Gift-giving season is upon us, and that means gift-shopping season is here too. Maybe you dread it, maybe you love it – either way, to make it simpler and save you time we asked regular contributor, blogger and local mom Laura Jacobi to cull the web and poll other area moms for the best gift ideas for everyone on your list. These gifts focus on creativity and “edutainment” for the kids, and practicality and sentimentality for the adults — all without breaking the bank. They are sure to please your kids, your spouse and even your parents for the holidays. Happy shopping!

Babies:

• First Year Sonogram Frame. Display your baby’s first sonogram photo and show how she changes from a peanut in your tummy to the crawling or walking 1-year-sold. $19.95 at pearhead.com.
• Flip-a-Face Stacking/Nesting Cubes by SAMi. These flip, turn and teach babies matching skills. Starts at about $13 at various online retailers.
• Dunck Stacking Bath Toys. These three nesting plastic ducks can float or pour, which means they pull double duty as bathtime play props and rinsing tools for mom and dad. They stack neatly for storage after the bath. $10 at various online retailers.
• Wooden puzzles. Classic wooden puzzles of farm animals or household pets are a must have, according to most moms. Melissa & Doug makes a variety of these, with wooden knobs for small hands.
• Alex Jr. Stack a Cake Toy. This stackable toy is made of plush fabric with various textures and tags for curious fingers. The simple setup allows baby to add layers to a cake, and then blow out the candle. Retails for about $17 on amazon.com.
• Ride-on or push/pull toy. Once they start moving, babies love toys they can ride on, push or pull. There are styles and sizes to match every personality, many with music, lights and other fun details.
• Touch and Feel flash cards. My First Touch and Feel flash cards come in several categories, from “My First Words” to colors, shapes and animals. It’s a great way to introduce early language skills using touch. $10-15 per set.

Toddlers:

• LeapFrog TAG Junior Book Pal Reading System. This reading system encourages toddlers to engage with books through music, sound effects, and open-ended questions. Designed for toddlers ages 2-4, the LeapFrog Tag Junior Reading system uses touch technology to allow toddlers to interact and explore the pages of the book. Each Tag Junior Activity book teaches a different age-appropriate skill such as sharing, counting numbers, or learning the alphabet. Available for about $30.
• Wooden train set. Toddlers love trains, and wooden train sets that allow them to build the track and run the train fosters imaginative play and fine motor skills. You can get great sets from Thomas and Friends, Melissa & Doug, and Brio, but there are more inexpensive wooden tracks out there too that usually conform to the standard size of the name-brand sets.
• A tricycle. Find one that will grow with your child. There are styles that have a steering handle for parents, which can be removed when the child is ready to go it alone.
• Building blocks. This is another staple for any toddler. Whether it’s LEGO Duplo or Mega Blocks, building blocks build a child’s imagination. Our son now uses the blocks to build a city around his train tracks. It’s also a good color-sorting tool. You build things with all the blue blocks, then all the yellows, etc.
• Play-Doh play sets. There are tons of Play-Doh sets out there to help direct your child’s imagination. Or you can simply purchase a few canisters of Play-Doh and some plastic cookie cutters; it’s still a great way for little ones to get creative. What kid doesn’t like playing with Play-Doh?
• “Helping Toys.” Toddlers generally love to be helpful (and praised for being so), and they love to do what we’re doing. So look for toys that encourage your toddler to help around the house. There are toy vacuum cleaners and broom sets that can help make cleaning time more fun and less frustrating for everyone. (My son loves playing with our Swiffer sweeper to get things from underneath the table or hutch. So on occasion we put a Swiffer cloth on there and let him go to town. He loves it, and even though it’s tall it’s not too heavy.)
• Wagon. Whether it’s the classic Radio Flyer or a great steal from a yard sale, a sturdy wagon can be fun and beneficial when going to all the area festivals – especially if your toddler already thinks he’s too big for a stroller.

