
What should go in the advent calendar?
The advent calendar is a favorite among children during the festive preparations, as it offers a bite of chocolate every morning, or in worse cases, cocoa milk coating mass. Parents who do not want to deprive their children of the excitement of opening windows but are not keen on supporting the brutal morning insulin rush, look for alternative solutions.
And then they realize that the market for ready-made advent calendars still shows significant shortcomings. If you don't like the mainstream chocolate calendar, there are the building block and plastic trinket versions. And if these don't fit either? It's time to brainstorm what to put in the advent calendar!
Story Calendar, Experience Calendar
Story and experience calendars offer a very charming solution for those who like to spend even more time with their children during the advent season. These calendars provide emotional and intellectual nourishment for the whole family instead of traditional sweets, as they hide a shared experience or an exciting story for each day.
In the case of the experience calendar, you don't necessarily have to think of big things: besides the cinema or theater, children will be happy with joint cookie baking, indoor picnics, popcorn making, or hot chocolate on the couch. The story calendar can even make the evening routine easier, as reading the twenty-four stories requires some calm.

If the chocolate calendar is the real deal
Fathers sometimes, and grandparents often look puzzled when the mother 'decides' that there is no need for a chocolate calendar - but of course, the mother is right. There is no need for palm oil, hydrogenated oils, various artificial colorings, and large amounts of sugar for children under three, especially under one year old. Sure, we-also-grew-up, nothing-happened-to-us, and we-shouldn't-deprive-the-little-darlings-of-all-joys, but we cannot completely ignore the rules of complementary feeding and the basics of a health-conscious lifestyle even during the holidays.
However, if for practical, convenience, or desired reasons we decide to surprise our child over three years old with a chocolate-filled advent calendar, make sure to choose a calendar filled with quality chocolate, sourced from verified sources, preferably with lower sugar content. (The most popular is not always the tastiest!)

What should go into the advent calendar if we make it ourselves?
The beauty of homemade advent calendars lies in the fact that we can completely tailor the contents to the personality of the child receiving it. (For younger children, be especially careful to ensure that the surprises always match the current phase of their dietary introduction, and for older children, always pay special attention to checking for allergenic ingredients.)
A single piece of chocolate or a tiny gummy candy won't stop the world, but it's better to choose more natural options even among sweets. The calendar bags can include dried fruits, apple chips, oat bars, mini honey, nuts, fruit puree, vegetable chips, fresh fruit, quince cheese, or even snack sausages if the child likes them.
Alongside these, we can sneak in stickers, tattoos, small cars or hair clips, mini stamps or play dough, craft sets, bath bombs, bath salts, candles, crayons, or dinosaurs according to the child's preferences and interests.
