... to think that 3 is too young for a Barbie doll?

[Lulushmulu]

My 3 year old has been asking for a Barbie for weeks now, I think because her friend at preschool has one.
I don't particularly like Barbie for lots of reasons - the accessories you have to buy as well, the body image issues etc.
I'm not sure what the right age is - sometime between 5 and 8?
Is there a mroe suitable doll I could get my 3 year old? I don't like Bratz either and I think she is moving on from "baby" dolls.

I thought the same as you, but saw just how much my DD (3.10) loved them..

I relented and bought a ballerina one, and she really do enjoy playing with it...

I am just starting to realise that it really doesn't matter, it is just a doll, and there are more important things to worry about..

Once the floodgates open mind...

I'd say just go with it. The pink invasion will happen despite your best efforts to the contrary, sadly. Keep telling yourself (through gritted teeth!) that it's just a doll, and let her enjoy playing with it.

I agree with heifer. When DD1 was a baby I was very insistent that there would be no Barbies in our house. I think the total number of Barbies reached double figures in the end. Plus car and other accessories. Unfortunately, Bratz also made a (brief)appearance. They are only dolls and both of my DDs had grown out of Barbie by the age of 8 and Bratz by about 9 or 10.

Ditto what heifer said

My 3 yo loves playing with Barbies (she has had one bought for her and 3 others donated by big cousin).

I dislike them - but I have to admit I would prefer she plays with them now when the body image thing still goes over her head. I will be more concerned when she is 8 and maybe starts to think she should look like that...

Also she just has some tatty old outfits for them (hand me downs again) and is happy - again at this age you can get away with not buying all the latest accessories.

I wouldn't mind Barbie too much, if that's what she wants to play with (I always preferred Sindy when I was little). At least Barbie is just Barbie and not masquerading as anything else. I am more comcerned that Dora The Explorer, sensible and adventurous as she was, has morphed into a more Barbie-esque doll. Dora's 'Let's Get Ready Vanity' complete with long-haired Dora and cosmetics, or the 'Dora Cash register' with credit cards and plastic bling and a tag line that goes something like "see how much fun shopping can be".

Dangerous.

I agree with heifer as well, my DD is 7 in a few weeks and mad about bratz, I don't particularly like them and she doesnt have any of the ones in thong style clothing, but to her its just a pretty doll.
I don't thinkwe should stop childrne playing with them because of our view on them, when to them it is completely innocent.

My girls loved barbies at three. I have put my foot down on Bratz they are horrible!

If you are fundamentally agsinst Barbie - then don't buy her one, now or ever.

If you feel you probably will buy her one at some point despite your misgivings - then you may as well buy her one now. I dont see what makes it particularly inappropriate for a 3yo as opposed to a 6 yo.

It's either something you are fundamentally opposed to or not, surely?

If you are going to buy her a Barbie at some point, then I think 3 is about the right age for her first one, my dd's have barbie dolls, dd1 is 8 and no longer plays with them much, dd2 is 5 and loves them and has done for the last couple of years.

My kids have barbie & they play with this plus everything else. They don't need to have everything Barbie.

My 4yr old has barbies and has had access to them since a baby due to the older sister. She loves all that stuff, bratz too. Anything really that can be dressed and undressed.
Cant see the problem really.

Me neither haychee, my DD was given about 25 bratz dolls from an older girl her nan sometimes minds, was I supposed to throw them in the bin because they are Bratz??
Children really do not think any different of playing with a bratz/barbie/sindy etc doll than they do a lego man tbh.

Barbie dolls are just one of a milliion different influences of body image that our dds have to endure. And imo, these influences are mostly unavoidable.

The cost issue though is true. Accessories and just a doll alone are all expensive. Total rip off! We were given ours by an older niece so i wasnt too troubled by the extortionate costs.

we got my little cousin barbie dolls which she wanted at age of three we went round local charity shops and found some in absolute excellent condition i dont think its to young my ds has action men he is 2.6

body image isnt understood at the age of 3 they are just dolls

My DD is 3 and she has a barbie. She doesn't really play with it. She also has several of the disney princess barbie style dolls. She doesn't do much with them either. Maybe she will start doing. She plays with her baby dolls more than anything.

I agree with bubblagirl, they dont have an idea of body image, and they are just dolls they aren't real, children are more likely to look around them and see that real people are all different shapes and sizes.
If dolls were made in different body shapes, ie fat, then there would be people kicking off that children were encouraged to be fat, there is enough of a problme with childhood obesity as it is without them thinking it's ok cos barbie's little brother is a chubby one.

Lulu, I have been mulling over the Barbie issue too because my daughter will be three soon and went crazy over when her cousin got a barbie for her 4th birthday. Getting a Barbie is inevitable but we have decided to wait until next year at least because the cousin cannot put the clothes on by herself as they are too fiddly.

I saw Manhattan Toy's groovy girls in the French vertbaudet catalogue and they look more suitable for a 3 yr old.

www.groovy-girl.co.uk

groovy girls are brilliant - but are expensive.

I found it cheaper to order from USA online, as long as you order a few to cover the cost of the postage. I ordered a car, a tent etc and a couple of dolls and save around £30.00