Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Toys and games

From first toys to big kid favourites, share your best finds and recommendations. For the latest must-have toys loved by parents, sign up for Mumsnet Swears By emails.

Best gift for third birthday?

11 replies

MolkosTeenageAngst · 24/05/2025 10:00

It’s my 3 year old god daughter’s birthday next month, I feel like I’m usually pretty good at buying gifts but I feel a bit stumped this time. She loves pretend play especially role play but already has kitchen and accessories, doctor & vets kits, shopping set, ice cream set, toolbox plus lots of dolls and accessories. I can’t think of anything else role play wise to get (although if anybody else can that would be ideal!), she’s not really into dressing up unfortunately.

Family don’t have a TV and she’s not really into Disney princesses or Bluey/ Peppa Pig or anything character related. She has a dolls house and a few sylvanian families and playmobil sets, she does like them but doesn’t really have the attention span for them yet so not sure another set would be valued. I have thought about a tonies box but they’re so expensive for what they are and I don’t think she’ll be interested yet, she’s very social but not really one for sitting quietly! I feel like she’s at a bit of a tricky age where she’s outgrown toddler toys but not quite old enough for a lot of small world sets, especially as she has 18 month old twin siblings who mouth everything!

Budget is up to around £100 although i will get some smaller stuff from that, books clothes etc, but not sure what to get as a main gift! Will be very grateful for any ideas!

OP posts:
Olika · 24/05/2025 10:54

My 3 year old loves magnatiles, and making bubbles outside with big wands. And books (especially books that need interaction like we have books that have secret pics you reveal with the blue light that comes with the book). At bath time she is obsessed with led light up bath toys I got on Amazon. And also we spend hours making puzzles.

CoodleMoodle · 24/05/2025 11:09

My DC's most used toy is their easel/whiteboard, which I got when the eldest was about 2, and it still gets used nearly every day (drawing, writing, counting, playing schools) by both of them (now 11 and 6).

Obviously that's quite a big present but you can get tabletop ones that fold away. Sometimes they have a chalkboard on the other side but with ours mine prefer the whiteboard. I have to buy them new pens every few months because they use it so much! And some of them are magnetic, too.

BertieBotts · 24/05/2025 13:23

Maybe something for outdoor play, if you have the budget for it consult with parents and see if they have the space for a bike or scooter or slide or tent style playhouse or something like that?

MolkosTeenageAngst · 24/05/2025 13:36

Thanks for all the suggestions. Bath toys are a great idea and so is an easel as she loves drawing and that’s something she doesn’t have already. Something for outdoors would be good but they have a tiny garden without the space and she already has a scooter which she can take to the park. I feel like a bike is maybe a bit too much of a ‘big’ present and maybe more something parents or grandparents would want to buy? Maybe something to ask her parents about though.

OP posts:
ridingfreely · 24/05/2025 13:38

A Yoto - best thing we ever bought for DD 3rd birthday - she will be 8 soon and although it’s had a upgrade in that time - she still uses it daily

BertieBotts · 24/05/2025 13:40

I thought that but then I thought if you have the £100 budget - talk to them. It might just be different budgets talking here but £100 is easily enough to get one of the nice balance bikes, which wouldn't last as long so parents can still get the first "real" bike.

Something like this could be used inside or outside and folded down to save space. There might be a nicer one at Smyths or John Lewis or similar. https://www.argos.co.uk/product/9164284?clickPR=plp:1:4

Telemichus · 24/05/2025 13:45

Battat toys are nice - building a plane or truck with real tools. Our ice cream set still gets used. It’s a wooden one not a plastic cart.

BertieBotts · 24/05/2025 13:50

Oh the Melissa and Doug wooden ice cream set is the absolute favourite toy at DS' nursery.

purser25 · 24/05/2025 13:52

A wooden brio type train set will be played with for years

LiftyLift · 24/05/2025 13:54

I would say a Yoto too. Both my DS have one and they are used daily at bedtime and have been for years. You can have music, radio and there are so many story cards.

Catatedog · 25/05/2025 07:49

Meloissa and doug items to add to role play
aa brio trainset
magnatiles
duplo, a big set second hand and a new kit in line with her ptreferences for pretend play

New posts on this thread. Refresh page