Gift for Kid Who Has Everything!

Do you have Nintendo DS and the Nintendo WII? I know kids love both. The DS is cheaper and can be taken on trips.

My daughter still tells me of her favorite gift of all time. It was a box of ALL KINDS OF PAPER! I included index cards, stationery, construction paper, xerox paper, lined paper, you name it--the box was full. She is 30 years old now and still talks about the wonderful array of colorful papers and even the smell of it! Perhaps this will work for you? J. W

Don't get her anything.... take her somwhere cool, like on a vacation, bring the whole family or do it with just you two. A movie and dinner or bowling, throw a cool party. She will remember that than any present you give her. I remember all the fun cool birthdays my mom threw me but I don't even remember whatever presents I got. It's the memories that count not "stuff"

Take her to get a Mommy-Daughter manicure-pedicure. Afterward let her dress up and have Daddy take her on a date to the movies.

How about instead of a gift, you do something special instead?

Like a trip to DC (Spy Museum is supposed to be cool!), or a day at the beach, or some other activity like that (Kings Dominion, art class).

Maybe a book would be nice. The Quiltmakers Gift is a beautiful story with beautiful ilrustrations. The Quiltmakers Journey is also a very nice book.

My sister does the same thing with my niece. At 8 yrs old she has it all, is bored with it all, is not satisfied with anything, takes care of none of it (loses it or lets the dogs chew it up) is an absolute brat and has screaming on the floor tantrums at the drop of a hat. Not that your girl is like that, but giving them everything is somehow depriving them of something important. How about you and her signing up for taekwondo lessons together and learn some self defense? Or horse riding lessons? Spend some meaningful time learning something new together.

My daughter is also 6 and very, very girly. We bought a cute box with a lid and put in paper, colored pencils, pretty pencils, nice erasers, stickers, we called it her art kit.

How about a gift that keeps on giving? This year get a very special photo album for her birthday. As part of the gift go and have a special birthday outing and get a really great picture while there. And then each year do the same and put it in the birthday album. Eventually when she's old enough - a camera would be a good gift so she can then start her own memory books. Have a great time!

books. no kid has every book. maybe a day trip where she picks the destination? you might think about whether you want to put yourself in the same situation next year?

What about a magazine subscription like Highlights, etc. Or there are several programs where you 'adopt' an animal and the child gets a certificate and a stuffed animal to represent the sea turtle or whatever you have adopted.
Good luck, S.

R.:

Hello and good morning.

At six years old - your daughter should NOT have "everything" - as this will lead to her feeling "entitled" to things that aren't hers when she wants it.

My suggestion would be to have her give back for her birthday - have her pick out toys that she doesn't use or want anymore and give them to charity.

My neice will be 14 this year and she sounds like your daughter - she had everything including a horse and when one wasn't enough she got another one. Is this how you want your daughter to turn out?

Now that her parents financial life is different than it was when she was younger - the hissy fits are HUGE because she doesn't get what she wants. It's truly sad to see and watch - she's never had to "earn" anything. She feels entitled to "have it all" and when she doesn't get it - well, I'm surprised you don't hear the rumblings and thunder at your home.

Take a step back and realize that what your daughter needs is YOU and YOUR HUSBAND not material things. It's great that she gets manicures and pedicures with you - that's great mommy-daughter time but I think it's excessive.

Why does she need all of this stuff? You don't need to buy your daughter's love. Show her how to give back. Show her how good she's got it. If you are insistent on giving her something for her birthday - why not make something instead of buy it? Plant a tree and let her watch it grow along with her. Let her pick out the type of tree and plant it together.

No, I'm not a tree-hugger or an environmentalist. But I just can't see a 6 year old having all that your daughter has. All those material things that can be gone in an instant and then what's she going to do?

If you are having a party for her - let her know the party is your present to her. I'm sure I'm going to get lambasted for this but really - at the age of six your daughter is living in excess.

Take care.

Cheryl

How about a gift certificate to read to her for 15 minutes 4 days a week.

We do "experiences" for birthdays. We're taking my daughter camping for the first time for her birthday this year. They are much more memorable than traditional toy gifts. :-)

my niece turned 6 this year and my sister got her a plasma car. it is really girly of course pink with her name and decorations. my son and her had the best time zooming around the house. my sister's kids have everything. for her boys, i give them gift cards for gamestop or bookstores. i love to buy girl stuff so i still buy for my niece.

http://www.plasmacar.com/store/customer/index.php

How about a lesson in generosity?

