To buy 9yo dd a dolls pram?

[scousema34]

Dd is 9 and is diagnosed with autism and is also thought to have some learning difficulties but that's proving harder to get to the bottom off.

She mixes really well with her peers and is really popular but I always worry about the fact she's quite far behind them in school work and the older she gets the more this might be obvious in other areas.

She's loving the my generation dolls from Smyths at the moment and had built up a good collection now, tonight she's asked me if she can have a pram to push them around in. She's quite tall for age so we'd have to buy her a cheap stroller for a real child rather than a child's dolls pram (they are pretty cheap so that's not a problem)

I'm worrying though that if any of her school friends see her they may laugh at her, I can't see any of them still playing with dolls at this age.

Does anyone else have similar age dd's that can tell me what they think? I don't want to say to dd that she can have one but only use it in the house incase she thinks she can't play with her dolls but also don't want her being picked on for something I've bought her

I played with dolls , tiny tears, Barbie, etc until I was 13, after that I hid it from friends, mostly because my brother made fun of me.
As an adult and still in contact with some of my childhood friends, I know I was not alone in playing with dolls until adolescence.

YANBU.

Hi op, my dd is 9 too, year 4 and absolutely loves her dolls. She’s NT and extremely bright and doesn’t care what anyone else thinks about what she likes.

She has been collecting Our Generation dolls and sets for a few years now and even has the wardrobe ( it’s beautiful! ) for all of their clothes and shoes. She has a double stroller which she tends to use for her 2 American Girl dolls as she loves taking them out. She also loves Baby Alives.

There is a YouTube channel that dd watches called Kellie Maple who is a late teen who has a whole room set up for her dolls and it’s so sweet.

As much as my dd is growing up in many respects, it’s lovely to see her playing with dolls and being a 9yr old little girl.

I doubt anyone would laugh at your daughter for having a dolls pram but think that by the age of 9, dolls and dolls' prams are usually played with at home, indoors or garden, and children don't go out with them any more. Not because of fear of embarrassment but because they just don't, they've outgrown that stage and you never see older children out walking with them. They do however still play with them at home so why not, if she wants one?

This brings back memories for me. My mother bought me quite a big dolls' pram when I was about three, I still have a photo of me with it in the garden. I would not, however, go out with her and push it, I found it acutely embarrassing even when little. One day while out shopping with her I was standing daydreaming while she was having one of those conversations mums used to have when they bumped into someone they knew and I let go of the handle of the pram. The brake wasn't on and it swiftly travelled out into the road and upturned, causing traffic to stop - drivers thought it was a 'real' pram containing a baby.

I was severely told off for that and never allowed to live it down. I remember my mum scolding me and saying she'd wanted to put her shopping in my pram! I was only about four. Anyway that meant I didn't have to go out with it again which was a good result but I hadn't intended for it to go into the road; she should have made sure the brake was on.

You buy what your child wants, that can't be wrong.

Thank you everyone, pushchair ordered 😊

Hi again op i just saw your username. I’m a scouse ma too so glad you ordered it.

My dd has even taken hers to town lots of times when we’ve been shopping. Also handy for storing your bags!

I hope your daughter is thrilled with her buggy. Thinking of my dd’s class, it’s a pretty even split of who plays with dolls and who doesn’t according to my dd and she said lots of the boys love it too.

Aw this thread has randomly made me really happy

My dd got a dolls house for her ninth birthday. I remember because I was surprised when she asked for it and then secretly ashamed that I was surprised. Anyway, she got it and she loved it.

Why do you care what others think jf it makes her happy? 9 seems a very obvious age to play with dolls.

Another NT 9 year old here who still loves the OG dolls. She has had a few comments from friends but give it 10 minutes and they are all playing with the dolls and also her toy kitchen. Perfect age I think!

To add to pp's, I'd be very surprised if her peers laughed. When both my dc were y6 age doll prams weren't openly played with, but it always amused me to see how pleased they all were to find others with the same guilty pleasure. I also remember dsd and her friends in y8 playing with dd and her dolls just to be kind of course, and often long after dd herself had gone to do something else. Or the occasions dd wasn't even there and they generously volunteered to set up a tea party or similar for her return. Dd hid hers from new y7 peers but still played with older friends.

I find your op quite sad 😥. Children shouldn't be peer pressured to grow up too soon.

Dts are turning 9 and they have asked for roams for their birthday for their American Girl dolls. I don't think anything of it if that's what she wants go for it.

Just read your update, so glad you ordered it 😁

Mine is mine next week and for xmas she got a pram and a reborn doll.

She's tall, and I searched on Amazon for taller prams, it cost more than I would usually pay for something like that but it's probably better made than the one I put her in as a baby! She takes it out at every opportunity.

I went through a phase when I was 10 or 11 of playing baby dolls, mum said it was my hormones!

My "cooler-than-me" 9yo plays with her Our Generation doll over House Party with two of her friends who also have dolls. It is so sweet it makes me want to cry that they cannot play together.

My DD is 9 as plays with dolls and buggies aaaaalll the time. Some of her friends do too, some don't. I don't think it is unusual. Let her play.

3dds - dd1 never interested in dolls. Dtds age 8 (almost 9) love playing with babies and have a pram each. Didn’t even occur to me they shouldn’t be.

Glad you ordered it OP. My mum has said to me before that I had a doll's puschair when I was 'quite old', I think maybe around 8 years old. I loved it and really enjoyed playing with it. If it's going to bring your DD enjoyment, go for it. There are teenagers and adults who have the reborn dolls. I don't see why playing with dolls should have an age limit if it's going to make you happy.

I wouldn't mention taking it out of the house unless she does. She might not even be interested in taking the pushcair out anyway.

Hope your DD loves it OP.

So glad you ordered it for her. I am NT and on occasion still sneakily played with my dolls in my room at age 14! I’m now smiling at the thought of your DD’s little face lighting up when she gets the pram and the many hours of play she will get out of it

Do it. Much better to teach her that she can be herself without fearing people laughing at her.

Yes my 9yo dd and all her friends are into the designafriend and our generation dolls and pre lockdown would all take them to school for golden time on a Friday afternoon. I far prefer this to electronics.

My dd1 is 8 with ASD and adores dolls. She and little dd 6 take the dolls for walks in a silver cross pram. It's actually too small for dd1 and she'd love a bigger one if she knew they existed.

The house is full of doll cots and beds and they also make beds out of cardboard boxes on a regular basis. There are just obsessed with all their little dolls and toys. It sort of drives me crazy though it's very sweet!

As others have said, I'm happy they are enjoying toys. In the blink of an eye they'll be glued to a screen so this stage doesn't last forever- let them enjoy childhood I say.

Thank you everyone, just to add though I don't care about her playing with dolls or think it's strange or should be discouraged. I love seeing her playing with them, she's the sweetest little girl and gets so much joy from them and she can play with them till she's 18 for all I care as long as she's happy.

My issue is her taking them out the house in a pram and her friends seeing her and maybe laughing at her if it's thought that she's too old. I could just imagine her wee face crumbling and it breaks my heart.

She's just starting to reach the age where I think she sometimes notices that she's a bit different to others and I'm so worried I put a foot wrong and make things more difficult for her or "ruin her street cred" if you will.