Preschool:

• Crayola Beginnings Color Me a Song. I had never heard of this product, but as I love to infuse music with learning, I think this is great. Crayola Beginnings Color Me a Song allows toddlers to create original music with their scribbles. The faster you scribble, the faster the song. There are four instrument buttons: piano, banjo, trumpet and drum; and four original songs: salsa, rock, swing and country. I found it for around $25.
• UNO Moo: Farm Animal Matching Game. The farm animals have come out of their barn to play UNO! Round them up by matching colors or animals. You can also play a farmer; he's wild and matches anything! The first player to get all of their figures back in the barn wins! This is typically under $25, but I found it on sale for $15.
• Disney’s Mickey’s Mouse-Ke Tag Game. Since my son is obsessed with the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, this one caught my eye. Mickey's Mouse-ke-TAG provides physical exercise while promoting social and cognitive skills. One to six players can play Mouse-ke-TAG. Each of the four levels of Mouse-ke-TAG help children develop a different skill, from basic character recognition to learning letters, so it’s appropriate for ages 3 and up. Basic list price is about $30.
• Swing set. If you don’t have a playground near you (or even if you do!), some form of swing set – from the elaborate wooden sets to the smaller, plastic versions – can provide hours (or at least a solid 30 minutes) of entertainment for your preschooler.
• Kid’s first laptop. These can range in price and functions, but with an engaged adult guiding the child, a kiddie “laptop” can teach your preschooler simple concepts while entertaining them. (Great for long car rides, too!) One recommended by a friend is the Circo Learning Laptop for $18 at Target.
• Play-Doh Creations Make ‘N Color Creatures: This imaginative kit takes Play-Doh to a whole new creative level for preschoolers. It comes with two canisters of Play-Doh and 16 reusable plastic coloring parts that can become wings, legs, heads and any other animal body part your little one can imagine. There are 4 wet-erase markers to color on the body parts and a play mat with pictures of animals they can create, to get their imaginations revved up. At $7.99, it’s a great deal.

Elementary Age:

• Crayola’s Crayon Maker. Create fun crayon color combinations by melting worn crayons into new color-swirl mini crayons. This product runs for about $35.
• CitiBlocs Wooden Building Set. From the research I’ve done, I think these blocks’ unique proportions sets them apart. They enable kids to exercise a wide variety of skills, learning the intricacies of math, balance, architecture and more. Citiblocs building blocks are all the same shape and size, allowing for unlimited building potential. Ranges in price depending on quantity.
• Shape by Shape by ThinkFun. Based on the ancient game of tangram, this game is about fitting 14 pieces inside a puzzle frame. Comes with 60 cards of different shapes to shoot for, or design your own. Addictive for young puzzle lovers, this set also helps develop math and problem-solving skills as kids play. About $10.
• Automoblox Minis. These wood and plastic toys are really popular among little boys. They have detachable wheels and windows so kids can customize their cars, and can connect them together. Starts at $9.99 for one car, set of three for about $30.
• EyeClops Bionic Eye Multizoom by Jakks. This battery-powered educational toy acts as a microscope to magnify anything kids can find — coins, fabric, bugs — and show the images on your TV (it plugs into the A/V jack on your TV). $39.99

Moms and Dads:

