I need some advice for gifts to buy my son. I always get sucked into the commercials of the "perfect" gift and then, he could care less about it. He just turned 2.5 and I don't have other kids. So, for those of you who have boys, what did they LOVE, LOVE, LOVE at 2.5. My boy is into ALL balls (basketball, golf, baseball), TRAINS, Mickey Mouse and guitars. I must say, I am overwhelmed by all the train options out there and I don't know which way to go. He prefers the trains that "go" (not ones he has to push) and he likes Thomas, but he gets frustrated by the track - you have to place the train just right on the track to make it go. We have a starter set for Thomas and Geo. The Geo track is less frustrating for him, but it is a push train, not battery-powered. Should I expand on one of these sets or is there a different one better for his age range? He really like tracks with tunnels and windmills, etc. Should I have to buy a train table - those are so expensive! All gift suggestions, not just trains, in any price range would be greatly appreciated. I have family members who want ideas - some will spend a moderate amount and others will spend more. Thanks so much for all your help, Mommies. I know you will give me the "real deal," and not what the commercial tells me! Plus, I know some of you have spent hours and hours researching this and have boy-tested toys. I just want to rely on your expertise and not re-invent the wheel! Thanks for all your great advice and Happy Holiday!
I second the leapfrog tag Junior. We have the older leapfrog tag for my 6 year old, and I can't get my two year old off of it! He absolutely loves it, so for Christmas, we got the two year old the Jr Version. You can get the books with the colors, shapes, ABC's. ect. You won't be sorry!
Balls of every shape and size. Blocks, both wooden and Duplo. Trucks and tractors. Ride on toys that they power themselves, not the battery ones. The one that looks like a 3 wheeler is super popular here.
We like the Geo trax. The new one even has easy load, so the cars line up on the track without a problem. I like the different sets you can buy and that it even expands to airplanes. I started my son with Imaginext toys at 3 and those are just awesome. The Jungle, and pirate ship are our favorites. We are getting the Batcave this year. Don't forget about board games. Elefun is a cute one, and the standards, memory, candyland, etc. My 2 1/2 year old even plays sequence. Animal scramble is a good game too. Good Luck!!
I would really expand the thomas train track (battery ones) my son would probably be still playing with them if I didn't get rid of them but due to space issues I had to. that's easy for your family also cause there are so many choices out there. oh yeah stock up on batteries!!
The new Leap Frog Tag JUNIOR!
Our son is 3 1/2 and has TONS of trains and tracks and the only thing he wants for Christmas this year, is more choo choo train tracks. He's been hooked on trains for a little over a year now. He plays w/ them just about every day, so we haven't really had to buy any other toys, because he's just not interested in anything but trains. For Christmas we are going to add some pieces to his Thomas set, and we also found a really cute Christmas train that is battery operated at Home Depot of all places. It's a very large train set and was only $39.00. He also loved balls at that age, in fact I brought along one of his balls when I had his two year picture taken, so I'd remember what he was really into at that time. I say jut buy him what you know he'll play with and save your money for when he's older and knows more about toys.
I have four boys, the youngest is six. All of the boys loved the Thomas the Train set and still look forward to having Santa send new track and/or trains each year. I recommend expanding the Thomas track! Best wishes for a happy holiday!
my son is 3 and has just started really being able to appreciate the trains and tracks. i would not give up on them, in a few months or a year he'll be able to work them just fine and then he'll 'grow into' them. i also wouldn't waste a lot of money on the newest fad toy - little boys have short attention spans. i usually spread my funds out over several smaller gifts and my son is good until his birthday in september. my son is an "anything with wheels" kinda kid, so he's pretty easy. go simpler and i bet your son will appreciate it more. good luck and merry christmas!
All kids are different. Both of my sons loved and still love Thomas at four and six. So they usually do get some Thomas trains for Christmas. My six-year old always gets some kind of art kits. My four-year old has always loved toy trucks - like fire trucks, ambulances, police cars, tow trucks, etc. It really just depends upon what your son likes!
K.
My kids always liked furniture that is their size. Whether it's a plastic chair from Toys R Us with lights and sounds or the foam folding couch things, they love them all.
Bathtub Crayers. They are not that expensive for family memebers but they don't last long so they are expensive for the mom to replace. I used to sit my girls (I have girls only) in the bathtub even in their clothes and they would play forever.
My 3.5 year old girl likes the look and find books. THere are no words, just pictures. On the left are pictures that you find in the larger, busy picture on the right.
