Quality Toys for a 3-Year-old...

We found a plastic baby doll to be endless entertainment. You can wash her, put lotion on her, dress her, diaper her and walk her around in a stroller. It's GREAT training too if you're ever planning on having another child! It teaches your daughter to "be gentle" to a baby. It will be her best friend.

Plastic ones can get washed off- which is key at this age. Forget anything stuffed!!! (Some have plastic faces but stuffed bodies.)

If you're looking for something even better, they have some that will pee pee on the potty and take a bottle of water/juice (which makes the pee). This was our "next" purchase.

Seriously, ENDLESS entertainment. You can even buy the dolly a whole travel system with baby carrier, stroller, pack n play (and the carrier also can turn into a high chair and swing!).

Also, for a different idea, what about a bug catcher box? Ours is clear plastic and came with a net. Our kids LOVE catching bugs and watching them through the windows. You can also catch frogs or whatever else. If my kids see a butterfly on a flower they go running for the little net - it's too hysterical to watch them chase it.

If your looking for a "big toy" I strongly suggest a sand and water table. Talk about endless entertainment!!!! You can bring it indoors in the cold weather and fill it with dry rice. Outside sand and water or even water/bubbles are awesome. It's a bit messy outside, but a great way to keep a little one entertained and rather contained at the same time! Our preschool keeps these in the classroom and regularly fills them with different toys that match the theme of the week - like toy cars, balls, colored rice, colored ribbons, etc.

Duplo legos! Both of my kids (boy and girl) started loving the larger Legos at 3.

Duplo legos (they have "girly legos" now, with people. :)

good set of wood blocks.

Make her a craft supply box--with a set of water color paints, some white easel paper, construction paper, kid-safe scissors, feathers, little fuzzy balls, glue sticks, markers, crayons, glitter glue, etc.

I have a boy who is almost about the same age as your daughter and aside from his trains and trucks (plan toys) his favorite toys are his balance bike (ours is a strider), his easel (we got his from Ikea for super cheap) with finger paints or chalk, his drum (http://www.remo.com/portal/products/5/505/512/kids-djembe..., his play food/pots/pans (mostly melissa and doug products), play doh (you can even make your own and get some cookie cutters) and books, books and more books (I think we read about 15 a day and I'm a working mom). One of his good friends has the melissa and doug dollhouse (http://www.melissaanddoug.com/furnished-dollhouse) and they enjoy playing with that together.

Get artsy stuff that she can be creative with doesn't have to cost alot can be paper. Crayons finger paint.Magazines to cut tissue paper ribbons sequins. Ask for family here to ship a toy now and then as a gift and give them the money for it. She gets a surprise and you pay a bit less for the item mine loves blocks to build fairy castles and her baby doll.

We like DD's V-tech laptop. She keeps it in the car to play games on car rides.

Books are also a good thing. I think that some local books would be a good thing not only so that your DD gets the same references as her friends, but something to take along on your next adventure as a momento.

DD likes blocks, but most of ours were made by a friend. Do you know anyone who would make some simple blocks in various shapes?

My DD likes stickers, paper, crayons, markers (washable!). She's also into baby dolls and related items, and stuffed animals.

If you have an IKEA, they have some really fun items. DD likes their tunnel, the play tent, the kitchen items and play food.

I think the "big item" that DD has gotten the most out of has been the tent, followed by the kitchen. IKEA sells one but any kitchen would do. Ours is a 2 piece Step Ahead and sometimes I put water in the sink or give her my mini muffin pan and let her "bake" with playdough (which you can make yourself, too). Following that, it's books.

If you want music that won't make your ears bleed, check out Pandora and put in artists like Choo Choo Soul, Barenaked Ladies (the kid stuff) and They Might Be Giants (kid stuff). DD likes her TMBG science/math/letters CDs and DVDs. But the DVDs you'd have to get with the right region to play them, unless your computer would.

A wooden easel with a chalk board on one side.
Duplos
A marble run she can build (can get one with the larger balls rather than the tiny marbles)
Plasma car and/or tricycle
Sand and water table
or sand box and sand toys
bontempi musical instruments (my son was crazy about these)
Toy drum set
Toy kitchen with pots and pans (my daughter loves this!)
Melissa and Doug wood food - birthday cake, sandwich making kit
Toy tent to put up in your livingroom (amazon.com has a cute one that looks like a fairy house)