Have her sort through her toys and choose 10 in good shape that she can part with, then let her accompany you to a children's shelter or other similar service to donate them. On the way home, allow her to choose one small item (say under $10 since she donated 10 items) at her favorite toy store. Remind her of the good she did by sharing what she had plenty of with children who are less fortunate.

You never go wrong with craft supplies. All kinds of paper, various markers--they have some that smell, some with sparkles, a big drawing pad, or even an easel. I had 4H for 15 years and I would even bring nature things like stones, moss, interesting pieces of wood and see what the child can create.

6 is also a good age to start violin or piano lessons.

Grandma N. (just had to slip in that last statement, as I am a music teacher)

What about tickets for an event of some sort? I just took my granddaughter to see Annie at the Hippodrome. Or, since she is into girly stuff, how about taking her for a mani/pedi. You could make it a Mommy=Daughter "spa" day.

Educational toys, dinner out, clothes, shoes and special times with parents are all wonderful gifts. You could even take a mini-vacation instead of opting for a party. Same cost and gives her different memories with Mom and Dad. Or, have a cookout.

I got my girls (6 and 8) the underwater barbies/mermaids for the bathtub. They LOVE them. Not that they needed any encouragement to get in the bath, and stay for an hour (!) but their favourite is the diver barbie - - she comes with gear that changes color, as does a streak of hair and her bathing suit turns from a one-piece to a bikini. I love it because it's something to play with there, that stays there, and doesn't get tossed in with the other dolls and barbies around the playroom.

Is she into Webkinz yet?? If not, call off the dogs - - there's the gift for every occasion for the next couple of years! The best supply can be found at the Treasure House Hallmark store in Leesburg!

Great time to get a bike, or slip and slide, sprinkler or other water fun things.

Teach her a BIG life lesson and let her choose something to give to a shelter, goodwill, or some charity in honor of her special day. Though you already donate, it could be something special to do for this occasion, and she (and you) would probably feel great about it. It sounds like you live a very nice life, and another child could benefit as well.

Jewelry always works with my daughter. Maybe even a jewelry box. A nice gift set from Bath & Body Works is an idea as well. Hope it helps.

AJ

It sounds like you guys need to consider cutting back Xmas if you aren't left with anything come b-day. I experience the same thing each year with my stepson. As the non-custodial parent, his mother is the typical "Disney" parent and overindulges his every whim. We have to get very creative! What about some books (can never have too many), CDs (music builds creativity), maybe 1 computer game, clothes (you can get some cute things she would love and maybe throw in fun accessories), etc. You would not be wasting $ and she would still enjoy these things. Remember, less is more!

Hi R.,

I know the feeling. My two granddaughters have everything also. My daughter is a genius with things of this nature, however, so therefore our remedy is to go with the unconventional things now for birthdays. For example, we have given birthday parties and invited Dora the Explorer and Jim the Clown; we have given fairy-tale parties at different shops (look around your town and see if it offers activity shops), we have given Snow Princess parties, Chucky Cheese, we have given parties at Skateland, the Children's Museum, and finally we gave a party at Swaders (indoor/outdoor park and playland). This way, you do not have to purchase gifts, just leave it to the people on the guest list to bring gifts.

I hope this helps. If not, please feel free to contact me for more ideas at ____@____.com.

Hi R.,
Maybe you could get her a family membership to a local zoo or museum? That way you have something that doesn't take up any space and never needs to be put away. Also, maybe you should consider whether you will still be able to afford her lifestyle when she is grown. My uncle who was retired had to go back to work to pay the mortgages for his two adult daughters (one of them doesn't work at all). Two of the best gifts you can give your children is self-reliance, and the ability to cope with having less. When I tell my daughters "no," I explain to her that we have priorities, and if we spend money on one thing, we may not have it for a future thing that we would prefer. When we go on vacation this year, I am going to give my girls their own spending money and if they run out, they will not be able to buy anything else the rest of the week. I think it will be a good lesson in budgeting. Good luck!

