DS wants a dolls' house...

[bakingtins]

for his 4th birthday. The latest in a line of requests for "girly" things, he had a princess dress from Father Christmas, and wants to be Tinkerbell for his Peter-pan themed birthday party.
He plays for hours with a 'vintage' fisher-price dolls' house at Grandma's house. Big brother already has a John Crane wooden farm which has a farm house with furniture, but for some reason that doesn't seem to be good enough.
Most of the houses are very pink - I am watching a couple of plainer wooden ones on ebay, but we'd then need to source furniture sets as well, and much of it is squarely aimed at girls. There's also a small playmobil take along house - we have a few bits of playmobil already. The playmobil one is less expensive (£30) and less likely to turn into a white elephant if he decides in a year he is too cool for girl's toys.
Our policy so far is to go along with any reasonable requests and not worry about his love of all things girly, but DH is a bit concerned about it, and we don't want him to be bullied when he starts school this year.

WWYD?

[CheeseandGherkins]

I'd get him one. Pink is just a colour.

[SauceForTheGander]

I'd get him one too. Let toys be toys.

[vestandknickers]

There is plenty of furniture about for dolls houses that just looks like, well, furniture! Not remotely pink. Just look on Ebay. I think dolls houses are a wonderful toy for boys and girls as they encourage imaginative play. Ours is just as popular with boy and girl visitors and we've had all sorts "living" in it, from Power Rangers to sheep and cows to an acorn family found in the garden.

Your son sounds like a lovely imaginative boy and that is something to celebrate not worry about.

[GoingToBedfordshire]

I would get him a dolls house, pink or otherwise - sounds like he will get hours of play out of it. Fwiw, we have the playmobil take along house and it is great. My 3 DC (7, 5 and 3) all play with it.

[hellymelly]

My friend's little boy was very keen on Barbie at 5, he asked for a lipstick for his 6th birthday, and loved dressing up as fairies etc. He is now a too-cool-for-school teenager, not effeminate if that is what your DH is worried about. Classic "proper" doll's houses aren't pink, they are like proper houses, but they are expensive. You might get one on ebay?

[Lottapianos]

Get him his dolls house and stick up for him if you get any ridiculous nonsense from other children or adults. Let him play with what he chooses and balls to anyone who thinks it will do him any harm - they're just showing their own lack of imagination.

[MrsCosmopilite]

What Lotta said! I'm sure you would find something on ebay that was less pink if that's your main concern, but ultimately, it's only a colour.

[MyNameIsKenAdams]

Ive got dd a plain wood one, that im going to paint myself. Im furnishing it with Playmobil as I reckon she will outgrow the dolls house before she outgrows playmobil.

look on ebay for plain ones then he can pick out wallpaper / wrapping paper / paint to decorate it.

[HauntedNoddyCar]

Ds is 3 and likes playing with his handmedown dolls house. It's an old elc one with plain wood and plain furniture. They do crop up on ebay and aren't expensive. Wish I could sell you ours but he'd be put out!

[HauntedNoddyCar]

Meant to say he especially likes pretending to do DIY on the house! Uses the bunk bed ladder to climb the people up to the roof etc. Which is the sort of thing that's going on in our house anyway.

[napoleonsnose]

Get him one. My DS was into toys that may seem to some to be feminine, including a dolls house. For ages he had a special attachment to a tiny dolls house sized Ginny Weasley from Harry Potter doll. We had a Fisher Price one that both DD and DD used to play with together. He also used to love cars and I would often find the cars 'living' in the dolls house alongside their more human neighbours. He's now 14 and not remotely girly.

[napoleonsnose]

That should read DD and DS!

[Haahoooo]

The White Company do a lovely plain wood one with beautiful furniture as well. A bit expensive though. Can't really justify it as DD is only 18 months so it would mainly be for me

[SauceForTheGander]

I find it very sad for DDs everywhere that the worst thing a DS could be is like them.

People make too much of gender roles and definitions - let your kids enjoy what they enjoy.

[HappyBungleBear]

If you can afford it get a proper dolls house (if he's that keen and would look after it). They look like houses and are painted house type colours. Some even have proper light switches and lights. Obviously mega expensive. You can get all proper looking furniture for it too. If my DS wanted one, this is what I would do if I could afford it (as secretly I really, really, really want a proper dolls house!). I think there is even a dolls house type magazine. If he's that interested and keen, you can collect the furniture for each room gradually (with pocket money etc). Gosh... wish my DS wanted one! Can you feel my excitement!
Never discourage him with what he wants to play with - whatever colour and whatever it is. My DH wasn't that happy when DS wanted a push chair for his fluffy toys! I got one though! HE LOVED IT for ages. Then didn't. Let them be what they want to be.

[SolomanDaisy]

My DS adores the playmobil take along house. He plays with it every day. I'd definitely get that one!

[onelittleclara]

Toys r us do a plain wooden one with furniture and dolls. We painted ours in normal house colours. He loved it and has passed it on to his younger sister.

[ThatBloodyWoman]

Let him have one.
If he doesn't like the colour it can be painted, if pink is fine, that's fine.

[DebbieOfMaddox]

I don't know your budget, but this is half-price at the moment (may be the one onelittleclara mentioned).

[Mogz]

The sylvanian families houses are very gender neutral, as are the furniture sets that go with them iirc from my childhood.
Just get him one, its lovely that he's in to imaginative play.

[bakingtins]

Thank you everyone. We used to walk past the window of a local charity shop that were raffling a beautiful dolls' house complete with lights, tiny furniture, miniature food etc, a complete labour of love and not really a toy! We bought some tickets but didn't win, and in truth it would have been too delicate to withstand much playing with.
I think we might go with the Playmobil one for now and if he plays with it a lot he can have an "investment" house to decorate, wire, furnish etc when he's older.

[bakingtins]

Although the half price wooden one is v tempting!

[HappyBungleBear]

Can I come round and play with it too! A very lucky boy.

[Forago]

I would get him one. Men live in houses don't they and, in increasingly, they will all grow up and have to help clean and run one. I would just get a non-pink one, mostly because I hate the pinkification of toys (not many houses are pink really are they?)

I have 3 boys and all have played for hours with the plain wood one I got from toys r us (I painted the doors and window frames red and black to jazz it up a bit).

They soon abandon it anyway, me eldest is 9 and hardly goes in the playroom now as its all about football and Minecraft. Let them play with whatever they want while they still want to play I say.