Gift Help...

[jadecat]

Friends List! I am in need of your assistance, especially those of you who know little kids.

Basically, I want to buy presents for birthdays coming up and I have no idea what to do. So please, please, please, help me out with gift suggestions for a 3 year old girl, and a 1 year old boy.

The three year old, last time I saw her, was very into pink, and loves music and dance (the Ballet Barbie videos, etc., were a BIG hit with her- but she has a bunch of those and I don't know which ones she doesn't have).

The one year old... I haven't seen since he was 1 month old. :(

Thoughts?

Comments

[the-dark-snack.livejournal.com]

Books never go out of style. No matter the age.

Otherwise, stuffies are great for both and if you know the girl's size, a dress-up ballet outfit would be great.

[jadecat.livejournal.com]

I did get her the book of the Ballet Barbies before (it had a music thing too). She liked that...

Thanks. :) Now I'll have to go wander the Children's section of the book store... Darn the luck. ;)

[azbound.livejournal.com]

Get a book that YOU like - and then take the time to read it to her. Just because it's not about Barbie doesn't mean she won't like it.

I love books by Robert Munsch - especially the Paper Bag Princess.

[jadecat.livejournal.com]

The finding the time is the problem. Whenever we suggest going to see them- mom says that 'oh, they have plans already' which is why I haven't seen the grandbaby boy in almost a year. But I do feel like it's a good gesture on our part to still keep trying to be close to them.

I will look into a variety of books, and see if I can find some of the ones I liked as a tot.

[brightflashes.livejournal.com]

!!! <3 You say stuffies too! I swear - my husband thinks that the word "stuffies" I made up! :)

[the-dark-snack.livejournal.com]

I've always used the term stuffies. I use it even more now that I have learned exactly what "plushies" are. I just can't refer to them by that term at all.

[a-kosmos.livejournal.com]

I'm probably not the best person for this, but I think Tinkerbell is big at the moment with little ones.

[jadecat.livejournal.com]

ooh.. Tinkerbell... that could be good. Thanks!

[bernmarx.livejournal.com]

I swear, I saw "Barbie dildos" and thought, "Anne, we REALLY need to talk...."

[jadecat.livejournal.com]

*laughs* those aren't for the kids. ;)

[the-dark-snack.livejournal.com]

I know they have Hello Kitty vibrators (and douches) but I thought Barbie was a little lest whorish than that.

[crwilley.livejournal.com]

For the three-year-old: dress-up clothes? Like a ballet tutu, leotard, and tights?

For the one-year-old: Every one-year-old I've ever known has loved a particular toy where you put balls in the holes on the top of the gizmo, whack them with a hammer, and watch them spin paddles and rock levers and so forth as they go down to the bottom - something like this. This will not help you if the one-year-old in question has this toy already, of course.

[mstab]

I'm going to keep an eye on this post... even *I* have a hard time figuring out what to get my own kids! It's around the same age range, so I might get some good ideas too. LOL.

[ariel-in-blue.livejournal.com]

I vote for a pile of colored silk squares -- big, like 36"x36" that can be used as skirts, capes, forts, lakes, so forth...you could probably find them online, or if you are even vaguely sewing machine inclined, you could almost certainly make some in about half an hour.

What I really want for my daughter is a used casio keyboard that she can bang on and start to make music with, because she seems to have tendencies that way already.

My nieces and nephews (all under 4) LOVE to play kitchen...anything that lets them mimic adults is a HUGE hit.

[brightflashes.livejournal.com]

Three year old girl: Crayons/coloring book/blank paper

One year old boy: clothes - It's the most practial thing. As a mother of an 18 month old, I've been real good about getting her the things that I know she's into at the moment but the clothes thing is the best gift we get from others. :)

[farmishtphoenix.livejournal.com]

Savings bonds, T-Bills, and treasury notes. Toddlers are fascinated by the miracle of compound interest and the reassuring message of delayed gratification.

[agirlnamedluna.livejournal.com]

Big hits with Sigrid who just turned one year old: a locomotive she can sit on, stuffed animals are the best thing since sliced bread all over sudden, she loves her learning tent and she also has a wooden cube with all sorts of stuff she can move around (this sounds really vague but it's to give you an idea of "kind of toys". Also, things that they can make music with.

Those things have been big hits on my FL too, but then again it's mostly girls =/

[brujah.livejournal.com]

For the three year old, I'd suggest an age appropriate one of these. =D

The one year old, generally, you can't can not go wrong with Bob The Builder or Thomas Tank Engine. Possibly Diego/Dora the Explorer, too. =D

[aphiorogue.livejournal.com]

Littlest pet shop stuff.

Lovies (stuffed animals) are always a hit - esp Webkinz (you get a code and can then "play" games with your stuffed animal online (easy kid geared games)

OOH!!! Leapfrog makes a bunch of really cool toys (perfect for one year olds) they have insturments that as you play them they teach the alpahabet - then as you get older will spell basic words (cat,dog,mom)

[medievalneedle.livejournal.com]

Go to the store. Find the loudest most obnoxious thing in the store in the right age category. Buy it. Also buy batteries. It will need them.

Bonus points if you get a giraffe that stands 3 feet tall and sings Animal Crackers in My Soup then gets under a suitcase in the back of the Honda Pilot and sings all the way to St. Louis.

[ayoub.livejournal.com]

The tree year old girl will likely still be into pink stuff, or Bratz stuff...

The boy? Big red fire engine!

[sylo-tode.livejournal.com]

I second the_dark_snack, books are always good. There will be enough loot for the kids not to feel cheated and the young one won't remember the day anyway.

When they get older, though, the toys are broken and/or forgotten. The books, though, will be kept, remembered, and treasured.

But, maybe that's just me.

[jiffjenn.livejournal.com]

boy 1 year old - interactive toys that light up and make noise...

girl 3 year old - PRINCESSES! Seriously! Or dress up clothes. Or Crayons and art supplies. Or books, any books! Borders and Barnes and Nobles does seperate their books by age groups. A little kids camera. Candy!

[alfabet126.livejournal.com]

I've been thinking on this. I have to ideas for gender specific stuff for the girl. But, my almost 2.5 year old boy loves the Word World DVDs (we got ours at Target) and Sandra Boynton's board books. I think these would be appropriate for both children. Jake also likes Bob the Builder, Thomas the Tank Engine, Blues Clues and Weebles. And of course, cars, trucks, trains, planes, fire engines - anything with wheels!

Another big hit is Playdoh. And finger paint sets.