Help with a 4yo girl gift from the clueless mother of boys

[Anonymous]

I so wish I had girls, but when it comes to toy shopping, not so much. I have an awesome 4yo niece who is girly as well as tough (been whipping around NYC on her scooter since 2yo.) Last year DCUMs recommended the Bitty Baby which was a huge hit. This year I need help again. Her parents suggested to my other sibling and I that one get Baby All Gone and the other get Baby Alive, but I've just realized they are the same thing. Any other good ideas for a nice Xmas gift for a 4yo? She has an older brother and lots of gender neutral stuff already, so I'm not averse to going all out girl on this, but when I look at the array of girly toys they all seem far less fun than the boy stuff. Great baby doll suggestions would be especially appreciated! Thanks!

[Anonymous]

A Madame Alexander Pinkalicious doll (the plush kind)...she probably already has the book and probably does not have the doll. If she does not have the book get that too, she'll love it. Wal-mart makes a less expensive version of that doll, but they (wal marts) are hard to find around here.

The Tangled toddler doll from the Disney store (super cute but sold exclusively through the Disney store), Target now makes a plush Angelina Ballerina which you could get her along with one of the books. I've heard the La La Loopsy dolls are very popular this year. Strawberry Shortcake issued a 30th anniversary retro edition of dolls...it's a three pack with the original strawberry shortcake, raspberry tart, and orange blossom. The new Tangled movie is a treasure trove of cool stuff...the dress up dress (can get versions at Target or Toy's R Us or the Disney Store), the Disney store has a super cool fancy Tangled nightgown (Tangled is a retelling of the Rapunzel story).

Playmobil sets are really cool and there are hospitals, houses, castles etc.... Melissa and Doug makes a cool wooden pink castle. EEboo games are SO COOL...they have a spinner game about Fairy Tales that is really cool and a cool card game called "Tell me a Story" with fairy tale characters. You could get her the purple unicorn Pillow Pet. If you go on Discount School Supply there are lots of awesome craft materials you could get her (glitter glue, liquid watercolors, molding clay, fabric markers, window markers or crayons, etc....

These are also great books for girls that age:

Ladybug Girl series
Angelina Ballerina
Pinkalicious
Yoko (Rosemary Wells)
Madeline (many different books)
Eloise
One Morning in Maine (especially if she has a little sister)
The Paper Bag Princess
The Princess Knight
Princess Grace
The Paper Princess
Mary Pope Osborne books like Shrinking Violet, The Brave Little Seamstress, Kate and the Beanstalk

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Things Hello Kitty: slippers, PJs, clothes ...

[Anonymous]

Magnetic Dress-Up Dolls:

http://www.fatbraintoys.com/toy_companies/melissa_doug/princess_elise_magnetic_dress_up.cfm

[Anonymous]

My 5 YO plays with polly pockets like no tomorrow. she has a couple and for christmas I am getting her a PP ski resort. She also likes to have tea parties, so a tea set is fun. You can also go to Justice for Girls, that is a fun store for little girls (you can also get her something online). Another option is the pillow pets or that white dog that walks on a leash. FWIW my DD has one of those Baby Alive dolls and it creeps me out; reminds me of talking tina from that twilight zone episode.... It talks: "Hi Mommy, I'm Hungry" in that little girl doll voice and big eyes blinking.

anyway, good luck!

[Anonymous]

Liv dolls, Moxie dolls, Furr Real pet. All of these are the rage with the 4-5 year old girls that I know!

[Anonymous]

Corolle dolls
Pillow Pet
Calico Critters
Fancy Pals by Aurora (these are little stuffed animals that come in purses/carriers)

[Anonymous]

How about a game like Hi Ho Cherry O or Crocodile Dentist?

[Anonymous]

Just wanted to say thanks so much for all the great ideas! from the OP

[Anonymous]

My daughter sounds similar to the way you describe your niece, although she vastly prefers stuffed animals to dolls. She is dying for some Zhu-Zhu pets this year. She alos loves her scooter and now wants some roller blades (kids styles have adjustable sizing) which your niece might LOVE. Also, Magna-Tiles have long been are both my children's (1 boy, 1 girl) favs but they are pretty expensive.