to hate barbie

[coorong]

Sorry, my DD aged 5 wants a doll for dressing up - but I can't bear the thought of Barbie - but what's the alternative?

Moulin Roty do some really lovely dolls, you can usually find on Ebay (I sell them in the toy shop where I work :))

Peerie

I love those dolls too although they have soft bodies,I toyed with one when dd was 5 but went for Gotz so she'd get more play value from it in the long run.You can get gorgeous MR beds and tables too for said MR dolls.

I don't mind Barbie so much. Letting kids play with Barbie is only a big deal if YOU make it a big deal.

I think the new Monster High ones are kinda cool, wish they had those when I was young. I had Barbies for a while but once I started cutting their hair and my ma started finding limbs around the house there were no more Barbies.

I think my Mum's objection to Barbie (and my own, nowadays) is not a question of playing with dolls but of her completely ridiculous body shape. Body image is a huge issue as we all know and I think Barbie is really toxic in this regard - I actually remember playing with my friend's doll and thinking 'this is the body I want when I grow up' . Obviously there are lots of other images of women that your DD will see but to have Barbie as her main doll from such a young age is not a good start, YANBU.

The Disney princess type seem better body image wise-and of course not dressed as tarts, which is always handy! My DD spends lots of time with hers, and not so expensive.

I've just bought DD the Toy Story 3 Barbie as she is absolutely fabulous.

Personally I think you can read too much into these things, I always played with barbie as a child and have never dieted, had a boob job, bleached my hair, worn mini skirts or even that much make-up. My Dd1 has barbies, can't remember who commented earlier but she also has a brown haired black skinned one, so they're not all blonde with white skin. Admit they do all have ridiculously thin legs and small heads though! I'm about to make her a cafe to play with them in, does this mean she will grow up spending too much time in cafes as well?

How about something like this then sew your own clothes for her? Or get an elderly neighbour who can knit/crochet to make them?

FWIW, my mum started teaching me to sew when I was about 2 (darning needle and scrap fabric) so it can be done. Raid the offcuts bin at your local fabric shop, buy braid in quarter metre lengths, rummage through the charity shops...

Oh, and toys for 2 year olds to make themsleves:
Cut fabric into about a 6" square.
Thread darning needle with a long bit of wool and knot end.
Child puts 4-5 stitches in fabric and pulls tight.
Remove needle and pull stitches tight like gathering.
One Incy Wincy Spider toy

I just think they're hideous,tacky landfill objects and girls just toss them to one side in favour of a new one. They're not cheap either.

I'd rather my dd had fewer dolls she took good care of,that didn't look so hideous and had a proper little girls body.

I was trying to avoid my 3.9 dd getting her hands on a barbie. Then 7 year old foster dd moved in and brought with her dozens of them. DD plays with them sometimes. It doesn't seem to be doing any harm and I think she would be more obsessed if I tried to ban them.

I had mostly Sindy when I was little. My best doll ever though was Action girl she could really kick action mans ass.

YANBU. I hate them too. Having said that, I adored them as a little girl and had a whole drawer full of them (all with badly cut hair).

I don't mind them. I remember loving playing with Sindies so much as a kid. I still quite enjoy doing Barbie's and My Little Pony's hair :)

y a b u

barbie is fab and has lots of lovely clothes and is thin and is blonde