Is it time for gift recs yet?

[tcu2003]

Nov 5, 2019 11:13:28 GMT -5 farfalla2011 said:

Nov 5, 2019 9:10:46 GMT -5 tcu2003 said:

Is there a sporting event or concert they want to attend? Tickets could be their main gift, and then you could all go together and get to spend some time with them.

I'll have to look to see what is coming up in our area. Neither kid has been to anything like that really, so it could be really fun and exciting to get something for them like that. I love the idea of experiences rather than stuff since the memories will always last.

My kids are younger, and no idea what sports they like, but my 7yo loves any sporting event. He’s been to college baseball, softball, volleyball, women’s soccer, women’s basketball and football, and he’s begging to go to a men’s basketball game (probably not this year as we’re near KU and I don’t want to spend that much on tickets yet, and don’t want to do GA seating at his age). We’ve also taken the kids to watch our local MLS and MLB teams. Depending on the sport and venue, ticket prices can range all over the place, so can work for a variety of budgets. If the NCAA tournament has any early rounds in your area, those are also a ton of fun. Or conference championships.

[tcu2003]

Nov 5, 2019 10:43:28 GMT -5 shauni27 said:

tcu2003, WHY IS IT SO HARD FOR ME TO THINK OF GIFTS FOR SECOND KIDS?!? I am the worst and am always like, HOW COULD THEY NEED ANYTHING? lol.

Right?!? That’s where I’m at.

[shauni27]

Nov 5, 2019 11:23:16 GMT -5 tcu2003 said:

Nov 5, 2019 10:43:28 GMT -5 shauni27 said:

tcu2003 , WHY IS IT SO HARD FOR ME TO THINK OF GIFTS FOR SECOND KIDS?!? I am the worst and am always like, HOW COULD THEY NEED ANYTHING? lol.

Right?!? That’s where I’m at.

I always do money. I suck.

[dottyblue]

My 7 year old boy is obsessed with Beyblades. He got a stadium and 4 blades for his birthday and hauls them to friends houses.

We have the Crazy Fort from Amazon and it's cheaper than the Lakeshore one linked up thread. My boys constantly have a fort set up in the play room

My 4 year old boy loves the Brio trains still

Wedgits are our absolute favorites, and the knockoffs available on Amazon are just as good as the originals.  My 7 year old likes these too, but they're a little more geared towards the younger kids.

Both kids love bath bombs and bath crayons.  Both will probably get binoculars and a Melissa and Doug decorate-your-own plane/train/fire engine, etc for a rainy day.

[dochas]

Nov 4, 2019 10:05:06 GMT -5 beerlover said:

I'm looking for a 3 year old boy, also insanely active. He loves anything to do with emergency vehicles, but we already have quite a few fire trucks. I might get him the Playmobil ambulance though, and maybe the police or fire station. Any other suggestions welcomed! I'll also take ones for outdoor toys or other things that can keep him occupied indoors in the winter.

Do you like Hess trucks? It's a tow truck this year!

[felicity]

Nov 5, 2019 18:30:45 GMT -5 al dente said:

Has anyone gotten the balance bike from Costco? I was thinking of that for either Christmas or when my baby is 2.
Are they better then tricycles? I told my mom about it but then couldn’t explain why they’re good, and she was saying that bikes with peddles are important for left/right brain development.

I was also just looking at this list. It’s toys on sale at amazon and is a big mix of things/age groups.
www.jungledealsblog.com/amazon-toy-deals/?fbclid=IwAR2QJBUaGqz5h49UCYPhjONjeVXDCr-_nrSEqP0jO5P_fIdjjlB-uTL5xmQ

We had both a balance bike and trike with the push handle at 2. I was glad to have both. The trike was great when I wanted to go on longer walks and I could push him along. The balance bike made a huge difference in learning to ride a pedal bike at around 4.5. The both got about equal use with us.

[beerlover]

dochas, I didn't know about these! Thank you. The 3 of us actually just rode in a tow truck together after breaking down, so this gift feels appropriate, lol.

[dochas]

Nov 6, 2019 14:58:33 GMT -5 beerlover said:

dochas , I didn't know about these! Thank you. The 3 of us actually just rode in a tow truck together after breaking down, so this gift feels appropriate, lol.

Oh, no! At least it will be relevant. LOL. We have gotten a Hess truck every year and they are fantastic.

[boiler717]

Nov 6, 2019 16:16:31 GMT -5 dochas said:

Nov 6, 2019 14:58:33 GMT -5 beerlover said:

dochas , I didn't know about these! Thank you. The 3 of us actually just rode in a tow truck together after breaking down, so this gift feels appropriate, lol.

Oh, no! At least it will be relevant. LOL. We have gotten a Hess truck every year and they are fantastic.

Chiming in to say we do one every year and they are amazing. All the kids love them.

[thoseareradishes]

My toddler has loved playing with a version of this set (Sesame Street figurines) - www.target.com/p/sesame-street-deluxe-figure-set-target-exclusive/-/A-76151441. There are no holes in them, so she can get them wet or play in her sensory bins with them.

