Christmas gift suggestions

I have boys but thought we could start this for those that have gone before us what was a hit last year with your kiddos.
Currently on my list is:
Leappad – maybe Innotab but leaning toward Leappad
GeoTrax
Anything dinosaur
That’s really I have – they don’t need a single thing – I am actually getting sick of all the stuff they have and am about ready to do a major purge of toys.
I love this site – here are some of her lists broken down by age group

http://www.babycheapskate.com/2011/10/27/toys-that-get-played-with-2011-3-to-4-years/

I feel pressure to have a ton of gifts for them to open (DH wants to give them everything he never had) If we do get the leappads those are going to be expensive and I just don’t think they really need a ton of toys. Any suggestions on how to keep this all in balance?

 

I'm a huge baby cheapskate fan too!

We're mostly getting Imaginext stuff for my son, and two toys that can be taken apart and reassembled (a handy manny phone and a truck). He already has a train table. I'm holding off on the Leappad, but will probably get them for next year sometime if I find a good sale on them.

 

We keep Christmas small (and their birthday is the next day anyway...plus being the youngest grandchildren on my side of the family & DH is the only with kids out of his siblings, they are pretty spoiled by our family). This year, they are getting leappads, Sigg water bottles for their stocking, I'm getting them a box of their favorite cereal, an outfit, and some books. For the birthday, we got them a Snoopy from build a bear and a Spiderman bear from build a bear.
I would tell your DH, they only know what you tell them and show them...you can get them a lot of stuff and run the risk that they won't bother with half of it or get bored very quickly...or get them a few items that they are more likely to play with. The children will be happy either way. I figure I'm going to take advantage of the years when my kids aren't worried about the size of the toy pile because I know those days are ahead of us.

 

We keep it simple by doing three gifts each, like the wise men brought Jesus. Helps keep us from going overboard and them from expecting a pile of stuff!

 

Last year I went crazy with gifts buying two of everything so they would not fight. :rotflmbo: Their birthday is 2 weeks later so they will be getting a lot of gifts from family.

They have this obsession with my camera so I bought them their own Vtech kids camera. I got a great deal at Costco and they were only $28/each.

I just did their playroom with a space theme and as I joint gift I am getting them this

I plan on getting them one or two more things each and that is it.

My one DS LOVES music so this is one idea for him.

I also will take each of them out with me to pick out a gift for each other. I think it will be a nice tradition for them to shop for their brother.

 

We're probably going to do bicycles for their big present, and suggest that everyone else chip in on gift cards for clothes or build-a-bear.

 

I'm jealous of other families that spoil kids too... They never get gifts from anyone else than us, so I always buy more!

 

My mil bought my kids stuff from the dollar store one year, one item each. So yeah, we sometimes go overboard because they only get good stuff from us

I think I'm getting the twins (who will turn 3 in feb), each a "My First Scooter" from radio flyer, some playdough stuff...and that's all I've got for sure right now. Thinking about a lego table, but I need to find out if they will work with the lego duplo's or just the small lego's. Oh and more lego duplo's, I'm ready to sell all the big mega blocks and work on their duplo collection

 

That's my parents, too. Oh, & my mil has never bought my kids ( her only grand kids ) anything. ardon: I don't go overboard as we have a small house and limited means but usually there is a theme. Last year was music- they got musical instruments. This year is art- it'll be a dry erase board with markers, color wonder markers & paint and a manga doodle with stamps.

 

We are buying them a moonbounce. Before your jaw drops, they don't need trains, bikes, trikes, scooters, trucks, cars, balls, or anything else because we have all of those in spades as hand me downs from big brother/cousins. I literally cannot think of one other item (i made our christmas list on amazon today) that they could use. So we will get them a moonbounce for the basement and that will be their gift from santa. They will get some DVDs in their stocking and we will call it a day.

Dani-I swear that I once saw a table that did both duplo and big kid blocks (the sheets were interchangeable so when you changed blocks, you changed the top). It's been a while though since I've looked at those tables though. We just use a regular train table for legos.

 

Leappads are their big gifts and a train table for their birthday a couple weeks before Christmas. Otherwise since I want them to have a lot to open, we are just doing sticker books, undies, little cheap things that the will love just as much We are also getting them some games like Hungry Hungry Hippo to start that collection as well

 

Much to my dismay, they are getting power cars. On one hand, I know they will be thrilled and loved it to death. On the other, I kinda hate the power cars. They did get bikes last year, but doesn't make me love the idea any more. (I was talked into it by the ILs who want to do that for them this year. And who tend to always go a little overboard. But I know they have fun with it so it's hard for me to stop them.)

From us, I'm thinking on of the LeapFrog setups. Either the handheld game (Explorer?) or the Leap Pad. I'm still trying to decide which one. (And it will probably come down to cost.)

I found some art kits for DD.
And some car kits for DS.

And I also want to get them a set of plain wooden blocks. I think every kids loves those and we're donating their mega blocks this year. They both still love their blocks though, so we'll be adding in the mid-sized blocks too.
I really thought about Lincoln Logs too, but DH said he thinks that would be too many of the same type toy.

And books because they always get books. Maybe a movie or two.

 

I have no idea what to get mine and when I ask them they say Barbie that goes to school, a tiny toy to go in the castle they got last year, and a balloon. That's their wish list.

I'm thinking some dress up clothes and each a pair of slippers. Maybe we won't get them much this year. They get a ton from our extended families. The leap pads look cool but they already have V Readers they got last year and still play with those. I don't think they need another similar toy.

 

I think we are getting the girls new bikes for christmas. We sold/gave away their 12" bikes so they are ready to move up to 16". Other than that, maybe some blocks (maybe lincoln logs since they love to play with those at school, or regular legos), books (Mo Willems has a new one out!), a jewlery box each, and an outfit for their build a bears. We don't go all out at christmas. They just don't need a lot of stuff. If we repeat the tradition, we'll have my sister watch the girls one night while DH and I go shopping for them, and then out to dinner (two birds woo!).