What to do when you don't want to get your 6 year old what they asked for for Christmas... (need Horse-related gift ideas!)

[KristenR]

Okay, so my dd6 has recently gotten infected with the horse bug. She's obsessed. It all stems from the fact that we are preparing to move out into the country and we told her we will eventually get a horse and stable. This is still at least 6 months or so away. In the meantime we have been hanging out with some of our friends who already live out there and have horses so she's been getting "loose" lessons from them.

 

She saw this Baby Butterscotch FurReal Pony at the store and has been dreaming of it ever since. She told me it would be good "practice" for her before she gets a real one. She spent awhile on Santa's lap in the mall describing in detail how much she would love him to bring her one.

 

I do not want to spend $100+ on it. I really can't stand those Fur Real pets. My girls have about 6 of the the smaller ones already and they just sit in the corner and collect dust. Sure, occasionally they get used but not as often as some other toys.

 

I was thinking of instead getting her something like this barn/stable and a collection of horses and riders to go with it. But do you think that would be horribly disappointing for her. I just know that her Safari/Schleich and Papo figures are the toys that get the single most use in our home. They always go back to "playing people" with them after short-lived novelty toys wear off.

 

But that being said- I feel bad. What would you do? When was the first time you didn't get your kids what they asked for for Christmas? Were they really bummed?

 

If you have any alternative horse related gift suggestions I am ALL ears.

[learningmama]

My dd fell in love with that horse too. I told her its not going to happen between us or the grandparents. My mom did find her a bigger plastic horse her dolls can ride on.

I like the Our Generation (fake American Girl) horses at Target. They are pretty neat and have adults and foals. They are still bigger and come in a nice gate box. I believe they come with things like blankets, brushes, etc too.

[SevenDaisies]

Lego Friends has a horse stable set and a summer riding camp set. You would have to look around to find good prices at this point. I always check the lego site to see what the actual retail price is. Legos aren't exactly cheap, but there's more to Legos than Fur Real Pets.

[Down_the_Rabbit_Hole]

My dd fell in love with that horse too. I told her its not going to happen between us or the grandparents. My mom did find her a bigger plastic horse her dolls can ride on.

I like the Our Generation (fake American Girl) horses at Target. They are pretty neat and have adults and foals. They are still bigger and come in a nice gate box. I believe they come with things like blankets, brushes, etc too.

A vote for this one. I just got this for my dd and she loves it. The horse is very nice and the box is her stable. But be warned, the horse is not made for the dolls to sit on. Not too expensive either $40, but they go on sale often for $30.

[Night Elf]

Oh my that's a cute pony! But $144! Yikes!!

 

My oldest dd owned something like this: large plush horse. It doesn't come with horse grooming tools though. I even saw a similar one in my grocery store recently.

 

If she believes in Santa and she brings it up again, I'd tell her that Santa can't always bring exact things but that since she told him how much she likes horses, he would probably still bring something horse related. I guess it's better to prepare her now than let her wake up Christmas morning with the expectation of that particular horse.

[Down_the_Rabbit_Hole]

 

But that being said- I feel bad. What would you do? When was the first time you didn't get your kids what they asked for for Christmas? Were they really bummed?

 

If you have any alternative horse related gift suggestions I am ALL ears.

I would explain to her that she will not be getting that and even explain why. I will do this with dd's list she makes each year because she will put things on their she will not be getting no matter what and I feel it is best to let her know it and cross it off, maybe offer suggestions in its place. This keeps the disappointment from happening.

[elegantlion]

Oh my that's a cute pony! But $144! Yikes!!

 

My oldest dd owned something like this: large plush horse. It doesn't come with horse grooming tools though. I even saw a similar one in my grocery store recently.

 

If she believes in Santa and she brings it up again, I'd tell her that Santa can't always bring exact things but that since she told him how much she likes horses, he would probably still bring something horse related. I guess it's better to prepare her now than let her wake up Christmas morning with the expectation of that particular horse.

 

I like this idea. She probably is ready for something more life-like, something she can practice taking care of. I would look for a larger plush, maybe one with some longer fur, there are cute ones on this page. Then maybe get her some real horse accessories like a brush or something. I would try to find one that she could carry around.

[CalicoKat]

My ds is (a very active, super destructive) 7 who's pestering us for a double bass. :smash:

 

It would be kindling by the end of the first day at worst, or by the end of the week at best. :smilielol5:

 

No way are we buying it for him.

 

So now he's been working gma. :svengo:

 

And she's like, "Well he is interested. What if he's talented?"

 

This is the kid who can't walk straight through a room on his feet!!! It twirls, cartwheels, hops, sommersaults, army crawls, martial arts kicking.....you get the idea.

 

Gma's going to take him to an orchestra concert and pay for a couple lessons with an instructor (on a borrowed instrument. We'll see what happens next. She's offered to keep it at her house and he can only practice there if he's got any talent.