[mpc]

Nov 5, 2019 9:53:11 GMT -5 krystee said:

We have four additional nieces and nephews since last year! Every single one of our had a kid. Any idea for affordable but not cheap looking gifts for seven kids ages 3.5, 2, 2, 1, and three babies? I am hoping for $20 max since we have 27 people to buy for this year. Sigh.

My 1 and 2 year olds LOVE this thing. www.amazon.com/dp/B01MRFHNF1/  I don't know if it makes you look cheap but it was such an unexpected hit in our house.

[krystee]

My 4.5-year-old would like a camera. Rather than spending $40 on one of the toddler ones, does anyone know if there is a basic normal digital camera that might be better?

[nmosrob]

Nov 8, 2019 14:26:06 GMT -5 krystee said:

My 4.5-year-old would like a camera. Rather than spending $40 on one of the toddler ones, does anyone know if there is a basic normal digital camera that might be better?

Not digital, but I just ordered my 4.5yr dd a Fujifilm Instax Mini 9, it's like a polaroid. Her friend had one at her house for her birthday party last year, dd was very interested. She won't be able to take a million mixtures like she would a digital camera, but it's something. I got it in Target's early sale for $35 ($50, and a $15 gift card), but it happens to be the same exact price on amazon. 

[pandorica]

I bought this for DD for Christmas because it's on sale today and the reviews are good. Is this actually going to get used? (9 months +)

www.target.com/p/ecr4kids-softzone-junior-play-climb-and-slide-indoor-active-play-for-babies-toddlers-hands-and-feet/-/A-78607138

[redpenmama]

Nov 8, 2019 17:50:30 GMT -5 pandorica said:

I bought this for DD for Christmas because it's on sale today and the reviews are good. Is this actually going to get used? (9 months +)

www.target.com/p/ecr4kids-softzone-junior-play-climb-and-slide-indoor-active-play-for-babies-toddlers-hands-and-feet/-/A-78607138

We don't have one, but the childcare at our YMCA did, and my youngest would climb up/slide down that thing the entire hour or two she was in childcare every day until she moved to another room. So, based on that very limited experience with it, yes -- I think it's great for a new walker. 

[tcu2003]

Nov 8, 2019 14:26:06 GMT -5 krystee said:

My 4.5-year-old would like a camera. Rather than spending $40 on one of the toddler ones, does anyone know if there is a basic normal digital camera that might be better?

We got our then-6yo a Canon Elph digital camera for Christmas last year and it was a huge hit. He’d been using our old Canon Elph digital camera (like, that thing was probably new in 2009) and it finally kicked the bucket, so he wanted a new camera. It’s easy to use, and so far has held up to normal elementary age kid wear and tear.

[cricketwife]

Nov 8, 2019 17:50:30 GMT -5 pandorica said:

I bought this for DD for Christmas because it's on sale today and the reviews are good. Is this actually going to get used? (9 months +)

www.target.com/p/ecr4kids-softzone-junior-play-climb-and-slide-indoor-active-play-for-babies-toddlers-hands-and-feet/-/A-78607138

That looks awesome. That would have been a huge it in my house. In fact, I feel confident my kids would still play with that at 3 and 5.5.   If my house were bigger, I’d buy it too!

[pandorica]

Nov 9, 2019 6:28:31 GMT -5 cricketwife said:

Nov 8, 2019 17:50:30 GMT -5 pandorica said:

I bought this for DD for Christmas because it's on sale today and the reviews are good. Is this actually going to get used? (9 months +)

www.target.com/p/ecr4kids-softzone-junior-play-climb-and-slide-indoor-active-play-for-babies-toddlers-hands-and-feet/-/A-78607138

That looks awesome. That would have been a huge it in my house. In fact, I feel confident my kids would still play with that at 3 and 5.5.   If my house were bigger, I’d buy it too!

I'm glad to hear this might be a good and long term play thing! Our house is pretty small so I'm hoping it's worth the space it will take.

[fancynewbeesly]

pandorica,

We have a bigger set of those...our 16 month old LOVES it, now she climbs and slides down on them. From about 9 months to 14 months she would crawl around/walk with help/etc. Now she lives climbing and sliding.

[fancynewbeesly]

pandorica,

This is the set DD2 has:

www.amazon.com/ECR4Kids-SoftZone-Toddlers-Preschoolers-5-Piece/dp/B01GAAGCWS/ref=sr_1_4?crid=EEIAMAGXEPXJ&keywords=foam+climbing+blocks+for+toddlers&qid=1573353897&sprefix=foam+climbs%2Caps%2C160&sr=8-4

[jeaniebueller]

We might get DS a tablet. Can someone school me on iPads? We are an Apple family, I have a kindle fire but thinking iPad for him. He does not need the latest.

[dcn]

Nov 9, 2019 22:24:50 GMT -5 jeaniebueller said:

We might get DS a tablet. Can someone school me on iPads? We are an Apple family, I have a kindle fire but thinking iPad for him. He does not need the latest.

