Gifts for older teens new to family

[Anonymous]

My BIL has 2 stepchildren (girl 18 and boy 19) that I would like to get small gifts for when we are all opening presents together. I don’t know them well. Both are in college living near home. They are sporty and quiet. I could do gift cards but it seems so impersonal . . . Yet for people I barely know! Is there a gadget or some item that would be more fun to open that older teens appreciate these days?

[Anonymous]

Good for you for being thoughtful and inclusive! I'd start by asking BIL if he can tell you anything at all about interests they've mentioned etc. You mention they're both "sporty" but that's pretty vague. If you can find out some details that would help ". If both play sports, maybe a great water bottle plus an iTunes card touched into it, or a Tervis tumbler with a favorite team/college logo on it etc?

[Anonymous]

I think gift certificates are fine but for the girl anything from bath and beyon, and for the boy I’d get a solar charger for the phone or a game

[Anonymous]

A sweatshirt from the college that they go to?

[Anonymous]

I would consider maybe an external charger thingy for their cell phones (saw one advertised the other day that is solar powered which is super cool) and maybe some cash.

[Anonymous]

Tucking a gift card into a mug or water bottle or pairs of socks or any other token gift is a great idea.

No itunes cards though. My teens have hundreds of dollars on their accounts. Cash is just fine. Fifties make a nice statement, but if that's out of range, a nice crisp twenty is just fine.

[Anonymous]

Headphones, phone charger/battery pack, fuzzy socks, candy etc. would all be hits with my kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A sweatshirt from the college that they go to?

Yeah, any college logo gear would have been appreciated while I was in school. A hoodie, a tshirt, a hat, a water bottle...anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A sweatshirt from the college that they go to?

Yeah, any college logo gear would have been appreciated while I was in school. A hoodie, a tshirt, a hat, a water bottle...anything.

Giving them gear from their own school? Isn't that what mom and dad already got them during orientation? My college kids don't ask for this stuff.

[Anonymous]

Everyone loves a Target gift card

[Anonymous]

It's so hard to purchase for teens and I agree with you - gift cards are impersonal.

I always have to wrack my brain thinking of gifts for my niece and nephew (they are younger at 14 and 11 but it's still an idea). The last couple years, I've gone with a "themed" goody-bag. My SIL is doing the same with my girls (13 and 11). Last year, she gave them gift bags filled with hot chocolate and hot chocolate related items.

This year for her kids (my niece and nephew), I put together a gift bag consisting of a pair of comfy socks from Barnes and Noble, a monogrammed mug and fancy marshmallows in that mug. You could also include a gift card to BN (or their college bookstore) or Redbox or something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A sweatshirt from the college that they go to?

Yeah, any college logo gear would have been appreciated while I was in school. A hoodie, a tshirt, a hat, a water bottle...anything.

Giving them gear from their own school? Isn't that what mom and dad already got them during orientation? My college kids don't ask for this stuff.

My parents never bought it for my siblings or me. If we wanted it, we asked for it as gifts or bought it ourselves. They paid my tuition, they weren't buy me stuff in addition to that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A sweatshirt from the college that they go to?

Yeah, any college logo gear would have been appreciated while I was in school. A hoodie, a tshirt, a hat, a water bottle...anything.

Giving them gear from their own school? Isn't that what mom and dad already got them during orientation? My college kids don't ask for this stuff.

My parents never bought it for my siblings or me. If we wanted it, we asked for it as gifts or bought it ourselves. They paid my tuition, they weren't buy me stuff in addition to that.

Given that OP doesn't know them that well, anything she gives has a chance of not hitting the mark. At least this is something they would definitely use and appreciate, even if it's a duplicate hoodie (after all, what college kid likes doing laundry). You can include a gift receipt so they can return it for something else from university's bookstore--there will always be something they would appreciate there.

[Anonymous]

College-aged kids are easy to buy for. I'd find one of those nice soup mugs that come with a lid. I found them at BB&B. The mug was ceramic with a handle and the lid was plastic and had a vent hole for microwaving. My kid uses his all the time at school. I'd put a few small items inside the mug; a portable phone charger, an amazon gift card, and a nice lip balm (tinted for the girl).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's so hard to purchase for teens and I agree with you - gift cards are impersonal.

I always have to wrack my brain thinking of gifts for my niece and nephew (they are younger at 14 and 11 but it's still an idea). The last couple years, I've gone with a "themed" goody-bag. My SIL is doing the same with my girls (13 and 11). Last year, she gave them gift bags filled with hot chocolate and hot chocolate related items.

This year for her kids (my niece and nephew), I put together a gift bag consisting of a pair of comfy socks from Barnes and Noble, a monogrammed mug and fancy marshmallows in that mug. You could also include a gift card to BN (or their college bookstore) or Redbox or something.

Most college students will probably be using streaming services to watch movies and binge TV shows. I doubt they'd have a DVD or Blu-Ray player at school, so Redbox wouldn't do them much good. An iTunes or Amazon gift card would let them rent/buy movies or seasons of TV shows that aren't on Netflix or Hulu, though.