The equity4success alternative gift guide 2024

Are you fed up of gift guides categorised by ‘gifts for him’ and ‘gifts for her’? We’re back again with suggestions that go beyond the stereotypical baby dolls and bath bombs or toy cars and ties. We’ve split our gift ideas into categories for easy browsing (that doesn’t include gender!) so enjoy taking a fresh look at festive gift solutions that promote science, diversity, and general awesomeness. Check out our previous lists for even more ideas.

We hope you enjoy our suggestions!

Please keep in mind, our selection is purely based on our commitment to supporting equality and diversity and challenging gender stereotypes. We’ve also made an effort to feature products created by people from marginalised groups. We’re not receiving any incentives to feature these products and we haven’t inspected them in person so we can’t say how well they perform. Inclusion in our list is not an endorsement of a product. Prices may vary from those indicated depending on retailer.

Babies

Do you know a baby that’s a little germ factory? Catch that dribble and snot with this microbe themed bib.

Wrap that little one up in portraits of inspirational women. Sure to produce more exciting dreams than visions of sugar-plums.

Families come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and are built in different ways. Introduce babies to a variety of family types and celebrate the joy and love that can be found in all of them.

Kids

This book provides a perfect introduction for kids to recognise and talk about their emotions (and colours). Start healthy conversations about mental health early to reduce stigma and promote wellbeing.

Modern life means many children these days are disconnected from nature. Gift this game for a fun way to instil some botanical knowledge.

The only guide dog you can play with- buy it for your kid! (Remember, service animals are working and are off limits for petting.)

Teens

For the teen who’s feeling crafty, this kit is easy to follow and produces seriously cool scientific art. Good revision if their GCSEs cover anatomy.

If your teen loves games, the Cytosis game might pique their interest!

There are so many great diverse YA books to choose from now (check out #OwnVoices to start) it’s hard to pick just one to recommend. This year we’ve gone for cosy and spooky vibes with a contemporary queer romance.

Secret Santas

Useful but not boring, this tape measure has interesting facts on both sides. They can use it during DIY or just to figure out the best place to store an Oscar in their house.

Did you know over 70% of plastic found in the ocean is discarded fishing nets? Help clean up the seas with a pretty bouy bauble.

Whether they drink tea, coffee or hot chocolate, they’ll surely love to drink it out of this cute mug that shows off their ally commitment.

Non-scientists

From the co-founders of Nerd Nite comes a book full of hilarious short essays on all sorts of STEM topics. From ‘The Mathematics of Gossip’ to ‘What Birds Can Teach Us About the Impending Zombie Apocalypse’, open the book at any page for science made accessible and funny.

Everyone loves a candle, this one just has a subtle science twist but will still leave your home smelling lovely!

Give them the beauty of flowers with none of the pressure of keeping plants alive. This rainbow arrangement is a lovely and subtle nod to LGBTQ+ support.

Book lovers

All you need to know about climate change from A to Z in this hopeful but powerful book.

Dive into this global look into the neurodivergent experience to expand your knowledge.

If you want to learn about ageing research then this is the book for you. Learn from Nobel Prize winner Venki Ramakrishnan.