Ideas for Gifts

3 is a great age to introduce computer games. Reader Rabbit and Disney have some great ones! You can comparison shop at www.marketamerica.com/thevoiceoftruth if you want! That's where I go!

S.

My son loves movies. Some of his favorites are Baby Einstein, The wiggles, Barney, The Ewoks movie, Polar Express, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

We bought our daughter her two-wheeler (with training wheels) for Christmas when she was just about three. She loved it! She has outgrown it, but her sister has moved into it. It was well worth the investment as she rode it as soon as the snow melted until it flew again.
I agree about having too many toys! I have started requesting that family members get them one thing and give the rest (of what they normally spent) in savings bonds or $ we deposit into savings accounts for them.

For our 3 year old twins, we are asking my parents to get them kid size chairs (I posted a question about the pottery barn everywhere chair the other day, and it ot a thumbs up). I think we are getting them a kid sized table and chairs and an art easle. Then a few little things to open. I also need to get them rain boots. Other stuff for their stocking: socks and underwear, edible things, toothbrush, bath soap, other practical things. Still fun to open but won't add to the too-many-toys- problem.

You could get them savings bonds. The 3 year old won't appreciate it right now, but the 3 mo old won't even know.

How about new themed bedding for his bed. Thomas the Train, Bob the Builder, Go Diego Go things of that nature. Craft kits that are for his age group. New special (like electric) toothbrush with his own little tube of toothpaste. Posters for his room, books, and coloring books with crayons. His own special bubble bath. I am making everyone in my family a new christmas stocking. You could make him a photo book of all your family. The same for the 3 month old. My son is 2 1/2 yrs old and he loves his photobook. We have pictures of Mom, Dad, Sisters, Uncles, Aunts, Cousins, Pets, and Grandparents. What about videos of his favorite shows. I make blankets and a special pillow out of favorite tshirts the kids have out grown. Hope I helped.

Christine,
One thing we got for my boys that has been in continual use (even in the wintertime) was an outdoor play set, I have 5 boys so it was a big one, but well worth the investment. I has 3 levels, a rock climbing wall, a covered slide, a regular slide, swings, a rope to climb, and a merry go round, and it is completely surrounded by sand (lots of sand!). You wouldn't necessarily need to get one so big all at once maybe one part for christmas, another part for birthdays, etc. and just keep adding on to it.

Another thing my parets got us was a large area rug for our basement play area. I believe its 9 x 14 and it is red and blue and yellow with the alaphabet on it and numbers and pictures and words, it is really cool, very high quality and the kids love to play on it. Hope this helps.

What about pictures for her (3 yr old) bedroom wall of whatever she's into...Hanah Montana, The Wiggles, Elmo, etc. I don't know what 3 year olds are into lol. Or any new decorations (like bedding sets, lamps, etc.) for her bedroom of things she likes.

don't know if you have a computer or not but have you thought about preschool learning games. They have worked great for my kids. Just have to remember to limit the time the 3 year old spends on the computer. I know I have seen now where they have kids games that look like they are on laptops. Just a thought

I have asked for memberships for my boys in the past. Children's museums, zoo's, and the Steam Railroading Institute here locally. It is nice because they can go anytime they want, as much as they want for a year. Also with zoos, some of the parks use the passes reciprocally- meaning our pass was bought for Saginaw but I can use it at Potters Park or Binder Park for no charge as well here close as well as probably another 100 zoo's if we are traveling.
C.

We got our son a drum set for Christmas when he was 4 - it was a big hit, and he still plays with it (he's 6 now). Our 4 yr. old and 1 yr. old girls like it, too! It is a lot of fun for all of us, actually - my husband loves to rock out, which cracks the kids up!! =) Good luck!

i'm asking for my daughter's b-day next week for a bunch of art supplies...BIG paper, coloring books, markers, paints, sponges, crayons, pencils, all the craft stuff we can use up over the next year...

i loved the responses of museum memberships or zoos...thinking about asking for that for xmas...classes are also a great idea...thanks everyone!! i agree about the toys! plus i think when they get so many at once, they don't appreciate them as much...

We always ask for the grand parents to go in on a class for our daughter. We've done art classes, and dance classes. And loved them both. You could find something in the community schools catalog. You could then get a figure and put a note on it for what it's for(more fun for opening). Karate guy w/ note says 12 karate classes.
Good luck, A. H

I think that some kind of class or membership is a good idea. We have both the zoo and henry ford membership and my boys (3 and 5) love going to both. The memberships are great, especially in the summer for the zoo and the henry ford is great in the winter months because they have a lot indoors and do Macy's second mondays all year round.
I know how you feel about toy overload, I have so many toys and never know what to get my youngest because my eldest has already been given everything previous years. We did get my three year old a guitar for his 3rd birthday and although he can't really play it he loves strumming on it and singing along so maybe your three year old would like that. It's always good to encourage their artistic side.

A wagon; a nice child size table for crafts, projects; a painting easel; books, books, books; a membership to the Zoo;

Books, DVDs, games/puzzles. Living in Michigan in winter, maybe a sled or snow block making thing. I don't know what they're called, but you pack the snow in them and then push it out as a block to make forts and stuff. Instead of toys, there is always the option of bigger items, too, like kid size rocking chairs or the little foam chairs/couches that usually have characters on them.

Books books books!! Definitely books!! that's the one thing that I always love to get as gifts -- we can never have enough.

I found Barefoot Books last winter and loved them so much that I started selling them. www.mybarefootbooks.com/LoriHachenski to browse the online catalog. Feel free to e-mail me for suggestions!

My almost-3-year-old loves so many of these -- Check out Animal Boogie (with a singalong CD -- even my baby starts dancing), The Gigantic Turnip, or Storytime or some traditional fables.

There is a huge selection of board books you can pull out for your baby in the next few months -- so no problem if he starts to chew on them!!

Good luck -- hope this helps!!

I have always gotten my son Books, art suppies and movies for christmas as well as the toys and clothes. Another idea but a little harder for them to understand at this age is to buy a family membership to a local zoo or museum that allows you to go many times over the year for the one price you paid up front. We do this with a zoo which allows us to go to the zoo any time no matter how broke we may be at the time. We also have started buying one gift for a child who would otherwise not get anything and allow my son to help in the process of picking it out it helps him understand that he may not get everything he wants and that is okay because others may not have as much as him.

You could get the 3yro a bike with training wheels or maybe a zoo or childrens museum membership.

3 year olds are about unwrapping lots of things, so it is not about spending a lot, but of having lots of packages....

Get picture and alphabet books, wrap each one individually.
At three, they are old enough for crayons, watercolor markers, coloring books, pulp paper, etc for art supplies, and wrap everying individually. They have as much fun unwrapping a 75cent box of crayons as an expensive toy.

At three, two young for a real musical instrument like a guitar (my youngest started on guitar at 8), but toy musical instruments like xylophones and such are fun at that age.

take care, L.

What about a gift of classes for your three-year-old? Many communities offer fairly reasonable gymnastics, creative movement or art classes. Or, since there is an interest in music - maybe an early learning music class.