Ideas for a 3 year old who's birthday is just before Christmas

[kitkat321]

DD turns 3 a couple of weeks before Christmas and it's always a struggle to buy for her as I feel you have to buy for the full year ahead and buy things that perhaps she may be too young for initially.

It doesn't help that that she already has so much - large trampoline, slide, kitchen, play house, balance bike (which she doesn't like and seems to be too tall for), scooter.

I've started picking up some gifts to spread the cost and have a wooden doll house and furniture/figures and a collection of Julia Donaldson books.

I 3 too young for a tablet? She uses ours all the time (and managed to crack the screen on mine!)

I also think wondered if she's too young for a big bike? Can you get larger bikes that can be used as a balance bike then have pedals added - she's quite tall so another balance bike might not last her long.

I don't want to go overboard but don't want her to get less just because her birthday is so close to Christmas.

I think you need to save some things for when they're older OP. A tablet is more for when she's 6 or so.

A big bike...when she's 5 I'd have thought. Or next year.

You don't have to buy for the full year ahead at all....buy her some quality wooden play food sets if she hasn't got any. A lovely puppet theatre...a lovely doll with clothing...craft stuff and books.

Mine turns 3 mid November we have got her Lego duplo, bath toys, fat wax crayons, a tea set and then family are buying her clothes and books among other things. We struggle to keep the amount of stuff down as she has 5 sets of grandparents / stepgrandparents that all buy for her then Xmas is so close and she has two older sisters!

We don't buy for a whole year ahead - we give a few presents on birthday/Christmas then if during the year we realise they need something we get it at that point.

My boys both had a bike (with stabilisers) at age 3 (well poor DS2 inherited DS1's!). By 3.5 they could ride them no problem whatsoever (the bike is surprisingly heavy) and by aged 4 DS1 didn't need stabilisers.

I won't buy a tablet until they're much older. I want to be able to control how much they use it for as long as possible, and it helps win the argument when they know the tablet they use doesn't belong to them

DS2 is 3.5 and so far he's getting a couple of new books, some little cars/buses/lorries which he adores. And a couple of DVDs. No idea for the main present yet though - he and DS1 desperately want nerf guns but we livein a flat without a garden so I'm not too keen on that idea!

We're also thinking of a camera each - they love using our cameras so I'm looking at kiddizoom ones.

Maybe change how and what you buy?

For instance my friends 2 kids both have birthdays in Xmas week - for birthdays they get more practical things like clothes, art supplies, puzzles/games, bath toys with a few other toys thrown in too. Then for Xmas it's toys and more toys!

Another friend asks for clothes for kids birthdays as presents (she doesn't have space for too many toys). The nearly 3 year old just loves to open pressies and the 6 yr old loves expanding her wardrobe! So it works for them. They do get a few toy presents - but they don't get overloaded with tat that doesn't get played with.

I only tend to buy toys for mine at Xmas and birthdays - we don't do toy shop visits inbetween on the whole (unless it's for a reward!) so we don't get a build up of lots of toys. So when it comes to her birthday or Xmas she is always in need of something. We are still using up the art supplies she got given at Xmas, and puzzles are only just starting to be used that she received 6 months ago (they were too hard for her).

You could get a bigger bike and remove the pedals and chain so it would be like a balance bike. If her current balance bike doesn't have a proper brake it would actually be a really good idea to get her used to the brake before introducing pedals.

As a January birthday I wish I’d had a half birthday. So you could start that by having cards, cake and small gift on actual birthday and then a party and celebration and presents in June?

Birthdays are nothing special to me and I’m sure it’s because it just became part and parcel of the Christmas/new year celebrations...

At 3 I wouldn't worry too much about buying for the full year ahead. I'd rather keep some money back and buy something age / size / weather appropriate in the spring or early summer.

My LO is just before Christmas and I'm toying with the idea of putting a voucher in his stocking too buy something later in the year.

DD turns 3 in mid november and for the past couple of years we've done a half-birthday present in the summer. I just think they get so much more use out of things like scooter, outdoor toys, play tent, trampoline etc if they can use them outside straight away.
I'm expecting twins in Jan and so I am generally looking for things to keep her occupied inside while I'm feeding and dealing with them. I'm half tempted to get her a little trampoline anyway but i think it would drive me nuts her bouncing on it in the house. Tablet is soooo tempting for the peace it would give me but I am going to resist, I am considering the kidizoom digital camera though.
For her birthday we are mostly going small presents as we're desperately trying to declutter. She is into her brio type railway and Thomas so I have just bought a small bundle of trains on ebay and am contemplating a few other bits too. Her grandparents are getting her a dolls house. What about some dressing up clothes? A nice personalised toybox/ottoman to keep them in?

On the whole though I think this is the last year that we will be able to buy her presents without her actually pestering or requesting particular things, so I am trying to make the most of it and get more practical small things and not spend too much!

I should add one of the reasons we've never done half birthdays is I don't want it to become expected. However don't mind buying the odd bit off outdoor kit when I think it will be used.