Gift for a 5 year old...Advice needed

[lowrioh]

My dear friend is having a second DC and I have gotten a few things to send up to her. She has a 5 year old DD who has been recently diagnosed with Asperger syndrome. From what I understand, intellectually she is a normal 5 year old but she is having a lot of problems with social cues etc.
I would like to send a gift up for her as well. I was thinking something crafty. I saw 2 different sets my Melissa and Doug and I thought I would get some opinions from you all.
http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Deluxe-Favorite-Objects/dp/B000JWHFR0/ref=sr_1_243?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1213878934&sr=1-243
http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Friendship-Stamp-Set/dp/B0007L6M9A/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1213881202&sr=1-8

Any thoughts or other suggestions would be appreciated.

[bnme]

I would get the second one. Kids love stamps. The punch one seems more limited. Although I could see my DS sitting there for hours just punching items, going through 100's of pieces of paper.

[mamabelle]

The punches are sort of boring, hard to do and I agree limiting. The stamps are cute but may end up in places mom does not want them, especially with a new baby. My dd just got this ( I am sure amazon carries it) and she loves it. http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2267012 FWIW, every kit we got by this brand has been really great.

[egoldber]

JMO, but I wouldn't send a craft activity kit that requires supervision to a child whose mom is expecting a new baby. Maybe something like the Color Wonders stuff? At least then if the kid colors inappropriately it shouldn't be a problem. :)

[elephantmeg]

In the last few weeks I've been glad for some craft stuff that DS and I can do together while DD is napping-and the new grown up stuff (playdough, markers etc) have been nice. It was stuff he got for his b-day that I put away after he got it thinking it would be good post baby stuff. Having special mommy-son time has been good for both of us. JMHO

[lfp2n]

My 5yr old DD has a smaller punch kit than that, and she really likes it- she does get through quite a lot of paper and picking up all the little punched hearts makes me a little crazy. Sometimes we keep them in a pot to glue on something else. I'm not a big fan of those kind of kits where you do the thing once usually with a lot of supervision and then its over. DD always likes getting new types of pens pencils crayons, color wonder stuff, glitter glues, different types of paper that you can draw on, cut and stick etc. The sort of stuff you can watch them do, but you don't actually have to help, and often they will do it on their own.

HIH

Lucy DD 3/03