What should I get Carla for her birthday?
(Also: how is she turning twelve????? Wasn’t it just yesterday that I was asking for How to Get Labor Started ideas?)
(I have somehow evaded my typical Carla’s Birthday Melancholia the past two years, possibly because of Moving Stress and then Joy of Not Moving, but it’s back, baby, and it’s better than ever. One of my friends noted that I only have six years left with Carla in my house. SIX YEARS. This is already the third summer we’ve been in this house! Six years will be gone in an instant! SOB!)
Okay, back to the subject at hand.
To be honest, when I think of gifts for Carla, I get so weary. We already have so much stuff. My husband and I decided that our big gift for the kiddo would be tickets to see a play – and we got an extra ticket so we can take a friend of her choice with us. Experiences are always better than things, right?
In terms of other experience gifts, I’ve also toyed with the idea of allowing her to dye her hair (probably just a streak of bright blue or purple or whatever). Carla requested getting a second piercing in her ears, which – fine, but let’s maybe wait a few years for that one. We want to take her to New York City for a weekend (she’s never been), and do all the NYC things… but I think we’d rather save that for when she turns thirteen. (Will a trip to NYC compete with everyone else’s b’mai mitzvah??? Probably not, but we can’t have it all.)
I am looking for a couple of gifts that Carla can unwrap. But it’s not easy. She’s at that transitional age where she’s not quite sure what she wants. She still thinks she likes OMG dolls and the endless array of surprise toys… but whenever she buys one of those things, she loses interest very quickly. (Nonetheless, I think she would get considerable joy from this Miniverse All You Can Eat collection.) She would also enjoy gift cards that she can spend herself; she does not approve of me picking out clothing for her any longer. But the gift card/shopping spree thing is something she often does with her grandmother, so it doesn’t feel quite as special as it should. (I also don’t want to pre-empt her grandmother’s gift idea when I know full well how difficult it is to come up with gift ideas.)
Let’s see. Here are a few ideas I’ve been throwing around.
- Miracle berries: Carla and I have both heard about miracle berries before (they supposedly make sour and bitter foods taste sweet?), but there may have been an article about this in a recent-ish issue of Highlights, so it’s more top of mind lately. These strike me as the perfect birthday gift: expensive enough you wouldn’t buy them for yourself; a purely fun, novel thing to experience and share with friends. Bonus: these are consumable so they would presumably not live in my house until the end of time.
- Candy subscription: My husband requested a Universal Yums subscription for Father’s Day, so we gladly complied. Which got Carla interested in her own treat subscription. I don’t think she’d eat everything in a Universal Yums box, though, so maybe candy would be a better way to go? There’s a fun retro candy club that she might enjoy, or a candy-of-the-month club. I don’t love her eating so much sugar, but she adores candy and adores getting mail and I know she’d get such a kick out of this.
- New scooter: One of Carla’s favorite things to do is to ride around the neighborhood with the neighbor kids on her scooter. Her existing scooter is fine, maybe, even though it’s at least five years old… but is there a better option? Maybe she’d enjoy an electric scooter? (John Hamm, scooters are expensive!!!!)
- New bike: What she could definitely use is a new bike. We got her a bike back in 2020 and it has lasted a nice long time, but she is now too tall for it. The only problem with getting her a new one is that it’s hard to know the correct size for her now – especially if we don’t really want to buy another new one in a couple of years.
- Board game: Carla has always loved board games, and we’ve been on a game kick lately. (Her current favorites are Telestrations and Clue.) I think this Smug Owls game sounds fun. She has either heard about What Do You Meme or played it with friends, because she’s asked for this one specifically. I also think Six Second Scribbles could be enjoyable for her, especially because she enjoys Telestrations so much.
- Sweatsuit: One of the few things Carla has specifically asked for is “a cute sweatshirt and sweatpants set.” I like this one from Abercrombie & Fitch, and I know the pants of that brand fit her. She’s into pale yellow lately, so maybe this one from the Gap would be good?
- Drafting chair: I am really embarrassed that we STILL have yet to get Carla a chair for her craft room. We have been promising that we’d get her one for a long while now, and have never followed through. Would this be a good gift, though, or would it be fulfilling a promise?? You know I love a practical gift, but this almost seems too practical.
- Animals watercolor book: Carla’s crafty and she loves animals. I think this would be a fun intersection of those things.
- Handlebar speaker: This would be perfect for Carla to take with her on bike rides/scoots around the neighborhood.
- Comfy: This is another one that Carla requested specifically. She and my husband got me a Comfy years ago, which Carla promptly adopted. (It was, indeed, comfy, but I don’t need anything that helps make me hot. I’ve got that covered.) It’s possible that the Comfy got “lost” during the move to this house, and now Carla would like her own.