I bought the iPad mini 4 2 years ago and it’s been great. Pretty sure i paid around $350 or $400 for it. There were Black Friday deals but i didn’t manage to snag one in time. I’d just make sure whatever you get has a good amount of memory space on it so he can have movies etc on it. Ours is 128gb and that is plenty I think. Ours doesn’t have data, just wi-fi capability.

oh and get a case! We just have the $15 foam one from amazon and a screen protector and it has survived just fine. My kids are 3 and 7 so it has been tossed plenty.

[Deleted]

Nov 9, 2019 22:24:50 GMT -5 jeaniebueller said:

We might get DS a tablet. Can someone school me on iPads? We are an Apple family, I have a kindle fire but thinking iPad for him. He does not need the latest.

You can look for uses iPads on your local BST sites. We’ve had good luck with this. You will want a. IPad Mini 2 or later if you want to watch Netflix.

[calmcosmo]

Nov 9, 2019 22:24:50 GMT -5 jeaniebueller said:

We might get DS a tablet. Can someone school me on iPads? We are an Apple family, I have a kindle fire but thinking iPad for him. He does not need the latest.

My kids have iPad minis that are 4 years old and still going strong. I got them for $199 on a Black Friday deal.

[jeaniebueller]

Nov 10, 2019 5:14:51 GMT -5 @villainv said:

Nov 9, 2019 22:24:50 GMT -5 jeaniebueller said:

We might get DS a tablet. Can someone school me on iPads? We are an Apple family, I have a kindle fire but thinking iPad for him. He does not need the latest.

You can look for uses iPads on your local BST sites. We’ve had good luck with this. You will want a. IPad Mini 2 or later if you want to watch Netflix.

Good to know

[shauni27]

Nov 5, 2019 18:30:45 GMT -5 al dente said:

Has anyone gotten the balance bike from Costco? I was thinking of that for either Christmas or when my baby is 2.
Are they better then tricycles? I told my mom about it but then couldn’t explain why they’re good, and she was saying that bikes with peddles are important for left/right brain development.

I was also just looking at this list. It’s toys on sale at amazon and is a big mix of things/age groups.
www.jungledealsblog.com/amazon-toy-deals/?fbclid=IwAR2QJBUaGqz5h49UCYPhjONjeVXDCr-_nrSEqP0jO5P_fIdjjlB-uTL5xmQ

Not costco specifically but the balance bike is awesome. It basically allows your kid to understand and grasp balancing super early so they can skip training wheels and go straight for pedals. My son is still pretty young but our friends with 4 year olds who started with the balance bike early all have kids who can ride regular bikes with ease already.

Nov 8, 2019 17:50:30 GMT -5 pandorica said:

I bought this for DD for Christmas because it's on sale today and the reviews are good. Is this actually going to get used? (9 months +)

www.target.com/p/ecr4kids-softzone-junior-play-climb-and-slide-indoor-active-play-for-babies-toddlers-hands-and-feet/-/A-78607138

omg that will be a HUGE hit. For at least a year. Excellent work!

[pandorica]

Nov 11, 2019 8:13:31 GMT -5 shauni27 said:

Nov 5, 2019 18:30:45 GMT -5 al dente said:

Has anyone gotten the balance bike from Costco? I was thinking of that for either Christmas or when my baby is 2.
Are they better then tricycles? I told my mom about it but then couldn’t explain why they’re good, and she was saying that bikes with peddles are important for left/right brain development.

I was also just looking at this list. It’s toys on sale at amazon and is a big mix of things/age groups.
www.jungledealsblog.com/amazon-toy-deals/?fbclid=IwAR2QJBUaGqz5h49UCYPhjONjeVXDCr-_nrSEqP0jO5P_fIdjjlB-uTL5xmQ

Not costco specifically but the balance bike is awesome. It basically allows your kid to understand and grasp balancing super early so they can skip training wheels and go straight for pedals. My son is still pretty young but our friends with 4 year olds who started with the balance bike early all have kids who can ride regular bikes with ease already.

Nov 8, 2019 17:50:30 GMT -5 pandorica said:

I bought this for DD for Christmas because it's on sale today and the reviews are good. Is this actually going to get used? (9 months +)

www.target.com/p/ecr4kids-softzone-junior-play-climb-and-slide-indoor-active-play-for-babies-toddlers-hands-and-feet/-/A-78607138

omg that will be a HUGE hit. For at least a year. Excellent work!

I'm so excited to hear I didn't just buy something that will take up half of my living room for no reason 😅

[jayhawkbecca]

We got our 7 yr old a spider web outdoor swing and it's awesome and he loves it

[preppy]

Do cotton princess nightgowns exist? My girls (2 and 4) want princess nightgowns and I can only find them in polyester. I can find regular princess jammies in cotton but no nightgowns.

Also is 4 a good age for a Welle Wisher?

Any ideas for an almost 3 year old girl? Loves dress up and doc mcstuffins but we have tons of dress up and doctor stuff. Has only asked for a princess nightgowns and a mermaid puzzle.

[tcu2003]

Nov 12, 2019 17:06:24 GMT -5 jayhawkbecca said:

We got our 7 yr old a spider web outdoor swing and it's awesome and he loves it

We’ve had one for 3 years now and it’s a huge hit with my kiddos and the neighbor kids.