Dolls for little boys

[paradise lost]

DD has her "babyboy" and has had him for ages. I got him in Woolies, was a fiver i think, just a soft body (he is a boy because his sleepsuit is blue) and plastic/rubber limbs and head. He has a sleeping face so no eyes or bottle. SHe sometimes "breastfeeds" him. She calls him babyboy and i sometimes call her babygirl if she's crying because she's tired or hurt herself (as in "oh babygirl, are you sad?") so there's her link in - sometimes she'll pick him up and say "ee's cryin! awww babyboy...." lol.

I think it's only a bad idea to give a baby doll to a boy if you're hoping to raise a man who will not hold his own children.

Bx

[Trish]

All of my boys have had dolls at some stage. Brandon and Noah both had little boy Cabbage Patch Kids. Noah loves to play with Tehya's dolls and her prams etc. Actually before Tehya was born Noah wanted a dolls pram so we got him a little stroller. We still have it. My nephew has a little boy Baby Bjorn.

TBH I don't see anything wrong with it.

Oh and Sarah, yes you are right. Little dolls are quite expensive. If you have a look in Kmart or Big W you will often find a doll with a bottle etc for around $20 though. Oh, and here's hoping that Zander isn't into breastfeeding his babies

[Muppity]

Oh, and here's hoping that Zander isn't into breastfeeding his babies

I had a friend who's son breastfed a bear. It was very amusing. At the time we were living in a residence where we had communal meals. and little Jonathan (about 4) would rush through his dinner then stick the teddy up under his shirt and sit there making gooing sounds for about 10 minutes. The only time he would misbehave would be when he wasn't allowed to bring his bear to dinner.

[meow]

just a soft body (he is a boy because his sleepsuit is blue) and plastic/rubber limbs and head. He has a sleeping face so no eyes or bottle.

This doll sounds good- really open ended. The problem with a lot of dolls is they are smiling or something and it's harder for the child to decide "Oh, baby is crying" etc. etc.

[Kitt3n]

I dont mean to sound nasty, but i do find it a little weird, if it were to be his main present?

I just dont think this should be his "main" present, but maybe as a little something on the side to help him understand the baby would be sweet. He will probably dote on it and play with the dolly, copying mummy, which would be very cute i must admit

[Cricket]

If you are having any qualms about giving him a doll, check out the children's book "William's Doll" by Charlotte Zolotow. It's a really nice book about a little boy who has a dolly and he pretends he's it's daddy.

Go for it Sarah. He'll probably love it. And if you can't find a "boy" baby you like, you can always get a blue newborn pyjama and redress the doll. That's how we got boys at our house.

[meow]

He will probably dote on it and play with the dolly, copying mummy

And copying Daddy too

[{sarah}]

Guys I think most of you misunderstood We're getting him a baby (as well as new cars, mega bloks and a case for his camera), I was really wondering whether it mattered to get a gender specific boy one or if a girl or gender neutral one was ok too. We won't be doing the fluffy pink doll with a dress sort of thing though

[Trillian]

I think it's a great idea Sarah, because once Miss J is older she will have her own dolls (and boy does that get expensive LOL) and at least he'll have his own doll to play with so there will be no fights

Most of the ones you'll find are gender neutral apart from the clothes, but you can find ones with green, yellow or blue clothing. If you specifically want a boy one you might have to go to a toy shop instead of just BigW as they are a bit harder to find sometimes. Unless you get a cabbage patch kid, but they're not really the type of baby you're after? Either way it wont matter though

ETA - I got one for Paige for her 1st birthday from BigW for $10 and it was a soft body with plastic arms - so it could have been any gender you wanted it to be. The jumpsuits they had on came in most colours too. Not sure if they would still have something similar to that.

[Kitt3n]

OH! sorry for misunderstanding!

no, i dont think the gender would matter at all

[nelly]

sarah we went gender neutral for Jake's doll it is one with the zips, clips and buttons so he can learn to do all of those as well. He also has a girl rag doll that he kisses and cuddles too.

[mummy of many]

my son who is 22 months old loves dory the exploxer and fifi on pay tv , so i brought him a doll, he enjoys playing with them. so let them have fun, just what i say .

[blizz]

I get where your coming from Sarah, I don't think it would matter what sex the doll is it may be good for Zander to associate it with his new sister so he can role play alongside you but in saying that he will probably do that with a doll of either sex, have you tried taking him to the shops and seeing which one he leans towards or maybe if you attend a playgroup or find a friend who has some dolls you can try before you buy and see which one Zander prefers,

goodluck and I hope to hear what you decide.

We have a friend who has definate ideas about gender and was really horrified when I put one of Paige's dancing skirts on his 1 and a half year old boy (a nice hot pink and sparkly number) he totally loved it and danced around watching the sparkles, dad declined the offer of a loan...can't imagine why????
Spent the rest of the night talking to him about the importance of letting children role play and experiment with toys and allowing them to engage in open ended play with materials(the child carer in me I guess)