help needed 9 year old niece moving in....
My boyfriends mother just had her third stroke and for the time being his 9 year old sister is going to be moving in. maybe only a month but if she does not get better it will be permanently. she will be moving to a whole new state and im sure she will be feeling overwhelmed by everything. we have a guest bedroom for her, but i would like to get her a welcome basket so she feels at home.
what sort of stuff do 9 year old girls like these days? i played with barbies till i was 12 so i havent a clue and know things have changed.
any ideas of things to put in the basket besides toiletries? i was thinking an ipod nano, but i dont know if a 9 year old would be into one?:O
Re: help needed 9 year old niece moving in....
I loved music when I was 9. I think any sort of playing device would rock, especially an iPod. Hmm lesse. I was in a similar situation when I was 8 so... a journal, perhaps some books if she likes to read, or art supplies if she likes that. Kids at that age can be so specific about how they vent things and how they express things. Knowing what she digs is really important. Some gift cards cant hurt. Various shops so she has different kinds of things to go buy. This new room is gonna be her new world for a bit, or longer... the more she can make it her own, the more comfy she might be.
Re: help needed 9 year old niece moving in....
yeah i need to talk to him or her mom, i dont want to go too overboard but who wouldnt want a kick ass gift sitting on there bed when they arive.
she likes girl stuff i know. loves pink and purple.
Re: help needed 9 year old niece moving in....
I agree. I would take her shopping and alow her to buy thing sso she can decorate her room the way she wants. She'll feel more comfortable then, and it'll be a little more like home.
Music is good, an ipod would be great, maybe a babydoll or stuffed animal to cuddle with, I loved baby dolls at that age.
Really pretty stationary or journal with cool colored pens to write with, the statoinary so she can write to her mom, the journal so she can write to herself.
Hmm...Maybe some pretty picture frames and tell her to bring some pictures with her, so she can hang them in her room.
Poor girl.
Re: help needed 9 year old niece moving in....
Maybe if she a fan of a favorite tv show. Like Bratz or something. What about those giggapets? Those were so cool.
Re: help needed 9 year old niece moving in....
I wonder how hard it would be to get all her pals to sign a big card or picture or something so she can frame that in her new room too? Kinda take her old pals with her somehow. Or send her a disposable camera before she leaves to get photos of/with her pals... then take her to get them developed when she moves in?
Re: help needed 9 year old niece moving in....
Good idea.
I also thought of something,not sure how doable it is tho.
Remember Stepmom? The mom made the quilt out of pictures and fabrics so the kids would always feel ehr nearby. A quilt made of her moms old clothes or something like that..like I said, not sur ehow doable it is, but it's a nice idea. I would enjoy somethign like that. Would help with the homesickness a lot.
Or even just cover a pillow with one of her moms flannel nightgowns or old tee shirts, that would be an easy project for a beginer sew-er.
Re: help needed 9 year old niece moving in....
its such an odd situation as i am just about to move in also....
i dont want to feel shitty about the situation, but it does put a spin on that moving in joy youi have when you first live with your bf...
Re: help needed 9 year old niece moving in....
how about some kid dvd's like disney and such? my girls love those.
does your bf have cable/sat? hannah montana and the other nick/disney shows are very popular now.
how about a phone card or meego? (not sure what kind of budget we're discussing) something to keep in touch with her friends and mom.
stationary and such are also good, e.g. postcards. or maybe the journal idea mentioned before. i gave that to my daughter before she left for the summer for her mom's place.
arts and crafts are good too. it helps the kids express themselves at a time when all that stress is pressing down on them.
i also 2nd the idea for doing up her room specific for her. giving her her own space will be important imo. my daughter's 8-yr-old and beginning to hint at her own personal space vs. sharing with her 6-yr-old sister (altho you ladies probably have better first-hand experience being little girls yourselves once :P ).
i'm so sorry for what she has to go thru right now though. it must be very terrifying for her worrying about her mom and then she herself has to "go away" and live with a stranger (you). she's going thru a lot of trauma and stress right now. poor girl. :-\
i know it'll be difficult and a downer on your expectations of moving in as you noted. but look at it like you have an opportunity now to be a role-model for her that will likely last her entire life. that's a very rare opportunity for a non-parent and something you may always remember for your life as well!
good luck to all of you!
Re: help needed 9 year old niece moving in....
Yeah, I would get her a gift that gives you the opportunity to get to know her and help her feel more comfortable with you. Like maybe get her a mall gift card and then go to the mall with her and help her pick out stuff for her room.
Re: help needed 9 year old niece moving in....
I have a 10 year-old daughter, so I might be able to help a little bit.
* gift cards are great and gives ya a chance to get to know her
* letting her fix up the room is a great one
* girly stuff like body spray, nail polish, and hair stuff
* I wouldn't go all out with a Nano right away.....you can get a smaller mp3 player for pretty cheap
Re: help needed 9 year old niece moving in....
My sister is 8 so perhaps this will help -
She loves to play dress up and is into any sort of princess items. She however also enjoys video games like pokemon on her game boy as well. If the little girl has a game system perhaps buying/renting a new game could go over well?
Bratz is HUGE in this age group right now. There are dolls, those bust things that you can put on pretend makeup with, books and movies etc with Bratz.
Arts and crafts are also good, like using perler beads and an iron to melt together shapes and designs. Really cheap and fun. Painting ceramics from wal-mart has gone over well with my sister and her friends as well.
Oh and someone said something about digi-pets. I got such a kick out of the fact that tomogachi (spelling?) and all of those are comming back into style. My sister "raises" her pets and has actually "baby sat" some of her friends as well. If anything taking care of a pretend pet could help take the girls mind off her problems for a bit.
Books are always good as well - I loved to read at that age and my sister is just now getting into it (reading Black Beauty at the moment). Good Luck!
Re: help needed 9 year old niece moving in....
I have 3 girls and i will tell you have to watch the disney channels the suite life of zach and cody with her that show is great. I am going to weigh in on bratz they are not allowed in my home i feel they are not approiate for young girls. Something barbie should be a hit. Good luck just becuse you care so much i am sure you will do great and she will be happy.
Re: help needed 9 year old niece moving in....
Hard to help here, but I'll tell you one thing. While Scouring Big Lots for older series Power Rangers, Bratz turn up by the dozen if not more.
I think the MP3 player in girly colors would be a nice touch. I have a preference for Money and a promise to take one shopping rather than gift cards. I would only give gift cards if I knew the person **HAD** to have something from that shop.
Re: help needed 9 year old niece moving in....
thanks for all the help guys!!
Re: help needed 9 year old niece moving in....
Is she from Myrtle Beach too?
I was there in May with my nieces who are 6 and 8. There's so much to do down there. My girls loved Nascar, Ripley's Aquarium, all that cheesy tourist stuff.
Re: help needed 9 year old niece moving in....
I'm afraid I don't know much about what should go in that basket. But I can tell you that what she will treasure most is an adopted aunt who cared enough to step in when her world turned upside down--she'll always remember it. Your good soul fills the basket, in my eyes.
So here's a salute to you--and good wishes to her, and I hope her mom will get through all this okay.