So what are you all buying your 4.5/5 year old ds?

[bodiddly]

Ds wants a watch, a 2 wheel scooter and Ben 10 stuff ... other people in the family will buy those but I haven't got a clue what to buy him from us! I prefer not to buy him tv character stuff from us (other than stocking bits or PJs etc) as he will no doubt grow out of his Ben 10 phase and into something else. What are your ds' into at the moment?

opps sorry didn't see the DS bit on the end of the title.

ds - 4.1, is getting an imaginext space shuttle space shuttle and a playmobil recycling truck. I am going by recommendations from other mumsnetters, so hope you lot aren't wrong!

My DS is the same age and I totally agree that its a really difficult age cause they are too big for loads of stuff and the toys that are aimed for older children are still too difficult for them.

However as DS is obsessed with trains he is getting a starter Hornby train set which was £40 brand new from e-bay. I know that he is probably too young for it but it will make his christmas!

We've also got him a table top football game which he was eyeing up and are probably going to get him a remote control tarantula which is what he has been asking for.

My parents have got him some Mecanno as he likes building things (we tried lego last year and wasn't interested in it at all!) and a new scooter with 2 wheels which was a bargain at £8.

In-laws are getting him the Playmobil Camper Van to go with the mountains of Playmobil that he has already got-can't recommend Playmobil highly enough!

His Aunt is getting him My First Monopoly and another game which Ive no idea what it is!

He has also got some stocking fillers of chocolate,sweets,a ben 10 watch (£3!,Mr Men books and the thing which I know will be his favourite present ever...An Ice Road Truckers dvd! We have Sky + the whole series and he loves it!

ihearttc I am glad to hear I am not the only one who thinks this is a trickier age to buy for! I am sure that if we had a playroom it would be easier as his toys would be more readily available. I am a mean mummy who doesn't have his stuff around the living room ... just his ben 10 figures and art and craft stuff in the kitchen!

anyone else?

bodiddly my ds is now 7 and a pain to buy for.
He never played with toys as such and would never play in his room etc
I now refuse to waste anymore money on toys that he won't use.
He loves footabll so his presents consist of items around that. With a few wii / ds games chucked in.
I got him a ds for his 5th xmas. He doesn't overuse it but it has been money well spent. Plus you can buy new games to keep his interest.
We have tried lego , playmobil, figures , castles etc etc all a waste.

I think I may have bought my DS vtech stuff at that age - leap pad/digital camera. Also lots of duplo lego.

DS just turned 4 and he's probably getting a marble run, plus some playmobil that I got in the damaged box sale - the harbour boat. He's also expressed an interest in the art travel box (which I think his granny will get him) and the quarry thing from ELC.

PS think he also had a slide attachment to his climbing frame - hilarious to attempt to wrap up!

I hadn't really considered a ds before now as I thought he was too young. He loves his leapster games so I know he would like it but figured we would get another year out of the educational leapster games - he only uses it a few times a week but we would restrict it if he became tooooo obsessed. Are any of the ds games educational at all?

Ben 10 is rubbish. Why are you all buying all this crap?

Last year I bought my 4 year old and 2 year old a wooden shop on ebay for about £2 (picked up locally) and I supplemented it with a basket and groceries from ELC. They already had the till from older siblings. They were absolutely beside themselves with delight. There's no need to spend loads of money.

Bike
Scooter
Balance Bike
Brio
Playmobil
Lego
Books
Dressing up stuff
Art stuff

Almost everything else is crap.

educational games

non educational games ds likes are mario kart and lego games.

Non toy players are v difficult to buy for , my sympathys!

I would hold out on buying a DS for a bit - my DS and his mates got them at 6.

ds is 4 too. Pressies in the attic bought a few weeks ago. They include Spongebob Krusty Krab Lego, Pirhanna ( sp? ) Panic game, Hot Wheels Colour Shifters Race track, Chocolate Golden coin maker, a coin from the Royal Mint for keepsake, small set of cars with garage ( small ! )some annuals, small lego sets, stuff with his name on.

All I know from family is Operation and a Cars track game

His birthday is in feb...

DS got this for his 4th birthday in the summer. It's a puppet theatre and a shop and although it's sturdy it's lightweight and packs away small.

Walky talkies also good.

DS1 is 5 just before xmas. he is getting his first bike. It will be 2nd hand though, but in vgc, just scouring the car boots etc at weekends.
I would like to get him new but his size is more expensive than ds2's who is 3 and also getting his first bike... so we are buying the cheaper size new and the other one 2nd hand!
He will get a ton of art and glueing stuff from the £1 shop, a charlie and lola dvd that I found in perfect nick at the charity shop.
Also all the leap pad games that I collected off ebay over the year very cheap.
Thats all we've arranged so far, but no doubt there will be some Power Rangers and Spongebob tat coming down the chimney on xmas morning too.

Oh and hotwheels cars they love those and very cheap if you buy the multipack boxes. You don't really need the tracks they just like to play with the cars!

ds is getting a magic kit, card game, dot to dot books, guitar book, transformers.

Good buys in previous years have been scooter, meccano, playmobil, lego and hotwheels.

Orchard toys also do some good, cheap games - my ds loves them!

beanie - please re think the chocolate golden coin maker, its not too late to unwrap it and take it back to the shop! (see the crap toy thread).

here

I sold our coin maker on ebay likely one of the worst purchases i have made!

ds has lots of lego and playmobil. also a garage and some star wars bits and pieces. have bought same age nephew a fair bit of meccano and some football bits

DS is 4.8. He is having a bike as he has now learnt to ride without stabilisers.

He also wanted the Kevin Levin car, which I managed to get from Tesco direct when it was reduced and also found a discount voucher.

We have also bought him Ssssh, Don't Wake Dad, The Ben 10 guess who type game, the 2 lots of Daily Mirror lego and a few stocking fillers.

DD has a Nintendo DS which he plays with so we have decided to get him one for his 5th birthday in March.

am considering that idea for his birthday as well SweetNiblets. He will be 5 in February so if we still think a ds is worth looking at it can wait until then. I have already collected bits and pieces for his stocking throughout the year and only really get him one main present for under the tree. Most of what goes in his stocking is second hand so want the main present to be nice but not ridiculously priced! When he looks through the Argos catalogue etc he wants loads of stuff .. but I can tell that in reality they would be 5 minute wonders. That is why I am steering clear of the Hot Wheel type presents.