toy ideas

[houseelf]

I'm not overwhelmed with my gift giving ideas. Tell me your plan of attack (if you celebrate) and help me figure it out.

The almost 14 year old son will get an IKEA white desk (approx $50) and a pair of headphones (approx $130) and some pajama bottoms, a hoodie, and some candy.

DD (9) has asked for a few things but not because she is super excited about them but because I asked her to make a list. She wants some Minecraft Legos and a Rainbow-in-my-room projector. She loves AG dolls and Littlest Pet Shops but she has everything she could possibly want of these toys because of generous grandparents and cast offs from neighbors. At 9 years old with no little sister to pass down outgrown items, I just can't bring myself to buy her something else from this genre. She is firmly in the little girl camp and not ready to receive clothes for Christmas. (Thank Heavens!) She has mentioned Skylanders Swap Force, but honestly I just can't see her getting into it. She isn't a kid who is big on screen time. Somebody who has Skylanders for the Wii should pipe up here.

The little guy (4) has pretty much everything already inherited from the older kids. Seriously, if you are going to buy the little kitchen or train table, do it for your first born and get your money's worth. This is one of the last years he'll be happy with small puzzles and a few cars and that is what we're going with.

Yes, this is all very practical, but I'm not jazzed about it either. Even a scrooge like me recognizes that it's Christmas and I do want the kids to be excited.

So, what's it going to be?

[SoonerTexan]

I think I'm going to get N a plasma car and some wooden toy food and appliances to fill out her kitchen. And clothes, but my toddler is weird and gets excited about them

[SuzySunshine]

We use the "want, need, wear, read" that a friend posted on fb last year - we are also doing a few big ticket items. Their want is a new computer so they can do homework without using mine, their need is a table and chairs (PBK) for the playroom, wear is of course clothes and read is a handful of books, probably 2-3 each. They will not be getting any toys from us because they both have birthdays in November/December and they'll get plenty otherwise.

We also do stockings but they're usually a handful of little things and one bigger thing, this year it will be a movie each (Croods and Epic), and usually a piece of clothing (a t-shirt for a sports team). We sometimes do one big Santa gift for both of them but since they're getting the iMac we probably won't do that this year or we may even make the computer their big Santa gift.

[MrsK]

I don't buy any toys/gifts for my children for the holidays or for their birthdays. I do buy gifts for my nephews, for my friends' children, for my husband, for our parents, for myself (since no one else will and it sucks to be sitting there empty-handed when everyone else opens theirs. I even gift wrap the gifts and make cards for myself from my husband and my sons). My kids have very generous grandparents, uncles, and friends. Every time there is a holiday they get more toys than they can even enjoy. Typically, they open three or four gifts each night of Hannukah. Do the math: 3 or 4 gifts x 8 nights x 2 kids = An Outrageous Amount of Plastic Crap Entering Our House. Easily 50 new toys and then K1 has a December birthday too. It's obnoxious. I sound like a crank, I know, but when I was a kid my mom would give us little dollar store type toys and chocolate coins for the first 7 nights and we'd get a larger gift on the last night. Then there would be one gift from each set of grandparents and one from a family friend and it was plenty. I hate to sound ungrateful but it's really is too much. It's overwhelming for the children and they cannot appreciate their bounty.

I usually beg everyone to send clothes or books or just contribute to the boys' college funds instead. So, the ILs and my mom will send clothes and books and a half-dozen toys each. We end up packing away a lot of the toys and then working them into the boys' toy rotation throughout the year if they are cool toys. If they are junk or inappropriate toys, we donate them to charities. The kids don't miss them and K1 is getting to the point that he'll help identify which toys he wants to give away. I give each of the kids parties for their birthdays and I'll buy them toys and clothes throughout the year when I come across something good.

[ides]

We are probably going to get O a peddle car (big item) and probably some other stuff- books, puzzle, some train stuff, a science toy/experiment, maybe more Legos, maybe another movie. I haven't thought about it a lot yet.

Dh wants some handmade leather gloves and maybe some more clothes or a new winter coat.

I'm not sure what I want yet.

