Xmas-What are you getting the LOs?

[princemelissas]

it's custom in our house that we buy the kids one "big" thing from us and then a couple small things from santa. this year I dunno though, DHs work has been slim this year so K-Mart lay-away here we come! I think it's going to be alot of "homemade" stuff this year for the kids

[babyGmommy]

the girls are getting:
baby bitty dolls
maclaren doll strollers
doll beds. (but i haven't found what i am looking for) im looking for a bunk bed type that you can take apart and have two separate beds- im going to the unfinished wood store probably to check there out too.

from us that is all i can really think of. my girls have everything. Oh in the spring we are getting a kettler ( 2 swings) swing set for the girls.

[starbuckmom]

I am not sure yet. I think we are going to try and get one kinda big Thomas Tank engine piece from Ebay. Probably Cranky the Crane for his train table. Didn't want to pay full price! I do want to get him some more puzzles since he loves them! I just got the catalog Magic Cabin in the mail and could buy so many things from there! We really don't have a budget for just our family so I could go hog wild for our ds or just keep it simple. He really doesn't get a whole lot from extended family so we compensate for that.
I will be keeping an eye on this thread for more ideas!

[alternamama82]

Not alot since money is tight and we really don't have alot of space for loads of toys anyway... I would like to get dd1 an Easy Bake oven, I think she'd have alot of fun with it. I don't know what we'll get the 14-month-old though. There's nothing she really *needs,* and she'd probably be just as happy with an empty box to play with, LOL! I'll definately be looking for a quality toy, something that won't get played with for just a few minutes and tossed into the bottom of the toy box.

[mbsr76]

The only thing I know for sure is that I want to get my son a toy stroller because when we go over to his little friend's house that's all he wants to play with. He will push that thing around for hours.

[headzookeeper]

So anyone care to share what your budget is or gift item limit is????

I had a friend whose mom gave the kids 3 gifts because that is what the baby Jesus got. I like this idea and amount a lot but I am having a hard time jiving Santa gifts with mom and dad gifts since they are all still in the believing in Santa stage (ages 7, 4.5, 2.5, and will be 8mos at Christmas). I want them to understand that Christmas is about the gift of Jesus and that it is better to give than receive but still enjoy that classic Santa fun stuff. We do the Salvation Army Adopt a Family with my side of the family so they do help pick out gifts to give to needy kids. But we have a big family and they still receive so much that I am afraid the message may get lost in the wrapping, kwim?

[Namaste]

DD#1 big presents are a bike and a wowzee ?? tiger cub that purrs.
DD#2 big presents are a bike and Talking Darby (think, think, think!)

Then just some small stuff. That's it!

[kidpsych2be]

8 yo DS - Wii with 3 games (already hiding in our closet ), new shoes, few outfits and we're thinking about Anywhere Chairs from PBK (for both kids)

18 month old DD - wooden play kitchen and Melissa and Doug play food, puzzles, stackable toys. Also new shoes and outfits.

Books for both.

That's it so far.

[mamasneedlove]

I'm just now browsing around to decide. We have a $150 budget for each kiddo, and $60 each for stockings. We're big on stockings. Also, we do "Sventu Andrei Day" on Nov. 31, for which the baby will probably just get milkies (hehe) and DS will get a dvd and a wii game to play on Gma's Wii.

DS, 4.5yo is getting magnatiles, a small lego set, a Chicken Socks book, and I've been eyeing this: Wild Planet Hyper Dash. He really, really wants a 4x4, a big outdoor trampoline, and probably tons of transformers junk, but I want to avoid lots of plastic junk, and we obviously can't afford a 4x4, although grandparents may get involved.

If I can keep my spending down on those other things, I want to get him a co-operative game and an audiobook from the Michael Olaf catalog, some kind of cash register thing, and DH has been DYING to get him a pentatonic xylophone, so I may get that for DH!

Also I'm giving him a "play jar," which works like a journal jar, except inside I'll put little slips of paper with prompts for something to play, like "Look around the room and choose objects of three different colors and then act out a story with them," or "Find a toy your really like and invent a new way to play with it," with the instructions that it's a magic jar which helps grownups play with kids, or something like that. Does that make sense?

In his stocking: change for the piggy bank, stickers, Crayola markers if he needs more at the time, playdough, small coloring book maybe, fun twisty straw, costume accessories, cars, a Camelbak bottle his size, a flute if I can find one, and bubbles, all of that mostly depending on what I can find used.

DD, 9mo, is getting the 1-2-3 Grow With Me push toy, or something similar but cheaper, if I can find it. That will take up most of her budget, so I'm looking around for used toys, especially a pop-up toy, a one-piece or just shapes wooden puzzle, board books, and a ring stacker. She is growing into a lot of big brother's toys, and will, again, probably mostly enjoy milkies on christmas.

In her stocking, she is getting a Camelbak bottle, a book or two, a wiffle ball, and I'm sort of lost for what else. I mean, she's not even 1.

I also want to give them puppets to do a puppet show, but this might wait a little because I don't think DS has the coordination.

Can't wait to read everyone else's!

Jen

Oh, I forgot to mention DH got a super deal on eBay over the summer on one of those electric trains that goes around the tree on Christmas morning, only it's the Polar Express train with figures and everything, so that's already purchased in the closet.

And this might be a good idea if you have an older kid, I got it for a neighbor: mandala machine.

This really helped me clarify my plans, thanks mamas! I was kind of swimming in this mental sea of blocks and legos and kitchen toys (oh my!).