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Original poster

Presents that turned out to be disappointing

95 replies

bob1985 · 20/09/2022 07:27

Wondering if it might be handy to
share gifts that actually turned out to be a bit of a let down and why.

Last christmas got my DD a yoto. Thought it would be amazing. It's barely been used, she's not got the slightest interest in it. Gets bored of the cards after 5 seconds. Prefers a book.

OP posts:
fassnk · 20/09/2022 07:51

Oh no that was my thought for DS this year! Bugger

Original poster
bob1985 · 20/09/2022 07:53

@fassnk might be worth seeing if any friends already have so you can try it out first. Wish I had!

I don't total think it's a bad present but don't think it will suit every child. And it was an expensive mistake to make !

OP posts:
Benjaminsniddlegrass · 20/09/2022 07:55

See horses for courses, my DD's yoto (she had it two Christmas's ago) has been by far the best gift she's had, she absolutely loves it! She listens to a story most nights, it comes on car journeys, she listens to it when she's drawing, playing. Anyway just to give a counter perspective.

PuttingDownRoots · 20/09/2022 07:58

A telescope. The low power versions aimed at children are really not worth it.

(My DN has a Tonie... she likes it. However at over £10 for a book its not easy to maintain, when you can get 10 books for that price!)

bluesky45 · 20/09/2022 08:01

We love our yoto too. Oldest has it, it's listened to every single day before bed, plus most days he listens other times too. We love it so much, ds2 will be getting one for his birthday too. We've had it for a year.
Disappointing presents... Ds1 asked for superhero figures. We have quite a collection. They never get played with, just decoration on his shelf. He doesn't do small world play at all.

Whinge · 20/09/2022 08:01

I thought this was going to be about a present like Doggie Doo, or an expensive gift that broke after one use. Grin

Sorry to hear your DD doesn't use the Yoto, has she tried the podcasts or radio? It's so much more than a device to listen to stories on. If she's still not interested then at least they hold their value and you can sell it for almost as much as you paid.

MummyDrinksWine · 20/09/2022 08:07

A kindle fire for toddler who haven’t yet learnt patience. I brought it for her to read books and play some activity games as she wasn’t in nursery yet.

my good god - biggest mistake of my life. I brought her a kindle fire 7 or 8, I can’t quite remember now.. but it’s so hard to use for a child.. even I found it difficult to swipe up to get the home/back buttons to appear.. then when they do there’s a few seconds of lag before it actually responds and those few seconds to a toddler are a lifetime. It just caused meltdowns in frustration not being able to swipe and get back to where she was ect. I ended up letting her use my iPad instead which she can navigate perfectly - it’s just a shame the iPad hasn’t got that child version where you can restrict ect as I have to keep a eye on what she’s doing when on it.

Original poster
bob1985 · 20/09/2022 08:11

Yeah we've tried the podcasts etc but same as the cards. No interest Hmm

I got it based on loads of reviews from people saying kids loved it. And a couple 'real life' friends who also had it and loved it.

I'm not sure why DD doesn't like it.

Interesting about the fire tablet ...I had been considering it this year. Might see if we have a go of a friends with that to see if she takes to it

OP posts:
fassnk · 20/09/2022 08:12

For us it was Happyland. Got DS the pirate ship, hes played with it once and it just sits sadly on the side now.

niki26 · 20/09/2022 08:15

Just to say - my daughter didn't use her yoto for the first couple of years really - we still tended to read to her ourselves - but now she's 6 she has it on (and falls asleep!) to it most nights!

Mrsfussypants1 · 20/09/2022 08:57

Lego. Dgd (6) prefers arts and crafts, plays with her toys in short bursts but they don't keep her entertained for long, she could be entertained for hours creating a den though, so we thought getting creative with Lego might be a hit, but no. Maybe one day in the future it might appeal. The Yoto player was one of those things we thought would be a big flop, LOVES her Yoto! She has the bigger one and for her birthday the travel one. Its used daily. She's moved up a level on content, loves the podcasts and had a birthday shootout on one, used it for her birthday party for music and uses the fire card in her den to pretend she's camping. Easy to add on to for birthdays and the cards take up no space and she hasn't lost or broken one. I'd say the Yoto was the gift that unexpectedly turned out to be the most used (and loved) present She's ever recieved.

