Shopping for the little ones

How are you guys doing shopping for your kids so far?

Right now I have...
WWE game + Ratchet and Clank ToD
2x Lego Darth Vadar Tie Fighter
2x Lego Creator small box (stocking stuffer)

I wanna get them one big gift from Santa (they want me to set up sleeping bags in front of the fireplace; apparently gonna stake out for Santa), but I'm kinda clueless. I first thought about buying them bicycles, but its too cold lately for to enjoy it. I was then thinking about a Wii...but I think they wouldn't appreciate it as much. What do you guys think is a good gift? (spoiling them this year, because this is their first christmas I think they will remember and plus we never really got them anything on previous occassions).

Basically, what are you guys getting?

This is the 1st year we actually could afford to spoil the kids a bit:

-Nintendo Wii (bought using a previous $50 gc and got a $50 Walmart gc back with purchase)

-Nintendo DSi (got Mario holiday bundle BF with $30 Target gc back)

-Cooking Mama, Cooking Mama: World Kitchen, Madworld, HOTD: Overkill, Dead Space: Extraction, Tiger Woods 2010 w/Wii Motion Plus, Deca Sports for Wii (got over course of few months at Target clearance, online sales and BF...total of all games was less than $90)

-Pokemon game, Rhythm Heaven for DS (Thanks Target clearance and $10 off coupon! Both games only cost $6.xx total)

-Chuck Norris t-shirt (on clearance at Target but older kid has wanted for months...only cost me $1.87)

-Auto toothpaste dispenser as seen on TV (little kid has whined for one for months)

-Mimobot Star Wars Royal Guard USB flash drive (clearance at Urban Outfitters from $44 down to $11.99)

-High School Musical 3 dance game w/2 dance pads for PS2 (got for $9.99 when BB had their super game clearance back in May)

-Guitar Hero World Tour guitar bundle for PS2 (Target clearance for $19.98)

-Up and the new Star Trek on DVD (both on sale BF)

-Art & paint set and duffel bag (older kid is in to art, got art set and duffle bag FREE from local casino for being in their player's club)



We did very well this year and managed to keep our costs down low by shopping through the year....saved money and even got $80 worth of gc in the process! Kids will hopefully be surprised this year come Xmas!

Honestly you should get them a XBOX 360 or a PS3. There are games like Viva Pinata, Lego Star Wars, Lego Batman, Lego Indiana Jones, Sports titles, and many more that they would like. And when they get older they can play more mature games. The Wii is fun for a little bit but quickly loses its gimmicky appeal. I highly recommend the 360 or PS3.

i second the idea to not buy a wii. ours gets used a few times a year. the 360 and ps3 get used nearly everyday.

my kids are getting spoiled this year, im not even going to list what theyve got because ill look like an asshole.

We already have an Xbox 360 but mostly I use it for gaming. Kids (even the older one) don't play it often even after renting some of the more kid oriented games. They enjoyed games like Mario Galaxy, Wario and Super Smash Bros. a lot more after playing their friend's Wii.

Yea I probably don't have a lot of money to move around (I'm only 22); and these are my kid brothers (they are 6 years old). They already have a PS3 (they are playing a bit too much of call of duty)...I was only thinking of a Wii cause they can move around...but I was worried that after a week the wii will collect dust. I was thinking of a DS too...but I need to buy for two (my budget for their gift to be only 200-250).

They made a list (actually a collage) and one of the items they wanted was a Toyota Camry...iono how Im going to top that...

My sister is refurnishing their room (desks, beds, the whole shabang), my parents buying them clothes and something extra (no idea what that extra gonna be though), and I am responsible for toys and games.

We were planning on letting the kids sleep near the fire place while we set the tree up in their room with everything in it with muddy boot prints all over (someone wasn't too happy with that idea though).

rexflexall... damn you do spoil your kids ^^ I thought I was spoiling my brother with the list I had (the biggest thing I got on christmas was an N64 with that purple controller with no games...needed to break my piggy bank to barely afford Golden Eye....good times).

