Ask HN: Gift Ideas for 3 year old?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44545210

by LecroJS • 1 year ago

1 10 1 year ago

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My niece is turning 3 years old soon and I need to bring something for her birthday. I don’t have much experience buying gifts for kids and am interested in learning what others have had success with. She does not have any particular interests yet apart from playing with whatever is in front of her. My price range is up to ~$200. What have you had success with? What have you not had success with?

Bender2• 1 year ago

A super soft stuffed animal that is verified child safe as in it does not come apart easily and/or have small parts one could choke on. It should be something really cute that both the Niece and other family members will be happy with. Send links and pictures of your ideas to the other family members for their input.

LecroJS• 1 year ago

Thanks. Do you have any places you would recommend buying from? I am guessing Amazon might not be able to meet this criteria.

Bender2• 1 year ago

It's been a while for me. Try to find a local specialty shop with a very good reputation that carries children's toys and collectables. Local because you can feel and inspect the toy and you are dealing with someone face-to-face. If you have a facebook group for your local community they will have ideas. Yelp may also have some suggestions despite being heavily gamed. Read the negative reviews. Local shops will cost more than online but it may be worth it in my opinion.

If there is a Children's Hospital near you they usually have unique things in their gift shop also pricey but worth it.

magicalhippo• 1 year ago

She does not have any particular interests yet apart from playing with whatever is in front of her.

In my experience, that's where it's at. My niece at ~3 was as excited about the wrapping as the thing inside, sometimes more so. She was also swimming in toys thanks to family members.

If you really want to spend a lot of money, ask if the parents have a savings account for her or something, and get some crayons or other flashy fun stuff for like $3 or whatever.

benoau• 1 year ago

Save the $200 for when she's an adolescent and enjoy this period where a $5 thing that makes noise is just as much fun.

slumberlust2• 1 year ago

Put that money in a 529 and get a bgood bumble bee from target for $20.

slumberlust2• 1 year ago

B. Bumble Bee*

wredcoll• 1 year ago

I'm sure everyone else has much more morally virtuous ways to spend money, but speaking from experience, this thing is super cool:

https://www.lego.com/en-us/product/big-interactive-community...

You get both the duplo pieces to build a train track and train stations, but also the train engine itself is battery powered, drives around and includes a sensor that lets it react to different sections of the train.

apothegm• 1 year ago

At that age I’ve had great success with simple sports toys (wiffle ball set, or toddler sized soccer ball and net). Those little two-wheeler bikes that start without pedals and can have pedals attached once she masters the walking version. A wagon. A beach/sandbox sand toy set.

Also those Brio wooden train sets. And magnetic blocks or wooden puzzles. Any type of building set accessible to hands that don’t yet have precise control. Basically something tactile that helps them engage with the physical world.

She’ll also be learning to identify numbers and letters and mastering colors and shapes. Kids that age LOVE learning if they’re encouraged in it and it takes the form of play. The more open-ended the better.

If her parents read to her on a regular basis, she’ll probably love new books. At this age, think Dr. Seuss and Where the Wild Things Are.

Expensive digital stuff adds very little compared to simple open-ended timeless toys at that age. Some of the best gifts are very inexpensive — crayons and coloring books. Bubble wand and soap. Alphabet magnets. A bucket of plastic zoo animals. A doll or plushie small enough for her to carry around with her.

Consider getting something inexpensive that will delight her and then ask her parents what they wish they had $150 to spend on for her.

pabs3• 1 year ago

A tree that she can plant and grow up with.

Ask HN: Gift Ideas for 3 year old?

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