Icanneverthinkofausername · 20/09/2022 08:59

Mr Frosty!! Still bitter 30 years later 🤣

Original poster
bob1985 · 20/09/2022 09:04

@Icanneverthinkofausername I had that in my Christmas list for years!! Never got it...perhaps a good thing Grin

We do seem to be showing an interest i. lego here.

OP posts:
CaptainMum · 20/09/2022 09:07

fassnk · 20/09/2022 07:51

Oh no that was my thought for DS this year! Bugger

My son uses his Yoto daily! For 18 months now. He listens as he goes to sleep and we take it on all trips & holidays now. My elder child has an iPod and uses the material on the Yoto app on it. We love it!

Ein · 20/09/2022 09:08

We gave a Nintendo Switch to someone who had no interest in it. Is gathering dust on a shelf.

Ein · 20/09/2022 09:08

Icanneverthinkofausername · 20/09/2022 08:59

Mr Frosty!! Still bitter 30 years later 🤣

I always wanted one of those!!

Flopisfatteningbingforchristmas · 20/09/2022 09:09

fassnk · 20/09/2022 07:51

Oh no that was my thought for DS this year! Bugger

My DD loves her yoto.

IDontDrinkTea · 20/09/2022 09:09

The kindle fire pro kids tablet. Cost a ton and its awful. The screen isn’t sensitive at all, even I can’t get it to work half the time. Ended up giving her my old iPad and she can navigate that just fine.

To flip a previous posters comments, our yoto is probably last years most successful present

Ship · 20/09/2022 09:10

MummyDrinksWine · 20/09/2022 08:07

A kindle fire for toddler who haven’t yet learnt patience. I brought it for her to read books and play some activity games as she wasn’t in nursery yet.

my good god - biggest mistake of my life. I brought her a kindle fire 7 or 8, I can’t quite remember now.. but it’s so hard to use for a child.. even I found it difficult to swipe up to get the home/back buttons to appear.. then when they do there’s a few seconds of lag before it actually responds and those few seconds to a toddler are a lifetime. It just caused meltdowns in frustration not being able to swipe and get back to where she was ect. I ended up letting her use my iPad instead which she can navigate perfectly - it’s just a shame the iPad hasn’t got that child version where you can restrict ect as I have to keep a eye on what she’s doing when on it.

You can put guided access on so your toddler can’t get off the app you’ve put on for her. To get off it you need to input a password

user1583920194858592910103848559201 · 20/09/2022 09:21

Another one for amazon tablets for kids.

iPads are much easier.

Isonthecase · 20/09/2022 09:23

@bob1985 have you tried recording stories? Ours only listens to stories recorded by family members but it's so handy for calming them down.

We've had a few beautiful wooden toys that have been swiftly abandoned for plastic that. At most they get used totally inappropriately, like shoving the figures down the back of the radiator or the heavier ones are occasionally used as weapons. Not what I expected.

mam0918 · 20/09/2022 10:17

All kids are different so its hard to know, I have 2 boys and both love completely different things lol.

For me as a kid Furby was the worst... mr frostie sucked too lol.

AliceMcK · 20/09/2022 14:06

@Icanneverthinkofausername 40years on, it dosnt get any better 😂

Queenfreak · 20/09/2022 14:07

Last years 'must have ' mixie cauldron toy. It leaked, the fluffy toy is awful quality can be only used once unless you pay £10 per refill. Waste of money.

Original poster
bob1985 · 20/09/2022 14:10

Yup tried me recording stories. She still wasn't into it. I'll likely keep it another year and see if it's something she grows into (she's 4).

She loves the ipad she has our old one and can navigate easily.

I've also found duplo a bit of miss. She showed no interest in it and now she does want to build things she picks lego. so could have skipped duplo entirely

OP posts:
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