Squishy advent calendar, buy one ready-made or fill your own
A squishy advent calendar you fill yourself costs more per door than a ready-made one, but you get to pick every piece to suit your child. Order by Monday 9 November and it all arrives before door number one. Not every door needs a squishy, either.
Quick answer
Order by Monday 9 November. With 7–15 business days for delivery, everything is with you by 30 November at the latest. Four squishies for the December Sundays and Christmas Eve come to about €36 to €40, and small treats fill the other doors. Our mini squishies are sized for calendar pouches.
Christmas Coconut Oil Squishy Ball in Gift Box, 6.5 cmView
Ready-made or DIY squishy advent calendar?
A ready-made calendar saves you an evening. You hang it up and you're done. But the maker decides what goes inside, and that doesn't always suit the child who opens a door every morning.
| Question | Ready-made | Filled yourself |
|---|---|---|
| What's inside? | 24 minis the maker picked | whatever you choose, some doors without a squishy |
| Right for the age? | whatever the box says | you check the age on every piece |
| Effort | none | one evening and 24 pouches |
| Cost | NeeDoh 69.95 AUD in Australia | about €36 to €40 for 4 squishies |
Per door, the ready-made calendar wins on price. Filling your own makes sense when you care about the size and the age rating of each piece. All sizes and ages in this guide are the maker's specs.
What to check on a ready-made calendar
NeeDoh's 24-piece calendar is the one most people know, and by late September it had sold out at many US shops. It isn't the only option. On 22 October 2026 we looked through 354 advent calendar listings in squishy web shops, and the middle price worked out at roughly 32 euros.
Search for one in Australia and Google offers "squishy advent calendar australia" and "squishy dumpling advent calendar" as you type. Be careful with dumplings. The UK recalled "Squeezy Dumplings" in June 2026 because the skin contained 20 mg of benzene per kilo (Trading Standards). If you buy a ready-made calendar, look for a maker or importer address on the box.
How much does a DIY squishy advent calendar cost?
The small squishies in the table further down cost €8.99 to €9.99 each in our shop (as of 26 October 2026). That's enough to do the sums for every plan.
Three Sundays of Advent fall in December this year, on the 6th, 13th and 20th. Add Christmas Eve and you have four special days for a squishy behind the door.
Above a certain order value, shipping in the EU is free. With four squishies you are close to that line, and a fifth piece usually tips you over it. If you shop from Australia or New Zealand, our product cards show prices in AUD or NZD and the sums below will look different. What shipping costs and where free shipping starts is on the shipping page.
| Plan | Squishies | Total in euros, without shipping |
|---|---|---|
| Sundays and Christmas Eve | 4 | about €36 to €40 |
| one extra | 5 | about €45 to €50 |
| every third door | 8 | about €72 to €80 |
| every other day | 12 | about €108 to €120 |
| all 24 doors | 24 | about €216 to €240 |
So a squishy behind every door runs to a three-figure sum, even with the cheapest pieces. Sweets or stickers fill the other doors.
Which squishies fit in an advent calendar pouch?
A round squishy takes up more room than a flat fabric pouch suggests. Here are small squishies from our range with their size and age rating.
| Squishy | Size | Material | Age per maker |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mini ice cube | 2.5 cm (1 in) | clear TPR | 3+ |
| Mini cat paw | 4 × 4 cm (1.6 in) | clear jelly TPR | 3+ |
| Mochi rice cake | 4 cm (1.6 in) | stretchy | not stated |
| Mini toast cube | 4.8 cm (1.9 in), about 18.5 g | PU foam | 3+ |
| Mini jelly fish | 6 × 4.5 cm (2.4 × 1.8 in) | clear TPR | 3+ |
| Round bun | 6 × 3.5 cm (2.4 × 1.4 in), about 21.7 g | PU foam | 3+ |
| Crunchy cat paw | 6 cm (2.4 in) | PU foam | 3+ |
| Christmas ball | 6.5 cm (2.6 in), about 110 g | coconut oil and clay in a clear shell | 3+ |
Try it yourself
The pouch test. Lay an empty pouch flat and measure how wide it is. Multiply by 0.6 and you get roughly the widest round thing that slips through the opening. So a 10 cm (4 in) pouch takes the 6.5 cm Christmas ball. The same sum works for the leg of a Christmas stocking.
Which squishy suits which age?
For preschoolers, plain foam is the calmest choice. There's nothing inside to leak, and a mini toast or a round bun copes fine with a small fist.
The Christmas ball with coconut oil filling is the only festive piece in the table. The maker rules it out only for children under three. We'd still save it for a child who understands the rules in the box below.
Careful
Squishies filled with gel or coconut oil don't belong with toddlers. Don't bite them or cut them open. December is summer in Australia and New Zealand, so never leave one in a hot car or on a sunny windowsill.
When do I need to order?
For door one on 1 December, order by Monday 9 November at the latest. Delivery takes 7–15 business days, and that count only skips weekends. A public holiday can cost you a day.
We ship from our partner warehouse to most EU countries and to Australia and New Zealand. The shipping page has costs and details. Ideas beyond the calendar are in our guide to squishy Christmas gifts.
Mochi Squishy Rice Cake, Stretchy Ice SkinView
Round Bun Squishy, Small Bread Roll 6 cmView
Mochi Squishy Chick with GlitterView
FAQ
Can a six- or eight-year-old have a gel or coconut oil squishy?
Yes, going by the maker. Our coconut oil Christmas ball is only marked unsuitable for children under three. Explain the two rules first: no biting and no cutting it open. Heat is out too, because filled squishies can burst when they get warm. If you're unsure, stick with foam for this calendar.
What goes behind the doors without a squishy?
Homemade paper squishies work well because they look like the real thing and cost next to nothing. A few sweets or a little voucher for a hot chocolate night fill the rest.
Is a squishy advent calendar a good idea for adults?
Yes. You can then pick the pieces that don't suit small children. The glitter mochi animals and the coconut oil ball look good on a desk.
Do new squishies smell?
New foam sometimes smells a bit like chemicals straight out of the bag. In September 2026 the Dutch watchdog NVWA found small amounts of volatile substances in 19 squishies and advised airing them out (NL Times). Unpack them a few days before you fill the calendar and leave them out in the open.
What if a squishy arrives damaged?
Take photos and send them to support@squishyvault.com within 14 days. We'll sort it out from there.
