ideas for tricky to buy for young girls

lilmiss1982

Are these the hamsters that they want?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Character-Options-Zhu-Pets-Hamster/dp/B002U4NHSG/ref=sr_1_1?s=kids&ie=UTF8&qid=1352637888&sr=1-1

If so I would consider getting them the hamsters if you know that they want them.

Kids love over priced tat.

These are fun and durable too they seem to be unbreakable:mad:

I stood on one in the middle of the night and it wouldn't shut up. In a rage I threw it out of an upstairs window and it survived. Then I tried to palm it off to the local charity shop but it was rescued out of the bag much to my youngest son delight to see it again.:(

Seriously I sure the kids will love them and the parents will have to learn to live with them.

moneysavingmumofone

If its the hamster on the link just posted that they want Id get one of those each and a book! Best of both worlds then. Thebookpeople have loads of bargain books/sets of books. http://www.thebookpeople.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/qs_home_tbp?storeId=10001&catalogId=10051&langId=100

savingmonkey

My daughter (aged 4) likes these books:

http://www.whsmith.co.uk/Products/Tiger-Who-Came-To-Tea-Bedtime-Stories++35286608

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Aliens-Panta-Claus-Claire-Freedman/dp/1847385702/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1352638826&sr=8-1

http://www.marksandspencer.com/Big-Read-Along-Fairytale-Story-Book/dp/B000O1RAMQ?ie=UTF8&ref=sr_1_1&nodeId=42966030&sr=1-1&qid=1352638942&pf_rd_r=0P7N7TNMXJPNFY7AY69N&pf_rd_m=A2BO0OYVBKIQJM&pf_rd_t=301&pf_rd_i=0&pf_rd_p=321381407&pf_rd_s=center-3

http://www.amazon.co.uk/That-Rabbit-Belongs-Emily-Brown/dp/1843624532/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1352638977&sr=1-1

quinechinoise

MrsTine wrote: »

Surely the point of being the auntie is to be able to buy all the crap and junk the kids want that their parents won't?

^This.

Doesn't matter how loaded the parents are or how much they disapprove of plastic tat. Kids have no concept of that until much later on. If you know they'd love a hamster toy, buy one each.

If it salves your conscience, presumably they are rich enough to host annual birthday parties and therefore receive non-parental approved gifts from their peer groups. The parents are thus already accustomed to random/plastic toys being gifted.

loulou123

lilmiss1982 - yes thats the hamster things they want...

I would love to buy them 1 each (and tempted to do so) but think i'll properly regret it when the parents see, and a bit of me thinks that as such "things" arent approved of, they might not even be allowed to keep them - I brought the elder one a Barbie for her birthday a couple of months ago, as the last time i had seen her she told me all her friends had them, but i got a lecture from the parents about how they dont agree with them as they sterotype women! (like a 6 year old cares less about that!)

mandco

as much as I'm for respecting the parents choices kids need to be allowed to be kids and that includes getting tat/plastic junk as presents the same as their friends. the odd rubbish toy wont do them any harm and will prob make their xmas if its something they'd really really love.

maybe compromise and get the hamster they want plus a book to go with it so both the kids and the parents get what they want?

Sagz_2

How about a day out with them instead of a 'present'? A trip to the zoo, picnic, boat ride, museum etc. If you want something for them to unwrap on the day then can you get a cheapo day-out-related book?

Manicmum66

I have a 9 year old daughter, so I'm trying to think back a little to what she liked when she first started school. I think a Zhu-Zhu hamster would make a great gift. Otherwise, look at the Book People site for some good quality books at cheap prices - they used to have a nice kit for knitting teddies or sewing a mouse reduced from about £15 to about £5. Or what about an art kit? My sister got my daughter a load of different paper and colouring items, plus some different glitters etc and put it in a special plastic box with her name on it. Crayola do art cases too.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Lunar_Eclipse

I think it would be rude and unnecessarily disrespectful to knowingly go against the parents wishes and buy their children items they don't want in their home.

Also, those hamster toys are comparatively poor (I really want to say 'overpriced rubbish') in terms of their entertainment value. I really cannot recommend them, having two of them with accessories in our home!

There are so many great toys out there (Lego, Playmobil, Sylvanian Families) that I certainly wouldn't personally waste money on those.

There are also some fantastic 'educational' gifts available. National Geographic Kids subscription (mine both love it!), Woodland Trust membership for Kids (it is FANTASTIC & available via Tesco Clubcard), a bug catching kit, Butterfly Garden (grow your own butterflies), seeds & plant pots (complete with pens/paints to decorate with), bird seed & feeder with a beautiful book on birds, basic Science experiment kit, tie dye kit, photosynthesis paper, marble run, a game; the options are limitless.

Also, kids of their age usually love creating, so something like a basic puppet making kit, Fimo clay or art canvases & pens might go down well - ie consumable items that help develop their creativity.

Lunar_Eclipse

mandco wrote: »

kids need to be allowed to be kids and that includes getting tat/plastic junk as presents the same as their friends. the odd rubbish toy wont do them any harm and will prob make their xmas if its something they'd really love. /QUOTE]

I agree with you 100%, yet I also know that the majority of 'plastic tat' does not get played with after the day upon which it is received in our house.

This is my main reason for not buying or welcoming plastic tat; it has nothing to do with the plastic (Playmobil scrapes in), it's all about whether something is tat. Theoretically, you could get wooden tat too, it's just not as common because wood is generally more expensive and not used in the mass production toy factories in China.