PLEASE help me find a good gift for my niece who is going to be 5 soon!
I don't have kids and only see my nieces a couple of times a year (they live over 5 hours away ) I'm not really sure about what that age group would enjoy!
When I ask her parents for gift ideas, they say, "oh don't worry about it" or "just get anything". UGH!
Do they still make Polly Pockets? I haven't seen one of those since DD was little. Brings back memories.
Personally...if I didn't know what to buy, didn't know what they have and the parents wouldn't give any ideas...I would get a ToysRUs gift card and a book. that way they can get what they want and not end up with something they already have! Good luck!
Aah, that's funny. My niece just had a birthday a few days ago and someone gave her a Polly Pockets and my sister was so aggravated because of all the itsy pieces that goes with it! I sent her this globe - http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...&s=imaginarium- and even my brother-in-law, who is notoriouly hard to impress, called to thank me and say how cool it is. Apparently, he spent alot of time playing with it himslef. I was very relieved because I had ordered it online, without having seen it (joys of living in a different country!). I can't wait to get it for my own daughter but she's only 2. Hehe, as smart as she is, it's a bit advanced for her.
I have a nephew age 6 and an niece that will be 5 in October and I can tell you, kids don't care how much you spend, they just want something to open. The best gift I got for my nephew was a Thomas the Train magnetic board. It was just a flimsy magnetized board with train-shaped magnetics that he could move around. I spend $3 on it and he loved it. Played with it for hours, making little train noises. The other toys that I've spent more money all just got set aside.
So I agree with everyone else, anything in the pink aisle. I just wouldn't worry about spending a lot of money on it. Wait until she is older and will appreciate it more. The crafts aisle has also been a good source of ideas for me (especially because I don't necessarily need to know what is hip in terms of cartoon characters to pick out a fun craft). Play Doh always goes over well and comes in infinite varieties. Children's books are another good idea.
Try to avoid toys with lots of small parts because those get lost in a day. Also, if you like the parents, try to avoid toys that make lots of noise. Or if you want to get revenge on them for not giving you any suggestions, you could go the opposite route.
Have you looked at any of the neat educational toys from Leapfrog? The stuff is actually fun to play with, in addition to being educational.
Or, in honor of your healthy lifestyle, how about something cool to play outside with? I'm a big fan of gift baskets because I am horribly indecisive about presents. A "Play Outside" gift basket might have a kid-sized jump rope, sidewalk chalk (crayola makes a cool "backyard bash" kit with chalk and these stencil things they call "stompers"), bubbles, etc. 5 is just about right development-wise to start being able to use a jump rope well, so thats good. You can easily do a nice basket in your price range, because most of the little things you'd put in (bubbles, chalk, etc) are relatively inexpensive. Since you're just coming into summer, it might be cool to have supplies for playing outside readily available for her, and kids LOVE sidewalk chalk...
My tip for getting any gift for a kid - call the parents with an idea and ask if they think its all right. Not only do you avoid buying something the parents aren't OK with their child having, but providing the mom with a concrete idea might let her give you some feedback on whether your niece would enjoy it or not.
My first thought was crayons and coloring books. I especially loved construction paper as a kid. Maybe you could put together an art pack with safety scissors and glue sticks, stickers, etc. There are special paints that supposedly won't get on carpet so the parents won't have to worry about cleaning up after their little artist. You might just check out the crayola section; they tend to come up with some new things. Ooh, I just thought of play-dough. I could entertain myself for hours with play-dough. I might have to visit a toy store myself; I feel the nostalgia taking over.
I'd go with something creative - I'm a nanny for a 4 1/2 yr old, and all her toys (Barbies, dolls, etc) get ignored. She LOVES her sidewalk chalk, though, and all her paints and construction paper and stuff. I especially like the sidewalk chalk 'cause it gets them outside, which is way more important than playing with something indoors in the summer. You could get her one of those kids easles and some fingerpaint or something.
And if you do decide to go the barbie route, check with her parents - I know my parents hated the things and asked people not to give them to me.
My daughter is 5 years old.
Her favorite girly things are dress up clothes (including make up/nail polish, if your siser allows it), jewelry, hats, purses, shoes (I get real hats, purses, and shoes, because you can get them as cheaply at Payless or such for cheaper than you can the "play" versions at Toys R Us) - really just miniature versions of what grown up girls like.
Any arts and crafts type project is great. One of her favorite Christmas presents was an unfinished bird house and a set of acrylic paints. They love anything they can show people and say, "I did this." For birthdays, I put together a whole box of age appropriate art and craft supplies - play dough, washable markers, paper, stickers, etc. They love it because they open the box and it looks like so much STUFF to them but also because they can actually USE it all.
Girls this age also like to play school and office. Mine loves her chalkboard/magnetic dry erase board easel. For office, I've given her a box of envelopes, a clipboard, desk organizer, paperclips, etc. I let her have all our junk mail and she'll spend ours being the "boss".
As for play equipment, she loves her hippity hop and her three-wheeled scooter. Any watertype game like a slip and slide or sprinkler attachment. And sometimes I'll give just a big box of stuff (notice a trend? LOL). Things like water balloons, whistles, jump rope, sidewalk chalk, etc.
Anything bath related - water tints, shampoo and bubblebath (strawberry shortcake, barbie, etc. are always big hits), bath foam, a mirror with a suction cup (they love to see how they look with a beard full of foam or their hair all spiked up!), etc.
Like someone else said, I try to avoid anything that has a lot of pieces because they are bound to get lost at this age. An exception would be a board game that wouldn't be played with unless an adult were also playing. A few good ones are Candyland, Hi Ho Cherrio, and Stare (we play this one all the time my husband and I like it as much as our kids who are 5, 5, and 7).
I get cheapo dress up stuff at the $1 stores. The kids don't know the difference. I love the Polly Pockets too but only the ones with the pliable rubber dresses and not the snap on clothes. Target also has an aisle of creative boxes like one where the child makes her own fairy wings to dress up in. Also, a girl's small bike with training wheels costs $35 at Wal Mart. Or a tricycle. Crayola also makes a washable sidewalk paint. They also have colorwonder paper and markers and finger paint that only work on that type paper and doesn't get messy everywhere. Leap Pads are good and have Barbie and Dora the Explorer books. Most girls like make-up and hair accessories too. There is a Play Doh barber shop where the "hair" can grow and be cut.
Gift advice for 5 year old girl
) I'm not really sure about what that age group would enjoy! 
