Hellobee

Lion will be turning three in just two short months and our parents are already asking what he wants for his birthday. To be honest, Lion really doesn’t need any gifts because he has plenty of toys, books and clothes. I’m also not sure whether we’re going to have a birthday party for him, since we haven’t done them in the past. But, as the grandparents solicit gift ideas and as Lion attends birthday parties for his friends turning three, here are some of my top toy, book, and clothing picks for gifts for a three-year-old.

1) Box pirate ship – How fun is this pirate ship made by Box Creations? Markers are included so kids can color it and pretend to be pirates! Box Creations has several other variations including a playhouse, space ship and a castle, all of which would be a lot of fun for a toddler. A great gift that promotes some imaginative play.

2) Thomas Minis – Last fall, I learned about Thomas Minis and we used them as a potty-training incentive. Lion fell in love with them and loves that they’re “dressed up.” In fact, when we’ve given him the ones that look like traditional trains, he commented “but he’s not dressed up!” He often stuffs his pockets with them when we’re on our way out the door to church on Sundays and would undoubtedly welcome additions to his collection.

3) Dress up clothes – As I discussed in this post, the kids love to play dress up and have a pretty good collection. Although they both have fire hats, I think Lion would love this firefighter costume because he always makes a beeline for it when we’re at the main library in DC. I think kids generally enjoy dressing up, though, and would be a fun three-year-old gift to encourage imaginative play.

4) Garbage truck – For months now, all Lion has been asking for is a “green garbage truck.” I don’t know what his obsession is with a green garbage truck, specifically, but this is definitely at the top of his list.

5) Jungle Crew Lab Set – Lion’s current daycare is currently doing several experiments in the class and Lion seems to be really enjoying it. To be honest, I don’t think we need this set because we already use ordinary kitchen ingredients to make slime or observe reactions, but I do think it would make a fun gift and it’s in the price range of gifts we normally bring to birthday parties. I really like STEM toys and kids love to experiment.

6) Puzzles – Lion’s old daycare had lots of puzzles and several times a week when I would pick him up, he would be happily working on one. We only have the big wooden puzzles at home which Panda continues to enjoy, but Lion has now outgrown. Some more advanced puzzles would be a great gift for a three-year-old.

7) Scooter – We’ve been seeing a lot of these scooters in our neighborhood lately. Lion hasn’t asked for one yet, but I think he would enjoy it. With a summer birthday, it would be a great gift because we could all enjoy being outdoors with this new toy.

8) Safety scissors – Here’s another gift that Lion has been asking for and one recommended by his preschool teachers to help develop muscles needed for writing.

9) Code-a-pillar – Lion’s grandparents got him the code-a-pillar for Christmas and I would definitely recommend it!

10) Trampoline – I could see the kids getting a lot of use out of this, especially on days when it’s pouring rain, too hot or too cold for long outdoor periods. Lion often has a lot of energy that he needs to burn off and I think any three-year-old would enjoy this trampoline.

1) Early reading sets – Depending on the child, early reading sets like the “I Can Read” or “Step Into Reading” books could be great gifts. Lion loves superhero books and most of the ones we find at the local library are these early reader books.

2) Piggie and Elephant Books – Lion loves any books by Mo Willems, but Piggie and Elephant books are a particularly big hit. He’s also been into collections of books, which I like because they provide a pretty good deal.

3) 5 Minute Stories – We first found the 5-minute-stories collections at the library and Lion is always asking to check them out. There are tons of variations from different superheroes to Pixar to Frozen to girl power to Curious George, and more! There are about a dozen stories in each one and great for a book lover. One caution: most of the ones we’ve looked at have included stories that are around the 5 minute mark, but the Avengers one really stretches the limit of 5 minutes to about 10 or more.

4) Dream Animals – I love books by Emily Winfield Martin and picked up The Wonderful Things You Will Be at a recent sale. Dream Animals and its companion, Day Dreamers, are beautiful books to add to any picture book collection.

5) Explorers of the Wild – Full disclosure: I have not actually seen this book, but I’m very interested in it and have had it on Lion’s wishlist for awhile.

6) I Spy – Another series that frequently makes its way into our library bag because Lion loves hunting for the items within the pictures.

7) Magazine subscriptions – Lion receives monthly magazine subscriptions courtesy of my mother-in-law. He loves receiving mail and for our purposes, they may as well be books. He loves when we read them to him and he also gets to enjoy fun photographs and pictures.

1) Umbrella – Lion already has the world’s smallest umbrella and while he loves it, he could probably use one that’s a bit bigger (though not a full-sized adult umbrella).

2) Socks – My two kids, at 18-months apart, share socks. As a result, we are down to a handful of actual pair of socks because Panda frequently rips off his socks and leaves them wherever we happen to be. The grocery store. School. The playground. Often, we can’t find them anymore. Yes, I’m the boring parent who thinks socks would make a great gift.

3) Underwear – It’s not just my three-year-old that still has a significant number of accidents, right? We keep a stash of underwear (and pants) in the car, in our diaper bag, at school, etc. so some extras would definitely help.

4) Hat – I sometimes worry about the kids during the summer, even with sunscreen. While they are not the biggest fan of hats (although Lion does like winter hats), I’d like for them to be able to wear them during those hot sunny days.

5) Helmet – This helmet is just too adorable and I had to include it on the list! Teaching safety at an early age is so important and this would be a great gift for a toddler who has (or is being gifted) a tricycle or scooter.

6) Twin mattress/bed – Now I don’t actually expect anyone to get this for Lion, but I would love it if they did! It may very well be our birthday gift to Lion who is still currently in a crib and probably running out of room. I know we’ll be moving him to a twin bed soon (we plan to skip the toddler bed) and will need to get him a mattress and, possibly, a bed.

Other gifts that we think would be great are ones that don’t involve anything tangible, but instead are activities or experiences that Lion could enjoy. We’re lucky to live in DC where all the Smithsonian museums are free, but if we lived in another city, passes or a membership to a museum would be a great gift. A gift certificate to My Gym, or for swim classes or music lessons are other ideas. If we end up not having a birthday party, we’d like to take him somewhere special like to a pick-your-own-fruit farm or to the train museum in Baltimore. I definitely think some of the best gifts are ones that aren’t things, but ones that create memories.