Gift suggestions for a 3 year old girl?

[Molly Meow]

We picked a name off the angel tree at the mall. She's 3. We got everything off the "need" list - now we want to get something off the "want" list. The only thing her mother listed was "toddler toys."

I haven't spent much time around this age group, and I don't remember what type of toys I had at that age.

We're thinking of getting her a little dolly or stuffed animal, but what else?

I appreciate your suggestions!

 

[diznygirl]

My DD is 2 1/2 and loves her baby dolls. She feeds them, and pushed them in a stroller. If you get a doll, make sure it has some sort of accessories like a bottle, etc. for them to play with.

DD also loves Dora - there are lots of little Dora things - we don't want to get her the whole Dora house, but we got her all the little people that go with it. And she's getting the Dancing Dora for Christmas.

There is also My Little Pony. And the Little People - lots of ideas there. Hope this helps!

 

[mommytotwo]

How about some videos that she can watch with her family.

Or something educational yet fun.

Crayola has a bunch of different items out there with different shaped markers, coloring pads...

 

[Daisy Duck 5]

The three year old I babysit loves playing with Barbies, my little pony and beanie babies. Her favorite characters are the princesses. She also loves play doh and craft supplies. But I would like ideas for her for Christmas so keep the ideas coming. Books would also be nice to include.

I would not get her a video because you never know if she has a VCR or DVD player.

 

[DVC Jen]

I teach 3 yr olds. Dora is a HUGE hit. Dolls are good, but not all little girls like them. Puzzles, art supplies (crayons, paper, markers are wonderful just make sure they are washable, glue sticks). Also those little pretties that she may not get if her family doesn't have extra money.. things like hair bows, necklaces, sticker earrings, you can get lip gloss necklaces in the party aisle of many stores.

The brats dolls are also pretty big. Legos have some great "girly" type blocks now and they are great for fine motor skills.

Disney princess items (dress up clothes would be wonderful) are also a super hit with this age group.

have fun with it.

 

[CharityLynn]

my daughter wasnts anything Princess..lol she will be 3 in Feb. Dolls are a big hit as are coloring books and crayons (she loves the Color Wonder books, markers or fingerpaint that only work on special Color wonder paper) She also likes blocks, tea sets and of course books.

 

[kat3668]

I work with toddlers and would have to agree dora is a huge hit.....
My kids also really enjoy playdough, puzzles, and pretned play items such as play food/ dolls, dressup, phones, doctor kits etc... good luck!

 

[SqueakyMouse]

My dd is this age. I think she's pretty typical in her play. Some of her current favorites are:
anything princess -- dolls, dress-up clothes, etc.
Fisher Price Little People sets
Duplos -- especially the princess ones (see a trend here)
coloring books and crayons
anything to do with her Fisher Price Play Kitchen
dolls along with her doll stroller
stuffed animals
simple games (i.e., Sesame Street Chutes and Ladders)
Brio trains (She inherited this from her brothers. The Thomas ones look every bit as nice.)
puppets

 

[becka]

The first thing that popped in my mind was Dora. I would also think dolls or princess stuff.

 

[Linnie The Pooh]

My DD just turned 4 and she loves:

Kitchen things-dishes,play food, play appliances etc.
Barbies
Dora anything
Princess anything
games are huge with her right now, Candyland, Don't break the Ice, Elefun
stuffed animals are always good
Dollies of any kind -especially ones that come with extra clothes so she can have me spend hours changing their clothes for her!!
Any art supplies
Play do toys
Dress up clothes & shoes
music tapes or cd's (she loves to dance). She and DS6 are playing with their Fisher Price tape player right now-they love it.
Little People toys


And that is so nice of you to pick a name off the tree!! You will no doubt make her happy this Christmas!!

 

[clh2]

Disney princess items (dress up clothes would be wonderful) are also a super hit with this age group.

have fun with it.

I would definitely go with dress-up stuff too. Dress-up allows kids to help develop and use their imaginations!

 

[Mishetta]

I just picked up some fun stuff for my just turned 4 y/o Godchild. She LOVES playing dress up....so I went to Walmart & found some really cute dress up clothes (a sequined flapper dress for $9) & those foo-foo (as I call them) slippers in pink, (with the feathery thingy on them), & of course, I couldn't get that stuff without a Tiara set to go with it! Those 3 items came out to less than $20.

I also have to agree with all the posters that said "Dora" anything. SO TRUE! Even my DS (just turned 4 y/o) LOVES Dora. He watches Dora everyday & also Diego (Dora's male cousin).

We have a "giving tree" at our church too. But they have a listed item that they want on it. Of course, sometimes there is an item listed on their ornament that I wouldn't even get for my DS's due to it being expensive! I just pass those ornaments up & pick the ones I can afford to fulfill!

 

[AnaheimGirl]

My almost-3yo dd is very into puzzles right now. She's outgrown the wooden "puzzles" where each piece goes into it's own spot and has a knob on it, but loves simple wooden or foam puzzles like these.

She also loves anything Dora and anything princess, and a lot of what others have suggested, play-doh, art supplies (washable of course), play food, blocks.

 

[tiggger1]

my daughter is 2 1/2 and loves

dolls, and doll stuff ( bottles and food)
Playdough
Colorwonder sets
Any little kind of playset ( anything that has little characters and accessories) like little people, dora, or the princess dress ups dolls
DVD's
books

 

[MoniqueU]

Dora or Bitty Baby, with the edge going to Bitty Baby. Personally I think Dora is ugly myself though I know the kids love her.
I also like tumble time tigger.

 

[kristen821]

Polly Pockets! My dd3 loves them! She also loves dolls and baby strollers, but Pollies keep her busy for hours.

 

[AnaheimGirl]

Books! How could I have forgotten books earlier? My dd loves books, and they are so important for literacy readiness.

One more thing to add, as a "don't", rather than a "do". Nothing with batteries, IMO. A low-income family may have trouble replacing those batteries when they wear out (and on some toys, they sure wear out fast!). Plus, battery-operated toys, especially those with lots of buttons and noises, (like V-tech), always seem to bore my kids so quickly. Toys like blocks, dress-up, dolls, playsets, housekeeping supplies, arts and craft supplies hold their interest for so much longer because they require the child to use their imagination, they can vary the game (or craft) as much as they like. This is extra important (IMO) for a low-income child like this who likely doesn't have as many toys as other kids. Who knows? She might not be able to go to preschool, so the educational value of these types of toys might be especially beneficial, even above and beyond the longevity factor.

This is all just my humble opinion, take it for what it's worth.