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My nephew is turning 5 on Saturday, and his clueless uncle has no idea what to give, and a small budget to spend... suggestions?

justaguywithham asked in Family & Kids over 2 years ago | Report

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  • Sacri_ordines_by_charism_small
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    Legos. Big, non-choking size - duplo maybe. 20 bucks or less = tons of smiles and occupied time. i.e. parents usually appreciate them too.

    Loud noisy battery-operated cheapass shit = no, no, no, no.

    Rev.Enant answered in Family & Kids over 2 years ago | Report
    6 comments by CrazyCatLady, Rev.Enant, and Mahtli69…
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  • Skull_pumpkin_small
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    Wooden blocks are a great kid toy and very flexible.

    CleverScreenName answered in Family & Kids over 2 years ago | Report
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  • Froggyskull_3_small
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    If there's a yard or nice play area where he lives, get him a stomp rocket. It's a little air pump that you stomp on, and four rockets made out some kind of styrofoam thing, and it shoots the rockets way up. My five year old daughter loves hers.

    The other suggestions are great, too, but this is the kind of toy that will make your nephew think of you as the cool uncle.

    Matt from Denver answered in Family & Kids over 2 years ago | Report
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  • Dscn0421_small
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    Is your nephew learning how to read/ does he know how to read yet? If he is, get him a fun book he can read to himself, and if he isn't, get him a fun book that can be read to him. (If no one is reading to him at home, you get the bonus of including quality time with this gift.) My niece has a couple of "Skippy John Jones" books that are particularly fun to read out loud. Seriously, though, giving children access to books is one of the very best gifts you can give them; trust me, he will thank you when he's older.

    If you're not into the book idea, I completely second the idea of blocks or legos with which he can build things. Other great ideas for his age include art supplies and playmobil (if he's the kind of kid who doesn't eat things). If you're really strapped for cash, go buy a couple of very very cheap squirtguns (shaped like guns or not, depending on your beliefs about such things) and take him to the park for a few hours.

    Sphinx answered in Family & Kids over 2 years ago | Report
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  • Worried_fish_icon_small
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    I always find that a cute stuffed animal is a great gift for a boy or girl. Since he's turning 5, you could get him something a little more "macho," like a dinosaur, alligator, shark, etc. If you find a really cheap one, you can even combine it with another gift like an movie action figure (checking with his parents to see which movies he likes), a water gun since summer it's almost summer, etc.

    Neptune answered in Family & Kids over 2 years ago | Report
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  • Bikeowl_small
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    Go to Top Ten Toys in Greenwood. They have a ton of cool toys mostly educational toys.

    Clementine answered in Family & Kids about 1 year ago | Report
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  • Avatar_default
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    a drum he can bang on, go to goodwill and get a whole bunch of trucks and cars & motorcycles to play with, or a soccer ball. those are my five year old's favorite things.

    insomniadreams answered in Family & Kids about 1 year ago | Report
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  • Dinolock_small
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    oh man a day late look what i just remembered exists on the internet:

    http://i.imgur.com/wCe4g.jpg

    protosaurus answered in Family & Kids over 2 years ago | Report
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  • Catakitchen_small
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    How about a ferry ride, or a train trip - someplace short like Centralia? If you have some diversions (toys, puzzles, etc) in case he gets bored, he will most likely be delighted.

    If you take the ferry, you can turn right back around and come back. If you take the train, downtown Centralia has a nice ice cream parlor and some other diversions.

    Either way, you can have a lovely cocktail, which I find is essential when dealing with children. Or adults, for that matter.

    Catalina Vel-DuRay answered in Family & Kids over 2 years ago | Report
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  • Mike_hall_08_small
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    Mike

    Gifts that have worked for my nephew in the past:

    Legos. This is partially personality-driven. He loves building things, especially by following the directions. He was never a fan of the larger, Duplo-sized bricks, but liked the legos even at 5. The decision between them was easy for me, since he's fastidious and was long past the "putting random things in my mouth" stage when he was 5. You can get small sets for $10-15. Also popular were K'nex toys.

    Transformers. He loved the cool factor of robots turning into cars, and learning how to transform them was always fun for him. He was about 5 when the first movie came out, so your nephew may not have that tie-in. There are smaller toys that don't cost much.

    Dinosaur toys. I'm not sure what it is about dinosaurs that has such universal appeal, but it's hard to go wrong with this one.

    Trucks, construction vehicles, Bob-the-Builder toys, etc.

    My nephew is into super heroes, so he liked cartoons that had super heroes. There are DVDs of both Marvel and DC cartoons available for fairly cheap.

    A movie. My nephew was ecstatic to be taken to flicks like Iron Man, The Dark Knight, and Happy Feet. Your nephew's parents might not be as permissive as my sister is when it comes to movie ratings, but there's probably some acceptable movie he wants to see.

    If you want points with both your nephew and his parents, the next level is finding a gift that makes them both happy. I've had the best luck with things like books that incorporate the above, especially books that a) the kid can work on reading himself, or b) contain lots of great images and solid educational material so that the parent (or uncle) can read it to the kid and they can share the experience. The second kind of book is usually a bit pricier, but you might be able to find something used on Abe Books or the equivalent.

    Good luck! Gift buying is an art, and a limited budget can make it harder. Good for you for putting some thought into it!

    Mike answered in Family & Kids over 2 years ago | Report
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  • Scott_avatar_small
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    As the months grow warmer, a boy's thoughts inevitably turn toward the prospect of blasting his unprotected friends with water. So my vote is Super Soaker. You can get plenty of of their products for less than $20, even get a pair in some cases. (And looking at those "Shot Blast" Super Soaker models makes me want one.)

    Or maybe you could go with Nerf products, considering you can get more ammo/replacement ammo pretty cheaply too, in case the family dog gets ahold of 'em.

    Knat answered in Family & Kids over 2 years ago | Report
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  • P_f1327f30d6-magnum_small
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    A genuine, metal Slinky (not the cheesy horrible plastic ones). Simple, and wonderful.

    Walter Mellon answered in Family & Kids over 2 years ago | Report
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