Well it’s December, so I should probably start figuring out what to get Emma for Christmas! She’s still too young to really make her own list, but here’s what I’m considering for her wants, needs, wears, and reads:
Want
(1) Some sort of play structure for our backyard. We have absolutely nothing outside that Emma can play with, and I’m starting to feel like I’m failing her as a mother if she can’t go run around her own backyard! (Well, I mean, she can literally just run around…but you know what I mean.)
I’d love it to be something she can play on while Jose or I sit on the patio, which means she’s still a little young for a full-up swingset, so I’m thinking of something like this.
(2) Frozen DVD
Need
(3) I’m still being lazy about potty training, but I’m planning to try harder after the holidays. I think something like this sticker chart
(4) Cheap notebooks
Wear
Emma has taken more and more interest in picking her clothes, and she’s kind of into dresses (and skirts) at the moment. She’ll pick one out of her drawer and: “I wear my pretty dress!” Frilly ones aren’t really practical for day-to-day, so I keep my eyes out for casual ones she can wear to school like (5) this cute plaid shirtdress and (6) this adorable sweater dress.
Read
(7) Mix It Up
(8) Beautiful Oops
My kids love the pigeon books so if you don’t have they are fun. Don’t let the pigeon stay up late! By Mo Willems
Another favorite at our house is “the monster at the end of the book!” Grover this was one of my fave books back in the day.
December is a little nutty around here with Sinterklaas (Dutch Santa) coming on Dec. 5, D’s birthday on the 9th, and of course, Christmas. To keep it manageable we do 4 gifts for each occasion, very similar to yours: something he wants, something he needs, something to experience, and something to read. We like the experience idea because really, if he needs clothes, we buy them. At almost 6, he still really doesn’t care what he wears…as long as it has a space theme to it! For experiences, we’ve done games, trips, science center membership, etc. E’s a little young still, but next year, she might be ready for the printable I made. I print it out in August, when D starts thinking about things he might want, and he can write them down (along with the cost, so he learns the value of things). http://www.dejongdreamhouse.com/2013/08/the-december-list-free-christmas.html
For books, have you read the Leslie Patricelli books? We loved her board books, especially Yummy Yucky and No No Yes Yes. Oh! And The Birthday Box. But you might want to start with On My Potty 🙂
I second the recommendations you’ve gotten for the pigeon books by Willems, and Patricelli’s Potty book. That one was very inspiring for both of my older two.
When my first was about 18 months we got him one of those small climbing things, and it was so worth it. The one we got was a bit smaller than the one pictured, but I’m glad we chose that size. It fits in our basement so once we graduated to a full-size play set we moved it inside and they still use it during bad weather. During long winters it’s helpful, although I don’t guess you have to worry about that where you are. 🙂