A Gift for Our Daughter That Is Not a Toy?

Does she have an easel?
you could get her an easel and a nice art set.
Or possibly a Tag reading system or Leapster Explorer.

I have a friend whos grandmother bought her a necklace with one pearl on it. then each year her gift was that she added another pearl to the necklace. She only wore it for special occasions until she was older, but I always thought that was a great idea and something that she will be able to keep forever. Unlike a toy that is going to get broken or go by the wayside soon as another new item becomes popular.....

I've always loved the gifts of experience - a zoo or museum membership, a trip to somewhere special . . . it doesn't have to be expensive but just something that will give you time with her. The above specific suggestions are more family oriented so you could always do a special movie or show (my oldest loves musicals) just for her and you (or dad, or include a friend . . . you get the idea). Good luck and hang in there!

Does she have her own room? If she does when was the last time she had an update? We bought our youngest a "new" room for his 4th birthday. New bedspread, big boy pictures for the walls new lamps the whole deal. He loved it

What about a gift of a class? You could get her into dance, art, choir, music...etc.

Get her: "IlluStory Make Your Own Story Kit." Can be found at Amazon.

Get her craft kits.

Get her a special photo t-shirt.... with the family on it, or of herself. www.kodakgallery.com has these.
Or they also have CUTE photo pillow cases. REAL cute. Or photo blankets. REAL nice.

Get her games/puzzles. The brand "Think Fun" has GREAT games for all ages. My kids love their games. It can be found at Amazon or Barnes & Noble bookstore.

Get her... useful things... hair bands, cute hair pins etc.

Get her a Tutu. E-bay has cute ones. I got my daughter one from E-bay too, when s he was younger.

Get her a plastic box, full of drawing things and 'art' equipment.

Get her a kids bead kit. To make her own bead bracelets etc.

Get her her own pet fish. In a little cute fish bowl. Guppies...are low maintenance and easy to keep.

Get her a Leapster. It is educational, fun, and keeps a kid busy. My kids have had theirs since they were 2 years old.... they love it, it is fun for them, they learn from it and it also helps fine-motor skills.... and educational.

Get her "hair tinsel". REAL cute. http://www.hairtinsel.net/
Little girls, LOVE this, my daughter included.
Some hair salons do it too, not expensive. It is just knotted into the hair...and lasts a long time.

My daughter... has loved ALL of these... which she has gotten at different ages/stages of her life.

all the best,
Susan

Art Easel
Clothes
Bike
Scooter
Jewelry (kid-friendly, of course)
Art Supplies
Scrapbook with kid-friendly scrapbook supplies
Redecorate her room
Cute little brush, comb and mirror vanity set
Hair Accessories
Nail polish (if you are okay with that)
CD Player for her room
Karaoke player with microphone and stand

Hope this gives you some inspiration.

A great idea would be to get tickets to go somewhere together.
For example my daughter loves princesses too, and I think I will get tickets to Disney Princess on Ice. She's 3 and a half now.
Or going to a movie together or some other event that she will like and you can have fun together.
Good Luck :)

I haven't done the toddler years yet, but as I'm getting closer and closer to delivering our second daughter (the first is currently 17 months) I'm finding her room to be a good sacred space for her.

Would your daughter like a new wall hanging or throw pillow for her bed?

In a magazine from a million years ago I found a craft idea for a "custom canopy" that can hang over a play area or her bed even.
I found this link with similar instructions: http://www.ehow.com/how_###-###-####_hula-hoop-canopy.html

I'm just waiting until I get my post-baby craftiness back and then I'm planning to do a butterfly themed one for my older girl.

Just a thought. If you have a creative type she might really like something relatively simple but lovely for you guys to do together.

put money in a 529 for her each year and when she is older her college will be paid for. she is young and the littlest gift is fine but when she is older, she will be very appreciative.

Since she likes to sing, what about a karaoke machine. Might be fun for the entire family, and she can improve her reading skills at the same time.

Well me nd a friend of mine were thinking the same thing. She's going to get her son a snow globe every christmas for a collection. For my daughter (here in 10 weeks) we're collecting fairy water globes. Buying one for every occasion. Have you guys thought of something like a porcelin (sp) doll or a music box with a ballerina in it? You'll be surprised at what a child will think is special (usually anything she likes). Good luck.

We got a kid tough camera a few years ago for our son. He is now 5 and uses it on a regular basis. He loves it. And he loves to email pictures to the family of our "adventures".

Just thought I would add 1 more suggestion, hehe.. looks like you got alot of responses. Not sure what your budget is, but my husband and I bought our oldest daughter a charm bracelet from Tiffany & Co. Yes, it may be a bit much for a 3 year old, but this is our perspective on it. We bought her the bracelet and 2 charms to start off with, and moving forward as a tradition we are buying 1 charm a year for her birthday, something meaningful to that year. This year we bought her a butterfly charm b/c all year she has had to wear butterfly things. So, to us the best represented her year to us. We hope that when she is 16 she will appreciate it and keep her bracelet forever.