- Book subscription: This, of course, would really serve my never-ending quest to get Carla to read more. But I love that this particular subscription comes with little gifts the reader can open at specific points in the book. That might help keep Carla’s attention and scratch the “surprise gift” itch at the same time.
- UGG slippers: Carla has loved and worn her UGG boots so much since she got them in December that they have holes in the toes. I could probably just get her new UGG boots, but the slippers seem more summer-appropriate, somehow???
- Pool toys: Carla loves to be in the pool, but prefers to be Doing Something (gymnastics, games) instead of Just Swimming. I like these swim-through rings and I bet she would, too.
- Outdoor game: Skee-ball is the only game I’ve ever enjoyed at an arcade, and this flyball game looks like a fun way to bring that game home. The only thing is, I’m not sure Carla has ever played something similar?
- Cookbook: My kid is a picky eater, and yet she is also interested in the concept of cooking things. She often earmarks the recipes in Highlights, and is enrolled in a week-long cooking camp this summer. I wonder if she would find enough things that pique her interest in this book to try? Maybe it would be easier to appeal to her sweet tooth with a baking-centric cookbook instead?
- Cat garden kit: No one is more obsessed with Lenny than Carla, and I think she might love growing and tending to a little cat garden for him. There’s the cat grass version, complete with tools. This option has four separate grasses to grow. Or there’s this luxury cat lawn – wait, this is not a post about gifts for Lenny.
- Cat training kit: Carla loves training the dogs in our neighborhood. Perhaps she would get a kick out of training Lenny?
- Skincare set: Carla requested some skincare items. I don’t know if she’ll use them, but it’s probably good to get started on a routine even if it’s not something she follows exactly. I’d especially like to get her into regular daily application of sunscreen. This set has multiple options.
If you were turning twelve, what would you most want to unwrap? Lenny enjoys the wrapping paper as much as the gifts themselves.
When I was twelve, I loved it when my aunts gave me books that were favorite for them when they were my age. Also, clothes. And CDs. You don’t give kids CDs anymore, much to everyone’s sadness. When I was at a science museum once, I did get to try one of those miracle berry things and then we each had a slice of lemon and you honestly couldn’t taste anything! And then food tasted weird all afternoon, so be careful with that.
Oh interesting tip about the miracle berries! I wonder if it varies from berry to berry and/or from person to person? I am interested in trying it out. But will NOT make any of my favorite meals the day we try them.
I miss CDs, too.
Has she ever played Exploding Kittens? It’s a fun if slightly off-beat game. Also, my kids got a weird little game called Poetry for Neanderthals – trying to describe something with clues only one syllable long.
I think the chair is a great call. Bikes are also good but hard to unwrap. That skee ball game looks cool. And my cats have gone crazy over the cat grass I just bought -the cat garden would be a great gift for Carla to be a responsible pet owner – also fun.
There are never enough soft fuzzy blankets in the world – Comfy sounds perfect.
She loves Exploding Kittens! Poetry for Neanderthals is a new one, though! Haha – yes, bikes are difficult to unwrap, that’s for sure.
I don’t know what 12 YO like anymore, but when I was that age, I would have loved the cookbooks. And I loved record albums at that age, so s NGS mentioned, it’s a bummer that music is not really an option anymore, unless it’s a subscription to Spotify. Going with the candy ideas, a few years ago for our annual cousin party, I bought Bean Boozoled and it was a big hit for all ages. They thought it was hilarious!
Off to look up Bean Boozled right now… Okay, that does sound like something she would love! Not me, though — no way am I taking a chance on eating a liver and onions jelly bean, lol!
I think Carla would love any of these (with the possible exception of the chair… I mean she would probably like to have a chair, but would question its validity as a “birthday gift.” I actually put a couple of these things on my list of Christmas gift ideas! The miracle berries for my kid’s stockings- I’ve heard of them before, and it sounds like they would be a fun thing to try. And, the grass kit for the cats is a great idea (yes the cats do get their own Christmas gifts!)
Yeah, I am really leaning toward “not valid as a gift” on the chair.
Miracle berries would make great stocking stuffers!
Of course cats get their own stockings. I would expect nothing less!
I love when you do gift posts because I get so many ideas. I have heard about miracle berries so many times but never around a gift-buying time. I am going to my Christmas idea list RIGHT THIS MINUTE to list these. I think my kids would love them. A novelty and consumable. Win, win.
Experiences are that stage are the best! I hope she loves the play and it’s genius to buy another ticket so she can bring a friend.
