Gifts...

I see that you are asking about the bratz lap top. I bought this for my daughter for Christmas to. She will be 6 in December & is pretty smart but the game is a little to advanced for her. Most of it is a waste and after a couple minutes she gets frustrated. This is a wonderful toy for older children who can read & have some language arts skills but for young children I think it is a waste of money. Even my niece who is in 1st grade gets frustrated with the game.

Just a quick note--this week all Polly Pocket stuff was 50% off at KB Toys. (I went to Foothills, but there's one at Tucson Mall and I think Park Place, too.)

Hi D.,
My son is five and he has the moom sand. I got several packages for his five birthday, and personally I wish I didn't. To me, they make more of a mess then playdoh does. It's not as good as the ads make it out to be. I think you should wait until he's older if anything. At age three for my son, he loved anything that involved coloring. Hope this helps!!!

Well, it appears I don't have to weigh in on Moon Sand 'cuz everyone else has -- and I agree with them! It's bad stuff. But the Purse Pals are cute (like My Littlest Petshop figures), durable, and endless fun for the girls. The Polly Pocket doll is cute too. My daughter LOVES to paint nails, so I'm happy to let her do it with a "magic wand" instead! :) If you go to www.Mattel.com/PollyPromise you can get a $5 coupon off any Polly Pocket toy thru 12/31. (I think it's sort of Mattel's apology for the recall earlier this year.)

My five year old son wanted moon sand last Christmas, so we got it, but he only played for couple of time and never wanted it again. It was a mess everywhere and didn't keep his attention for long. You just built with couple figures and you're done. Wouldn't recommend that toy. He also has Ninja turtles figures and van and loves that toy.

My son received money for his fourth birthday and he picked out the Planet Heroes figurines. We did not buy the space ship because grandma had bought him a Buzz Lightyear one for his birthday. Anyhow, he absolutely loves the figurines and so do I! They are quality material, don't have a lot of small parts and most of the figures come with a dvd. I think, depending on where you go, the space ship comes with a figurine. I believe we saw that one at Toysrus. I definitely would recommend these toys and I know we will have them for a while, since I doubt they will ever break:) I just wish they would make a tv series for the characters-we have seen the dvd a million times:}

Oh yeah-I absolutely despise Moon Sand! It is very messy and should only be played with outdoors. It is really hard to make things with and we threw ours out after playing with it once. I think that regular sand is sooooo much better and is a lot more versatile. If he really wants it, get him a little container and stick it in his stocking, that way you did not waste a whole lot of money!

D.,
The thift stores are great and most of the time no one knows it is from the thrift store. I find orginal tags on stuff and some great Christmas dishes. As far as toys go, we have had Christmas without presents. I would go for books. They can enjoy them much longer than toys. Tell them that they can only have one thing this year and make Christmas memorable in other ways. They will treasure the time and fun of the season.
C.

The moon sand is horrible! - It's not that easy to manipulate and it makes a big mess. Good luck.
- A.

My daughter has the poly pocket doll. She likes her. The hair gets kind of frizzy and I think if you put too much water on it it will eventually quit working but we haven't hit that point yet. It does have tiny pieces that go with it so if your 3yo lkes to put things in his mouth (should be past that stage) you want to keep it up.

yes the moon sand is a mess. I don't even like playdoh and prefer it over the moon sand.. :-)

Hello D.,
Have tried Big Lots? They usually have a great selection of toys and childrens furnishings for a reasonable price. To spin off Cathy's idea, perhaps you can find children sized table and chairs for both children to open together with some great books. My adult daughter still remembers coloring and reading at her children sized picnic table.

I just saw your comment responding on all the advice that you received. I guess I just wanted to tell you that I have a three year old and a one year old and they both love the moon sand!!!!! Yes it makes a mess but I almost feel like anything that is fun is messy. I am not really uptight about my kids making reasonable messes. I find that it cleans easy and has lasted for a year. Anything that keeps the kids happy and quite and they really enjoy, I will take a little clean up! I would actually totally recommend it. I know that you did not get it but for a special fun treat, it has entertained many hours at my house. So glad to hear that you had a wonderful Christmas!