We don't get a lot from others. My parents will send a few gifts for O and us but it's mostly stuff like socks, long underwear, and a couple toys we suggested they get for O. Dhs mom sends nothing usually and neither do our sibs.

[Deebs]

We're thinking about getting the kids a Wii U because they want (maybe DH and I want) Disney Infinity, which is not well supported by the Wii. I need some alone time to do a major toy purge. We're in the middle of all of my kids' birthdays here, and the house is filling up with toys! My eight year old is really into art, which makes for very easy gift giving. We bought the four year old some Callico Critters so she would have her own "thing." All of her toys, clothes, etc are hand me downs.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[L.Jane]

Is there some place she would like to go? Would she be excited to get a gift card to a pottery painting place or something like that?

[ladymoreta]

DS is getting a little basketball goal, a Lego duplo train, bedding for his room, and probably some smaller things like books and toy trains.

DD is getting the Disney Klipklop stable and a Doc McStuffins checkup table and doctor bag. Smaller gifts will be toy horses and maybe some doll clothes. (We're getting her a doll crib with storage underneath for her birthday this month.)

[SoonerTexan]

Also, I'm a little disappointed. I wanted to get N some of the toys I loved from my childhood--a "magical" tea set (cups change color when you use cold water) and the Pretty Pretty Princess game (I played this with my dad and really wanted it for N to play with DH)--are no longer made. I mean, you can find them, but they are $$$.

In other news, branding has finally made it to my child. We walked through the toy section last night with her yelling

"McStuffins!"

"Princess!"

"Bubble Guppies!"

"Dora!"

"Minnie!"

[houseelf]

I hate to sound ungrateful but it's really is too much. It's overwhelming for the children and they cannot appreciate their bounty.

Preach it! I will follow!

Actually, my mom came up with the ideas for bikes for the younger two. It is a bit premature for the four year old, but both the 9 and 4 year old will need new bikes this summer. We would probably have to buy them anyways so I think we may have a winner. It is a want but it is a "big" kid approved item.

Debs wrote:

We're thinking about getting the kids a Wii U because they want (maybe DH and I want) Disney Infinity, which is not well supported by the Wii

I briefly entertained this idea, but some of my peeps have problems regulating their screen times. I don't need to bring more electronics in the house. Also as a heads up, this game got HORRIBLE reviews on both amazon and Game stop. You might want to read up a bit.

[Thirteen]

toy ideas

We are up to our eyeballs in clothes, so hopefully none of those. We seem to get stuffed animals a lot from my ILs, but I just donate them. ^.^

DS is really into Lightning McQueen, but he already has one, so it don't feel pressured to but more of them.

Maybe a big ticket item? The kid has everything, though.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Deebs]

I briefly entertained this idea, but some of my peeps have problems regulating their screen times. I don't need to bring more electronics in the house. Also as a heads up, this game got HORRIBLE reviews on both amazon and Game stop. You might want to read up a bit.

-Thanks Kelly - I'll check it out.

Marissa - Fingerhut has the magic tea set for $20. My kids love that!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[alison]

I asked dd what she wanted for her birthday (Sept.), and she said she'd think about it and came up with nothing! I basically said "dollhouse or bike," and she said "ok--dollhouse then." I got her one of those spendy Plan Toy ones, because if it's going to be in my livingroom, then it had better at least look decent.

She hasn't played with it a single time.

Meanwhile, my brother bought 36 rolls of scotch tape and 1000 sheets of construction paper at Costco for her birthday, and dd uses it every. single. day.

So we'll go that route until dd voices her own opinion about what toys she wants.

[SoonerTexan]

Thanks Deebs! Unfortunately out of stock. I'm debating buying it used on ebay

[peggyfromwastate]

To chime in on the wiiU version-- that version is supposed to be a lot better for the Disney infinity game compared to the Wii platform. Significantly better. The Disney infinity games are on sale at Walmart for pre-Black Friday for $37. My kids are skylanders geeks so that's what they are getting. The skylanders swap force starter pack is also 37$. I loathe walmart... But for that price I will go there...