So guys any idea other than Wii, PS3, 360 to get for the kids? I was also thinking of a small Asus desktop...but do 6 year olds know how to use a computer (is it safe)?

[quote name='dejeckt']Yea I probably don't have a lot of money to move around (I'm only 22); and these are my kid brothers (they are 6 years old). They already have a PS3 (they are playing a bit too much of call of duty)...I was only thinking of a Wii cause they can move around...but I was worried that after a week the wii will collect dust. I was thinking of a DS too...but I need to buy for two (my budget for their gift to be only 200-250).

They made a list (actually a collage) and one of the items they wanted was a Toyota Camry...iono how Im going to top that...

My sister is refurnishing their room (desks, beds, the whole shabang), my parents buying them clothes and something extra (no idea what that extra gonna be though), and I am responsible for toys and games.

We were planning on letting the kids sleep near the fire place while we set the tree up in their room with everything in it with muddy boot prints all over (someone wasn't too happy with that idea though).

rexflexall... damn you do spoil your kids ^^ I thought I was spoiling my brother with the list I had (the biggest thing I got on christmas was an N64 with that purple controller with no games...needed to break my piggy bank to barely afford Golden Eye....good times).

So guys any idea other than Wii, PS3, 360 to get for the kids? I was also thinking of a small Asus desktop...but do 6 year olds know how to use a computer (is it safe)?[/QUOTE]


Yeah they're a bit spoiled this year because last Xmas we fell on some hard times and we only could afford to get them a small gift each. We're kinda making it up to them this year. But honestly if you look at the amount we spent total, we saved a TON of money buying at the right time throughout the year. Target has been our big savior this year, their clearance has afforded us some little extras. We saved extra money up for their big gifts by me selling some stuff on CL, and getting lucky with a little bit of extra winnings from the casino. My cheap a$$ness may have paid off this year.


Your list is definitely not little at all, you spoil your bros good. Most kids would be lucky to have even part of your list under the Xmas tree or a bro that generous. You do good deeds, my friend and your little bros will remember.

well done man.
i really say pass on the wii, especially since they have another console.
maybe you can pick up a couple used ds's for under your budget and use the rest on a couple games?

i dont think the desktop would be a good gift at this point.

other than that, id try to find things that could be shared to maximize their enjoyment.
good luck. and again. job well done taking care of your brothers theyll appreciate it.

[quote name='dejeckt']Yea I probably don't have a lot of money to move around (I'm only 22); and these are my kid brothers (they are 6 years old). They already have a PS3 (they are playing a bit too much of call of duty)...I was only thinking of a Wii cause they can move around...but I was worried that after a week the wii will collect dust. I was thinking of a DS too...but I need to buy for two (my budget for their gift to be only 200-250).

They made a list (actually a collage) and one of the items they wanted was a Toyota Camry...iono how Im going to top that...

My sister is refurnishing their room (desks, beds, the whole shabang), my parents buying them clothes and something extra (no idea what that extra gonna be though), and I am responsible for toys and games.

We were planning on letting the kids sleep near the fire place while we set the tree up in their room with everything in it with muddy boot prints all over (someone wasn't too happy with that idea though).

rexflexall... damn you do spoil your kids ^^ I thought I was spoiling my brother with the list I had (the biggest thing I got on christmas was an N64 with that purple controller with no games...needed to break my piggy bank to barely afford Golden Eye....good times).

So guys any idea other than Wii, PS3, 360 to get for the kids? I was also thinking of a small Asus desktop...but do 6 year olds know how to use a computer (is it safe)?[/QUOTE]

[quote name='rexflexall']Yeah they're a bit spoiled this year because last Xmas we fell on some hard times and we only could afford to get them a small gift each. We're kinda making it up to them this year. But honestly if you look at the amount we spent total, we saved a TON of money buying at the right time throughout the year. Target has been our big savior this year, their clearance has afforded us some little extras. We saved extra money up for their big gifts by me selling some stuff on CL, and getting lucky with a little bit of extra winnings from the casino. My cheap a$$ness may have paid off this year.


