Dear Santa (Toys)

Last year, I did a couple of posts highlighting some of the items on Nora’s Christmas wish list. They seemed to be pretty popular and helpful for people at the time, so I figured I’d do it again.

Sometimes, it’s hard to shop for kids. Other times, it’s easy. This year, things seemed to kind of fall into place because we had a few things in mind right off the bat. We’ve seen Nora enjoy some of our nephews’ toys, or we had specific “holes” in her toy collection that we were trying to fill. And, of course, she’s getting a little older so she’s starting to venture into a new territory of age-appropriate toys.

Here are the items on Nora’s Christmas list (for Santa, the grandparents, and us):

(MALA Easel, IKEA + art supplies/accessories)
We were originally going to get her an easel by Crayola, but the price tag was around $50. When we saw this one from IKEA, we decided to save a decent chunk of change. It’s a great little easel, and I actually like how it looks (the natural wood) vs. the colored plastic from Crayola. It folds flat and can be easily stowed away when not in use. To go along with it, we’re also doing art supplies/accessories like dry erase crayons, chalk, finger paints, easel paper, etc. I think she is going to love this!

(Step2 Naturally Playful Sand Table, Amazon.com)
Since Nora has a September birthday (so, end of summer), for Christmas presents we like to think ahead a little bit to things she might enjoy in the spring/summer. We looked at sandboxes but most of them seemed super small so the child can’t really sit IN it—they just have to lean over the side awkwardly. A sand table makes a lot more sense to us, and brings the sand up to her level. If she receives this, we’ll pack it away for a few months.

(Toy Story 3 Action Figures – Woody, Buzz, Jessie, Toys ‘R’ Us or Target)
Our nephews have these and Nora is OBSESSED with them every time we visit them. They’re a bit pricey for what they are, in my opinion, but they go on sale pretty often and we snagged them during said sales. Plus, these are something that can grow with her a bit, just like any other doll—I can’t wait to see her face when she sees these! She loves Toy Story 3.

(Melissa & Doug Food Cutting Set, Amazon.com)
This was another one that our nephews have. Nora’s never seen it/played with it, though. Since she loves helping me in the real kitchen and also cooking/baking in her play kitchen, I think she will really get a kick out of these. When I cut veggies and she is up in her learning tower “helping” me, she always wants her own cutting board and “knife” (I don’t actually give her a knife, folks). She will love having something she can actually cut safely! :)

(Melissa & Doug Magnets, Amazon.com)
Nora loves her magnet board in our playroom. She just has alphabet magnets (also M&D) now, which are great, but I know she would like to have a little more variety. Melissa & Doug makes animals, dinosaurs, etc.

(Kid Music Player, ????)
This photo is of a Fisher-Price Kid Tough Music Player. I would love to get this for Nora, but HELLO, it is $180. ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY DOLLARS. Try as I might, I cannot stomach that. Nora loves music and loves dancing, and I’d like for her to have a personal little music player. However, I could buy her a freakin’ iPod Shuffle for less than 1/3 of that price. Is it “kid tough”? No. But I could also REPLACE an iPod Shuffle 2.5 times for that money. I just don’t know. Does anyone out there have any recommendations (more budget-friendly) for this sort of thing?

(Kamik Jack Frost Winter Boots, REI)
These aren’t a toy, but she needs them to play! Nora has never had a pair of winter boots before. She has small feet. Last year, she was still wearing a size 3 shoe through the winter, and THEY DON’T MAKE THEM THAT SMALL! Or at least not in brands that are easy to find. We ended up having a really mild winter last year and not much snow to play in anyway, so it worked out. But this year, she is going to have winter gear on hand so we can go out and play! My mom scored these boots when they were on a deep discount (like 50% off).

(Build and Grow Toy Tool Set, Lowe’s)
For her birthday, Nora was given this Home Depot toolbox from Toys ‘R’ Us. We just introduced it a few weeks ago (we hide away a lot of her presents after she gets them and bring them out one by one over weeks/months), and she is HILARIOUS with them. She loves to help us whenever we’re putting something together, and she “works” on pieces of scrap wood. We saw this set discounted at Lowe’s on Black Friday so we picked it up for her. It has some duplicate tools, but also has a bunch of accessories that didn’t come with the Home Depot set. There is extra room in her toolbox, so this will round out her collection. :)

(Doll Stroller, ???)
Nora is really into mamas and babies. In fact, I think I mentioned last week about how she was playing with Little People Nativity Set and she put Baby Jesus in the cart (normally pulled by the mule), and had Mary pushing him around like it was a stroller. And EVERYTHING around her is a “mama,” “dada,” or “baby.” For instance, she will see a little measuring spoon and a big measuring spoon, and she calls them the baby and the mama. She’s a nut. She is also starting to get into her dolls more. I think she would like a stroller. I haven’t really looked into these much and I don’t know which ones are best. But the one pictured here is a cheap-o $10 one from Toys ‘R’ Us. I’m open to suggestions here.

That does it for the list of toys this year. I might do another installment or two—movies, books, stocking stuffers, etc., so stay tuned for that this week.

Again, I don’t expect that Nora will get everything on this list, but our parents always ask for ideas and this is what we came up with for a master list. From Santa and us, the plan is for her to get the easel, Toy Story dolls, and the tools.

So what’s on your child’s wish list this year?