January Baby - Car Mad - What to Buy?

[LetThereBeCupcakes]

My DS will be two in January, which means his Christmas and Birthday presents really need to see him through the whole year.

His only love in life is cars. He will tolerate trains, busses, diggers etc. Even a plane if it has wheels on. So, my question is, do we just stick with what we know he loves and buy various cars / trains / trucks, or do we try and get a few other bits in the hope he'll grow in to them? Suggestions gratefully received!

He will be utterly spoiled by grandparents etc so DH and I could get just a few gifts now, and put some money aside for the summer and get a few bits then if need be.

FWIW we can also get away with puzzles if they have cars on. And Duplo if it comes with wheels .

Does he have any car track?

This is really cheap and you can build it lots of different ways. There is also a farm and a town jigsaw that you can add onto it.

Orchard Toys Giant Road Jigsaw www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005IX6ZOY/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_U9Lmub0KE98RB

And this looks like it might be nice, you could get some more normal bricks too - my DCs really enjoyed using the cars as a base and making huge tall vehicles by building on top.

LEGO DUPLO 10552 Creative Cars www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00HX8Q6X2/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_v.Lmub0JVEFAD

Also, I know happyland used to do a road range which again is like a jigsaw, I think it might be hard to get new now though. Or Bigjigs do a wooden one (that you can combine with the wooden train set) but that's quite pricey I think.

Thanks fuzz - he has some toot toot drivers and will be getting more for Christmas, he loves putting the track together on that. Love the orchard one though, I'll have a look at that too.

Creative cars added to the list! That will go down a storm.

I'd like to encourage some different bits and pieces really. I'm bored of cars

I got this for DS's 2nd birthday, he loved it and still plays with it 3 years on, and can be added to.

www.amazon.co.uk/Great-Gizmos-66110-Parking-Garage/dp/B00BOQ322M/ref=sr_1_1?s=kids&ie=UTF8&qid=1412588335&sr=1-1&keywords=plan+toys+garage

How about toot-toot drivers stuff - all sorts of vehicles, including cars, can run on the same track.

If you search on Amazon for Fisher Price ramp there are a few options, the big one is super popular at our playgroup!

I have 3 kids with birthdays within the month after Xmas so know what you mean about planning to cover interests as they develop through the year.

What about a Little Tikes Cosy Coupe car? Can be indoor over winter the outdoor over summer. Around 2.5 they can move it along.

Or a trike. We got a metal three wheeled one, Radio Flyer. Or a small bike. My youngest (will be 3 this dec) has been cycling around our garden all summer on a small bike with stabilisers. She just jumped on it and off she went but she did have siblings to copy.

A small wheel barrow or toy lawn mower for the garden. Some other garden toys, balls, sand/water table.

Play-doh - you can get all sorts of sets.

Fresh it can be so challenging, can't it! I'm trying to predict what he'll want for the year but as he's my first and I have no family with older children it's a bit of a stab in the dark. Love the idea of a wheelbarrow. That would involve dirt AND wheels. Win-win as far as DS is concerned.

We took DS to Toys R Us at the weekend and he had a go in all of the cars / trikes / scooters. His favourite by far was a 500 battery powered land rover. Err... no!

Kiwi those ramps look amazing! No idea where we'd put it but I'm sure we could find space. Added to the list.

Equimum he got the Toot Toot Construction site last christmas, and the Car Carrier for his birthday. Both are getting lots of use, and he's starting to want to put the track together himself now so I think I'll get him a track set for Christmas and another play set - any opinions on which would be best?

It is hard to predict but we have always gone for a variety of things as their interests can change quite suddenly. We are stuck on DC4 this year as with 2 sisters we have all the dolls, prams, bikes, toy kitchens etc etc. But we can't give her nothing!

What about a mini micro scooter? Or a similar one - the type with two wheels at the front and one at the back.

I also had a car mad toddler. Best thing we ever bought was a length of guttering to prop up against the sofa and whizz matchbox type cars down - literally hours of entertainment for about a tenner all in.

Imperial that's genius! I'm pretty sure we've got some guttering lurking somewhere already!

Ding hadn't considered tractors. We've not explored farm vehicles yet. Definitely an avenue to look in to!

Asda do a range of toddler toys that are seemingly indestructible - little tikes. DS has a train (the smokestack moves as he pushes it along), a digger (the bucket moves up and down), a cement truck (the mixer part turns), and a crane (the crane swivels). They're very tough and only about 1.50 each so good for little tucking away type presents.

Hey cupcakes seconding Imperial's suggestion we have an old wooden door leading down over the back doorstep which both boys like to whizz stuff down.

Actual presents though, I say spread his wings a bit and branch out. Ds1 was a nightmare for sticking to to cars til I got him different stuff. A slide for the summer, bug puzzles, scooter, swimming gear, toolkit etc...

Best present ever though qhich both of them still play with?

[http://www.elc.co.uk/on/demandware.store/Sites-ELCENGB-Site/default/mProduct-Show?pid=128317]]

So dull, but so much fun.

this

My son is the same age with the same interests.

This has been a huge hit with him:
www.amazon.co.uk/Little-Tikes-Big-Car-Carrier/dp/B00000ISIN/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1412710495&sr=8-9&keywords=car+transporter+toy

His face just lit up when he saw it and he plays with it every single day.

This is his other favourite toy:
www.amazon.co.uk/WOW-Toys-Flip-Tip-Fred/dp/B000F44PGQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412710560&sr=8-1&keywords=wow+recycling+truck

It was his brother's and he was never that bothered with it but my youngest loves it. When he was ill he lay there and cuddled with it.

Hi Jun

That was my concern - if I just keep getting cars how will he ever try other things? Bug puzzles sound good. I think he might like bugs. As you know I had a massive list of different things, but have wobbled since taking him to Toys R Us and witnessing yet more Car love...

I've seen a few of those swirly ramp things. They seem very popular. I think there's a Toot Toot one actually so I could get that to go with the rest of his Toot Toot stuff.

Lili my SIL recomended the WOW toys but I read some reviews on Amazon and people said they weren't very robust - how do you find them? My DS can be a tad heavy handed at times

You know what Cupcakes? Nearly-two-year-olds get generally overwhelmed at christmas anyway. If your rellies are anything like mine they will get all manner of shit you weren't expecting and he will have zero interest in 99% of it. Just get some stuff off the list, relax and don't worry if he doesn't take notice of lots of it til summer.

DS1 still loves cars, racing, tractors, it doesn't change.

OP I feel your pain. My DS is 3 end of February. Since he was tiny, even before he was beginning to speak, he was obsessed with cars. It all started with grunts and pointing at white vans in car parks.

It got to the point where he ALWAYS had to have a car in his hand. And baby toy cars would not do! They absolutely had to be proper little metal replica cars. He would even check the bottom and do a disappointed "oooh nooo" if there were no details underneath.

We got him the Toot Toot garage and cars for the Christmas before he was 2, and I have to say he wasn't that impressed. He plays with it still a bit, but is more likely to play 'carparks' on the coffee table.

If you want to stick with the car theme GLTC have an AWESOME looking wooden garage.

Or.. what I would personally recommend is wooden Thomas railway. I know it sounds like a risky diversion but we did this for our LOs 2nd birthday and he absolutely loves it. He plays with it every day. And it really moderated his obsession with cars, which was a big added bonus.