Baby, Toddler and Big-Kid Advent Calendars for the Christmas Countdown

November 3, 2022
The countdown to Christmas is almost as fun as the holiday itself, and with every passing day, your kid’s excitement will escalate as Santa’s arrival approaches. Watching classic Christmas movies, working on festive craft projects and reading books filled with holiday cheer all add joy to the season. Another way to have a merry moment? Interactive kids’ advent calendars that will help you make the most of this special time. Advent calendars come in all shapes and sizes, but the concept behind each remains the same: Countdown the days in the run-up to December 25th.
Celebrating baby’s first Christmas? Embrace tradition from the get-go and choose an heirloom-quality advent calendar you can reuse every year. There are also tons of age-appropriate toddler advent calendars on the market to browse—from toy advent calendars to options filled with sweet treats and festive books. And, of course, big kids will love a themed advent calendar too. Ready to start your search? With so many styles and brands to choose from, it’ll be hard to pick only one children’s advent calendar from the bunch. Check out a few of our favorites for babies, toddlers and big kids below.
In this article:
Best baby advent calendars
Best toddler advent calendars
Best kids’ advent calendars
Black-and-white baby advent calendar

Searching for a baby advent calendar? This pick by Wee Gallery is a safe bet. Newborns will be attracted to the high-contrast black and white colors, which appeal to infants that are still developing vision perception. It’s made from organic cotton and features a crew of winter woodland animals with a pocket for each of the 24 days leading up to Christmas.
Embroidered baby advent calendar

Boden’s cotton-canvas baby advent calendar offers families a great way to build up to the big day. The appliquéd and embroidered pockets are perfectly sized for little treats with slightly bigger pockets for special gifts on the last three days of the festive season. It's finished with velvet ribbon hanging loops, and comes with its own storage bag to keep it safe for the other 11 months of the year.
Santa advent calendar for kids

Make the wait for Christmas a lot more fun with this Santa-inspired advent calendar for babies, toddlers and big kids. Fill the pockets with little surprises, so that children look forward to every new day in December. Bonus: For an added fee, you can personalize this design.
Keepsake baby advent calendar

Customize this baby advent calendar with your child’s name and the year to create a lovely keepsake that celebrates their first Christmas. Jot down a note with your festive activities and precious memories in each daily section. It’s a lovely alternative to traditional advent calendars—especially if your little one doesn’t eat chocolate yet.
Plush angel baby advent calendar

Little girls and boys will love this magical advent calendar. Shaped like an angel, the plush style has numbered pockets just big enough for the attached star to slot into. Meanwhile, parents will adore the neutral colors and woven material that fit right into modern Christmas decor. There are sweet reindeer, Santa and nutcracker designs to choose from as well.
Custom kids’ advent calendar

Searching for an heirloom-quality advent calendar that your family can enjoy for many holiday seasons to come? Then this option is sure to check all of the boxes on your list. We love how unique the decorative handmade pockets are—they’d be perfect for filling with sweet treats, small toys or Christmas activity tokens. What’s more, you can even add your last name or your children’s names to the top to make it extra special. You’ll look forward to taking out this kids’ advent calendar every year!
Rustic Christmas countdown sign

Though this next pick isn’t a traditional baby advent calendar, just imagine how cute it would look in baby’s nursery! The sign’s minimal, rustic aesthetic pairs well with modern Christmas decor—and thanks to the light-up gold stars, it will twinkle as you and baby get ready for bed. (How many sleeps till Christmas?)
Farmyard-themed advent calendar

The best toddler advent calendars are educational, festive and fun. We adore this farmyard-themed design by HABA. Designed for kids between the ages of 2 and 4, this set includes 24 wooden animal figures, plus a book filled with questions that encourage children to engage with the story and strengthen literacy skills.
Train advent calendar for tots

Shopping for a toddler train-enthusiast? This set includes train tracks, characters, rail signs and more. Once Christmas morning arrives, your kiddo will have a full train set to build and play with. All aboard for festive fun!
Toddler advent calendar for dino-lovers

Searching for an advent calendar for your dino-loving child? Check out this rawr-some pick by Meri Meri. The imaginative set features 24 pieces, including multicolored dinosaurs and foliage figurines, that will delight your child leading up to Christmas.
Peppa Pig advent calendar

