If You Celebrate Christmas… What Are Some Toys You Are Considering For Your Children?

I have some practical advice for a mom with 4 children in today’s economy.
Whatever you do, don’t join the hysteria over the new Tickle me Elmo. Let people pay the crazy price the news stories are helping to hyke up, and buy your children something else. If you must get it, buy it for a birthday present, well after Christmas season, when the price has been reduced and the price gouging is over. (If your child’s birthday is in December, buy gifts in August next year.)
I always instilled in my child the religious reasons for celebrating Christmas. The season was very joyous. Beginning December 1st we decorated, we sang carols, we drank coco, we made cookies, we went to church and window shopping, we watched all the Christmas shows on televison and had a special breakfast and dinner on Christmas that he helped me prepare.
I explained that it was the birthday of the Christ child, not his. I told him he could have one special gift because that was a way we showed the love the three wise men extended to the baby Jesus. He never felt cheated.
On his birthday we celebrated like crazy with lots of gifts (never overly expensive, but I gave him what he asked within reason. Somehow he was never greedy.)
How you teach your children is what they will learn to expect. No matter what others did, we had our own traditions in our household. He grew to be an independent thinker and a fine young man.
Just a thought I wanted to share. Don’t forget the reason for the season or let the commercial interests take the joy out of your holidays by making you over extend yourself to meet their annual monetary projection. Which to retailers is what Christmas is all about!

I saw a talking Dora the Explorer doll today. You can program it with your child’s name and she’ll say, “Hola ____, let’s go exploring.”
I’d like to get one for my daughter, but they’re sold out!

Books. books, books. And how about the onces that they can listen to records and try to read along with the narrator? Anything educational is great.

Memory is great, the older two should understand how to play along with some help and the youngest one can start learning animals or letters which ever one you choose. And they do have out the new tickle me elmo extreme it looks highly annoying but kids love that kinda stuff! Oh and three girls dress up stuff is always a blast!

Our 3 year old daughter LOVES barbies. We are going to buy her one of those huge barbie doll houses. This is her last year of being an only child. Next Christmas we will have two children. Next year Our tree will have just as many presents under it. They will just be split up 50/50. Anyways, We are buying her a light brite ( the four sided one ) , some barbies, barbie clothing, books, some clothing and shoes, a baby doll, furniture for her barbie house, Disney princess dress up clothing, a v smile for toddlers and up , some games to put in there , and a couple silly things from the family tree ( dollar store ). Its fun for her to open up little presents that are kind of interesting to her. I usually get coloring books, crayons, candy, and fun little cheap games like Aunts in a bucket .

My seven year old wants the new littlest pet shop play set, she also wants a big baby bratz doll. Other than that I will be getting her some more Amelia Bedelia and Junie B. Jones books. She also asked for a book to read to her new baby (we are due in March) and extra reading lessons so she can read perfect. ( her words, she is having problems learning to read).
That is all she has told me she wants so far. Her list doesn’t usually go beyond one or two things.

I got my girls some things already…
for my 2 1/2 year old I have gotten: the dora talking kitchen, the dora talking dollhouse, 2 play sets that go with the house, 2 outfits, and the dora cash register.
for my 1 1/2 year old I have gotten a backyardigans bedroom in a box set, 2 baby dolls, sing and spin pablo, and 2 outfits.
I still have to go out and buy a wagon, a few movies and books for each of them , and a playset for my youngest that goes with the dolls, not to mention new shoes (I’m sure they need them around christmas…lol)

I have a 4yr old and she loves Dino’saurs, so we already have her a couple things 1 is baby dinos hatching out of eggs and then a velosa rapture that moves around and makes Dino noise, she loved the DVD that Walt Disney put out Dinosaurs my husband and i even like it very good. She is now in pre k and there talking about that period so very educational.She also loves the leap frog for children we started her last yr and will this yr buy for her age again.