Good luck!

my almost 4 year old loves dress up clothes.

When my daughter turned 5, I bought her a sterling silver charm bracelet, with several charms on it. I got her charms for ballet, swimming, soccer, ice skating, being a great sister/daughter...just charms that would apply to her at her age. It's a nice keepsake that will grow with her.

You could also get her a cute little necklace with her birthstone. You would have to keep up with any nice jewelry until she's older...but jewelry is small, something with meaning, and something that should last, at least longer than a toy!

Good luck with your decision!

Some things kids love are experiences. Once, when one of the children I nannied for had a birthday, her parents and I primed a bookshelf and let her paint it how she liked. Letting artistic children paint on a special wall/space in their room is another idea. If you are looking to just keep encouraging her in her pursuit of singing, perhaps a Shirley Temple cd (the songs are very sweet). Otherwise, watercolor crayons or pencils or Cray-Pas pastels are also good gifts. If you get the watercolor crayons or pencils, a pad of watercolor paper is helpful, too. If you get pastels, some construction paper or another paper with "tooth" to it is helpful.

You could also make a date to sit down and make paper dolls. You can help to cut out the form for the doll onto cardstock (make shoulders wide enough for the hang tabs) and to trace that shape into a few dresses. Then, let your daughter decorate these as she likes. This is a very fun activity that you can add to later on, and one can use markers, glue and sequins, ribbon, collage...anything. Very open-ended. And she'll love that she made it with you, too.

My girls love their art sets.

Jewelry box(Abigail style I love, the personalized from pottery barn kids-great sales) also a personalized book with her name and interests.

I like the idea of making up her room, perhaps by painting with stencils her name or "our princess" across her wall. Maybe some new sheets or curtains that reflect her personality.

My son is 2.5 and recieved a gift certificate to a local small-town children's park that has rides. We loved it.

Another thought would be a magazine subscription - Wild Baby Animals or National Geographic for Kids. There are selections out there for her age.

i so understand your exhaustion!!!

What i would say first - is clean out the clutter so you know what you have!!

Put toys in tubs and put them in the attack and every few months - switch them out - it's a GREAT money saving technique - as the kids think the toys are "new" again.

Get rid of the toys that are too young for them - donate them, sell them on craigslist or ebay.

That will help with the exhaustion! Trust me!!

if she likes to sing - then try singing lessons or something that ties in with singing.

Figure skating - although she'll outgrow them fast - buy her her own pair of skates - if not that - then a cool bag for her to use for ice skating.

For ballet - a new tu-tu or shoes. maybe even venture out to tap and get her some tap lessons and shoes!!!

HAVE FUN!!!

Updated

i so understand your exhaustion!!!

What i would say first - is clean out the clutter so you know what you have!!

Put toys in tubs and put them in the attack and every few months - switch them out - it's a GREAT money saving technique - as the kids think the toys are "new" again.

Get rid of the toys that are too young for them - donate them, sell them on craigslist or ebay.

That will help with the exhaustion! Trust me!!

if she likes to sing - then try singing lessons or something that ties in with singing.

Figure skating - although she'll outgrow them fast - buy her her own pair of skates - if not that - then a cool bag for her to use for ice skating.

For ballet - a new tu-tu or shoes. maybe even venture out to tap and get her some tap lessons and shoes!!!

HAVE FUN!!!

She is too young for any kind of formal music lessons- wait until she is at least 7 or 8. However, you can look into Kindermusik? It's music through movement and appropriate for babies- big kids. Sounds like it might be right up her alley!

Tickets to see Disney on Ice

Craft supplies, dress-up clothes, a 'real' ballerina outfit, games. We actually got our daughter a digital camera for her 4th b-day this past summer - a cheap one, but a real one...those 'kid friendly' ones suck.

We totally understand. We have 2 boys ages 2 and 4 and we are absolutely done with toys. In fact they are slowly making there way out of the house. We have decided to start giving experiences. Buy the ticket for the trip to the zoo before hand wrap it up and give that. we did coupons with my oldest. He can turn it in for the park, or art project. New class maybe to try?

Just read an article about a family that asks friends and family to offer experiences as gifts - rather than presents - to their children on special occasions. Their goal is to reduce waste in their home, which so many toys come with.
Seems like you could offer taking her only or her and a few friends to a dance, music performance, skating show, other productions, etc. Or, offer a trip for her and your family to a special location as a birthday "experience." Perhaps, even the gift of lessons - dance, singing, art, skating, etc. might be an option if a trip is beyond budget limits.
I'm hoping to try/remember this one when my child's rolls around again.
Good luck!
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There are a lot of really cool art kits available...all kinds of themes too! My daughter has really enjoyed a lot of the Crayola products & massive art kits with stickers, crayons, special paper, paints, etc. Since she will be turning 4, maybe getting her something that can double with preschool learning (something that has a dry-erase surface for practicing writing - usually those surfaces are magnetized & you can use letter & number magnets). I have seen some really nice easels that can work well for the artist in her. :) Good luck!

