4 year old - last minute santa list

[PurpleBettina]

I had started buying for my 4 year old, who until this week had no idea what she wanted from santa. Naturally, now that I've bought some bits, suddenly she has started asking for a washing machine toy that costs 65 euro...it looks huge, and I'm not convinced that she'll play with it much. She also wants a barbie (to add to the pile of barbies that she doesn't play with, presumably!)

Looking at what I've already got, it already feels like a lot but I really don't want to disappoint her on Christmas day! We can afford it, I just didn't want to go overboard - it was her birthday a week ago, and she's already had a mountain of presents.

Anyone any regrets about ignoring santa requests? Or should I stick to what I have and hope she forgets? Also, is this far too much to give? I know it's less than some lists I've seen here, but she'll be getting presents from family as well.

For context, she will be getting:
LoL flyer doll (I could return and swap for the barbie, I suppose)
Charades Board Game
Jigsaw
Roald Dahl book collection
Craft set
Jellycat bunny
Doll carrier and doll seat for her bike
Moana tonie

Stocking with tattoos, stickers, matching game, chocolate

Just looking for opinions on whether it's better to get what they ask for, but you know won't be used, or pick things they wouldn't ask for but you think they'd love!

I'd do a mix of both. I'd swap the LOL doll for a Barbie, that way, at least Santa has gotten one thing off of her list. Does she bring up the washing machine a lot? If not, you might find she's distracted by the other gifts on Christmas day. Maybe see if you can find a cheaper alternative on Facebook marketplace if you're not sure it'll get played with?

Maybe get a couple of things of her list and put the others away for her birthday.

I tell my kids I have to send their Santa list at the start of December. Once the list has been sent that’s it.

Can santa say that a washing Machine is too big and they don't really work so he thinks it would be better for her to do real life washing with mummy and daddy? Maybe she could do the settings or press the on button?

Swap the LOL doll for Barbie.
Tell her Santa can't fit the washing machine on his sleigh.

Maybe put some ideas in her head. Show her a picture of the flyer doll and ask if she'd rather have that or another Barbie, because she already has some barbies. If she wants the Barbie, try and swap it.

There's a toy washing machine on Amazon here for £37 which fills with water and the drum spins. Sounds like a good idea.

Or John Lewis do a tiny one for £16 that you could wash Barbie's clothes in.

Oh and at 4 years old "Fairy washing" is great. Washing up bowl and some detergent or body wash then make a washing line with string and clothes pegs with all their toys' clothes is a really big game. Takes ages and they love it!

I'm a child of the 80s and did this at 4 with my mum but I'm also now a primary teacher and.came across it as modern outdoor practice!

If you can afford it I'd get the washing machine. There's not really any 'big' items on that list and it will make her happy and keep the magic of Christmas.

I remember when my ds1 was around that age I said 'no slime!' and when he got the slime he knew Santa must be real because mum wouldn't buy slime 🤣.

I'd buy it

If you can afford it I think you should definitely buy it if you want to keep the magic of Santa and Christmas going for her 🎄

I’m really puzzled by the presents listed for a 4 year old. Also, why multiple Barbies already.

What is puzzling about it?

I'm leaning toward buying it now...there are no "big" presents because she didn't have anything she really wanted - she has so many toys already, it's honestly hard to pick out things she might want.

Our families are fond of big gifts - she already has swings, a trampoline, a bike, scooter, play kitchen, play house, doll house, pram & cot for her baby dolls..tbh the last thing she needs is more toys, but she isn't really old enough to fully appreciate Santa bringing delayed presents like tickets or memberships.

Fair enough. I think those are big enough presents. It’s really the multiple Barbies and how younger and younger kids have them now

You kind of need multiple Barbies to play any fun games with them surely, there’s not a lot you can act out with just one

It’s more 4 and has a Barbie already

@Printedword what's wrong with having a Barbie at age 4 ?
That's the age they are into imagination play and having lots of different characters (dolls) to act scenes out.
The dolls are also good for fine motor skills as getting the clothes on and off is quite fiddly.

I think it’s because the original dolls with curvy grown up figures were considered the last doll you had when those of us over 60 were children. But I also think 4 and upwards is the Barbie age and the whole point of imaginative play is that all the dolls join the adventure be they Barbie or rag doll

Swap the LOL doll for the Barbie and get her the washing machine as an extra.

Maybe swap the doll carrier or bike seat for the washing machine?

Why?

I’d hold back a couple of the things bought already for next year - things like the Roald Dahl books and charades game will keep a year and replace them with things she now wants.

I tell my kids that Father Christmas brings them things he thinks they will like all year long. Sometimes if he doesn’t bring something it’s because he knows it won’t be as fun to play with as the child thinks and he doesn’t want them to be disappointed. I think at four it’s the last Christmas you get to calibrate expectations because they will remember it in detail. I would avoid getting too many exact matches with the Christmas list for that reason. I don’t let mine put the specific item on their list, it has to be a general description because Father Christmas might not have seen that advert or have that catalogue (or want to spend quite that much when she can find something very similar for half the price)

My DD use to do this, change her mind right in the mats minute. At that age, they can easily be persuaded that the gifts you have already bought are exciting. Ooh look at those lol dolls, aren't they good, all the big girls have those.

As DD got older, I just said Father Christmas had a cut off point and had already got her presents ready.

Am in a similar situation with my 8-year-old DD!

For a while she had been fluctuating between wanting a realistic baby doll with double pushchair and a Barbie dreamhouse...

She is autistic and has massive fixations on things where she will obsess over and play with one type of toy daily for months and then move on to something else.

A couple of months ago she was obsessed with her barbies and built them a massive school structure out of magnetic tiles with nursery rooms, different year groups, etc. She's also always been obsessed with babies (real and toy!), so I thought okay, I'll get the double pushchair and Tiny Treasures baby doll, with some new clothes sets (she loves dressing them in different outfits) then get a couple of Barbie sets with a house magnatiles set (that comes with stairs, etc). Sorted.

What has she been playing with obsessively every day for the last week?! Our Generation and designerfriend dolls 🤦‍♀️ And she has now categorically said she does not want anything Barbie for Christmas and wants another OG/DD doll with outfits and furniture...

What I'm going to do is keep the Barbie sets back , maybe for her birthday or a cousin's and have bought a couple of OG sets on offer and got her one outfit set to be from her brother. The Tiny Treasures clothes luckily fit the OG dolls so she can mix and match between dolls. She has four OG/DD dolls already so probably doesn't really need another 🤔

@Standingontheedgeofforever it's so hard to know when to pull the trigger and buy stuff, isn't it?

Thank you everyone, lots of good advice here!