What are your 6-7 year old girls/boys getting for x-mas?

[Marne]

I posted a week or so ago asking for ideas for dd1 (6.10, tom boy) but i'm still stuck. She is asking for hot wheels but i'm not keen on buying her something that will break, we bought hot wheels for dh's ds's a few years ago and i found the quality poor, i'm happy to buy her a small set (which i already have) but i don't realy want to spent £40 on the stuff. Theres not really much else i can think of getting her. She already has a huge collection of playmobil, lego and go go hamsters. I really don't know what to get her .

What have your 6-7 year olds asked for?

[CherryMonstersUnderTheBed]

scalextric? there is a decent mini set in the entertainer for £35

[cluelessnchaos]

Lego and a micro scooter

[Marne]

I'm not sure if we have enough floor space for a scaletrix, she likes this (spent ages playing it in elc today) but i'm not sure how much it will get played with.

We have loads of lego but no sets so she might like a lego set.

She can't ride a scooter (we have tied many times) as she has low muscle tone and poor balance, she would love a bike but struggles to pedal .

[CherryMonstersUnderTheBed]

if she cant pedal how about a balance bike if you can get one big enough?

[Marne]

She has poor balance too , we think she may have dyspraxia. We have tried her on a trike but they are way too much money, we were hoping to get one funded through a charity (dd1 has Aspergers) but we are finding it hard as she has no dx for dyspraxia yet. The only trike i can find is £300.

[CherryMonstersUnderTheBed]

ds2 has dyspraxia. he can ride a bike, has the balance for it, but unfortunately cant be trusted to ride safely or not go off with people so cant be trusted to ride outside alone. have you tried the family fund for funding, afaik you dont need a definite diagnosis with them, but they will give you space to list her problems.

[Marne]

We have tried to get funding through Cerebra but her pead would not write us a note until she has been re-assesed, she was referred back to him in june but we are still waiting for an appointment , i could try family fund. Tom Cat trikes came out to see us in june and dd1 managed to pedal the trike with some seat support and foot straps. I tied her on a bike last week in toys r us but she only managed to push the pedal half a turn. Tom Cat said it will take at least 10 weeks to put a trike together for her so we wouldn't be able to get one before x-mas, maybe we could get one for her birthday. She keeps asking when she's going to get one but we are waiting on the pead.

[SE13Mummy]

Would she enjoy a Radio Flyer wagon? She could sit in it and be pulled by you but also use it as a truck, wheelbarrow, general large thing etc. etc. They sometimes come up on eBay - we got one for £30 thinking it would be ideal for lugging DD2 around campsites an festivals etc this summer but she appears to be rather hypermobile and only worked out how to sit up at 14 months. Sitting up and staying in a moving contraption wasn't going to be safe!

[accessorizequeen]

Hmmm. DS1 is 6.10 too, we've got meccano, remote control vehicle (lego blah blah) and some of this. We already have some zoob and he's loved it. Equally great for boys & girls. Marble run?
Also we're looking at games as a lot of them start at 7. Cranium Cadoo, Connect4, Monopoly etc. I'm toying with a worm farm, but know my 2yo dts will wreck it in no time. The horrible science kits are fab.
Does it have to be toys & games? Clothes, new duvet cover, fluffy socks, build a bear voucher (that's what ds2, 4, will be getting).

[jabberwocky]

I read an article on how fabulous ipads were especially for kids on the spectrum. Ds1 has aspergery tendencies so I'm thinking that might be his big present from us.

[Marne]

I like the idea of the wagon, i'm not sure if dd1 would sit in it though (dd2 would love it). Last year i struggled to find things for dd2 as she has Autism and had no imaginitive play but this year dd2 has come on in leaps and bounds and loves playing with girly things so i can easily buy for her.

I think it has to be a toy (dd1 isn't really bothered about clothes etc..), i am toying with the idea of a DSi but i can see her getting fed up with it after a few days. She spends a lot of time on the PC (playing games on the net) and loves Mooshi monsters, an ipad would be great but far too much money for us this year (we have just moved house so money is tight this year).

