dolls

[peggyfromwastate]

Is it so bad for girls to play with dolls? Do you know of any good dolls that aren't going to turn dd into an evil girly girl who will insist on wearing a tutu everywhere?

Alison, there is no way to fight the tutu tantrum.

This will come...

Or it won't... It just depends.

For my girls, DD#1 wouldn't wear anything non-sparkly until she was 10, and DD#2 says sparkly stuff *itches* so she wears very sporty clothes.

DD#3 so far is very into dolls, much more so than the random trains and cars we have sitting around. She's honestly been exposed to far more *boy* toys because I hadn't quite put away all of Luke's stash before J came on the scene.

I gave up fighting the notion of *boy* and *girl* toys long ago. I personally don't love playing dolls (shoot me, serioulsy), but I really do enjoy setting up train tracks... I seem to "protect" the boy toys more. So Thomas the tank engine toys stay in good shape, Barbies get massacred by the boys and *made up* by the girls (and disposed of by moi)... We also have the American Girl dolls. They are really special. They are stored away until a child is actually able to handle them. They will be passed down... Kate loved her American dolls intensely, spent HOURS and HOURS making up stories with them. (Her fav is Kaya- she has almost all the accessories too, including the gigantic horse and t-pee that is HUGE). Iz is not that interested in her American Girl dolls. I wish she were, but she follows after the boys and their Pokemon...

Anyway, I guess this rambling post is all to say to try to let your kids play with and dress up as however they want. That's my opinion anyway. They are only kids once. Yet we seem to think that as a society if we are telling our kids they need to pursue a certain profession (Johnny WILL be a doctor or else), that is a bad thing. But if our girls seem to be into the frilly and girly stuff, and we give them frilly and girly, we are somehow reinforcing sexist stereotypes?

ETA: If I had to put my money on DD#3 and her girly obsession, it would be shoes. She is crazy. She wears shoes all the time, the sparklier the better. She really really LOVES shoes. And she tells me what she will wear too. So she may be my fashionista, poor thing.

[Sheherezade]

My daughter had a Corelle, too. It was the most basic model. She was more of a stuffed animal kid, though. The dolls do hold up well. We just had a garage sale and the Corelle looked like new - 9 years later.

[MrsK]

Definitely not weird trying to get a doll that matches her skin tone. I went berzerk when Cabbage Patch Kids came along because I could finally get a brown-eyed doll. I was probably too old to play with dolls but I had to have a Cabbage Patch Kid.

[Auspicious]

The favorite here is this 12-inch corolle:
http://www.amazon.com/Corolle-Premier-Calin-Charming-Pastel/dp/B000AM2L1O/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1284414943&sr=1-4
It's a nice size for a little one and has a nice solid weight to it.

ETA: not sure the link is working but it's the Corolle Mon Premier Calin Charming Pastel - 12" Doll

[alison]

I saw that Corolle one--the only "problem" is that it's got blue eyes, and looks like none of us in our family. Maybe there's one with brown eyes? The Asian one looks a little odd to me, but these are all great suggestions! I actually think a friend of ours has this one for her daughter and I held it the other day. I think it's a nice material and weight for dd to play with. Thanks!

[SoonerTexan]

I just checked out the website and its saying they are about to retire Felicity, the Colonial Girl Doll.

Haha, went to the American Girl Store 2 weeks ago (sister-in-law's BDay) and saw that....she was the one I always wished I had gotten instead of Kirsten (I guess they retired her too?). I am SO tempted to buy it just because she will be gone.

FWIW, I wouldn't drop the $$$ on an American Girl Doll (unless it is a Bitty Baby) until she is older. You can get a similar-looking one at Target that will be cheap enough for her to destroy, and then when she is old enough, you can make getting the American Girl Doll an "experience." My sister and I got our first and only one when we were 8 and 10, respectively, and we really took care of them. Mine is boxed up with all of the accessories for my (hopefully) future daughter. DF's sisters (5 & 6 years old) have 6 between them and treat them like crap.

[HouseofWool]

Sophie loves dolls. Almost as much as she love shoes, but not quite. Her favorites though are rag dolls. A couple my sister made and one is a commerically made one. Nothing fancy. This is the same girly girl who stacked together a bunch of mega-blocks in the shape of a gun, pointed it at people and started making shooting noises. Go figure, my girly girl is also a tomboy. Not surprising with an older brother.

[poky]

Only dolls I remember having were a baby beans (like this one: http://www.dollinfo.com/images/70misc/BNSBooNft.jpg), and a my friend Mandy (like this one: http://www.tias.com/stores/squirrel/...s/fp532dma.jpg). I had a TON of stuffed animals, though (which I still love). I honestly don't know if it's because I wasn't interested or because my mom just didn't buy them. It's not like you HAVE to buy her a doll.

[Phoebe]

My daughters loved dolls when they were younger, but enjoyed stuffed animals more. We had Corelle type dolls. One thing to go along with a doll which was a big hit was a baby stroller. We have one that DD got when she was around 18 months which was perfect for her size. She enjoyed pushing it around and putting her doll in it. I think it came from Target or Toys R Us.

[HouseofWool]

Only dolls I remember having were a baby beans (like this one: http://www.dollinfo.com/images/70misc/BNSBooNft.jpg), and a my friend Mandy (like this one: http://www.tias.com/stores/squirrel/...s/fp532dma.jpg). I had a TON of stuffed animals, though (which I still love). I honestly don't know if it's because I wasn't interested or because my mom just didn't buy them. It's not like you HAVE to buy her a doll.

Holy crap Sandy - I had a Mandy too. My sister had the coordinating Rebecca (or vice versa). That is until my darling sister decided that Mandy was due for a few beauty treatments. She ended up with a new do and blue scribbles. I was devestated!

[spotty_dog]

DH has always said that Natalie will grow up a tomboy, because what kind of feminine influence does she have in her life? But as it turns out, she's particular about her clothes, loves having her hair done and putting on facial cream, and calls all the stuffed animals and dolls, "babies". Whatcha gonna do.

Her main lovey is Flower Dolly. For Christmas I'm going to make her a Waldorf-style doll from one of the kits I used to make Eddy's doll. I found it pretty easy actually, except for the hair. Marco still doesn't have any hair or clothes, just an evil-looking scarred head where I sewed him up. She's also a big fan of Beanie Babies and the stuffies her grandparents find at garage sales.

[peggyfromwastate]

. DF's sisters (5 & 6 years old) have 6 between them and treat them like crap.

That's too bad. I don't get it-- why buy these dolls then? They are designed to be heirlooms-- to pass down and what not.

[PrincessFiona]

Wrong for girls to have dolls? Not really. I always try to follow my child's interests. Andrew had a cabbage patch and buggy. Amanda preferred stuffed animals. Alex preferred cars. Aidan loved his Diego doll. Zoe loves babies, dolls and playing house with pet shops.

[scrub-jay]

DF's sisters (5 & 6 years old) have 6 between them and treat them like crap.

And by "DF" you must mean DH !!!

[alison]

Did they ever improve the hair on the American Girl dolls? It used to be really hard to manage the tangles, and it'd always fall out!