Not all gifts are created equal, and Kylie Kelce is here to break down the ones that parents everywhere secretly wish didn’t exist. Kylie Kelce, soon-to-be mom of four and wife of Eagles center Jason Kelce, has no problem calling out the holiday gifting pitfalls that parents dread most. On a recent episode of her podcast Not Gonna Lie, Kylie laid out her top holiday gift grievances with her trademark wit and candor. Here’s what she had to say—and why you might find yourself nodding or laughing along as you see how Kylie’s list compares to your own holiday gift experiences.
1. No toys that require super complicated assembly
Kylie’s first plea to gift-givers is simple: leave the complicated setups at the store.
“No toys that will require more than five minutes of assembly. Don’t do that to people,” she said. “A kid sees a box and sees the picture of the toy. They immediately want to play with it, and you know what they’re going to do the whole time you’re trying to assemble it? They’re going to stand behind you and say, ‘Are you done yet? Are you done yet?’”
Pro tip: If you’re gifting something that requires assembly, consider putting it together before wrapping it up. It’s a small gesture that saves parents from Christmas morning chaos—and earns you major brownie points.
2. No glitter. Ever.
If you thought glitter was harmless, think again. For Kylie, it’s a holiday enemy.
“I am still so shocked that we have not figured out a way better than a glue base to keep glitter attached to surfaces,” she vented. “This is coming from a mom of three girls. Pretty much everything we got has glitter on it, and it makes their hearts so happy. I can’t veto glitter as a whole, but I need you to get something that glitter is sealed. I need it attached to that surface. I need it not leaving it.”
Parents of glitter fans everywhere are likely bookmarking this one for future reference.
Try This Instead: Opt for mess-free art kits like glitter markers, which give the sparkle without the mess, watercolor sets, Magic Marker pads, or reusable sticker books. These encourage creativity without the chaos of glitter explosions.
Related: Kylie Kelce keeps it real: Pregnancy is ‘zero out of 10, don’t recommend
3. No loud toys without volume control
Loud toys might bring kids joy, but for Kylie, they’re a fast track to the trash can.
“When Wyatt was two, she got an electric drum set, and it had one switch on it: on and off. It had no volume control,” she shared. “I tried taping over the speaker. I tried putting it on a blanket. I could not get it to not be just assaulting everyone’s ears when she was playing with the toy. And so it got retired after a week of living in our house.”
Pro tip: if you’re gifting anything noisy, make sure it comes with a volume knob.
4. No living creatures
For Kylie, the holidays are stressful enough without adding a new pet to the mix.
“Please don’t gift my children living creatures. I don’t want anything with a heartbeat,” she said firmly. “Let’s be real. You’re not giving it to the kid. You’re giving responsibility to that parent. I’m proud of myself when I can keep three children alive each day. I don’t need to be working on any more pets, specifically pets that I have not chosen to bring into my household.”
Try This Instead: Faux pets like interactive stuffed animals or Tamagotchi-style digital pets can give kids a sense of responsibility without adding to the household workload.
5. No toys with too many pieces
If a toy comes with countless parts, chances are it’ll create more headaches than smiles.
“I don’t know about you guys, but once the kids start playing with the toys that have a million pieces, I then have to go around and pick up all the little pieces,” Kylie explained. “Eventually some will end up under the couch or in the trash or, honestly, sometimes in the fireplace.”
Kylie added, “Most likely it will end up as a not-full set. And then what good is that? You’ve now created a negative dynamic between the two of us. I’m holding a grudge. You’re going in the trash.”
Pro tip: If you want brownie points, opt for a gift that solves the problem instead of adding to it. Things like LEGO storage containers are great for organizing not just the colorful (and often strewn-about) bricks, but other small toy sets as well.
6. Special bonus: No toy weapons
While this might seem like a no-brainer, Kylie made it clear that toy weapons are a hard no in her household.
“We’ve received a couple of weapons at this point,” she revealed. “I do believe if you listen to another podcast, you may have heard when Ellie got picked off in the backyard by an airplane gun by Wyatt. They’ve proved that they have not earned the trust required to receive weapons. Because they will try to take each other out.”
Try This Instead: Promote cooperative play with board games, sports gear like soft foam balls, or imaginative playsets like a play kitchen or dollhouse.
The bottom line
Her insights offer a much-needed reminder: the best gifts bring joy—not stress—to the whole family. So, before you wrap up that glittery, loud, 500-piece toy set, take a cue from Kylie Kelce and ask yourself: is this going to make a parent’s life easier, or harder?
Related: Kylie Kelce shares her honest reaction to ‘gender disappointment’ in pregnancy: ‘I cried for a solid 30 minutes’