[CherryMonstersUnderTheBed]

were you able to get a laptop through the home learning thing? they are still doing them for diabled children, but not sure about how to apply

[Marne]

Cherry- are they still doing them? dd1 would love her own laptop, she spends all day trying to keep her sister off the pc so she can have it to herself . I will go and google it and see what i can find, thanks xx

[Marne]

looks like the child has to be in year 3-9 at school (dd1 is still year 2) .

[Marne]

Dd1 has decided she wants a 'chatimal' for x-mas. We went into town today and dd spotted a hot wheels set in a charity shop, i let her buy it in hope she will see how rubbish it is and not want anymore for x-mas. I have ordered a chatimal so fingers crossed she wont change her mind.

[CherryMonstersUnderTheBed]

not sure that it applies to disabled children though. i got one on the basis that ds1 was year 6 and ds2 year 4, but i could have got one for ds2 on his own due to his disability. also, you could try applying for DLA is dd is hypermobile, i get middle rate care and low rate mobility for ds2 as he needs lots of help with things, constant supervision and he doesnt sleep (lucky to get 3 hours per night). you can get someone from CAB to help with form filling as it truly is a horrible form to fill in, but so worth doing, i get an extra £60 a week on my CTC, and the DLA comes in 4 weekly at £267 every 4 weeks. soon be able to fund a bike with that i reckon

[Joolyjoolyjoo]

Hi- I have a 6.10 dd, although she has slightly unusual tastes (she wants a thesaurus and a password journal- budding writer!) but I was thinking od a DSi for her birthday (hogmanay!) on the basis that it is small and compact! As I'm not sure she really wants/ will use one, however, I will be buying a 2nd hand older model!

She also likes games, jigsaws, books and art/ creative stuff. One of her favourite presents last year was a set of canvases and oil paints (thanks, uncle!) However her request to same uncle for spray paints this year (!!) was accompanied by a withering stare from me, so think she will be getting something else!

[Marne]

Thanks Cherry, both dd's get DLA (one midle, one higher), dh's hours have been cut at work so at the moment the DLA helps pay pills (which i know its not ment too). I have just started e-baying the dd's old toys so hopfully that will help fund x-mas.

Jooly, your dd has a similar tase to dd1, she loves writting (always writting stories) and arty things, i like the idea of canvas and paints.

We have put the hot wheels together and she's sat on the floor moaning at it because it keeps breaking so my plan worked, she no longger wants hot wheels .

[CherryMonstersUnderTheBed]

if you get DLA for them then you are almost certainly eligible for help from the family fund. you can get all sorts from them once a year, household appliances, holiday vouchers for haven parks, driving lessons, the trike will definitely be do-able. do you need a link to their website?

[Marne]

Thanks Cherry, i have a form from family fund, if you can onlty apply once a year can i apply again in Jan or will i have to wait 12 months? the reason i ask is i wanted to try and get a climbing frame for the dd's in the summer (i don't want to get one now as the garden is a mess), i was hoping to get one in the spring as i thought it would help with dd1's low muscle tone.

[CherryMonstersUnderTheBed]

no you can only apply once a year unless there are extreme circumstances. but, you can apply for more than one item at a time ( no guarantee you will get more than one, but worth trying)

[jenk1]

hi marne, my DD has AS and hemiplegia,she is a bit of a tomboy too although she does like some girly things
she has asked for
fireman sam fire engine
anything peppa pig
tbh she does a new list everyday and i have given up on it lol.

family fund is really helpful and like cherry said its once a year to apply.

[Marne]

Thanks Jenk, both dd's love fireman sam , i might get them the fire station between them (if i just get it for one of them it will cause problems).

I think we will try and get a trike and climbing frame through family fund in the spring, i have no where to store a trike at the moment as we have just moved house and have no shed.

Dd1 keeps changing her mind as to what she wants and if i try and give her ideas she gets anoyed with me (as i am over loading her brain).