whoisjohngalt
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Post by whoisjohngalt on Mar 19, 2013 14:59:11 GMT -5
So, my "middle" kid is going to be 3 in a few days. We've been trying to figure out what to get him and I came across this: ($190) www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007Y3KP6/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DERAffordability aside, would you get a 3 yr old such an expensive toy? Please, I don't want to get responses "well, if you can afford it" - it has nothing to do with that. I am just wondering if it makes sense to spend that much on a "toy". Just to let you know how we (well, I) think about presents: We didn't get anything for any of my kids on their 1st or 2nd b-days. They got some stuff during holidays. Our total "toys" spending last year was less than $400 for all 3 kids and a lot of it was puzzles, etc. But they do have a lot of stuff - a lot from my IL's, some from my parents, some from freecycle, some from garage sales. So I just wonder - is it practical to spend that much on something that can be easily broken? Although, I just love this thing. And for full disclosure - I bought two $65 trucks last year that we didn't give it to them yet, bc my DH thinks that trucks have a lot of intricate pieces that they can break, so he wants to wait a bit. One more thing - the reason I say "affordability aside" - obviously we can afford it, but it's still a lot of money - does this make sense? So, thoughts/suggestions/comments that don't have anything to do with my question? All is welcome
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2013 15:02:28 GMT -5
When my son gets to an age where he can play with this type stuff, I definitely plan on getting him a jeep/car/maybe even something like this. I don't think $190 is too much for something he can play with for a couple of years at least. If it breaks, then oh well but I would definitely get it
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milee
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Post by milee on Mar 19, 2013 15:03:43 GMT -5
My older son had the John Deere thing that looks kind of like a Jeep, very similar to what is pictured.
He loved, loved, loved it and got at least $200 worth of fun out of it.
Just be sure you have a good place to ride it and consider if it will cause huge fights among your boys. Mine are 4 years apart, so wouldn't fight to the death over something like that. My friend's boys are age 3, 5 and 6 and something like the John Deere would be a nightmare for her because she'd spend all day mediating between them fighting over it.
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swamp
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Post by swamp on Mar 19, 2013 15:04:26 GMT -5
My kids have those. They love them. We've got the Ford truck. Looks just like grandpas.
ETA: with the truck, there is a passenger seat and one can go in the bed, so it rides 3.
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whoisjohngalt
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Post by whoisjohngalt on Mar 19, 2013 15:08:07 GMT -5
Yeah, my oldest would probably have a stroke, my youngest is too young to care......
I liked this one bc it's the pedal one, I am a bit worried about the motorized ones....
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alabamagal
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Post by alabamagal on Mar 19, 2013 15:08:14 GMT -5
I would totally buy that! That looks much better than the ones that you just ride on!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2013 15:08:20 GMT -5
That's pretty cool
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swamp
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Post by swamp on Mar 19, 2013 15:10:10 GMT -5
Yeah, my oldest would probably have a stroke, my youngest is too young to care...... I liked this one bc it's the pedal one, I am a bit worried about the motorized ones.... Why do you worry about the motorized ones? They go 3.5 mph.
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muttleynfelix
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Post by muttleynfelix on Mar 19, 2013 15:12:21 GMT -5
My DS (who is 3) would kill for that. (ok maybe not kill, but he would really really want it).
If you can afford it, and your kids would get a lot of use out of it, then maybe i could see going for it. It is a lot of money. As far as breaking, my neighbors have 2 ride on toys and they get used a lot. I think one of them has broken down a little bit, but their kids are hard on them - as in run the truck into a tree hard and the ride on toys seem to be in pretty decent shape for how hard they ride it.
I guess I would say if you can afford it, your kid would love it and you don't typically spoil your kids. THen do it. Oh, do you have room to store it? Those things do take up a lot of room.
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NomoreDramaQ1015
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Mar 19, 2013 15:12:28 GMT -5
I'd have to pry DH off it because he'd want to ride it.
I say go for it. We tend to let the grandparents do the ton of presents and we do one bigger/more expensive present for Christmas/birthday.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2013 15:12:40 GMT -5
Yeah, my oldest would probably have a stroke, my youngest is too young to care...... I liked this one bc it's the pedal one, I am a bit worried about the motorized ones.... Why do you worry about the motorized ones? They go 3.5 mph. My daughter got run over by one when she was little. She was fine.
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Waffle
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Post by Waffle on Mar 19, 2013 15:13:12 GMT -5
I don't even have kids and I think it's cool. My only concern would the potential for fighting over it.
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swamp
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Post by swamp on Mar 19, 2013 15:14:06 GMT -5
Why do you worry about the motorized ones? They go 3.5 mph. My daughter got run over by one when she was little. She was fine. My kids run into each other and the garage and trees, and my car init all the time. They're fine too.
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whoisjohngalt
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Post by whoisjohngalt on Mar 19, 2013 15:14:18 GMT -5
I think I am worried about motorized one bc I think they would be nervous to ride it I don't know......
