Iraya What to give a child who has everything: one rule and a short list
The problem isn't the child, it's the pile: the big box of building bricks, two scooters, a drawer of cuddly toys that won't close. One more thing on top goes unnoticed. This guide is short on purpose: one rule to filter any idea, and a few ideas that pass it.
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The rule: two questions before you buy
First: can it be done rather than owned? An afternoon out, a class, a short trip, a grown-up job. What you do takes up no space and gets remembered. Second: is it theirs alone, so it couldn't be swapped for another one just like it? Something with their name, their handwriting, their face, or made by you. If an idea gets a yes to either question, it won't end up on the pile. If it gets a no to both, it's just another toy, however lovely.
The short list
- An experience that happens soon. At 3 or 4 a voucher for three months' time means nothing; make it the same week: a theatre show, the wave pool, the train to a nearby city.
- A term of classes in something they want to try: swimming, an instrument, drama. Enough to find out whether they like it without committing to a whole year.
- A voucher for time with you, with a date on it, for an afternoon they get to plan: no siblings, no phone. It sounds like very little and it's what they ask for most.
- Something “grown-up” that says “I trust you”: a head torch, a compass, their first child-safe kitchen knife, an alarm clock.
- Materials for creating, not consuming: good watercolours, a simple camera, a children's sewing or woodwork kit.
- An object you won't find in any shop because it carries their face and their name: a personalised book with a dedication written by you.
The book with their face is the odd one out on the list, and that's why it fits
A child who has everything already has books; what they don't have is one in which they are the main character, drawn from a photo, with their name in the text on every page. Depending on age and interests: Super Hero Saves the City if capes are their thing, Dinosaur Valley if they prefer adventure; with a brother or sister, The Mystery of the Torn Map and The Magic Button feature both of them. It's a hardback, 20×20 cm with 33 pages, costs €39.99, and you write the dedication on the first page yourself.
A figure from behind the scenes: the 317 families who have created a cover at Iraya up to October 2026 have made 446, more than one per family. They try two books or two photos, compare, and then decide. It's a gift chosen calmly, not at the last minute, which is why it's worth starting a couple of weeks before the date: you see the cover for free in about two minutes, and if you're not happy with how it has turned out, we redo it free of charge before printing. If it's a gift from the grandparents, there's a guide written for them; by age, the ones for 4-year-olds and 8-year-olds; for Three Kings' Day (6 January), the deadlines are in the Christmas guide.
Our books
Super Hero Saves the City
The Princess and Fumarola the Dragon
Dinosaur Valley
The Sock Planet
The Mystery of the Torn Map
The Magic ButtonFrequently asked questions
What can I give a child who has everything without spending anything?
Time with a date on it: an afternoon they plan, a recipe you make together, a night camping in a tent in the living room. It passes the first question of the rule above.
Does an experience work for a 3-year-old?
Yes, if it happens soon and it's concrete. At that age they don't understand a promise months away; they understand “on Saturday we're going to the theatre”.
What if they already have a personalised book with their name?
It's not the same thing. Books with a name slot the word into a fixed text with a generic drawing; in ours the character has their face and their hair, from a photo. We explain the difference in this guide.