Present ideas for 2.5 year old girl

[sanityawol]

I'm out of ideas for my niece - could you wise MNers give me some inspiration please?

I got an absolute bargain on her present (wooden train set as she quite likes playing with cars) so I need something around the £15 mark to make up her gift.

She has an unusual name so was perhaps thinking of something personalised, but not attached to that idea.

I'd like it to be a toy rather than something sensible -don't mind noisy and / or irritating that's what aunts are for..

I'm sure that when DD was this age 10 years ago that there wasn't nearly so much pink plastic around... although DN does quite like princesses.

Oh, and I need to be able to buy online as I live in the arse end of nowhere and I'm not planning on doing the 1.5 hour drive to the nearest town with shops that actually sell stuff for children before Christmas.

Thanks so much

How about a little keyboard? There are some very robust ones out there with headphones. My dd loved hers that my dsis gave her at that age. Or some art/craft materials they always go down a treat.

Tea set? There are some lovely tin ones on Amazon....not pink. I also like the sets of cutting fruit and food....made of wood like this one My DDs loved theirs...hours of play and it's nice and sturdy too.

I'd say the train set was ample! Could always add an engine or two though? Melissa and Doug do a brilliant latch board if she's into that? Or I've just bought ds (2.3) a toddler doctors kit from ELC.

Lego duplo, would get more for secondhand, or cheaper is megablocks

Misty I'd tend to agree, and if I'd paid full price it would have been.. just had a budget in mind for her.

Fantastic ideas - thank you all. She had tea set and lego type stuff which is why I was drawing a bit of a blank. Her GPs will go overboard with pink plastic disney shit, so I'm trying to find something a bit different.

But, you've just reminded me that some of DS (2.1) favourite toys are handed down from DD - velcro cutting fruit and veg, and her doctor's set (as well as her old wooden train track that we've added to over the years). Should have looked closer to home!

So I think it will be one of those.

Thank you

What about a train that spells out her name?
www.naturalbabyshower.co.uk/bigjigs-rail-customised-wooden-name-train.html?___store=default&gclid=CObB87_FrbsCFaXMtAodXwwA8Q

I've got my niece whose 2 some plastic food, playdoh and a moomin book

Happyland, play doh, busy books, glitter glue, animal/ toy torch, hobby horse. Those are all things dd a similar age would love. The torch is an odd one but she has a torch that moos when she turns it on and is obsessed by it. She also loves little toy wind up torches they sell in oxfam (New ones) for a fiver.