A stocking gets emptied onto a bed at an unreasonable hour, so everything in it has to work straight out of the wrapping. Five real toys under £20 manage that: an octopus with squeaking tentacles, a bench to bang on, a spinner card game, a light-up cube and a water blaster.
The rule for a real toy is simple: does it do something once the paper's off? Anything that crinkles, bangs, spins or squirts counts. A plastic thing that only sits there looking like a toy doesn't.
Babies and toddlers want to crinkle and bang things
Salty Sam the Octopus is £13.94. He has a soft velour body and a peekaboo mirror, and his tentacles squeak. There's a chime and a crinkle sound too, so the baby gets the full octopus. A ring attaches him to a pram, pushchair, cot, car seat or play mat, which means he's still useful long after the stocking's been emptied.
The Wooden Knock Bench is £15.29, for children over 12 months. The page calls it a pounding toy. That's accurate, and also a fair warning for the grown-ups. The colourful pegs can't be pulled out, so they only go up and down, and that is the whole idea.
The card game for seven and up has a spinner now
Uno Spin is £15.29 and is for ages 7 and up. It plays like Uno until someone puts down the spin card. Then they spin the wheel and do what it says. The page says everyone in the family aged 7 and up can join in, which is a bold promise for a game with Swap Hands on the wheel.
Swap Hands and Double Spin are two of the outcomes, and a comfortable lead can change owners in a single turn. Each card also carries a symbol that identifies its colours, so players with any form of colour blindness can play too.
For the puzzler, and for the one who's never indoors
The Rubik's Pulse Cube is £16.19 and lights up. Scramble the cube first, then press the logo. The colours appear and pulse for one minute before the lights go out, so the clock is on. Press again for more time.
The page pitches it at speedy solvers who want to finish in 60 seconds or less. The 3 replaceable batteries are included, so there's nothing to hunt for on the day.
The Nerf Super Soaker Mega Dunk Fill is £15.29. You fill the 1-litre tank by dunking it in water, then pump the handle to fire. The tank is clear, so you can see when you're about to run dry. It's not a December toy, but a stocking is allowed to look ahead.
The cheapest two here come to £29.23, so any pair clears the free-delivery line.
Free UK delivery on orders of £20 or more. Toys take 7 to 13 working days to arrive, so count back from the day you need them.
Prices read on Wednesday 11 November 2026.