The next gift on my 3 year old's list is a ballerina jewelry box. I really wanted to get her one for Christmas, but we ran out of money. Khols and target have some cute ones, as well as amazon.

Some of my favorite childhood memories are from playing with a dollhouse my grandfather built. My sister and I both got one for Christmas when we were little. We LOVED them! Still have them, in fact. I don't know if they were a kit or if he made them "from scratch" but they were really nice, made out of thin wood, had wallpaper, carpet, windows, doors...the works!

How about books or a nice bookshelf if she has a lot already? Games?
How about a nice cedar chest she can use for toys now, and for other things as she grows?

I also like the idea of an "experience" gift. THEY are the ones you remember. Do you remember what toy you got for your (insert age here) birthday?? I don't remember many. BUT if you got to go to the amusement park, Great Wolf Lodge, or other "adventure" it would be something she will relive over and over again - especially if you take lots of pictures and do a photobook of the time! (It could be as simple as printing some 4x6's and put in a photo wallet.)

you kind of answered your own question: get her music on CD, an instrument like a guitar or harmonica or drum, dress up clothes, or art supplies. books are good too. they have these recordable ones now that you can record and read to her and it plays your voice when she opens up the book. good luck!

How about a savings bond...that she can either use towards her first car or college?

My daughter is 20 months and for her birthdays, Christmas' and Just becauses, she gets savings bonds...ranging from $100 to $1000. She gets tons of presents from everyone else, so there are 3 of us that get her savings bonds.

What about a new sheet set for her bed?

How about a fun day (1 or 2 hours) with just mom and dad for her b-day?
Do you have family that can watch your 2yr and 10 mo old? If not, you may
not be able to do this. But if so.....
Get a family member to watch the other 2 kids for 1 or 2 hrs.
Take your 4 yr old to lunch or to an ice cream parlour.
Or to the mall if yours has a carousel.
Buy her a few carnations (to make her feel like a big girl).
Or have her put on a nice dress and if it's a nice day take her to the park
for pictures of just her.
Buy her some balloons (always festive).
Get the idea? good luck!

Does she have an american girl doll? If not I would get her one. She will LOVE playing with it and learning the story of her doll and will have an heirloom to pass down to her daughter some day. You can even get one that will look like her.

Or you can start her a charm bracelet with a princess as the first charm.

Is there an event near you that you could take her to? It might be something she would always remember (or at least remember longer than toys).

We bought our daughter music together classes for X-mas: http://www.goldengatemusictogether.com/
Lots of fun time to dance and sing and play instruments. My daughter is way into music (she's currently singing in her bed instead of sleeping, oh well).
My mom bought us tickets to the Bay Area Discovery Museum, my sister bought her tickets to see children's theater (interactive theater, fun to play dress up). I bought my niece and nephew tickets to see the Peking Acrobats (they are 13 and 10). A trip to the zoo could also be fun. If she has a favorite program (Dora, Sesame Street etc), check to see if they have any traveling shows you could take her to, or since she is into ballet, a performance of swan lake. Have fun shopping!

What about putting some art stuff together such as...
molding clay
sidewalk chalk
color books
crayons
colored pencils
stickers
a sticker book

Or getting...

a bell or basket for a bike (assuming she has one)

Or...
have you or your significant other take her out to breakfast
take her to a movie
take her to an arcade (maybe too young though)?

I know this is an older post and you have probably already chosen a gift, but maybe your daughter would like a weekly activity "class" through your local library or park district. They usually last 4-6 weeks and cost about $30-$40 (free through the library). Our DD has taken "classes" such as Messy Masterpieces (paints and art stuffs), swimming lessons, Stretch & Grow (run, dance, sing). It's a great outlet, educational, and a great way to socialize with other kids her age.

Whatever you choose, I hope your DD had a great birthday!

my thoughts were also of getting her a new bed set, sheets etc. IKEA also has a cool mosquito net type thing that looks very princess like you could add to her room decor

or

you could take her to a movie and dinner as previously suggested

or

when my nieces turned 4 my husband and I started them with charm bracelets--the traditional kind. now gift giving for them is easy, because for birthdays and Christmas they receive new charms for their bracelets. They love discovering the new charms and it is a keepsake for them.

What about taking her to afternoon tea at a tea room? It's very fun...my son loves it.

New story books for you to read to her at night; something for her room like a princess lamp; a special outing with just mom and dad and maybe a friend or two (the Nut Tree amusement park does tea parties - perfect for a princess!); tickets to disney on ice or some other ice skating show. Good luck and have a great celebration on the Princess' birthday!

Hello, something that we do is books, lots of Veggie Tales movies, dress up clothes, and we had our little girl at that age into dance lessons which she loved so she could put on little dance shows for us as a family with her tap shoes. But there is also the same standby used of bubbles.

Take her to a ballet or ice skating performance.

Get Her a dust buster. She'll love it