Its that time of year again when we struugle to find things for our DC's for christmas.

[Marne]

Last year i started a thread where people could reccomend toys and other items for our dc's for christmas, i know some find it hard to find things to suit out childrens needs. Thought we could do it again this year, so what toys have been a hit with your dc's? and also post any bargains you have found?

Here's my list of good toys (my only expereance is ASD so my list might not suit all);

moon in my room (big hit with both my dd's)

Rainbow in my room

Tomy pain pot

Tomy photo Album

liquid bubble timer

Vibrating cushion

space projector

Tomy music maker

Scuttlebug

Rainbow in my room
And the big favourite. A chatimal

I know its expensive and we cashed in some savings to buy it, but the Ipad has been the best thing we could have bought.
No prizes for saying Lego either, but its great OT without him even realising it!

I gave a biggun now ... Don't know if this is interest to anyone...(15)asd/Aspergers/ dyspraxia but some toys were lifesavers for us over the years:

Lego (of course)
Brio
Trampoline
Wooden bricks
Stylaphone
Boomblox
Game of life (old one... New one is crapola)
Roblox membership
Scooter
Headbanz
Programming apps
Coppit
Texture/ fidget toys... clicky one with links like a bike chain... Still popular

Latest 'toys':
Raspberry pi ( just getting into this)
iPod touch

I-pads and i-pods are deffently worth it, dd2 has a i-pad (from family fund) and i think nothing else we buy her will get used as much as the i-pad.

my great discovery this christmas is that elc used to do proper light up traffic lights for happyland.

I am now haunting ebay as dd1 is car/journey/traffic light obsessed at the moment...

lego brickmaster sets also, to give instruction/tutorial on what and how to build. and I found a couple of book and brick duplo sets too, for those with younger children/fine motor skills issues.

For us it's:
Lego Gold mine - cheapest on amazon
Sky landers - wii
Brain game - a memorising facts game
Also would recommend the Alfie bear (something special - Justin's voice) it sounds out phonics and does numbers and some shapes plus music. I'm convinced this helped my ds read - he had all the phonics before starting school and was quick to reading, but what works for one doesn't for all. You can get them on Amazon

Struggling with 20mth dd nt - don't want a house full of crap

Deffinatly the I pad,best thing we've ever bought DS

skylanders app for the ipad is free atm (not that mine is into it, just noticed it when trawling through apps gone free)

Dd1 loves the skylanders app , keeps her quiet for hours.

Toys are us have a moshi monster glump which is similar to a chatimal (records your voice and then when you bang it he repeats it back to you), havn't seen them anywhere else though.

I nearly got something for DS yesterday:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/special_needs/1612748-nearly-had-DS-a-Christmas-bargain-today

Didn't know whether to get it for Christmas or out of last years Christmas/birthday money lol

Back to the drawing board, and replacing his scrapyard with a showroom

Just never anything big

Plus all he will wear now (when you can get him dressed) is blue pj's so will have to look for some and fill his wardrobe Simon Cowell style but with those

My DD is either getting her own laptop or one to share with her brother. It depends on how the money tree is growing but I may be able to get their big
sisters old one running again, in which case it will be one each! They are both old ones refurbished, so equal.

Crafty stuff always goes down well.

That rainbow looks great, DD would love it!! She loves rainbows and likes a light in her room.

Cheers @dev have to check that app

Ds1 is getting

Lego Ninjago Character Encyclopedia
Deck of Pokemon Trading cards (as specified by him - of course)
[[http://www.happypuzzle.co.uk/products/PARADOX-BOX.aspx The paradox box puzzle
]] from Happy Puzzle Company (he's been going on and on about it for weeks since seeing the catalogue)
A cheap second hand game for the vintage ps1 he had last year
The new series of books from the writers of Beast Quest
The manual on how to live a Jedi Life
Star Wars Folded Flyers book
A vintage Star Wars lego kit he's desperate for and I have been lucky enough to track down - unopened on ebay at a reasonable price

... and all 3 dcs are getting a second hand wii, various controllers and a stash of games between them, as well of as course christmas eve pj's, slippers and christmassy book. Don't ask me why I bother buying him slippers as he refuses to go anything but barefoot - of course he still expects the slippers - because that's what happens on christmas eve.

My parents are buying him a stash of hexbugs and various bits of habitats, their great aunt is buying both boys add-on sets for the Lego Heroica games and dh's parents are getting them a ds game each.

Oh - and I've bought two mega loads of mixed lego off ebay, one basic bricks, the other small and unusual parts to end the endless arguments about not being able to do lego building because he doesn't want to dismantle any of the things he's built.

All those with ipads, it there a problem with them being robust. I want a tablet for my ds 2,8 but with cp not asd to use as an incentive for walking etc. My Dh is concerned he'll drop it throw it etc and a toddler tablet may be better?

@there - vetch tablet is good, think its called mobigo

The otterbox defender case renders the ipad completely indestructible! It offers military grade protection and that's the very minimum level we were looking for

@there my 5 year old daughter has the leapfrog tablet and it is fab! She loves it educational and fun and very robust she has dropped it down the stairs and its fine. It also has survived various fights between my daughter and 7 year old son when they both want to play it.

Get a good cover for iPad and should be fine

10 year old DS is getting a WiiU for Christmas and being so positive all year .

He's also developed a Minecraft obsession and I've ordered a Lego Minecraft kit for him. Apparently it's sold out everywhere and on the Lego website. However I ordered one and it's on its way! Yayyyy!

Silverfrog would these traffic lights be any good?

My son would like these so may add them to his stocking. Though I think what he would really want is these!

oooh, thanks Dreamstosell, they look fab (and cheaper than the elc ones I've found so far!)

at second link - dd1 would be in heaven!

I would like (yet again) to give a massive thumbs up to the company Therapy Box who do some great products and are incredibly helpful and flexible in their customer service (Disclaimer: I have no commercial links with this business at all-I just think they produce great products and more people should know about them]]

The app Scene & Heard is sheer brilliance. A really easy way to produce multi media resources of and for your child and family-dead easy to make a great little personalised film, adding pictures, symbols and sound files and so ridiculously easy to use.

Huge potential for I think particularly non verbal children-sending them to school with all of their news from the weekend (ie footage of what you have been doing)loaded up on the iPad to share and enjoy with the rest of the class.

Also potential to use it to make introductions of maybe new schools, or places like a dentist or dsoctor's surgery to better prepare your child for new experiences.

Therapy Box do tonnes of free training as well where you can see this, and other stuff demoed so well worth looking to see if they come near to you.

Silverfrog

I got this for DS's birthday and he loves it.

For some reason he has a thing for traffic lights too and bloomin Postman Pat SDS

It is times like these that I would love to live in the UK, as it seems all my kids want are things that are available readily there, and not at all here (or they cost a bloody fortune).

DS wants Doctor Who things. That's it. "Doctor Who things"

Bee wants "CBeebies". We discovered the CBeebies website while she was in the hospital last, and she is obsessed with the shows that we don't get

Groan - they sure do make life simple - NOT!