This toddler advent calendar lets eager kiddos open a new window every day. Each tab features a festive surprise gift—and when kids make it to Christmas Eve, they’ll have a ton of tiny toys to create Peppa-themed holiday scenes. Suitable for ages 2 and up.
Wooden countdown calendar for tots

You and your kids can decorate this miniature magnetic tree by discovering a new ornament every day. The reusable wooden advent calendar, which comes complete with a Christmas poem on the back, will kickstart a fun family tradition to look forward to year after year.
CoComelon kids’ advent calendar

This toy advent calendar for tots is the perfect pick for your household’s CoComelon fans. Each day, your kiddo will be surprised as they peel back a window to find one of 24 toy figurines and festive accessories. As December 25th inches closer, your child can create an imaginative Christmas scene with all of their favorite characters.
Gingerbread advent house

You can reuse this gingerbread house-shaped advent calendar every holiday season. Fill the interchangeable drawers with candy, small toys or sweet messages, and rearrange them each year for an extra surprise.
Unique kids’ advent calendar

Next up is a unique advent calendar for crafty kids (and adults!). Made from eco-friendly paper, this house has numbered trays filled with festive, reindeer characters and cute accessories. By the time December 25th rolls around, your family will have a fully furnished playhouse on your hands.
Wooden village advent calendar for kids

We’re big fans of KiwiCo—especially the awesome play kits for babies and toddlers—which is why we were hyped to hear that they released a new kids’ advent calendar. Starting on December 1st, kids open a new envelope each day and make the project inside. Throughout the month, their winter wonderland display will grow—and by Christmas Eve, they’ll have made a whole festive village.
Disney storybook advent calendar for kids

Encourage your little one’s passion for reading with this unique kids’ advent calendar. The collection comes with 24 different stories for 2- to 6-year-old bookworms to enjoy. That’s one bedtime story for every night leading up to Christmas! Each small paperback tells a timeless Disney tale—some they may be familiar with, others will surprise and delight them.
Creative Lego advent calendar

Is your child a mini-architect? Check out this unique Lego set that’s full of festive fun. This toy advent calendar will keep little builders busy with 25 presents to unwrap and construct, including Christmas market stalls, Santa’s sleigh and other seasonal delights.
Christmas baking advent calendar

Calling all aspiring bakers! If your child loves to help out in the kitchen—especially when sweet treats are involved—this kids’ advent calendar is sure to be a big hit. As you countdown to the big day, you and your kiddo will be surprised with a specialty ingredient, a baking tool or a recipe. When put together, you’ll be able to create six different types of holiday cookies—how fun!
Build-A-Bear kids’ advent calendar

Have a beary merry Christmas season with this advent calendar from Build-A-Bear! In total, six mini plush toys and 19 clothing pieces are behind each peel-back flap. Your little one will love dressing their new fuzzy friends up in fun outfits as December 25th gets closer.
Play-Doh toddler advent calendar

A playtime staple is now more festive than ever before. With this Play-Doh toddler advent calendar (for ages 3+), children can mesh and mold their way to Christmas day as they sculpt festive designs. The kit comes with playmats, tools and all kinds of surprises, including a can of sparkly white Play-Doh (faux snow!).
Sticker advent calendar for kids

We’re yet to find a child who isn't crazy about stickers—that’s why this pick earned a spot on our list of the best kids’ advent calendars. The illustrated design comes with 12 sheets of Christmas-themed stickers and daily creative prompts to build anticipation for December 25th.
Buildable advent calendar for kids

Build and rebuild your advent calendar each day with this cool Magna-Tiles construction set. The tiles of this jolly, gingerbread house reverse between multiple floors, roofs and walls, allowing children to build infinite designs.
Fun elf advent calendar for kids

If your kids can’t wait until your family’s elf returns from The North Pole each year, then this is the advent calendar for you. The unique train-shaped design is full of daily surprises that come together to build a railway that travels through a Christmas tree farm. And, of course, all of your kiddo’s favorite characters are included, such as elves, reindeer and more!
Toy advent calendar for kids

Get kids pumped for Santa’s visit with this toy advent calendar. The scene reveals a family baking cookies at home, while Santa is getting his sleigh ready for Christmas night. An added bonus: It also comes with three full-size cookie cutters so that you can create yummy treats as you celebrate together. Suitable for ages 4+.
Harry Potter advent calendar

Bring your kiddo the magic of Hogwarts this holiday season. This cute, limited-edition kids’ advent calendar includes tiny toy versions of the most popular Harry Potter characters for them to play with for years to come.
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