Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Christmas

From present ideas to party food, find all your Christmas inspiration here.

Original poster

3 year old boy presents

29 replies

BuntyCollocks · 22/09/2013 06:13

I need help!

Our ds is 3 in January, and I am struggling with what others should get him when they ask, and also for a 'big' present for him on Christmas morning - I like to follow my parents tradition of 1 big present and then other little ones (sounds a bit Gavin and Stacey!).

He is a very lucky boy and has a lot. He loves thomas, peppa pig, noddy, mr tumble and mike the knight. He also loves jigsaws and planes.

He already has a ridiculous amount of Thomas paraphernalia, lots of trackmaster and take n play trains, and track.

He also has - a bike, a little tikes car, a sand/water pit, swing, slide, leap pad, and that's off the top of my head.

He was a first dgc on both sides to very loving and generous grandparents, so was given a lot early on (thankfully he's not greedy or grasping).

So far I've gotten/plan to get him:

sword and shield set
Playdough
Crayons
Skates
Leap pad Thomas game
Lego
Leap pad earphones
Watch
PJ's
Take n play track
Jigsaws

All great and he'll love, but I'd love to get him a WOW present for the big morning. I asked what he'd like - a peppa and mike the knight jigsaw, bless him!

My previous attempts at big presents have fallen flat - the leap pad is currently ignored in favour of our iPad, and this generally gathers dust

Dgp, aunties, uncles etc want to get him something, not just money for his account, and clothes for next year as part of Christmas have been purchased.

Help, please!

OP posts:
cuddles159 · 22/09/2013 06:19

i do the same thing in our house, i like to get a big present then smaller ones with it.

my lb is 3 in a coupke of weeks, having and christmas so close is just a nightmare. for birthday we decided on a tree house for the garden to share with his bs this was a joint present from us grandparents and aunt, they love it. but for christmas the big present we have decided on is the big city garage from elc :) ive also been a balance bike/trike on ebay i like

CreatureRetorts · 22/09/2013 06:22

he's got far too much already Maybe have a clear out and he'll enjoy new things more? My ds had too many, we ditched a lot, he's stil got lots but only plays with a handful of things.

Yoir list is quite long - are you getting it all?

What about playmobil? They do a plane. My ds loved the playmobil fire engine. From 3 onwards he stopped wanting tv type toys and moved into imaginative play. That's when we got rid of stuff.

Hot wheels cars are another favourite. That and a small garage which he uses to be a mechanic!

spacegirl81 · 22/09/2013 06:27

What about a day out somewhere? Or swimming lessons?

Sittingbull · 22/09/2013 06:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

BankerMommy2010 · 22/09/2013 07:45

I have a 3 year old boy that is obsessed with Thomas the tank, have you seen the new thomas film? King of the railway? They have some new trains out fir that and they have the take and play castle from the film were also getting him the tidmouth sheds.

Like your little boy, he has lots already, so its always hard at Christmas and birthdays & like you we buy him one big present, his big present this year is going to be the fire & rescue set from the elc, he loves anything like that.

Other presents will be games and bits of Merchandise from the cars & planes films.

BankerMommy2010 · 22/09/2013 07:47

Oh & the big city garage from elc....

DTisMYdoctor · 22/09/2013 08:03

For a 'big' present - balance bike, scooter, wooden castle/fort, garage.

Does he like Octonauts? DS has a lot of those toys and they're better than the average tv tie in toys.

For family etc - what about some nice editions of classic stories. Ok, hey may not get over excited when he opens them but he'll enjoy the stories.

DS started getting playmobil when he was three - the children's petting zoo was his first set.

I do really understand you wanting to get the wow factor - when I was growing up it was always about a big present with lots of little ones. However, I've found out the expensive way with DS (5), that sometimes it's the little toys that make him happiest and also, the ones that get the best initial reaction don't always get played with the most.

chanie44 · 22/09/2013 08:28

My ds is also 3. We are planning on getting him an innotab as he loves playing with the iPad.

He's still young enough to get away with limited presents and we don't buy for the sake of buying, iyswim.

I bought ds a firemans hat from poundland and it has been played with more than anything else.

Hanginggardenofboobylon · 22/09/2013 08:37

Micro mini scooter? Or at the other end of cost spectrum a Wooden play house for garden?

