

Nine things that make it work better

1. Add the date. Said twice on purpose. It's the difference between a relative ordering today and a relative panic-buying at a service station.
2. Write the note. It's the only part of the invitation in your voice, and it appears in quotes with your name under it. "He's really into jiujitsu now" does more work than any twelve product pictures.
3. Leave a spread of sizes. Gifts are grouped as Little something, Main gift, and Big-ticket. Keeping some of each lets an aunt and a grandparent both join in without an awkward conversation about money.
4. Send it early. Two to three weeks out is the sweet spot — long enough to order, short enough that nobody forgets.
5. Send it twice. Email the people you have addresses for, then drop the link in the family group chat. The people who ignore email are usually the ones in the chat.
6. Edit it whenever. Removing or adding gifts never un-claims anything anyone already called.
7. If someone buys without claiming, just remove that gift from the list. It disappears for everyone.
8. One list per kid. You can keep up to twelve on one email address, so siblings each get their own — and nobody has to work out which half of the list is for whom.
9. Keep the link for next time. Links last two years, so the birthday list can become the Christmas list. Cross off what they got, add fresh ideas, send it round again.

If something goes wrong

• "Our email system won't accept that address." Rare, but our mail provider blocks some addresses outright. Use a different one — everything you've picked stays on screen while you swap it.
• An invitation didn't arrive. Ask them to check spam, then send them the family link directly. The link works no matter how it reaches them.
• "This link doesn't work." The owner turned the links off. Ask them for the new one.

A note on privacy

Gift lists carry a child's first name and age, so they're never indexed by search engines and never appear anywhere on this site. The only way to a list is a link somebody sent you. Preview cards in WhatsApp and iMessage deliberately show nothing about the child either — just that a gift list was shared.

Ready? Make a gift list — it's free, there's no account, and nothing saves until you press the button.

Last checked against the live product on 31 July 2026. Gift lists get updated regularly; if something here doesn't match what you see on screen, trust the screen and tell us so we can fix the guide.