Favorite "splurge" souvenir for kids

[NYEmomma]

This will be DD's first trip to WDW. My parents will be with us & they are BOTH shopaholics... I fully expect them to buy every single thing DD even so much as looks at while we're down there. Doesn't bother me... they were the same way when I was a kid, lol.

But because of this, DH & I have decided that WE want to buy her a nicer souvenir. Something that's not going to be tossed in the black hole that is her toy box in 2 months.

Do you guys have any suggestions/favorites??

The items I know for sure that she'll be getting while we're down there are:
- Mickey Mouse ears
- stuffed Pluto (she's got tons of Minnie & Mickey's at home already & I collect Goofy)
- a nice princess dress to wear during our princess breakfast
- Mr. Potato Head parts from that store in DTD

I remember a long time ago a store in the Germany pavilion sold NICE (customized???? I forget...) dolls. Do they still do that? She'll be almost at the point where she can play with dolls and not destroy them (aka not chew their nose off or turn their hair into a rats nest).

 

[Kelblum]

Not really something she can play with, but on every trip we buy our children Christmas ornaments. After going every year for 10 years they have some really special ornaments that will give them memories forever!

On the other hand, my Children love all of the vinylmation and have been collecting them for a while!

 

[Loodlow]

I have heard good things about the monorail playset. There are some really nice collectible things at the downtown disney disney store, like signed prints and i remember a huge castle replica.

 

[sls_ontario]

DD is almost 6 and with her money from Grandma she bought a nice necklace for about $30 on Main Street. It is silver and the little Mickey head has pastel jewels. So cute. She can wear now, but as a teenager too .. .I would wear it!

She also bought a nice frame for her room ... we will put a favourite Disney photo in it.

 

[jkshel]

We bought WDW beach towels....a great practical souvie that can be used throughout the year, and they wont "outgrow" it in a year!!

 

[OrlandoUnited]

We bought WDW beach towels....a great practical souvie that can be used throughout the year, and they wont "outgrow" it in a year!!

This is similar to what I do with my two small children. I take a marker with me that they usually use for autographs, and I draw on one of the room towels the first night. When they wake up in the morning they get so excited when they see their new gift!

We're still using it today. A great budget idea for the Disney visitor who wants to save some $$$!

 

[Butler_chic07]

I would 2nd the Christmas ornament idea...

She may not appreciate it now, but in the future it will be wonderful and she will "get" it.

I know understand and appreciate the little things that my family has done for me in my life. My grandma (actually a step-grandma) gives each grandchild an ornament for Christmas every year. It is amazing to look at it and remember.

I already know I will do this for my child. Last year DFiance and I went for the first time and got 2 ornaments to celebrate our engagement, and every time we go we will get another one.

I am sure something else will come to me.

 

[honeydiane1953]

This will be DD's first trip to WDW. My parents will be with us & they are BOTH shopaholics... I fully expect them to buy every single thing DD even so much as looks at while we're down there. Doesn't bother me... they were the same way when I was a kid, lol.

But because of this, DH & I have decided that WE want to buy her a nicer souvenir. Something that's not going to be tossed in the black hole that is her toy box in 2 months.

Do you guys have any suggestions/favorites??

The items I know for sure that she'll be getting while we're down there are:
- Mickey Mouse ears
- stuffed Pluto (she's got tons of Minnie & Mickey's at home already & I collect Goofy)
- a nice princess dress to wear during our princess breakfast
- Mr. Potato Head parts from that store in DTD

I remember a long time ago a store in the Germany pavilion sold NICE (customized???? I forget...) dolls. Do they still do that? She'll be almost at the point where she can play with dolls and not destroy them (aka not chew their nose off or turn their hair into a rats nest).

My splurge item would be a Dooney and Burke pocketbook. The above mentioned items for me is done to death. So the splurge would be expensive. jmho

 

[NYEmomma]

My splurge item would be a Dooney and Burke pocketbook. The above mentioned items for me is done to death. So the splurge would be expensive. jmho

Lol.... well DD *was* quite fond of gnawing on my Coach wristlet when she was little, so hey, D&B might be right up her ally!

Thanks for all the great suggestions, guys!

In my family, a yearly Christmas ornament has always been a tradition, so DD is already well-versed in picking out her ornament for the tree. She's got an impressive track record too, for only being 2. Both years, she's picked the most expensive ornament in Hallmark! This year it was a $40 singing, moving, light-up monstrosity that she LOVED.

 

[DCL rookie]

My splurge item would be a Dooney and Burke pocketbook. The above mentioned items for me is done to death. So the splurge would be expensive. jmho

there are some D&B purses/pocketbooks on sale on the website

 

[ldvcshop]

One day I was really surprised when my kids stated that they wanted something that was neither edible, nor a toy.

