WWYD - child wants non-age appropriate gift

[RoaryLion1]

My DS (3.5) has his heart set on a particular toy for Xmas. For months, every time I ask what he wants from Santa, he mentions this toy. He’s seen it at a local playgroup and loves it. The problem is - it’s clearly a toy for 1-2 year olds and is therefore too young for him (think big plastic truck). I think I should get it for him because otherwise he’ll be disappointed on Christmas Day - but part of me thinks he’ll get bored of it so quickly, it’s a waste of money. He’ll get other, more grown up gifts, but it still feels weird for his main present to be something for a little toddler!

so WWYD?

Team big truck here - he's a little young for a pipe and slippers

Children are often forced to leave behind toys that actually suit their fine and gross motor skills really well.

Have you ever seen a 7 year old doing amazing stuff with Brio, or enjoying a massive tub of Duplo? Or a 12 year old sorting out a load of Barbies? They LOVE it!!

He’s 3. Get him the toy he wants. Better still get him the toy second hand. He won’t care about a box and no doubt another child has had 6 months usage out of it and it will go on to give your son some joy.

How much difference is there between a toy for a 2 year old and a toy for a 3 year old? Get the poor lad what he wants!

Yay! I hope he loves it. My 7 year old still gets some use out of his big plastic digger that he got when he was 2.5. I can't imagine him getting rid of it, it even has a name 😂

I remember once reading something about children's toys.

There are two sorts of toys - the ones kids like to play with, and the ones their parents want them to have.

Bwahahahaha!

My DS got many years of enjoyment and entertainment out of a big truck.

He was still playing with it at 5 iirc.

The suggested age range on a toy is not the law. A big truck is a brilliant present and he’ll enjoy playing with it for a couple of years yet.

I guess I was thinking he’d get more out of something like Playmobil or Lego, which he likes to play with and make up imaginary games. They seemed a bit more versatile than a big plastic truck and likely to get more use. But I was definitely overthinking it and I’m looking forward to seeing his wee face when he gets the beloved truck on Xmas morning!

Think how useful his truck will be if he wants to move a load of Lego around.

I was expecting you to say GTA 🙄

This is mad. My 3.5 year old pretty much exclusively plays with big plastic trucks.

Buy it. children will play with what is age appropriate for them not an average or typical child. So what if he only plays with it for 10 minutes, he will have the joy of receiving something he really wants and that's much more important.

The age guideline will be a safety thing. Back in the dark ages when I was a wee nipper and worked at Early Learning Centre the toys used to say “ForAges 3 to 103” on all the boxes.

Get it. He's only little! Perhaps see if you can find second hand, and if he gets bored of it you can pass it on again....

I see that you are ordering the truck! Good job!
He'll play with it in a different way to a toddler who'll go from A to B.
Your DS can be transporting all kinds of things from place to place. You can make cardboard depots with signs for the skirtings and then give him tasks for moving specific things around. Lorry drivers also get special lorry driver food and to sleep in special lorry driver beds. It's a completely different level of fun!

Get it op! They're only little once. Honestly I thought the same as you when I bought several Peppa Pig sets for dc1. They're absolutely rubbish and so expensive. I thought "what a waste of money, they'll not get played with!" It turns out they've been played with the most by both dcs, even surprisingly by dc1 who went back to it when dc2 was playing, and told me not to tell anybody that he still likes it! I regret not getting the house too when dc1 was 3, but now it really is too late unfortunately.

Glad you ordered it, OP.

You're getting no credit for it though; it was Santa who magically made his Christmas perfect. 😀

Just imagine his little face when he opens it!

My (then) 10yo really wanted a toy barista coffee machine for Xmas last year. He's still adamant his first job will be as a barista.

Doesn't play with it any more, and hasn't done for ages and it'll get passed on to his sibling soon enough - it's still in his bedroom and he's not quite ready to let it go just yet even though he doesn't play with it.
However, it mattered enough to him last Christmas to make his list, wasn't overly expensive and I knew his brother could make use of it when he's finished with it, so we got it for him.

So pleased you got the truck!

He'll get years of fun out of it

Thought you were going to say that he wanted a penknife or something!

Get the wee lad the truck!