We recognise that we are raising Ellie unconventionally and in doing so, there are certain things that we don’t wish for Ellie to have, or that she simply can’t have.
As such, we figured we’d put together this list to help people know the kinds of things she can have, the kinds of things she actually enjoys and some specific gifts that we’ve already identified that she’d like.
Please hear this with the right heart. We very much appreciate if you’re thinking about buying something for Ellie and we know that we’re putting an extra burden on people who wish to buy her a gift but ultimately we’d rather her have nothing than something that doesn’t agree with our morals and principles. Our values for raising Ellie are more important to us than not treading on people’s toes and we hope that you can respect that.
Even better than getting Ellie a gift would be spending some time with her. We don’t place as high of a value on gifts as we do on memories or experiences, so if you’re struggling to come up with an idea, just give us a call and come and make some memories with Ellie.
If that’s not an option and you’re having a hard time getting her a gift, then you can always send her some money and we’ll buy her something on your behalf or contribute to her savings fund (whichever you prefer).
With that said, for anyone looking to get Ellie a gift:
Things to avoid
- Anything with a battery or power cord
- Anything that talks, flashes or blares (including books and stuffed animals)
- Anything made principally of plastic (there are some exceptions, like Lego)
- Anything made of an animal product, including leather, cashmere, fur, silk, down and wool
- Sweets/candy or generally any food products but especially anything with animal contents
- Soaps, cosmetics and toiletries, which are often animal-tested.
- Anything branded or which centers around a character, brand or TV show/film (e.g. Sesame Street, Disney, Dora the Explorer etc.)
The kinds of things Ellie likes
- Clothes
- Books
- Duplo
- Wooden toys
- Toys that inspire creativity
- Learning toys
Specific gift ideas for Ellie
We maintain a wish list of things that we know Ellie would like and that fit in with our values. This would be a good starting to point to get a feel for the kinds of things she likes, or to just buy a gift directly from it.