Frugal Gifts for Toddlers

[TBH]

Great ideas here, especially the dollar store ideas. You can get quite a good haul at a dollar store for $5.

Just wanted to chime in to say I would be rather put out if somebody gave my son (almost 3 years old) a McD's gift certificate. He's never had a happy meal in his life and I hope he doesn't find out about them for a while yet. It's not that I don't give him any junk food. But we're mostly vegetarian, so what is there for him at McDonald's? Not much except annoying Disney-type toys and greasy french fries.

[MonkeyMama]

Yeah I Was careful with the gift card idea because in California there are a lot of health freaks - McDs is the devil to many. But for the ones who go to McDs I think it is a great idea.

We went to one party this last weekend - oh my was it quite a spectacle. 2 bounce houses and the kid got like 1000 gifts. I regretted bringing any. Should have given the $5 bill! 1 down, 3 to go this month...

[mountainmist]

Well, this messagethread most certainly explains why ALL the garage sales in "child dense neighborhoods" typically have tables & tables & boxes & boxes upon more boxes filled with unused or very gently used toys & kids books & plush animals --- and then a few "free boxes" of used toys and game parts.

I hope you will continue to update this thread, as really, what you are depicting is ... more toys at ONE birthday, very young, than many of us had during our entire childhood.

There's something really grotesque with the remarkable vision you've spurred in me...

And makes it so much more understandable why most parents complain about the bags of dollar store junque from both grandmas and the garbage bags of books/toys/games/plush animals that they have to cart off to the goodwill at least once a year.

We need to get a good list of those "use up" toys, those items which as gifts NEVER have to be dusted, and NEVER have to be collected up for the run to the goodwill donation box.

What you're describing sounds like a spectacle that toy marketers would drool over, LOL.

[mountainmist]

Well, this messagethread most certainly explains why ALL the garage sales in "child dense neighborhoods" typically have tables & tables & boxes & boxes upon more boxes filled with unused or very gently used toys & kids books & plush animals --- and then a few "free boxes" of used toys and game parts.

I hope you will continue to update this thread, as really, what you are depicting is ... more toys at ONE birthday, very young, than many of us had during our entire childhood.

There's something really grotesque with the remarkable vision you've spurred in me...

And makes it so much more understandable why most parents complain about the bags of dollar store junque from both grandmas and the garbage bags of books/toys/games/plush animals that they have to cart off to the goodwill at least once a year.

We need to get a good list of those "use up" toys, those items which as gifts NEVER have to be dusted, and NEVER have to be collected up for the run to the goodwill donation box.

What you're describing sounds like a spectacle that toy marketers would drool over, LOL.

[MonkeyMama]

Originally Posted by mountainmist

What you're describing sounds like a spectacle that toy marketers would drool over, LOL.

They certainly are.

IT seems the norm around here.

Makes it easy for me to not buy much new though. I always find some pretty brand new stuff pretty dang cheap.