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Dolls for girls
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A couple of friends and I were wondering if you wonderful ladies had any suggestions for dolls to buy for our young girls. Not baby dolls, but more girl or even mom dolls. Our girls range in age from 2 to 8. We don’t want to introduce Barbie, and we can’t afford the American Girl habit :). Any suggestions?
Ever considered Bratz? JUST KIDDING!! My girls have really enjoyed their Only Hearts Club dolls. They have soft, poseable bodies, have all sorts of accessories available, and some even come as big/little sister sets (which is what my girls have). I really appreciate the fact that their clothes are relatively modest, they are “girls” and non-“sassy”. Also, they’re available at some Target stores or online, so they’re not hard to get a hold of. BTW, my girls are 8 and 4. Side note, their hair brushes easily, which is a bonus in my book.
Here’s a link to their web site: http://www.onlyheartsclub.com/
You might also consider these: http://www.battatco.com/sections/_brands/og_internet/product_files/pages/dolls_pg/_header/dolls_deluxe1.html as an alternative to the American Girls. Their much more affordable, and also available at my Target stores.
Hope that helps a little. I know how frustrating it can be to find appropriate dolls. Go figure!
LillyLou – Oh my, your first sentences were too funny! At first I was shocked and then laughed when I saw the Just Kidding!
Erin
My girls love Strawberry Shortcakes. The Madeline (as in the Madeline book) dolls are also sweet but I don’t believe they are currently sold, you’d have to eBay them.
We have bought the Madame Alexander version of the 18″ doll. (basically the American Girl nock-off) If you go to the Madame Alexander site you can see all of the dolls they offer, I believe they are around $40. However, after I had looked at that site I searched for the dolls on Amazon and was able to order the one we wanted for only $35ish with FREE super saver shipping.
Lot’s of companies have knocked off the AG dolls, Wal-Mart and Target both have their own version each with a number of available accessories as well.
Also, I’ve found that once you have an 18″ doll from somewhere the clothing and accessories are’t too hard to come by. You can buy patterns and make you own clothes. Michael’s and Hobby Lobby both sell accessories and doll clothes kits for 18″ dolls, and if you do want to splurge (or have the grandparents splurge or whatever :o) on one of the actual American Girl outfits or historic items they will still work with the cheaper dolls.
Erin: I always love a little shock value LOL.
LadyoftheHouse: I agree with the Madame Alexander dolls thing. I hadn’t even thought of that! And now days, you can sometimes find them in Tuesday Morning Stores (if they’re in your area). My grandmother always collected and bought me a couple of MA dolls, and my mom has gotten “Baby Huggums” for my girls, just like my brothers and I had growing up. Madame Alexander dolls aren’t all babies either. She has lots of dolls based on classic literature which is neat too. Great suggestion!
Thanks for those suggestions. My question is: What do you do when a friend or relative gives your child a Barbie or a Bratz that you don’t think is appropriate and they do not see the harm?
When someone gives my kids something I don’t think is appropriate, I just say “Thank you” and a week or so later I pick up the doll and put it in the box for donations. My girls don’t even miss them becuase they are busy with other, “better” things. I have had to learn to keep my mouth shut, which was hard for me! LOL
Or maybe you could suggest something that your children would like better?
Good Luck
Sarah: If the gift was just from a one-time giver, we just thank them. If it is from someone who is likely to give again, we thank the giver of the gift, and explain at a later date (though soon enough that it hopefully doesn’t happen again) that although we do appreciate their thoughtfulness, and know that their gift was given out of generosity and goodwill, we would prefer more wholesome choices in toys, and would be happy to suggest a few options more suitable for our family if they would like.
We also prayerfully approach with the child who has received the gift, what would be appropriate to do with it. We have been blessed so far that our children have desired to be rid of these things on their own, and just weren’t sure how to say so. 🙂
We have tried, at least the first time they give up something that we would prefer they did not have, to replace it with something better.
Gaeleen
I did not start this thread but want to say thanks to all of you who responded. My 8 year old received a dollhouse for Christmas from grandparents and loves it but was given a box full of barbies from a well meaning family member that we have struggled with what to do with. She has played with the ones that are somewhat modest and I have even had to make a few outfits but she and I both have struggled with what to do. After reading this post and discussing with her, she is very excited to sell all those barbies in our yard sale and use the money to purchase a couple of only hearts club dolls. After looking at them online she said “I feel like those dolls were made for me”. My son wants me to get the Melissa and Doug family set so he can be the dad. Gotta love it! Thanks again!
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