Your list is definitely not little at all, you spoil your bros good. Most kids would be lucky to have even part of your list under the Xmas tree or a bro that generous. You do good deeds, my friend and your little bros will remember.[/QUOTE]

I wasn't judging at all (slightly jealous, but in a good way ^^); yea we also fell behind hard times (for couple of years). Now I finally have a job, sis has a job, father's work is picking up again, so we all decided to spoil them out. Last year we could only afford to get them a Tomy Train set plus extra train. This Christmas gonna be awesome (at least for the kids...I'm probably gonna be barely paying the bills for a month or two).

well done man.
i really say pass on the wii, especially since they have another console.
maybe you can pick up a couple used ds's for under your budget and use the rest on a couple games?

i dont think the desktop would be a good gift at this point.

other than that, id try to find things that could be shared to maximize their enjoyment.
good luck. and again. job well done taking care of your brothers theyll appreciate it.

Click to expand...

Thank You for the encouragement; I'm looking for deals on DS. Yea I think I'll pass on the pc...doesn't seem to suit them at their age.

Do not get them a computer. It is a very dangerous item for young kids. Not only will they be exposed to material you do not want them to see (violence, pornography, etc.) they could also become the victim of exploitation. A 6 year old has no need for a computer. Wait a few more years until they have more self awareness and appreciation for responsibility before buying them a computer.

I would say pass on the Wii, they are already into bigger and better games, and you would be foolish to buy it for them because they will definitely think its lame if they are already playing call of duty at 6 years old.

How about some iPods or music players, 6 years old seems like the age they will start getting into that stuff considering almost every kid in my family has had an iPod since around age 5-6. That is if you can afford it of course.

How about more games for the PS3 they already have, there should be some good games for decent prices around, you could also buy them a PSN card so they could download some games. If its going to be a long cold winter then they are going to need some indoor entertainment like video games. Most kids I encounter seem to have a system but only a handful of games, so it sounds like a boost to the game library would be a good option.

I wouldn't buy things like bikes or sports equipment, because it will not be used until summer, and its really disappointing for a kid to open up a gift and not be able to use it until summer. If you really wanted to go that route you could give them a (fake) coupon that they could hand you in June or whenever it warms up and they would get their bicycle then. I've always thought it was a stupid idea to give presents to a kid that could not be used during the winter season (if you live in a climate like mine where its cold from Oct-Apr). How about a sled?

DS accounts for endless hours of fun for the kids, especially games that you only need a single cartridge for to play multiplayer.

I bet you could easily find two used good condition ds lites for under $150, then use the rest of the budget to get them games.

[quote name='paz9x']i second the idea to not buy a wii. ours gets used a few times a year. the 360 and ps3 get used nearly everyday.

my kids are getting spoiled this year, im not even going to list what theyve got because ill look like an asshole.[/QUOTE]

Oh come on, list it.

And people, please list how old your children are, LOL, so if recommendations are requested we can give good, age appropriate gift ideas.

My daughter is 2.5, so she's still a little young to really spoil, plus we get her a ton of stuff throughout the year. But we're just going to get her a load of books, some age appropriate movies/videos (though we've pretty much got anything and everything she could want in that category), clothes, maybe a power wheels or something huge like that.

My wife and I decided not to get each other gifts to actually open, rather we've just been ordering or buying stuff for ourselves or as family gifts. Edit: HMMM I don't think I'll list this either because I don't want to come across as an asshole either.

I have to agree with the DS Lite...you should be able to find a deal on a pair of them new, hopefully $100 each. If you do get them a Wii, definitely jump on the Walmart sale this week with the bonus $50 giftcard, that's most likely the best deal on it this year, outside of a bundle.

Hopefully some retailer out there will throw up the DS Lite again for $100 a piece.