I don't know exactly where you are but there are lots of tea rooms around where I live that have special little girl activities or cater to kids. Maybe you can just have a special day out doing something like that where you get all dressed up and go out to eat, go shopping, walk around and just spend time together.

How about a very unofficial birthday party where you pick up a few of her friends from dance or one of her other activities and take them to the movies and chuck e cheese?If you pick up four girls.. thats maybe $60 at the movies.. you can take your own snacks if you dont want to spend a trillion dollars on popcorn and candy from there.. Decorated lunch bags for each girl with a cold juice box, skittles, chocolate candy and a .25 cent bag of popcorn would be adored. You and your daughter can decorate some brown lunch bags with different color/size pocka dots made from construction paper.. and a star with each girls name. After that go to chuck E. cheese or if thats too many kids for you, try the park where you could play freeze tag with them and then let them go play on their own for an hour.. and then take everyone home. As long as they eat lunch... at some point.. Have fun!! Personally, I'll add, I read a quote years ago.. it said, "How do you spoil a child?" and I am not saying she's spoiled at all.. but, "you spoil a child by giving them more than they can appreciate" I thought that was good and it was very helpful to me... So by giving her more life skills which you are doing by teaching her to give... that is really wonderful!! Good luck.

And after reading your responses I must add that some people just do not read well.. you said you already give away toys every month.. and you have donation parties--- and then other people are telling you to give stuff away and that your daughter needs to learn about charity!! how dumb!! ugghhh

Some parties that I have gone to have asked for no presents, but that everyone bring a toy to give to kids at the hospital or shelters. The birthday girl or boy brought the box of toys themselves to give.

Get her an experience. Family day- her choice, or a trip to a local attraction. A teacher I work with told me her family got her Breakfast with the Penguins at the Baltimore Zoo. She said it was an absolute blast and the penguins got as close as a foot away from her- the pictures were AWESOME! The Walter's Art Gallery has special intimate experiences too with regards to thier Mummy collection, when they had the jewelry collection- all kid oriented. The aquarium, Science Center, Washington Zoo also have special programs.
My son just turned 6 too- we got him "Ninja" lessons. Myabe try dance or art or maybe she wants ninja lessons too!

One of my prized possessions as a child was a Barbie apartment my grandfather made (from spare parts after some home improvement projects.) It was much sturdier and more durable than the barbie houses on the market and completely unique. Barbie also had a closet for all of her clothes. Perhaps your little girl would appreciate something with the unique, homemade touch like that.

How about DO something? For my 2 yr old's major gift, our family went on a "pirate adventure" in April. She's the baby (her big sisters are 5 and 3)...so we do have nearly every version of every toy, too.
The girls are still talking about "Stinky Pete" the mean pirate. It was great.

Here's the one we did:
http://www.chesapeakepirates.com/home/homeindex.html

Why not make a trip to goodwill and donate some of her things she doesn't use. It sounds like you and your daughter need a little lesson on charity. She shouldn't have EVERYTHING at the age of 6. None of us should.

I would first off suggest that you not overindulge her so much so that buying a birthday present isnt such a difficult task. OR put back a Christmas present and give it to her for her birthday. It sounds like she does have WAY too much and doesnt need a thing. I was going to suggest doing something girly with her, but looks like you already do that too. And so much for my usual suggestion of art supplies. I think Im out of suggestions.
OK, how about a special trip somewhere, but then she cant open that at her party. How about new clothes/shoes/hair accesories. How about her own plot of earth and planting flowers.
But I think my best solution is this: how about she buy her friends all a gift instead of getting one herself.

R.,

My advice is give her an experience. Instead of another toy take her to a pottery place and paint together, or drive go-karts. Whatever she is into. Spending time with you with a memory to talk about may mean more to her than something else on the shelf. Enjoy!

she is old enough to start learning about the value of money, so get her a savings account and a savings bond so that she can afford to go to college.

not exciting but it is better than nothing then also get her a new kids book. and colouring book. these are not junk and you can usually find them in the subject that she likes.

hope this helps.

How about books, craft kits, or starting her with a collection, i.e. Precious Moments?