On their own, they decided that they wanted something that meant something and they could cherish. The first thing that we purchased was one of those very nice, limited edition, boxed pin sets. Well, that, too, went in a drawer.

Then, one time we bought one of those framed pin/puzzle pictures representing the four parks. That stays on our wall to remind us of the wonderful times we've had at WDW. We have also purchased numbered lithographs of our favorite park, AK, and had them dedicated and signed by Larry Dotson. That expanded to buying one small one commemorating each trip which we hang in our den. He used to come to the parks and sign them, but now I think you can just pick one up in the stores. When they were little, we checked out all the caricature artists and sketch artists (looking for the most talented one) and had each boy's sketch done. Those hung over their beds for years until they moved rooms.

Although the things above are not toys, keep in mind that children grow up and toys get broken. One toy that keeps being special is the monorail set that we put under the tree. We have the Epcot Ball add-on and the contemporary resort which were their favorites when they were young. They still love setting up the tracks and accessories every XMAS.

 

[sharona]

Pick A Pearl!

There is one at Epcot in Japan, one at DTD and one at BC by the pool (maybe others but I don't know...). DD picks an oyster, they open it and reveal a pearl. The pearl can be set in a necklace, bracelet, ring etc. or saved for later. I read a really sweet post the other day about someone who had collected them with her dd on each trip and then had them made into a pearl necklace for her dd to wear at her wedding.

We have not done this yet but are definitely doing it this trip - DD8 is really looking forward to it. There's a thread on the boards that has some pictures of the various settings that are available and dd wants to look at them every day. There's a very cute one that is a Cindy's carriage cage that holds the pearl. It will be Mothers Day when we're there so one for me too and one for my Mom who is coming with us!

 

[EpcotGuy]

This is similar to what I do with my two small children. I take a marker with me that they usually use for autographs, and I draw on one of the room towels the first night. When they wake up in the morning they get so excited when they see their new gift!

We're still using it today. A great budget idea for the Disney visitor who wants to save some $$$!

I really hope you are joking....

 

[twinstarjml]

LOL...i am so gullible! i totally thought that person was serious about drawing on the towels. Not something I would do personally, but hey, I wasn't going to judge

 

[heatherz]

On our first trip we bought a charm bracelet for our daughter at the gift shop in our hotel. On our last day I picked out a few charms to remind us of our experiences. A castle charm to remind us of breakfast with Cinderella, an Alice in Wonderland charm to remind us of her costume for the Halloween party and a Pluto charm because he was the 1st character she met. Each trip she gets to shop on our last morning for charms to remind her of the trip we are completing. We both love that bracelet, which is used only for special occasions but taken out and reminisced about almost every day. My hubby's mom is a shopaholic, too. I know how frustrating it is to never feel like you can give her anything special. But remember, a thoughtful gift that gets you talking about the memories you made together will be cherished forever. Happy shopping!

 

[kimnvbva]

I don't know if your DD is too old for this but we did the Bibbity Bobbity Boo boutique. She had her makeup done, hair done, and the whole outfit. It cost a pretty penny but it was worth it. Then we had ressies at Cinderella's Royal Table. That made her feel like a million bucks! We have the charm bracelet too. She got Cinderella's castle from the parks for Christmas last year and loved it. Just a few suggestions! Have fun!

 

[twinstarjml]

Awww....I love the charm bracelet idea! I don't have a daughter though. I wish I could come up with a similar souvenir tradition, except for a boy

 

[lpizzuro123]

How about a really nice snow globe. We have been collecting these since 1997, when we first went there with my stepson. We get one everytime we go to WDW and usually get the year on it and one that plays music. We have quite a collection and we keep them all out all the time.

Linda

 

[noahdove]

Great suggestions...I am thinking on an ornament for myself..I have a coffee posse that I have coffee with every week and for my birthday they gave me money to be used for something special....I think it will be more than one ornament

 

[Cinderella's slipper]

I don't know if your DD is too old for this but we did the Bibbity Bobbity Boo boutique. She had her makeup done, hair done, and the whole outfit. It cost a pretty penny but it was worth it. Then we had ressies at Cinderella's Royal Table. That made her feel like a million bucks! We have the charm bracelet too. She got Cinderella's castle from the parks for Christmas last year and loved it. Just a few suggestions! Have fun!

I don't think you can be too old for this. When we were there last, my sister, mom and me as well as my sister's daughters all went to BBB, and then we had dinner at CRT - it was a blast. Well worth the money.Enjoy.