[dianneemily]

Hi all,
I love coming here for suggestions and advice. My youngest dd, Elsa, will be 3 in May. I've always struggled with gift ideas for her because we already have so many toys from my 5 year old dd.
We have plenty of "girl" toys - dolls, barbies, ponies, princesses, etc.
At preschool, Elsa always plays with boys and tends to play with cars, trains, blocks, etc. So, I would like to get her something along these lines. I know everything you want to know (and more) about princesses, but not much about "boy" stuff.
What are some suggestions? Elsa likes hotwheel cars - are there good sturdy tracks anyone has found for them? How about good blocks/building stuff?
Thanks in advance - you all rock!

[Devora]

Hot Wheels tracks tend to be thin plastic tracks that are bendable. You fit them together and can make loops, etc. I think those are the best kind -- all you need is to prop them up on something to get them going. There are other types, but these are the "classic" and can be built together in lots of ways. (And they're not expensive.)

If she likes trains then the wooden Thomas/Brio tracks are great. A lot more expensive than Hot Wheels, but for a child who sticks with them they last for a long time.

You know her personality, but something with her name on it could also be a hit. My son has always liked his personalized things (wooden stool, blanket, backpack). I know that my friends who have same-gender kids say that their kids always like having something personalized because it's clearly "theirs" and not a shared item or a hand-me-down.

If she likes baths then fun tub toys might be a hit. My son has some foamy cars/planes/road pieces that stick to the wall when wet. He loves them. We gave my nephew a "bathtub chemistry" set that he likes.

[dac_cincy]

Fisher-Price has a new racing track out aimed at the younger crowd. It is heavier weight - in a figure eight and comes with 1 or 2 cars.
Bug loves all things CARS related and the girls seem to like them too.

Blocks wise- the cardboard bigger blocks have survived 3 grandchildren now, so my parents recommend them

Love to you,
Deb

[dac_cincy]

Fisher-Price has a new racing track out aimed at the younger crowd. It is heavier weight - in a figure eight and comes with 1 or 2 cars.
Bug loves all things CARS related and the girls seem to like them too.

Blocks wise- the cardboard bigger blocks have survived 3 grandchildren now, so my parents recommend them

Love to you,
Deb

[dadtothree]

sidewalk chalk, bunches of it!

[ana-mom]

My DD turns 3 in June and we are already buying a few small things to give her. She like to help in the kitchen so I just got her a kids cookbook. We also have bubbles, stickers and sidewalk chalk put away for her.

[robandjulie]

Classic wooden blocks by Melissa and Doug are hugely popular with our 3.5 yo DD--she squirrels them into her room so DS won't mess with them. Duplo blocks are good, too. Just the basic classic colors--not the princessy purple/pink ones or a set of each. The pink ones seem to be rather limited with lots of stickers indicating that you should build a castle/coach, etc.

Otherwise, around here we're big on stamps & ink, fun scissors, glue sticks, pompoms, dyed macaroni, chalk, and other arts and crafts materials.

[megaphonemo]

My older daughter is 3.5 and has all male friends at school too - and loves the boy stuff. Don't underestimate the power of a foot ball..... Or a soccer ball and net...... We bought DD#1 a Transformer the other day, it was what she wanted and we had a really good weekend so she got to pick out a suprise - and she loves that goofy thing. And it was like $5.... The easter bunny will be bringing another one!

Mega

[052001]

My daughter loves legos. When she was about 3 liked sporty stuff: football, soccer ball and net (Fisher-Price Super Sounds Soccer net), bubbles with different kinds of tools for bubble blowing.

Games are also a big hit - all the kids that come to our house love "Don't Break the Ice" and "Operation" (has some small pieces).

I know you asked for boyish suggestions, but the best gift that my daughter ever received was a doll house. It is a "Madeline" doll house. She got it for her 2nd birthday and she still plays with it (she is almost 8).

[kirbystarcat]

We also got DD a soccer net for her 3rd birthday and it was a big hit.
The Easter Bunny is bringing a FP bowling set that I think will be a hit.