What is your 3 year old son's favourite toy ?

[colette]

I have just been outbid in the last 10 secs on e-bay trying to buy ds a fisherprice castle with loads of accessories!!
As his birthday is just over a week away I now need to get organised and wonder if I should think of something else. Rather than rushing into toys'r'us frothing at the mouth I would love to know what toy / present your son loved best . Give me some inspiration please
Thanks

Currently, my 3 yo likes a small electronic keyboard. Also duplo, and any small buidling things, bricks, threading toys etc.

On his third birthday he liked a pirate costume best followed by a small wheelbarrow which he wheeled everywhere.

a bike - can't stress how big a hit this has been

brio train set

dressing up clothes

fireman sam's fire engine

Oh and of course the railway set but we have had that years (oldest son is 10!)

Third birthday we had bike and dressing up clothes. But my ds has never been one to sit still long enough for something like a castle.

Drum - a real one

Pair of pink scissors

A traditional wooden puppet with strings

Two mug trees

I am not helping really, am I? But these are honestly what he likes best atm.

Quite fond of:

plastic mower from ELC

motorbike with rider from Mothercare

1/4 sized guitar

Simple board games like Tummy Ache, Soundtracks etc

At 3 my DS loved Thomas. You can get a really brill lego set of Thomas

DS is 2.8yrs and loves
dressing up
his trike
games like picture dominoes
He is also really likes anything that is cars, diggers or trains.

Things he likes best...

Small wooden ladybird on a string (it's his 'pet')

Thomas the Tank train set

Pot of bubbles

Paddling pool

Large fleece throw, for making dens

An alphabet stencil, which enables him to make real letters and numbers

A car mat - a big mat with pictures of roads on - thety are about a tenner.

my is a bit younger (2.5) but loves his doll's buggy, football, books, cars/diggers/trains, scissors & glue, trike.

Oh and of course the sandpit and paddling pool but I suspect you would have something like that already.

Thanks - the sressing up is really a common theme. Today dd put a pink fairy dress on him and he loved it so maybe time to get his own as well.
WestCountryLass he is thomas mad- how do they know all the names ? I did not know about the lego I will finnish the ironing and check in later. thanks everyone

Thomas stuff preferably stuff that goes with his "Brio" type wooden train set.
Remote control car
Stickle bricks
Marble Madness

These are current favorites, except for Thomas and Brio which has been top fave for about 2 years.

We gave ds2 a castle with lots of bits for his 3rd birthday and it wasn't a hit at all. In fact, it's now almost a year later and he has hardly played with it so it's been put in the loft. Ds1 on the other hand got a wooden pirate ship from ELC with lots of pirates and cannons when he was three and that is probably the most-played with toy we have had.

Colditz reminded me that ds2's most successful 3rd birthday present was a big fleece blanket with a picture of Thomas on. He adores it and uses it for lots of different things.

Otherwise train track, bubble machines, sandpit have all been very popular here.

bike

train track (or add on's if you already have)

medium size duplo (or small lego if no longer puts stuff in mouth and no younger siblings)

cars, cars and more cars (matchbox / hotwheels type), car mat, garage

dressing up things, ds's fav's atm is his knights outfit and sword

workbench thingie and tools

games (we like the hedgehog one from ELC, dominos, kerpluck - but a pita to set up)

action men - ds LOVES these

thomas trains brio set

thunderbirds rockets

duplo

football and cricket

bike and scooter

I should throw out everything else really.

my DS loves at the moment 'dens' or tents of any description....other than that I've just realised that he loves things that aren't toys - his favourite thing at the moment is an attachment to our garden hose which is a brush with revolving brushes desinged for cleaning cars....he can be playing with that for HOURS.....

I think the bought toy he has played with most this year is a set of toy traffic lights from the Great Little Trading Company catalgue, they've been great value.

DS1 almost 3 Loves:

Umbrella
plastic scissors
postman pat van
his golly

MIL bought him the golly.

my ds has a wooden trolley (the kindthat comes with bricks in) which he spends hours using to mow the grass. honestly - goes up and down the lawn for hours and hours every day mowing grass - even pretends to pull a string to start it and pays particular attention to the edges

otherwise tractors and trailers are a favourite, as is his little black and decker drill and chainsaw. he is obviously going to be a farmer when he grows up

sylvanians house
sylvanians caravan
snails ....all day in garden and sometimes indoors
micro machines
his playhouse - in garden

playmobil...castle ...
little tikes 4x4 and horse box