Hi D.,
I have experience with moon sand. It is basically shredded pencil erasers. It can be fun, but it also can be messy. I bought the kit that had the inflatable box to keep it in. But the sand always finds a way out of the box and on to the floor. If you do get this, use it only on the tile. And unless you get a lot of it (so they can build more than one thing at a time) it might not be the best buy. I bought it for my daughter when she was 3 and she rarely plays with it for more than 10 minutes.
Hope that helps,
S.

Hi D.,
how wonderful that you can get the kids what they really want! Its like granting wishes!! My older daughter has the Bratz laptop (also a x-mas gift) and she truly loved doing all the math quizes. The batteries lasted a long time, but the mouse didn't really serve a lot of purpose, given a 1-10 I would rate it an 8! Purse pals are really small computer pets,we don't have a lot of experience with that one its a new thing. Polly pocket is still very, very loved in our house, even after a year worth of play! The moon sand is true to it's word it does not dry out, however be prepared for a huge mess!! I only let the kids play with it out back on the patio because it clumps up and falls everywhere, you will be sweeping for a month!! You can't get it in your eyes or get it wet at all but it sticks to your fingers so wash after every use. It sticks to the molds and will only come out after some ponding and smacking. Although, both kids still really like to play with it for hours, I could live with out it! Don't know much about the boy toys sorry. I hope this helps I hope you have a great holiday!!
K.

I bought a small tub of Moon Sand from Walgreens to try it out before I gave it my 3 y.o. son. It is not as good as Playdough. so, unless your kid doesn't suck his thumb and pick his nose, then it could be good for him. But get an old cookie sheet and put it on the table to do the fun stuff like playdough, painting, etc..because just like Moon Sand it gets all over the place and the dye from it can stain. I ended up throwing it away before my son discovered it.

I heard KB Toys on Elliot/Alma School is going out of business. You could check it out online for prices before driving around all over town.

I usually shop for toys at Walgreens, TJ Maxx, Ross, Target, Walmart, etc. Kohls and Mervyns are overpriced. Check all toy stores ads online before going out. If you live far from TRU, call them first to see if they have it at the store, and ask them to hold it for you at Customer Service, so you don't go thru horrid lines.

Good Luck.

Hi D.,
I haven't yet read the other responses but I will say that I bought the moom sand for my kids and it was a total waste of money it was really like playing with wet sand and just as messy. I'd go with the crayola or playdough clay instead. Good luck!

C.

Moon Sand is the worst, most horrible stuff on the Earth!!! I have a 3 year old son and we got some and I have since thrown it away. It is over-priced and it makes a dreadful mess. Really it is glorified Play-Doh, it just makes a mess that sticks to everything. It has taken me MONTHS to clean it off of everything. See if there is something else that your little guy would like instead.

I got my daughter Moon sand for her 4th birthday. Both she and her 3 yr (then 2)old brother love playing with it. It is a mess though! They claim it's neat and you can play with it in the house problem free, but it's not. You have to pack the sand into the molds really tight and then bang it on the table to get it out. A few times I had to do it for the kids because they couldn't get the sand out by themselves. It was really fun for them though. I finally just put them outside to play with it and sweep the mess away. Of course they ran out of the sand, but they had fun.

We got our daughters Moon Sand last year....it's a mess! We made them play with it outside and it was still a mess. I'm not familier with the other toys, but before you buy something like the Polly Pocket doll, consider whether or not you have the time and desire to chaperone that activity.
Happy shopping :)

I can only answer regarding the Ninja Turtle stuff,
my 3 year son has all things turtle. He loves them and plays with them all of the time. The one thing that you need to watch for is, there are some really small pieces that could be a choking issue.
Have a Merry Christmas