Christmas Shopping for a Five Year-Old

[BeBop]

I need to buy a modest Christmas present for a five year old girl.

Here's the "gripe" part: She already has way too much stuff (typical these days and not gripe-worthy). For Christmas '10, her parents are giving her...and iPad. Yep, directly from Chutes and Ladders and Playskool to an iPad. Once again: five years old.

I checked my calendar and confirmed it is 2010 and I am, therefore, old. But wouldn't a "humbler" computer/toy be more appropriate? Or am I jealous? Or is it my intense dislike for the knee-jerk reaction to all-things-Apple?

I'm not really trying to compete with either all the oter stuff she's already got or with the iPad. But it'd be nice to give something that she will at least notice momentarily as she digs through the Christmas Eve stacks (no waiting for Christmas morning in this household, though there will be more presents at Grandma and Grandpa's on the 25th.) A Prestige label 10" of Wardell Gray would probably do the trick, but, well, you know. Preliminary thought: she likes water (swimming, playing about) and clearly can't take her iPad in the water.

Would be delighted to get gift ideas, but also happy to listen to reactions to my gripe.

[BruceH]

An i-Pad for a five-year-old? Really? I'm with you on this one, man.

[A Lark Ascending]

Something she can grow into.

Or perhaps:

Edited December 5, 2010 by A Lark Ascending

[Man with the Golden Arm]

My old studio mates have a hit this year with one of their invention$.

Five year old is theee demographic!

Already deemed one of the hottest (and most obnoxious) of the season ... what the holidays are all about!

"Sing-a-ma-Jigs" from Fisher Price

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=2xFktwQ7FTk

or better yet ...

Moon Dough Barnyard (i know the guy who did the styling ):

Edited December 5, 2010 by Man with the Golden Arm

[gmonahan]

Toy Story stuff--action figures and books.

Playmobil sets--very fun, lots of bits to play with.

The lower the tech considering the I-Pad, the better!

gregmo

[medjuck]

My son claims the following:

What was your first album?

It was a CD. My dad bought me “Good Dog, Happy Man” by Bill Frisell when I was 6 or 7 years old. When he played it for me I was like, “What is this?”. I didn’t get it. It was like instrumental avant garde music. It was totally over my head. I listened again in my teen years and finally realized it was a great CD. I’m sure the same thing will happen when I give my kids “OK Computer”.

Get her something you think she'll enjoy in a few years. (Though I suspect I gave my son the cd because of the title and the picture on the cover.)

[Dan Gould]

How about Parenting for Dummies (so she can give it to her parents) or a session or two with a counselor?

[Alexander]

Kind of off topic, but I went to the mall yesterday with my 10-year-old daughter yesterday to see a movie ("Tangled"). After the movie, she wanted to stop at Brookstone to buy a Christmas gift for her mother. Not only did she get her mom a very thoughtful gift (based on something she had overheard her mother mention), but she did not ask to stop at the toy store, the pet store, or any of the other places she usually likes to browse for herself. In fact, the only other place she wanted to go was Justice, where she's going to buy a gift for her two best friends (she wants to get them a three-way friendship necklace), but she decided not to because she didn't have the money on her.

Very mature kid!

I'm impressed. SOMEBODY sure did a good job raising her. Sure wasn't me or her mom...

[mellowT]

Well, with an iPad the kid's gonna need apps, so I'd go with an iTunes gift card.

[BruceH]

Another Green World, by Brian Eno.

[GA Russell]

Every kid loves crayons.

[papsrus]

You wanna trump the iPad hands down? Get her a big old fuzzy Teddy bear. The bigger, the better!

[Jim Alfredson]

Considering how much all my kids love my iPhone (including the 14 month old), I can understand the iPad. Doesn't mean I'd buy my kids one, though.

Presents for a five year old: Books. Art supplies (craft stuff). Stuff that will hopefully help her become a creative member of society rather than a consumer.

[JSngry]

Hey - we're all consumers. Some can afford it better than others, but...

I'm down with books & teddy bears and creativity-inspiring software for the iMac.

Failing that, a puppy. Everybody loves a puppy.