HELP - Christmas presents for 16month old?!?!?!

[ItAllGetsBetter]

Struggling I have a 16 month old step-son who we have for two days a week (supposedly, different kettle of fish).

Anyways he's at such an awkward age, he's too young to be into anything in particular (other than the bloody TV remotes and anything he's not supposed to have!) and also don't want anything that he's going to grow out of too quickly as he's not here often..

Anyone got any ideas?!

Tuff spot.

DTD's will be 15 months at Christmas. I have got them the Happyland Zoo and some Toot Toot bits as their main Christmas presents (they got the Toot Toot garage for their first birthday but its still in its box as they are still rather heavy handed with their toys). Father Christmas is bringing them the Ikea Kitchen which I think they will get several years play out of.

Traditional wooden train set? Ikea's one is not expensive and I think the most played with toy in our packed house.

I've got dd a scuttlebug. What about magnadoodle?

At that age DS got a wooden kitchen. If you don't want that bulky a toy when he isn't always with you, maybe a tea set, pans etc and a table/ box- they are very good at pretend.

Musical instruments (with ear plugs for yourself) crayons, sticker books, trains, cars, farm, nice story books to share,
All the ideas mentioned I would agree with
Ds is 2 and we have many of them and have done for a year

Train set
Duplo
Tricycle
Garage

Wooden train set
Happyland
Play food/basket/pans
Farm/Noah's ark/zoo
Duplo
Ride-on

Push along trains and cars for the floor - not the wee ones for a train set, but bigger stuff that's easy for him to handle. DD still loves these at 2.

Musical instruments like shakers and bells.

Books.

Plastic shite that sings awful songs, they all seem to love that!

I second the awful song toys, also have you looked at the weebles set, my 2.5 dd and my soon to be 1 dd both love them (also caught 6yr old ds playing with these)

I have bought my nephew some noisy books ( those books with buttons to press ), I bought him a mothercare basic ride on for his first birthday but not sure if it gets used.

Thanks everyone

Wow Toys are very similar to Happyland. I have seen them in quite a few branches of Home Bargains recently. It says it's aimed at 18 month olds -5 years, so would last a while. Sets ranged from £3.99 to £9.99. (These are the prices in Home Bargains, the same sets are dearer elsewhere).

Also Elc have a nice range called "Toybox". I've got some skittles and a Max Mouse with Scooter from there, as presents. They also sell individual "Toybox" figures. They might make nice stocking fillers for her. Elc have lots of decent looking puzzles, as part of their 2 for £10 range too.

How about bath toys? I like the Fisher Price Basic Buckets (which I bought from Amazon, for my little boy)...They made me feel nostalgic, as I had exactly the same toy when I was little!
I have also bought the Tomy Swim 'n' Sing Turtle, for my little niece. He looks cute.

If you can get to a Morrisons with a decent toy section they sell some nice bits - It does seem to really vary though, my local one has hardly any toys...If you see anything you like buy it there and then because I have found the stock changes fast.

Lastly I bought my niece a lovely collection of Fairytale books, as a bit of a keepsake. They were from The Book People. It might be worth getting something like that.

Hope that helps

• They might make nice stocking fillers for HIM, obviously!

My son is 21 months, stuff I can recommend from what he has enjoyed:

Wave drum - massive hit with both him and his four year old brother
Mickey and Friends set of bath figures from the Disney shop - they have never been in the bath, he just loves to carry them round
Squashy building blocks - plastic ones, the ones we have are by the brand B. and we got them on Amazon
Megabloks cars - especially the bus one with a lift up top you can fill with Megabloks
Large talking Thomas & Friends trains - really, really annoying but he loves them
Vtech cars
Little Tikes car transporter - he LOVES this, it is huge but it will last him, my four year old plays with it. He got it when he was around 16 months, his face lit up like all his Christmasses had come at once.
My Pal Scout - he loves it, his older brother loves his one still.
WOW toys - I can't recommend more highly, both children love them so it will last him well. He can enjoy it now but wont grow out of it too quickly.

Thanks, lilicat. You've given me some more ideas for ds's Christmas presents!