XP: Christmas Ideas...I know it's early!

HollyBee013

I asked this on the 12-24 month board, but I like to start my Christmas shopping early, obviously, and I wanted to get some ideas from everyone on what types of things your kiddos liked around my kiddos age.  She is 18 months now, will turn 2 in March.  Any ideas for Christmas/Birthday would be great!  Thanks!

[Deleted User]

DS loves his play kitchen. He is almost 3 now and plays with it almost daily, along with the shopping cart. Puzzles, blocks, and cars are his favorite indoor toys. Outdoors he likes to play with his sand table, water table, Big Wheel, basketball hoop, and Cozy Truck.

I think this year we are considering a balance bike, a train table, and a firehouse dollhouse type thing.

jlpev

My son got a balance bike last year. He turned two right after Christmas. He loves it. He plays with it now almost every day. He loves dump trucks.

chardonnay24

My kiddo got a play kitchen, food, and shopping cart last Christmas (he was almost 2). He just recently started playing with them every single day (at 2.5). Also, puzzles, blocks, Duplos, peg boards, craft items - any fine motor activity. He also has a slide and mini trampoline that he loves and uses daily. Green Toys vehicles (we have the school bus, flat bed truck, rocket ship, and airplane) are big hits, as well.

This year, he's getting a wooden train set and train activity mat.

ETA: I forgot about the balance bike! He got one last year for Christmas and loves it.

ladylisalt

I like many of the toys from the B brand.

jlpev

I forgot DS got a wooden train set. He loved it. We set it up before he woke up. He went nuts. Also a slide. He loves it

LSU628

DD got the Little Tikes trampoline. it's low to the ground so she can get in and out by herself. I can't remember if we got her the swing set for 2yr or 3 yr Christmas. I waited till the Black Friday sales and bought it through walmart.com. Some of her other favorite toys are her Schoenhut baby grand piano (it's next to DH's and they play together). Ditto the puzzles and any other Melissa and Doug toys. What about a dollhouse?

Symharmony

I agree about the kitchen.  I plan on buying my DD one for Christmas.  She always seems to love it when she is at other people's houses, and they have one. 

BelhurstBride

At that age I did the kitchen- its still the most popular toy in the house. 

daniella2727

what is a balance bike?

Piper345

Play kitchen and food.

cpmich

Love love love our balance bike. For those who aren't familiar with them, they are a lightweight tiny bike without pedals or training wheels that parents buy for toddlers instead of a tricycle. Your kid develops great balance and when they are ready to move to a big bike, they will not need training wheels.

Our kid got his in the Spring at 2 years old and just walked with the bike, little by little after a month he coasted a little bit. By mid summer he could cruise along pretty confidently. Now he flies and I jog or run alongside. He isn't even 3 and could completely move to a pedal bike without training wheels now, but we are going to wait until next Spring after all the snow is gone.

Stryder balance bikes are probably the most well known but there are other brands out there. Our Stryder was $50 on sale and worth every penny.

Meether

We got her doll stuff for her Christmas before her second birthday. She had already had a kitchen. I think the doll stuff worked well bc during that year she became huge into pretend play and loved having a doll with a few accessories. Now that she's 3, we are getting her the doll crib, chair, etc

Babalonia

Not a clue. He has a kitchen set I bought from someone and he's so-so on it. He's huge into trains, but has a train table already. He loves coloring so I may get him a crayola art table I saw some on sale at TRU. I've seen those balance bikes they are cute but DS has a tricycle he got last year and took right to it. Rode it all summer.