• Practicality Wins. Even if she’s asking for something for the house, something you feel is “boring” or “practical,” if it will put her mind at ease and make her happy, then it’s a good gift.
• Honor Who She Is. Think about her personality and her interests, even if she hasn’t had time to focus on them recently. If one of her passions is creating new and different food experiences for the family, a fun cookbook is a good gift. However, if she’s not a fan of cooking but does it when she has to and you think it would be good to get her a “Cooking for Dummies” book – don’t.
• Pamper Her. The one exception to the practical rule is the pampering rule. Moms are constantly thinking of their family and sometimes they need someone to think of them. Pampering gifts such a massage or even a promise of one afternoon a month (at least!) to herself are much-appreciated. My advice is to partner a pampering gift with a practical one. This way she doesn’t feel so guilty about getting something for her because she also received something that will benefit her family.
• Focus on Your Bond. Whether it’s a second honeymoon (I can only dream) or even the promise of a great date night, give her something that will allow the two of you to connect — without kids. If it’s a Date Night you’re giving, do the heavy lifting: Make the reservation, hire the babysitter, buy some flowers, get the kids and babysitter settled, and surprise her by ringing the doorbell to “pick her up” for your date.
• Stay Within the Budget. Moms are mindful this year (and every year) of wanting to celebrating Christmas without interest – meaning not going into debt just to provide a fun holiday. So husbands listen up: Even though your wife would probably love the gorgeous piece of jewelry and the other surprises you splurged on, keep the budget in mind when shopping. Because you know she always does.
• Beer gift baskets. If your husband enjoys a good beer with friends, this is right up his alley. Choose your man’s favorite beer selections in a creative basket or bucket ranging from $40 to $70 from gourmetgiftbaskets.com. There are several other varieties of gift baskets on this website if your man isn’t a beer drinker.
• Tickets. Guys love going to concerts, football games and other events, but once guys become dads there’s less time (and money…) for that. Surprise him with tickets to a cool concert or sporting event he’s been wanting to see.
• iCarta iPod Stereo Dock and Bath Tissue Holder. Many of us remember dad heading into the bathroom with a good book or magazine, but men today are into more electronic devices. This one helps your guy enjoy his favorite music in one of the most important rooms of the house. It retails for about $30 on amazon.com.
• The Roll Up Drum Kit. Keeping with the music lover theme, this drum kit can be rolled up and stored in your desk drawer. It has six sensor pads and plugs into your PC via a USB port. From a practical standpoint, most wives don’t want to give their husband any more distractions, but I have to admit – this one is pretty cool. This is a great, convenient way for guys to wind down or blow off a little steam. About $30.
• IPEVO PoV USB Camera. If your husband travels, this gizmo could really enhance your video chatting. Unlike a stationary web cam for skyping, this camera allows you to see everything he sees instead of being limited to a view of just his face. He can show you and your kids the sights from his window, or blow you a kiss. This might seem insignificant, but after you chat a few times, you’ll really appreciate this feature. $14.99 from www.IPEVO.com.

Grandparents:

• Anything personalized from the grandchildren. Seriously. The best gift is probably the one your kids make for Grandma and Grandpa. Handprints on clay or painted handprints on paper, homemade crafts and cards, the possibilities are endless.
• Digital brag book. There are a variety of brands and styles out there. A portable digital photo album with an 8-inch 800x600 color digital LCD screen is a convenient and innovative way to enjoy and share photos of those precious little ones with all their friends. The important thing is to find one that is easy and holds tons of pictures. That way you can load the pictures every so often when you see them so they don’t have to figure anything out. I’ve learned that if you give them something they have to do (even if it seems small), they’ll never do it.
• Doodlebook Frame by Umbra. This is a way to customize and personalize photos of your kids for grandma and grandpa each time they come to visit. The frame has a sketching pad that is gummed at the top with easy tear-off sheets. This fun and whimsical desktop photo has a cardboard backing and is great for all ages, from toddlers to artistic teens. The kids can customize this frame over and over. $11.55 at www.lumens.com.
• Selphy CP760 by Canon. This compact printer does not require a computer to print photos and is ideal for any tech-phobic grandparent. Just plug in your USB or memory card and wait for the adorable memories to come pouring out. You can usually find one for about $100.
• Pottery with the child’s handprint, name and date. Whether you go to a Paint-your-Pottery shop or to a craft store and buy an at-home kit, this is always a crowd pleaser.
• Photo calendar. Again, these come in a variety of different formats, from digital ones to scrapbook-style calendars. This is a must-have for the grandparents in our family every year. We do one generic calendar for both sets of grandparents and try to use pictures from that time of year. In their birthday months, we always put a picture of that grandparent with the grandchild. Try www.shutterfly.com.