Bethany Cole
A Grand Rapids mom of four whose gift guides come from shopping four different ages at once, and noticing what's still played with in March.
Bethany Cole lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with her husband and four kids, ages 2, 5, 9, and 12. In a family that size somebody's birthday is always coming, and Bethany is the one the whole extended family texts first: what does a 5-year-old actually want, what's worth it under $50, and what won't make the 12-year-old roll her eyes?
Four kids at four ages means Bethany is shopping every developmental stage at once, all year long. She sees which toddler gift gets carried around the house for months and which one is abandoned by New Year's. That's the standard her guides are built on: not what looked exciting under the wrapping paper, but what's still played with in March.
Her gift guides also pull from the whole Kivios team's testing. If Grace's crew stress-tested a science kit or Maria's kids found a craft set worth the money, it's in the running, right alongside the toys, games, and stocking stuffers Bethany's own four have put through the wringer.
She owns our age-by-age guides, budget roundups, and holiday and occasion picks, and she refreshes them each year as her own kids age through the brackets.
What she tests
- Age-by-age gift guides: toddler through preteen, updated yearly
- Budget roundups: the best gifts under $25 and under $50
- Holiday & occasion picks: Christmas, birthdays, Easter baskets, stocking stuffers
You can email Bethany at Bethany_Cole@kivios.com.