Dolls for little boys

It's Zander's birthday in less than three weeks & we're thinking of getting him a baby. He's so excited about having a baby sister & is really interested with everything involved. Earlier we were watching TV & there was an ad for Baby Alive which Zander was quite taken with. I asked if he would like a baby like that for his birthday & he said "yes please with a bottle".

So I was thinking of getting him a cheapish doll for his birthday seeing as he's quite keen, I can't believe how much Baby Borns & Baby Alives are! I was thinking of getting him a boy doll, does that seem odd? Would it matter?

I don't think it is odd at all. Boys love to nurture just as much as girls ;)

I have no idea about dolls etc, so I can't help you there. I hope he loves his birthday present!

I think it is great that you'd consider getting him one!!! My husband had a Kewpie doll when he was growing up, Too Fast Tommy was his name... and he loved him. If any of my son's showed an interest in dolls/baby dolls etc I would let them have one, mainly to satisfy their curiosity.

No hun it doesn't seem odd. My nephew who has just turned 4 absolutley loves to come and play with Darcy's dolls and prams/highchair/bed etc - yet his father won't allow him any toys like this - which I think is absolutly dumb. You can get ones that aren't pink and girly either. There's heaps of cool (and reasonably cheap) dollies out there. Darcy has one that cries and laughs at the moment - so real it even sounds like her and I know it didn't cost much.
I think it's a top idea! :D

I think what I was wondering mostly is, if you were getting a little boy a doll would you specifically get a boy one or not worry about the sex?

I truly don't think he'll care what sex it is - he's getting a baby sister after all. But like I said you can get ones that aren't all frou frou but are still indeterminant sex IYKWIM?
Otherwise you could just ask him what he wants...

Ah! Gotcha Sarah... I don't think it matters what sex you get. I'm sure he'll be pleased either way.

Given that you're having a girl I'm not sure... if he had a boy doll he could relate it to himself (the genitals and clothing) but a girl doll he might just associate with his baby sister. So either would work. Can you get a fairly gender neutral doll so he can decide?

When DD was born I bought my 3 step kids - 2 girls (6 and 4)and a boy (4) each a Cabbage Patch Kid (Kmart clearance as they had damaged boxes)

We bought DSS a boy one and DSD a girls one each - they only had the three.

DSS still at 10 will play Bratz dolls with his sisters and we are absolutely fine with it.

My little brother loved dolls when he was small (2), my mum bought him a "baby" and he wanted to change its clothes and COMPLETELY freaked out because it didn't have a doodle... But if Zander knows about differences then it should be ok :D

I can understand your concerns Sarah - but I think it's only because we're so brainwashed that dolls are for girls and cars, trains and guns are for boys.

I personally played with cars and trains and the equivalent of GI Joe as a little girl so I think it's excellent that you would let him play with whatever he wants.

Nothing wrong with it at all..

My eldest had 3 dolls but none actualy had any gender lol.. If you really wanted to get one of each :)

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

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 ;)

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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.

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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.

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 :)

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. ;)

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

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And copying Daddy too ;)

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 ;)

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.

OH! sorry for misunderstanding!

no, i dont think the gender would matter at all

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.

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

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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.

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 .

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????:rolleyes:
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)

I see no probs with it. My 9 yr old nephew had one and he has given it to my son and he walsk around kissing and cuddling it.

I have just brought my DS a doll for when bubs arrives, i got him a full plastic doll so he could take it in the bath, I got him a boy doll as we are having a baby boy, and he has told us he is having a baby as well, next week i will get him the girl one too as he told the midwives he is having two babies a girl and a boy. I dont think it matters wether you get him a girl doll or a boy doll. I got mine in toyworld for $17 they come naked so his big sister has kindly donated some of her doll clothes, by the way she also has dolls of both sexes and ones that dont have a gender at all.
If your not sure i think the target brand dolls dont have a gender and then he can decide himself wether its a boy or girl baby.

FWIW I once read that the best dolls are the least detailed ones because it allows them to use their imagination to imprint whatever they want onto it.