Mine’s almost two, so not really old enough to know what she wants. We’re focusing on getting her kid play versions of the grown-up stuff she loves to play with. Her big present is a play kitchen, but she’s also getting a purse with little toy wallet, compact mirror, and cell phone. I found a Leaptop on sale, so she’s getting one of those as well. She’s also obsessed with the potty, so I got her a potty and a doll that goes potty. I don’t expect to start training quite yet, but she’ll be tickled just to have one. And I got her a Sit n’ Spin, because I loved mine as a kid and she adores spinning around.
And that’s just what we got her. She’s the only grandchild on both sides and will always be, so her grandmas and grandpas got her a toy chest that has a built-in xylophone and tambourine rattles on it, a play tent, a sled, and about a zillion Little People sets. I’m also pretty sure my husband’s cousin, a wonderful childless-by-choice free spirit of a woman who adores spoiling other people’s kids, went a little nuts–as of Thanksgiving she already had four things for her, including one of those crazy animatronic Elmo dolls.
I really have to fight hard to keep everyone from spoiling her silly. This is only going to get worse when she gets older.
Mine is two and a half and she has a lot of toys already but she is vague on the concept of Santa and presents. She likes trains so she is getting a train table that’s large and low to the ground. Some train set - tracks. A Melissa and Doug flashlight, magnifying glass that she likes to take from her grandpa. A scooter and a small easel for the train table and markers.
The Boy is four. He wants Lego, Playmobil, and “Star Wars guys for his Batcave”
I got him 2/3, and I’m QUITE certain my husband has purchased some Lego. I don’t buy the Lego, as a lot of it looks alike to me (Star Wars and Space Police mostly…)
You can get them custom-made, or at least you could in last year’s Christmas catalog, and I can’t imagine the market for those has fallen off enough for them to stop offering them. You probably can’t get one made by this Christmas, but there’s always her birthday.
It’ll probably peak in a year or so, and then people will start to settle down. At least, that’s how it’s worked with my niece. Only kid my generation has or likely ever will produce on our whole side of the family–we all became…well, totally unhinged with the joy of spoiling the minute we found out sil was pregnant. And I mean unhinged. Anything anyone’s eye fell upon with favor, the child got. But rationality has slowly reasserted itself, and while we still get her more stuff and make over her more than sil’s family (she’s one of 7 grandkids on that side), it’s not the complete over-the-top extravaganza it used to be.
My kids got that for Christmas two years ago and LOVED IT. It got very frequent use in our household. Unfortunately, the 3-year-old seems to have lost both of the ice cream scoopers from it, so until they turn up, it’s not as fun as it once was, but still. Two years of solid use from a toy is pretty good in my book.
Oh, yes - mom told me explicitly that she was doing this to torture me, but that I should do the same to my own children when they start having kids. Torture is a family tradition.
I think the off button thwarts that slightly (doesn’t help that my eldest wised up to the off button).
My youngest will be six the day after Christmas so I have a double shot of gifting to deal with. All she really really reaaaallllyyyy wants is a unicorn pillow pet. But when she saw Santa last week she told him she wants a unicorn pillow pet and SIXTEEN TOYS.
I don’t know where she got such a number, and she doesn’t care what they are, but she wants sixteen of them. I told her she may get that many between Christmas and her birthday but around here Santa only brings one toy and fills the stocking with candy and maybe some small toys (and YES the traditional orange).
We also got her a Rapunzel Barbie, a few DVDs and the Connect Four game she plays in the therapy waiting room every week. That’s all for toys. I got her a dress and some cowboy boots too.