ThisIsYourSong · 22/09/2013 08:40

The most popular toy in our house with any boy who visits is the Imaginext Rocket. It also has lots of accessories you can buy separately.

It looks like you can't get them in the UK unless imported, plenty on eBay if you don't mind that.

Second favourite is the WOW recycling truck.

ThisIsYourSong · 22/09/2013 08:42

Happyland is also great as a toy you can add to / others can buy bits of, especially things like the village.

stantonherzlinger · 22/09/2013 08:56

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by Mumsnet for breaking our Talk Guidelines. Replies may also be deleted.

TapTapBangBang · 22/09/2013 09:03

stanton I'm reporting all your posts. Do kindly stop posting crap!

WaitMonkey · 22/09/2013 09:09

Also reported the above crap post.

TapTapBangBang · 22/09/2013 09:15

They're all over the place... Taking over MN!

roslet · 22/09/2013 09:42

Letterbox still have fabric fire engine tents for £99 in their sale. We have a cheap version from Argos but ELC do them now too. My son and his friends used to play on it loads when they were three, using firefighter accessories case from ELC.
I hate our playmobil plane as the bits come off it easily and it is massive! Love other playmobil though.

HappyAsEyeAm · 22/09/2013 09:49

You said lego, but duplo is really good for 3-5 yo. The letters, numbers, zoo and farm sets are all brilliant. DS is nearly 6 and he still plays with them. More and more sets are appearing all the time. The cakes look good too.

A scooter? With accessories for it like lights, bell, bag etc.

TapTapBangBang · 22/09/2013 09:51

Actually a tent is a great idea, my DS loves his. He also has a torch and pretend binoculars for his adventures!

Original poster
BuntyCollocks · 22/09/2013 10:36

Thanks everyone, some great ideas here - he really does have too much, and I've just done a clear out of some stuff. Dh is a massive bit of a hoarder, and doesn't want to get rid of anything, whereas I'm of the opinion if it's not been played with recently, it goes on eBay/charity/recycling.

A lot of his toys/DVDs that he's grown out of are passing to 9mo dd as she grows - all of his in the night garden and waybuloo.

He has tents, and a scooter. And a bike. Blush as I said, he's been a really lucky little boy. Love the imaginex rocket but Shock at the price!

He is getting everything on my list, but some things, like the play dough and crayons, are individual pots from an eBay seller, so not a big, expensive set.

He got the playmobil ark last year as he loves animals, and hasn't looked at it. Worried the plane would go the same way.

Ditto happy land - dd is falling heir this Christmas!

I think we're going to do thomas land for his birthday. Currently watching king of the fecking railway for the millionth time

OP posts:
BankerMommy2010 · 22/09/2013 10:55

Haha! Were on our millionth viewing of king of the railway too :-0

Ive done a big sort out of toys and im sending them to his nursery so he still gets to play with them. I think wete going to get him the fire engine tent from elc, it looks good. My hubby has ttold me not to start shopping yet (I have for big stuff) as I don't know when to stop, im itching to get his big presents bought!

CreatureRetorts · 22/09/2013 11:23

My dd wasn't fussed by the playmobil ark but came back to it.

If your DH doesn't want to get rid, then the best thing to do is rotate toys. So pack stuff away - be brutal. Then every few weeks do a swap. We find this reignites interest in things not seen for a while!

HappyAsEyeAm · 22/09/2013 11:53

If you like the look of imaginext, you might like the imaginext castle, and the imaginext boat. There is also the police car and ambulance. All imaginext stuff is great. I also really like the dragon to go with the castle. The boat is half price in argos at the moment.

SpockSmashesScissors · 22/09/2013 11:54

Imaginext
We've got this boat which is still played with lots a year later.

We've also got the space rocket, the fire station, the yellow submarine and youngest DS is getting some of the batman range for Christmas.

The rocket (was about £20/30) and the boat are the most played with.

Playmobil is also good, the camper van and the swimming pool are both played with loads and not too big to store.

HappyAsEyeAm · 23/09/2013 09:28

Yes, that's the boat I mean Spock - good, isn't it!

heidihole · 23/09/2013 09:30

Has he got a dolls house/rocking horse/toy kitchen?

They are good toys for the "big" present and will last years.

Swipe left for the next trending thread