about my son's christmas list?

[naughtylist]

He is 6, very immature for his age, having trouble with his learning and is being left behind a little at school as the other boys are playing football, playing computer games, lego and so on.

Looked at his list and there's lots of cuddly toys on there. There's other stuff too like a robot dinosaur and play doh etc. DH says not to get the cuddly toys for his own sake. I have agreed but now feeling awful. He really wants them and I keep thinking of the penguin John Lewis advert. Should I get them for him?

I'm getting play doh for Christmas and I'm 32.

My ds2 is 7. He loves playing with playdoh and he'll be getting a cuddly penguin for Christmas. It hasn't occurred to me that he has young interests - he's only just in the juniors and there are plenty of years for him to ask for older toys.

I think if you could check you'd find most primary school kids would sleep with cuddly toys in their beds.

I still sleep with a cuddly toy my dad once bought me from the zoo. I'm glad he is getting his cuddlies after all, as when he does start growing up it may have been something you would have regretted not getting him.

I hope he has a lovely Christmas with Kermit and Animal

I wouldn't get my 6 year old a cuddly toy for Christmas because we have fifty of the fuckers already. But I have 2 girls and so every time a family member comes within 100 miles of the house we get one. DS on the other had has only ever received 1 teddy in his life (poor boy) and yet he sleeps with Bambi, Teddy, Gruffalo and his ragdoll (a manly one obviously ) every night. And has been known to add several others to the collection given half the chance, on Monday he slept with a cuddly ball.

In your case quite right give him a cuddly toy if that's what he wants, soft toys are excellent for imaginative play. There's a reason schools send home soft toys with the kids.

I don't think I know a single 6 year old who doesn't love cuddly toys.
I don't think I know a single 12 year old who doesn't love them either. And most teens and adults do too. Completely bizarre thread.

I work in a boarding school. Teddies are everywhere for all ages and both genders! A 9 year old boy (flexi boarder so not like he's needing comfort and away from home often) brought a comfort blanket in last night. One of my daughter's 11 year old friends brought a comfort blanket on Hockey tour with us last holiday - and not privately either, she had it out on the bus in full view of all the 10-13 year olds. Nobody batted an eyelid. Everybody takes a teddy on residential trips. In fact they're on the kit lists.

Oh and, when we do school exams, the whole school are allowed to bring their teddies in from home for the week. The classrooms become cuddly zoos.

My DS1 is going to be 10 in 2 weeks, he loves minecraft, football and every morning his best bears come down to sit on the sofa. His bed has more bears than bedclothes. DS2 is 7 and has loads too.

kermit and Animal are great!

I'm getting playdoh for DD1 (5.7) as I remember as a child rolling it out and doing my spellings with it and I get her to practice her spelling in as many mediums as she can (e.g. painting, magnetic boards, magnetic letters, with her finger on a tablet art program... I'm forgetting one... oh yes on paper and pencil)

Never underestimate the playdoh and its applications.

Animating toys and interacting with them is amazing. All that imagination. I remember being able to do imaginative play until I was about 9 and I missed it once it went. Still missing it at 43.

If you are still worrying, just to let you know - a few weeks ago my son's year 4 class had to bring in something that was special to them -the teacher was helping them create a story around their special object. My ds was adamant he was going to bring in his special teddy. Both dp and I very gently suggested that maybe something else would be better (both worried he would be teased). He insisted so that was that - and guess what, nearly every other child including all the boys brought in special cuddlies, even at 9 years old. It's really ok xx

What on earth's wrong with buying cuddly toys for him?!
My 11 year old ds still loves cuddly toys and has quite a few on his bed he wouldn't broadcast the fact to his mates, I'm sure but he still loves them!
Really don't see the harm in a teddy or whatever. There's far worse things to get worked up about or that he could want!

Cuddly toys and play doh is perfectly fine and normal for a 6 year old! I don't understand why it was even questioned!!

Hope he loves his Animal and Kermit. I'd love a cuddly Kermit,lucky boy

6 is still so young. please let him have cuddly toys

If he was a girl, you'd have no problem getting him cuddlies.

He has his entire life to be told to "man up". Let him enjoy a toy that teaches him how to nurture and be gentle while he still wants to.

For what it's worth, my big barrel chested DH who is generally seen as "quite manly" loves cuddly toys. We have 2 huge boxes full of them from when we moved in together and combined them. Now DD has inherited most of them.

Thanks all. Told DH that he's having them like it or not. To my surprise, he said he was happy as DS had been going on and on about the cuddlies he wanted to his nanna today and he was already feeling guilty

Oh good! A happy Christmas for everyone. :)

That's good
My ds is 6 and will be getting a couple of cuddly toys. He loves them and still sleeps with one.
Fwiw my strapping 6'4" football playing/musician eldest brother collects teddy bears.
Don't make him be into something he isn't.

That's great,your never too old for cuddlies

I'm buying my 11 year old son yet another cuddly panda. He will love it.

I want a cuddle now.

Great! Can imagine your happy DS with Kermit and Animal on Christmas morning now. And you'll be able to watch the penguin ad again without feeling horribly guilty

Thanks so much everyone

A) Isn't Winnie the Pooh based on the cuddly toys of a boy who is 6? So it is hardly unprecedented.

B) Could you get him some cuddly toys and a football as well?

My boy is six and loves cuddly toys. I think it's lovely.

Just get him what he wants, Christmas is supposed to make them happy, not be an Improving Experience.

I have a quite popular 6yr old son in school, he has cuddly toys and playdoh. I'll be honest I had the same worries, however his imaginative play has been an ice breaker as his group work is not the best. The teacher say's all the kids want to play with him.

Also, the playdates we had have all loved playdoh. bloody nightmare to contain, but loads of fun.

The main ones we have - a dog which stands guard over him on the bedside table, stitch in bed (Disney), football mascot in bed and now monkee off the PG tips advert. Stitch goes wherever he sleeps and I really need a back-up one.

Other things he enjoys are knex, CD books and imaginext / playmobil.

Enjoy your boy, get him one for Christmas Eve! I have bought sven from frozen, DS doesn't like frozen but loves reindeers! Focus on playdates for building friendship and continue working through the class (even if some are hard work). Try to reassure DH that it will be ok.

Have a lovely Christmas!