It's nice that your kids donate their toys to those who are in need. It's a nice lesson for them.
She's going to be six and you've already run out of things to buy her? She won't be able to appreciate the smaller things in life if she's overwhelmed with things at such a young age and she'll always expect more and more.Bonding with your daughter is definitely special, but manicures and pedicures for a 5-6 yr. I think is definitely excessive. I know you're asking for gift advice, but maybe you haven't seen things from a different perspective.
Some gift ideas.........
-print out a picture/pictures of your family (artistic ones or funny) and take it to a shop where they'll transfer it onto a t-shirt she can wear.
-create a "girly" mobile with some of her favorite things. You could get a hanger and wrap it with some pipe cleaners and hang trinkets from a string...beads, stars, barbie shoe....
-a musical jewerly box

hope it goes well

We have learned to do disposable gifts. These are gifts that we know people run out of so they will always need more. Just make sure what kind of interests the children are into. Some ideas are bubble and accessories, fingernail items (polish, stickers, nail files, fancy clippers)make your own beauty kit. Girls always like to dress up so lip glosses or chapsticks or bath items can be put into them. Sidewalk chalk comes in crazy kits now. They also have 3-d chalk. Lastly, gift cards to their favorite place always works (chik fil a, micheals, justice). We buy a little purse and put one into it.

Hi R.. I just went through the same thing with my daughters 8th birthday. What we did was we got her a kids video camera and then took her to Kings Dominion with a bunch of friends. We explained to her that the majority of her present was the Kings Dominion Birthday party with all her friends. The video camera only cost $90. Then I got her cute little shorts and a tank top from targets $4 table. We had a blast and she videotapes everything now. It is really cute.

Books or magazine subscriptions are always appreciated my daughter who just turned 7. Highlights magazine is good but there are a whole bunch now for kids.

Usually girls that are into girly things like to do crafts. Have you thought about getting her a kit on how to learn crochet or knitting or something like that? I know parks and rec where we live has classes on crochet. Maybe she'd like to learn beading or how to make those friendship bracelets with knot work etc... This could also translate into something more civic minded if she want to work hard to make something nice and gift it to a nursing home resident or something similar. A lot of the people in nursing homes don't hear from their grandchildren as often as they'd like, so I bet a surrogate granchild showing up every couple of weeks to proudly present them with her latest craft endeavor would be priceless as well as forming a valuable bond for your child and further fostering the ability to care for others. Don't forget that the most important thing a child can learn to "donate" is their time and love, especially to someone as lonely as most nursing home residents.

Hmmmmm... I have the absolute PERFECT gift for a little girl turning 6 who loves all things girlie and already has everything else....
There's just one problem... You'll have to drive two and a half hours to get it!
I'm so bummed that you live so far away, because it would be so much fun to tell your little girl that now that she's 6, it's time to meet her very own Fairy Godmother. We do Princess Makeovers with the Fairy Godmother at our store, dressing little girls up in a gown that they choose, doing their nails, providing a little light makeup, giving them the costume jewelry and all the accessories -- and then, when they're all beautiful, the Fairy Godmother serves them tea and cookies at a private little tea party, where she talks to them in character about all the goings-on in Fairytale Forest, and the last ball she attended at the Fairy Queen's castle, and which princess they most remind her of, etc. The storytelling is the most fun part of the event for little girls, who have rarely had a one-on-one experience with a costumed character that detailed. The Fairy Tea we serve is magical, and changes color in her teacup. The child wears home everything given to her during the event. And best of all, it's only $50 for the entire thing, including the dress and all the accessories. :)
But it would be an all-day event for you, since you're in Maryland and we're right outside Richmond. Sigh.
I don't know of anyone in your area who does exactly what we do here. Part of the charm is our setting....There may be a character who would come to your house, but frankly, parents experience varying degrees of success with that. If you get a great character, who knows how to make it fun for the kids and really can do a bit of improvisational drama, you'll have a fantastic experience and a great memory. Otherwise, it will just be a visit from a costumed character. :)
But it's an idea worth entertaining. Every little girl needs her very own Fairy Godmother -- especially if she already has everything else!!! LOL
Good luck....

This one is easy really it is. What kid doesn't like to shop for themselves? They feel independent and you get to watch them and learn a bit more about thier personality as they do it. So get her a gift card... any amount you want at her favorite store. I started doing this for my daughters right at the 6 year mark and it's something they look forward to every birthday. I hope this works for you.
R