We recently celebrated Darcie’s third birthday. The fact that I am even having to write that on here shows how long I’ve been neglecting this space for – however, if you follow me on Instagram you would be more than aware of that fact (sorry again blog for the recent neglect). It can be really hard to know what to buy for birthdays, especially these days when the options seem endless. With that in mind I’ve put together a list of products that Darcie is loving at the moment in the hopes that it can be useful for anyone currently in a present buying panic. This was never intended to be a ‘girly’ gift guide however when I rounded it all up a strong unicorn/fairy/pink theme became apparent. (I don’t even know if you’re allowed to say girly these days, but it just seemed like the best way to sum it up. All of these items could be for boys or girls).
My Buddy Wheels
Balance bikes are popular around this age anyway, but the My Buddy Wheels bikes take things up to a whole new level. They currently come in three variations; horse, dinosaur and unicorn. I’m sure it won’t come as a surprise to anyone that Darcie went for the unicorn, that girl is unicorn mad right now! The seat and handle bars are height adjustable and the Buddy covers are removable and washable. I know that Darcie is going to enjoy playing with this for a long time!
Baby Annabell Baby & Accessories
I think most children probably have a toy baby by this age so it could be a good idea to get some new accessories for them. Baby Annabell have a really extensive range of accessories to go along with the babies such as this travel seat and also lots of new outfits for your child to dress their baby in too. Darcie loves looking after all her babies and so she was really happy to receive even more things to use in her imaginary play. These are always good ideas for birthdays as you can keep adding to your collection.
Hobby Horse
Another perfect toy for imaginary play is a hobby horse. We were kindly sent the most beautiful one from Fancy Dress Worldwide and Darcie has been in her element playing with it ever since. It also comes with a fancy dress skirt and flower crown which have both become a part of Darcie’s everyday wardrobe. She’s in such a ‘princess-y’ phase right now, and I’m enjoying it just as much as she is!
Little Brian Paint Sticks
Let’s be honest, three year olds love messy activities. Painting has been one of Darcie’s favourite things to do for a while now, but so often I begrudge doing it for the amount of clear up involved afterwards. So the Little Brian Paint Sticks have been quite a revelation for us – Darcie gets the satisfaction of painting and being creative, but there is basically no clearing up involved for me. It’s a win win! You simply scroll up the paint like you would a lipstick and it also dries in sixty seconds. Darcie loves using them and because it’s not messy it means it’s something that she can carry on with by herself even if I have to go off to see to her baby brother.
Peppa Pig House Tea Set
The Peppa Pig House Tea Set is probably one of Darcie’s current favourite toys. Not only does the tea pot play the Peppa Pig theme tune when you press the button but it also makes ‘glug’ sounds as you pour it. She loves setting up tea parties for all her toys using this tea set and will spend hours acting out little scenes with them all. I always think that toys like this are great for encouraging imaginative play.
Fairy Kitchen Garden
One of the things I really want to encourage with my children is a connection to nature and this Fairy Kitchen Garden is the perfect activity to do so. You can set up the little garden with your child, they can choose where the fairy house goes and where the little fairy can sit, then you plant the seeds and watch them grow. They are pea shoots and grow really quickly which is perfect when you have a toddler wanting to see progress every day! This has been such a lovely activity to do together and as much as we love doing these sorts of things outside, I love that this is a nice indoor activity for a rainy day indoors too.
Lilyrose Unicorn
I would be lying if I said that Darcie didn’t have many toy unicorns, but one of her firm favourites is this one from Gund. It is one of the softest soft toys we own and she loves cuddling it. It also has really sturdy legs so stands up nicely either on her toy shelf or when she wants it to in one of her little imaginary games. I definitely want to get some more soft toys from Gund as I have been so impressed by the quality – and did I mention it’s the softest thing ever? They do, of course, have many other animals aside from unicorns!
I hope that list is helpful to some of you and please do let me know what your three year old’s favourite toys are. I’m always grateful for new ideas!