Right?! Going to see a play with your parents: fun. Going to see a play with a bestie: AMAZEBALLS. (At least, that’s how I hope it is received lol.)
You find the greatest gift ideas. You may not think you’re creative but you put me to shame. I’ve never even heard of most of this! Incidentally, we own What do you Meme and it can be R-rated.
R-rated – really?! That is helpful to know!
I’m with Margaret—you always come up with the best gift ideas!
I can vouch for the JBL speakers. I have one on my desk as I write this, playing my music. I originally got it for Mike for Father’s Day last year so he could listen to music in the pool, but we ended up using it indoors all winter. It’s such a good speaker!
JBL makes great speakers! We have a clip-on one that my kid used to take outside with her to the swingset. It doesn’t work with her bike/scooter, though.
The cat garden would be so fun! My nieces are a bit older than Carla, but if they were chiming in they would say that a girl can never have too many Comfys.
Boo to the person who was so rude as to point out that Carla has only six more years of living at home! As if we all weren’t aware of how quickly time goes by. Ya don’t have to say it people!
I got a bike for my 12th birthday. Almost the same color as the one in the picture. Everything changes, but remains the same!
You are so good at this! I think every idea here is perfect! I especially love the cookbooks, that book-surprise kit thing (!) the grass kit, and the sweatsuit (which, if she ends up not loving, is easy to exchange for something else at GAP, which would be a nice shopping date, maybe).
Also, I recommend you do get the things she’s asked for specifically. 🙂
So many ideas…. I don’t know her personally so it’s hard to make a recommendation between all the options, but the things she’s asked for are probably good bets.
We took North and a friend to a play and got them a hair dye job for their twelfth birthday, too! When Noah turned twelve he asked for a weekend at the beach, so that’s what we did. Must be the right age for experience presents.
You have SO many great gift ideas. I tend towards practical gifts and I think if she needs a new bike that would be great. Can you wrap up a miniature bike or a bike horn and tell her that her gift is a bike but that you need her with you? I also was into cooking and baking at that age. I think the cookbooks are a great idea. The pool toys are a great idea and the swim-thru rings look super fun. I’d have been into that at her age. We play a lot of games – more now than we ever played when our bio kids were younger. I think they were more busy with sports and friends. Playing games with our two newbies is a great way to connect. Our family got code names for Christmas, and we are obsessed. I am off to click the link to that skeeball game, because I am forever trying to get the two girls to go outside and ‘they’play’? Do something in fresh air? That looks so fun.
That is an incredibly varied array of ideas! Whenever I work my shift at a gallery/gift shop, those watercolor workbooks fly out the door. I also lean toward the reading club idea, of course.
What I have observed through my years of teaching people how to draw is that if a parent wants a kid to pursue an activity, the kid instantly loses interest. Instantly! Such a hard time of life for everyone—kids, their parents, and their friends too.
A true 80s retro candy box would include some candy cigarettes! Lol. Did you eat those as a child? What a bizarre candy! And yet we loved them. I remember eating them in the summer at the campground where we parked our camper. One of the dads would light the end so it would taste like a roasted marshmallow. What a terrible ideal for a candy though!!
You have some great ideas for her! It’s tough when kids are in that transitional age where they still kind of want toys to open but have also outgrown most toys. I am not great at shopping for bday gifts so I can’t wait for the boys to be old enough to appreciate an experience gift!
You have the BEST gift ideas! I have no idea what a 12 year old likes these days, but I’d say she’s a very lucky girl! Of course I’m most enthralled with the crafting chair and the watercolor book.
Dorothy is getting her ears pierced again too! She loves all things makeup and skin care and would always love to open that stuff. Other good contenders: Lulu hotty hots in any shade, the new Lulu bow scrunchie, Sol de Janeiro anything, The Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy. She loves those Ugg slippers you posted and is wild about Brandy Melville sweats
I’m so late to the party, and so unhelpful because it all sounds good. The berries thing – yes, fun and frivolous and consumable! Yes, the animal art book. Subscriptions are a great gift – I’ve done fun underwear and candy and someone gave ME the books with little gifts and that was SO FUN. Something that goes with the pool? Yes. Something that goes with the cat? Yes. The play ticket plus one for a friend? Brilliant.
And yes. They keep getting older and it’s RIGGED.
I’m so far behind on blogs that I’m just reading this now, but the candy subscription box/shopping spree topics made me think that you should take her to that local candy superstore and let her buy everything she can hold in a certain amount of time!
Carla is a lucky kid, and you are an amazing mom. Seriously – these are great, creative, and thoughtful gifts. I hope she loves whatever you choose, but I also know that there will likely been some tweenishness seeping in. 😉 (It’s not you, it’s the tweenitude!)