Flashlights. Every kid loves a flashlight!
Play tents that fold up. We smooshe ours together and shove it into the storage room when not in use.
We really love the Leapfrog refrigerator magnets. They can teach the alphabet, animal matching, and more. Their system is really great, and it gives the kids something to do in the kitchen besides bug you!
We also found that Target has some really great little-boy puzzles. They also sell a puzzle holder so they don't end up in a crazy pile!
It sounds like your son likes electronics and trains. I know that there are some Thomas books where he can push the button to hear songs. Would he like something like that?
My son is the same age and also loves Thomas, Mickey Mouse (Donald Duck), and balls.
Some suggestions I thought of since you indicated you may want some for things OTHER than Thomas trains and Geo:
~ Puzzles (Melissa and Doug is a good brand)
~ Fire truck
~ Radio Flyer: wagon, tricycle, riding turtle, etc.
~ sled (in case it ever snows enough!)
~ art supplies: finger paints, colored pencils, markers, glue, blunt tip scissors, crayons and coloring books
~ bath tub toys: squirty ones, floaty ones, bath crayons, foamy soap (comes out like shaving cream), color tablets (they come in primary colors to tint the water, and you can teach the color wheel! blue-and-yellow-make-green!)
~ Books or stickers - my son loves them both
~ dress-up play clothes: doctor/surgeon, farmer, fireman, policeman, Halloween costumes!
~ Lincoln Logs, Tinker Toys, Mega Bloks, Legos
~ tool bench: tool belt, hard hat, hammer, drill, screwdriver, wrench, plyers, saw, tool box, etc...
~ Play Doh and any accessories
~ anything he can build with, ride on, crawl under, climb on, match up, pull apart or put together
~ CDs or DVDs - I checked out a Thomas CD from the library and my son LOVES it - we have three Thomas DVDs he just started watching. Bob and Larry CD is a BIG hit as well, so I might get him one of their DVDs, too.
Hope that helps! Have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
Good Morning L. (Laughing) second time Charm I hope. Lost my first note when hubby needed to see something UGH!!!
Our youngest gr son's love Geo tracks, they each have a train with a remote to make them go forward and reverse.
Corbin 4 has had his for a couple of years and we expand his tracks on Christmas. He can make some amazing configurations for him and his little brother Zane 2. Zane received his first set for his 2nd B-day and you would thought he was Tap dancer!! He was so excited his feet just went wild. Geo Tracks are so much easier for little hands to connect. You can purchase tunnels, depots, farms to sit in the middle etc..Extra track shapes to make round a bouts, bridges, elevated tracks. My vote is Geo tracks to keep going with.
We also love the Vtech books with pen set. I just sent 3 books and the starter bundle to hubby's nephews in Tn.
Corbin's favorite books are dinosaurs, and the world books. They sell Dora, Scooby doo, Olivia, Shapes, colors, animal homes and sounds, ABC's, lets start with first words. Zane loves them too. It's the only way I can get him to sit on my lap to read a book. You can download it to you PC to get it started, touch the pen to a page and it will read each word to you. Corbin has listened to his so much he can recite the entire book as the pen reads it.
God Bless you L., Have a very Blessed Christmas
K. Nana of 5
Get a remote controled Geo Trax train. My son just turned 4 and still loves his. Just keep your eyes open for a train table especially after Christmas. We found our at a Goodwill for $10, but I've also seen them on Craigslist. If you have room think about a small (indoor) basketball hoop. MY son also loves his Shake'n'go cartrack and Deigo and Dora MegaBlocks.
When my son was your son's age, the following are the toys he just loved, and still does 2 years later!
- tool bench with all the accessories: hat, tools, drills, saws - they all sound so real!
- play tent with tunnel, flashlights, and walkie-talkies
- Lego's!
- cash registers
- Thomas the train track and trains
- simple toys such as bouncy balls
- anything to do with baseball
- bicycles/motorized cars
- Smart Cycle with games
- Rakes, shovels, and things to do in the yard
- LARGE cars/trucks - he received a firetruck from Santa that was a $10 gift from Target that he loved - it was so large he could almost ride it at 2.5
You can get Geo Trac add-ons that are remote control.
i just bought my 2 year old son (28 months) the leap frog Phonics magnet set, the alphabet. He loves it. I would also suggest maybe an easel or something like that. SO he can color and do fun things on that to bring his creativity out. Um, maybe have you tried the mega blocks legos? does he like to build? those are just some things i thought of. good luck!
