"Useful" presents

[branflake81]

My nephew is just 2 and my niece 11 months. I want to buy them "useful" presents, ie things that will last and grow with them rather than something very age-specific they will tire of in a few months.

does anyone have any suggestions? I was thinking of things like building blocks or toy cars which will remain of interest for a while, but they have those already.

Thanks!

how about some kind of walk along truck with blocks in?

or one of those sit and ride thingys..cant think what they are called.

do you want something they can play with now? you could get a nativity set or a nice re-usable advent calendar

Budget?

A toy kitchen and play food (think ELC have an offer on theirs) between them would last a few years.

Or a wheelybug - that might be what PP means.

Megabloks

definitely tea set or similar - my two have played with theirs every day since I bought it for them when they we supposedly far too young for it!

I've bought my 10 month daughter a wooden chair with her name on it. The actual seat part is hinged for storage and has Noah's ark painted on it. Cost £30 from Cancer research. Quite chuffed with it! or will be when it arrives. She will grow with it and it something that she will be able to say that she got for her !st Christmas.

Are you crafty / do you have any time?

I bought really cheap child-sized table & chairs from Ikea & painted them for my DS and then did the same for my god-daughter. 4 years later they both still use them a lot (and they have stood the test of time well)

...otherwise you can get more expensive ones ready-painted and it would be a present they can share.

Wheelybug also v. cool. DD(1) got one for her birthday and has to snatch it away from DS(5), which suggests it should last at least 4 years .