 

I wish he was still pestering for his own horse. That I could manage. :lol:

 

Maybe you can't get her a horse. But you could start on lessons. It would give her an advantage when she does finally get her horse.

[Remudamom]

That is ridiculous. I've seen several nice looking ponies around here offered for $50 less than that. Is she old enough to get that you're going to save money to buy a horse instead of wasting it on junk for the closet?

[Juniper]

Bella Sara. Breyer. Got to a tractor supply or feed store, they will be stock with toys right now! Target carries Bella sara pajamas and there is a fun online game to go with the cards. They also have books and figurines. Dd11 still wants bella sara pajamas for Christmas and she is just to BIG! :(

[AnIslandGirl]

Oh no, Target just had these on an unannounced clearance sale online last week for only $49.95. They were ringing up in the stores for the sale price as well. Maybe if you have a Target close by, they may still be at the marked down price (doubtful, but worth a try if there's one close to you).

 

Good Luck!

[KristenR]

Thanks for the info and suggestions everyone! Keep 'em coming. I'm looking into everything I can (and grateful my girls don't want a percussion instrument at this point! LOL)

 

Has anyone heard of this collection of books- Circle C I get that they are Christian based but I was wondering if it would be something a secular family could utilize. I don't avoid books with mentions of religion or God but on the flip side I don't want something too in your face. Anyone have experience?

[maddykate]

Just to throw another thought out there, could you go ahead and get her an actual saddle (one that fits her little self) and a saddle stand? It is something that she will eventually truly need if you are going to get a horse one day and will give her something to play with. They make saddle stands that are pretty sturdy so she could hop up on her saddle and pretend all day. Then you wouldn't have lost any money.

 

You could find a kids saddle for about $75-$100. You could even build a sturdy saddle stand yourself for pretty cheap.

 

Just thought I would throw that idea out to you.

 

 

[CupOCoffee]

We have always told our kids that they will NOT get everything they ask for. When they were little and still believed in Santa, we still told them that Santa doesn't bring everything that you ask for, that is why you make a LIST. Santa and Mom & Dad choose from your list. Maybe my kids are just that low-key that they've always accepted that, never gave us any trouble.

 

Just be honest with her and tell her that we don't always get all the things we want. Several years ago my DD wanted that Butterscotch horse too. We just outright told her NO.

 

~coffee~

[Parrothead]

I'd just remind her that in six months or so you'll be moving and getting a real horse. Santa knows that once that happens she won't want to play with the toy horse all that much so he will give the toy horse to a girl who is not getting a real horse very soon.

[Alte Veste Academy]

My dd fell in love with that horse too. I told her its not going to happen between us or the grandparents. My mom did find her a bigger plastic horse her dolls can ride on. I like the Our Generation (fake American Girl) horses at Target. They are pretty neat and have adults and foals. They are still bigger and come in a nice gate box. I believe they come with things like blankets, brushes, etc too.

 

Another vote for the Target horse. Our Target has them in stock right now. They also have fun accessories to go with them. I am very romantic about Christmas and generally try to get the kids what they've asked for but DD has asked for something that is literally impossible to give every single year (she really wants to be magic! :lol:). I also do not like certain toys (and entire categories of toys sometimes), so I am not above nudging. What I would do in your situation is to take an inventory of all the excellent options and decide what's the best match to what she's already asked for and still fits in your budget and is acceptable to you. (For me, it would be the Our Generation horse but she probably would like Breyer as well.) Then I would take her to see it and talk it up, point out accessories, etc. The Target horse is quite nice and actually looks like a real horse! The Fur Real horse doesn't look real at all. And she can't ride either toy horse BUT she could get an Our Generation doll who looks like her to ride that horse... She could even ask for a friend for her later, for a birthday or next Christmas because they make a few different horses. Eventually she could have a horse riding club of girls and horses if she wanted!! I would talk about all of this very excitedly. ;)

 

I have been in this situation a few times before and I'm sorry but, yes, I sunk to this kind of manipulation. I always leave the final decision with the kids though and if they choose something they really can't have, I deal with it...which I have every year with DD. I do not possess magic to bestow, after all. :lol:

[tots2teens]

I could have written your post, except we are not moving to the country! My dd5 is obsessed with horses also. She has that Butterscotch pony on her list for Santa and she also spent a lot of time this weekend describing to the mall Santa what she wanted.

I was at Costco this weekend and they had these horses for only 69.99. This is a pic of my ds2 on it, to give you an idea of how big it is (I took a picture of it to show my dh). There was also a boy around 5-6 playing on one & he was able to sit on it too. It doesn't do all the things the Furreal pony does but it does neigh when you press his ear.

[Alte Veste Academy]

I'd just remind her that in six months or so you'll be moving and getting a real horse. Santa knows that once that happens she won't want to play with the toy horse all that much so he will give the toy horse to a girl who is not getting a real horse very soon.

 

 

Brilliant! I agree with this too.