I saw some people were posting about christmas so I thought Id give it a try :) My daughter is going to be almost 2 1/2 this christmas and I have no idea what to get her. Her main gift will be a new brother, lol, Im due Dec 27. What she mostly plays with is the same 4 ratty stuffed animals that she carries around all day :) New toys are usually exciting for about 5 min, and I feel most are very similar to something she already has. She is first grandkid on both sides so she has a LOT of toys. She loves art but already has an easel and tons of art supplies. She loves to read but we check out all the books we want from the library every week. Id love ideas for larger gifts or stocking stuffers. TIA
Another stuffed animal - but a baby version of one of the ones she carries around - so she'll have a "baby" too. And how about a playhouse? Use it inside over the winter, then move it to the deck/yard. Have fun!
i got my daughter lots of doll things cause she was very interested in her little brother at the time. she got a stroller and what not. she loved playing like she was taking care of a baby
I actually love Melissa & Doug brand toys because they are just basic toys that force kids to use their imaginations without all the blinking lights and annoying sounds! Every Melissa & Doug toy that my kids have gotten, they've always played with. They can be pricey, but they are long lasting. Kohls sells them too and Kohls always has coupons to use. My daughter, who is now 3 1/2, has always loved the food, dolls, puzzles. One of her favorites is the Lacing Beads in a Box. They are big, chunky wooden blocks that you just thread onto a string! Go figure! She never tires of it. I would definitely check the site out for ideas, I guarantee your daughter will love whatever you get her.
Dress-up clothes and costumes!!! Maybe find a neat storage system for them with a mirror. I buy lots of larger, super pretty dresses and costumes at thrift stores and kid sales and use those. They are more durable than the dresses made for dress-up and less "commercially themed."
Does she have a doll house that is large enough for the people to move around in? My daughter who is a year older has loved her Dora play house and people. She also loved her kitchen set with shopping cart.
With new baby coming, now is a great time to get her a stroller, bassinet, etc. for a new baby of her own (if she doesn't already have them). You can never have enough babies in the house. Some are sleeping, while others are being fed. ;-)
Does she have a play kitchen? Our daughter got hers when she was 18 months old. She still plays with it at 6! Our son loves it, too. He's now 3 1/2. Seriously, they play with it just about every day! They also like their kiddie table and chairs so they can "serve" their food and have tea parties. The other toy they love and play with all the time is the Loving Family doll house. All of the neighborhood kids love it, too! And, most of the furniture and accessories store inside of it! Good luck!
PlasmaCar!!!
Best "ride it" toy on the planet. Indoor, outdoor...
My son got his at 2ish and he's NINE and is still riding it almost every day. He has a bike, razor, skateboard... but this thing is just hands down FUN. It's more fun for kids, although adults can ride them as well, they're just not as maneuverable for our heavier weight.
It's the neighborhood FAV in my mom's neighborhood. The kids all have 1, and sometiems 2 (1 at a grandparents). Over 30 neighborhood kids ranging from 2-13 are on these all the time. Ha. Our neighbors didn't know what they'd started 7 years ago!
We've nicknamed them the "scoochers" because that's the motion the kids prefer (to push with their feet). We started requiring helmets at about age 3.5 when they figured out hills.
In nearly 7 years, I've only ever seen 2 "spills", and those were both mild/half intentional since the kids were *trying* to knock them over... they're just stable as all get out and unlike many similar SUPER maneuverable.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=sr_nr_scat_165793011_...
I recommend switching out the wheels for rollerblade wheels if you have tile in your home.
look on ikea.com they have the coolest kid stuff.
Some of my girls favorite things are....
Bed tent
Dress up clothes
Princess anything
Videos and music
New Bedding
when my daughter turned 2 (last christmas eve, hehe) we got her dolls and tons of doll accessories, which were a major hit...
Other gifts that were winners were a teaset (we have "tea parties" about twice a week), dress up clothes & accessories (snag some costumes on sale just after Halloween a size up from her current size and put them in a pretty box). A kids trampoline like this one:
amazon.com/Bazoongi-Bouncer-Pink-Trampoline-Kids/dp/B001V8TY0W/ref=sr_1_2?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1314296320&sr=1-2
a keyboard to "play". and balls, she loves big balls to kick around.
Most of her electronic toys got little or no use (or I let them die because they annoyed me to death). The only exception is a talking Kai Lan doll, which she LOVES.
Good Luck!
-M.
PS. congrats on your new baby! I know what it is like to have a baby at Christmastime... eek! Even though your due date is after Christmas, I would by a newborn Christmas outfit just in case you don't make it... My due date was jan 4th, so we didn't have any cute Christmas gear for our Christmas eve baby- boo hoo!
What about a train set (table and tracks), a kitchen, or an indoor mini trampoline?
My little boy is really into puzzles...just turned 4.
I have a few that can be put away in their own boxes so they don't take up alot of room or lose pieces.
For stockings:
Pez dispensers
holiday chia pet things
stickers and sticker books
new underware
bath loufa...my son loves them...he may get made fun of later in life...
special bubble bath
bonnie bell chap stick
bracelets
60 second dry nail polish (of course to be kept up high)
new crayons (every christmas I throw the old away and start new)
color book
SLINKY! Woo hoo!
Oh, this is fun...love the holidays!
OH, and if she is working on letter sounds, etc. Get "The Letter Factory" by leap frog. It is a 30 minute video and it has taught my son his letters and sounds...great video!!
My grandsons are the same, way to many toys and they don't play with any. My suggestion is a bedroom theme redo. All the linens, blankets, table, chairs, curtains etc. My grandsons love when they get new things like that at ages 2 and 3.
My 2 1/2 year old plays with her drum pad everyday and she's had it for 6 months, but she loves music. She also plays with a Dora ball pit that I got her last year for Christmas, and she still plays with it almost everyday. When we go to the toy store all she wants to play with are the kitchen sets, so we are getting her a kitchen set for Christmas. As for stocking stuffers, my daughter loves all the small things in the dollar section at Target, and eventhough we check out books, the ones she likes the most, I tend to go and buy. I read the same few books every night, and 3 of them are from the dollar section at Target.
A pop-up tunnel! They fold up small, but when they are open, they make a huge impact on kids in this age group. Can you imagine her face when she sees her own personal obstacle course in your living room on Christmas Day?!
