Great Gifts for a 7 Year Old Girl

We had our daughter's birthday at a theme park last week, and I can honestly say, it wasn't as cool as her presents. If you have a young daughter, the following tips will help her get the most from her gifts:

1) LISTEN TO HER. Out of everything she received, our daughter's favorite gifts were two plush dolphins. They cost about $3.00 each. How did we know they'd work out? She told us. S loves dolphins and had said several times, in her girlie-girl way, "*sigh* I wish I had a plush dolphin toy." Well, now you've got two baby!

2) TALK TO HER ABOUT COMMERCIALS. One day at the store, my little girl shocked me by begging for some Glade deoderizer. My first thought? "What in hell did you do to your room?" But alas, that was not it. She'd seen this item on a commerical, and when you press the button, giant white and yellow flowers come streaming out. Umm, time for a little heartbreak - those flowers are fake. Awww ... she doesn't want the Glade so much anymore.

This may be an extreme example, but MANY commercials represent toys in ways they can't really be used. Kids who can't read very well yet don't get much out of all that fine print.

3) CHECK THE REVIEWS. From Dr.Toy to Epinions to Amazon, consumers post honest reviews of products all over the web. Before you put $40 into the latest video game, make sure you see what other people's experiences have been. Sometimes, I've found, they lead us to even better things.

4) KEEP YOUR RECEIPTS. You know you've bought her the perfect thing, but you might not be the only one. Make a plan with her before the big day.

Most importantly ...

5) SEND THANK YOU LETTERS. I've found that the gifts our daughter cherishes the most are the ones she makes a big deal over. Writing a thank you card focuses a child's attention on the fact that - hey - this is a gift that someone chose to give me. Acknowledging that can even make those red socks special.