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muttleynfelix
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Post by muttleynfelix on Mar 19, 2013 15:14:58 GMT -5
My kids have those. They love them. We've got the Ford truck. Looks just like grandpas. ETA: with the truck, there is a passenger seat and one can go in the bed, so it rides 3. My neighbors have that one. It is was so freaking cute last summer when their DS would get in the driver's seat (he was 3.5), my DS in the passenger seat (he was 2.5 last summer) and their DD got in the back (she was 2). It was like this visiion into the future when they are teens.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2013 15:16:46 GMT -5
My kids have those. They love them. We've got the Ford truck. Looks just like grandpas. ETA: with the truck, there is a passenger seat and one can go in the bed, so it rides 3. My neighbors have that one. It is was so freaking cute last summer when their DS would get in the driver's seat (he was 3.5), my DS in the passenger seat (he was 2.5 last summer) and their DD got in the back (she was 2). It was like this visiion into the future when they are teens. We have a jeep one. One driver, one passenger and one in the back hanging on for dear life.
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NomoreDramaQ1015
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Mar 19, 2013 15:16:47 GMT -5
I think I am worried about motorized one bc I think they would be nervous to ride it
Probably depends on the kid. Gwen has a motorized mini ATV at my in-laws. Once she figured out how to make it go, she was off.
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whoisjohngalt
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Post by whoisjohngalt on Mar 19, 2013 15:17:09 GMT -5
OK, the fighting thing - my IL's gave my oldest a Little Tykes car when he was 1 and they gave him a riding fire truck when he turned 4 and he keeps telling his brother that they are "HIS" cars, so there is already fighting.
I pretty much resigned myself that there will be fighting no matter what - they are too close in age not to want the same toys, so....
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giramomma
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Post by giramomma on Mar 19, 2013 15:18:16 GMT -5
Yes, I would. We don't do trucks like that.
But I do drop money on the big playmobil sets. My middle child is slightly older, and bought the playmobil school for her. Retail the thing was close to $200. (I didn't pay quite that much...I used a few discounts to drop the price a bit.)
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whoisjohngalt
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Post by whoisjohngalt on Mar 19, 2013 15:19:41 GMT -5
Holy crap, is that the 1st time ever that YM has complete consensus on a topic
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Tiny
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Post by Tiny on Mar 19, 2013 15:21:08 GMT -5
No, I wouldn't get my kid a battery operated 'vehicle'.
Reasons: 1.) personal experience: my SIL got her 4 yo son a large battery operated jeep for his b-day. The kid drove it up and down the driveway - got yelled at multiple times to not go in the street - so then he took to bumping it into the car that was in the driveway, the side of the garage, the hedges, and other stuff - also causeing his parents to YELL at him to stop. Eventually he got bored with it. It didn't go very fast (an adult could walk along next to it) and he couldn't figure out how to work it into 'play time' with his little friends who couldn't ride along with him.
I wouldn't want to supervise my kid while they were playing with this particular toy - how much damage could they do to themselves, our stuff, or their friends...
2.) I suspect the thing has a sucky battery life and that the batteries are expensive. 3.) the Jeep had limited 'play time' usage. I can imagine all the 'cool' things I would have done with the Jeep at the age of 5 or 6 and non of them would have been very safe... While a front loader has alot of implied fun things to do - again I'm pretty sure a little kid can think up all sorts of questionably safe things to do wit it. 4.) How much is a 3 year old really gonna remember about this expensive gift that may have limited 'play' options?
I'd spend my money on something else for a 3 year old (or 4 or 5 or 6 year old). Of course, maybe if I lived in a non urban area a mini slow moving front loader toy vehicle would be the thing that hours of 'play' are made of...
FWIW: my nephew (now 27) sez he remembers the Jeep - but I suspect it's mostly based on the photos (from one day) and his mom's repeated stories (also from that one day of use) that he 'remembers'.
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kittensaver
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Post by kittensaver on Mar 19, 2013 15:24:59 GMT -5
If you easily afford it, it's not too expensive. Better he have something he loves and will get many hours of play, than some cheap toy that will be forgotten or discarded after a few hours.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Mar 19, 2013 15:27:28 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2013 15:28:02 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2013 15:31:07 GMT -5
My grandsons have one. But their grandfather (my ex) has a working farm. They are so into everything John Deere. That's the theme of their bedroom.
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muttleynfelix
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Post by muttleynfelix on Mar 19, 2013 15:32:23 GMT -5
The ones my neighbors have are rechargable.
The only thing that truly freaks me out is that the one my neighbors have does not have enough power for the hill their driveway is on and once the kids get headed down the driveway, then we have to run after them, then let them drive down the road to the less steep driveway and then back up. But we have basically no traffic on our road (rural area).
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Chocolate Lover
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Post by Chocolate Lover on Mar 19, 2013 15:36:24 GMT -5
My kids had one and they tried to wear it out and couldn't. I say get it if that's the one you want but don't be afraid of the motorized ones, kids love being in charge of their own transportation even if it just around the yard.
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Formerly SK
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Post by Formerly SK on Mar 19, 2013 15:37:40 GMT -5
My kids have something similar to the OP listing. We've had it 4 years now. They STILL ride it (they're 6&8 now). Last weekend I was putting compost in a raised garden bed and they used the digger to haul it for me. My ILs have motorized riding toys. IMO they are completely different from pedal toys. The pedal one with a scooper is much more about imagination. The riding toys are more about just riding around. (At least, that is how my kids have used them).
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whoisjohngalt
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Post by whoisjohngalt on Mar 19, 2013 15:43:15 GMT -5
OK, so which motorized one would I get? Links, please
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Post by Deleted on Mar 19, 2013 15:45:39 GMT -5
OK, so which motorized one would I get? Links, please One off of Craigslist! ; )
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