Toys/presents - help please...!

[Cluelessfirstimer]

Sorry I know its only September but I'm going to say it - Christmas (heavy exhale)

Cash is tight with our mortgage almost doubling now so I want to start to get some bits as I go over the next few months.

DS will be 18 months. I know he won't actually care but I do. We won't be spending a ridiculous amount of money but need some ideas of some nice things I could get him.

At the moment he is only interested in things for 5 minutes (which is fine, I get it) so even some things that he might enjoy later is great.

He might like a Hulk Goo Jit Su. I’m on a low income so I started buying presents in July. It does feel a bit crazy wrapping Christmas presents when it’s boiling out but I’m enjoying getting a start on it. I’ll hopefully have more time and money for getting the house lovely

Oh maybe check if it’s safe for a baby though, not sure of the age limit just that my young nephews liked them

At that age mine got - and loved - a toy kitchen. And a big cardboard box.

purchase little bits each month.

Sales will start soon too.
for that age a scuttlebug xl will be good, wooden blocks, magnetic doodle pad, play doh( for when he’s 2).
search fb market place for toys-you can get some good deals and your child won’t care if they’re not brand new.

DD was 18 months last Christmas. To be honest she was more interested in ripping the wrapping paper open than the presents that were inside!

I got a few small toys like a bouncy ball and a bubble machine. But mainly i wrapped up quite a lot of stuff I needed to get for her anyway, like a little cutlery set, a crazy straw cup...some new bath flannels 🤣

We have quite a lot of family nearby so I new shed get 'proper' presents from them, and I'm not particularly sentimental (i.e. she wouldn't have had a clue what was a special present from mummy and daddy) so this worked for us.

Why not get him something you can add to later, like Duplo. A set with wheels like a little train would be good.

I bought a big pop-up castle type Wendy house thing for my DS at that age and it was a good ‘cheap’ price, had the big wow factor, was safe and because he was mobile and also going through the ‘taking his things and hiding them in his kingdom stage’ and his ‘ you shall not pass’ Galdolf stage it was one of the best, most well timed presents I ever got him!

A toy kitchen is the sort of thing you will definitely be able to pick up 2nd hand, as kids love them for a couple of years and then they just take up space in your house. I think I just left ours on the pavement and someone collected it. (TBF I got it 2nd hand too.)

Other ideas: a toy workbench with tools Like this .

Some sort of ride-on vehicle like this.

Happyland set (definitely look for 2nd hand). We had a zoo set which was very nice.

Little table and chairs set from Ikea were a big hit for my DS at the at age if you don’t already have them.

At that age he's not going to understand what's new and what's not so definitely look out for second hand toys on Marketplace, charity shops, Vinted etc.

Thanks so much lovlies! Some great ideas here I will definitely be looking to get!

I'd start looking in the charity shops. You'll get plenty of decent stuff for his age.

Get him a stick and a pot of bubbles. In my experience, these are the most played with things. Other people will get him toys anyway.

Mine loved Cory Carson and Duplo at 18m. The first Duplo set we got was the Number Train and there's a song about it on Youtube's Duplo channel, which he first saw about 2 years later and he nearly exploded with excitement that his Duplo train was on TV. The number train is also the free part of the Duplo app game for iPad.

They're always re-doing the colours so they frequently have last year's Duplo train on great offers either in Smyth's, Argos or on Amazon. Ours was £12 from Argos. For Duplo, always check all three stores, because they have very different pricing and it changes all the time.

Cory Carson is about £9 and ties in with the rest of the vTech Toot Toot range, and it's all compatible, and the cars are perfect for toddlers because they light up and talk. There's also a Netflix TV show of it that he might like when he's a bit bigger and able to follow a story.