To buy 3 year old DD dinosaurs for Christmas?

[dinosaurgirll]

My little girl (3) loves dinosaurs at the moment, every time I pick her up from nursery they say she's loved playing with the little toy dinosaur set and doing all the noises etc.

We are making a start on buying her Christmas presents this month and I mentioned to a friend I was thinking about getting her some toy dinosaurs as she doesn't have any at home. Friend commented that it was "funny" and "a bit odd" to buy them for a girl. And "bet it's like having a boy". I mean, she also has some Elsa dolls in her Christmas present pile, so it's a mixture of girly and less girly type presents!

Is my DD "odd" for liking dinosaurs at 3 years old?! 🤔

I’m guessing your friend follows the antiquated boy for a boy and pink for a girl clothing?

One of DS’ favourite things at that age was a toy pram that a mum friend bought him. My parents were mortified. He used to put a baby boy doll in it, wear a string of fake pearls and play at going shopping. Playing at shops was his favourite game. He also loved cars, trains and volcanos. He’s now an emotionally-aware, bearded straight man who works in a tech industry and hates shopping. She will be who she is regardless of what toys she has. Why shouldn’t she like dinosaurs? I wish people would stop gendering toys!

Both my girls liked dinosaurs. In fact my 28 year old still does! She would be a dinosaur vet, if they were ever recreated!

Judging by the Natural History Museum dinosaur display which is always packed, girls like dinosaurs as much if not more so than boys. I tend to think girls are generally more interested in animals than boys - even prehistoric ones.

I saw this on twitter this morning and thought it was great. I do love a pop up book

From your OP where you literally asked “Is my DD "odd" for liking dinosaurs at 3 years old?! 🤔” and then followed up with “Thanks everyone! I suspected as much but I just had a moment of self doubt” you can surely see why I thought you needed to be a better advocate, and that this update seems a bit of a change of heart. A good thing to change your mind after reading the responses of course, but I don’t think mine and others’ initial reactions to your OP are unjustified.

I think your friend is the odd one

Definitely not odd. My son went through a stage of loving my little pony and trolls at that age. He had a huge stash of toys and teddies. He had a huge build a bear twilight sparkle that he would carry around. The looks we would get were shocking but it was what he liked. Now he is a horror nut (10 now) and into all things dark and scary. Kids will like what they like and there is nothing wrong with that!

Tell your "friend" to Google Angela Milner...it will blow her mind.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-021-01577-y

Who knows where your DD's love of dinosaurs will take her.

She’s incredibly unreasonable. It’s a shame people like that can make others doubt themselves as we’ve seen from the OP.

I loved trains when I was three.

If I helps I have no criminal record now, in my 30s, and have a stable relationship and income. I pay my taxes.

So not liking dolls didn't cause me to go down a dark path of self-destruction.

@Bubblybits

I would never not advocate for my child. And I didn't say I planned to not indulge her interest. I absolutely would and do advocate for her, and I'm happy to buy her whatever she's interested in.

But I can still ask a question on a forum to gauge others' views, surely? Those things can be true whilst I still have a curiosity of others views? My self doubt would not have changed my action - which would always be to advocate for her. As parents we have lots of moments where we might question things and come to a forum to ask others' views - but the contents of my head (ie the self doubt in this case) doesn't always translate into action. It doesn't change what I would do for my DD.

But why would you doubt that or even give it a second of headspace unless something inside you thought she was right.

I had my daughter in 2002 and at the same time moved to a quite rural area. At our local toddler group I was astonished that toys were described as girls' toys and boys' toys. I honestly thought that those attitudes died out in the 1970s and 80s. It seems to be an idea that is really entrenched. I've always loved dinosaurs too.

I regularly buy dinosaur themed bits and bobs for my daughter. She even had a dinosaur birthday cake a few years ago.

She 20 (and NT before anyone asks…dinosaurs have just become a bit of thing for us 🤣)

@Differentstarts
I dunno - why does anyone ever have any sort of self doubt? Because we are humans? 🤷‍♀️

But why would dinosaurs be for boys-, going with that thinking

Because dinosaurs live outdoors and go fast, and girls are destined to live indoors and wait on others? The toy stereotypes belong on a continuum with some of the worst societies we see...

So cheetahs and horses are for boys?

My 2 girls have a box full of Jurassic Park dinosaurs and other bits (they like the car). We even have the big t-rex which can fit items in its mouth. It frequently eats the Peppa Pig characters! Toys are toys.

I was about to come on here and say something similar. I know its overkill for one comment but is this an attitude you want around your daughter?

Exactly! Unicorns (that don't exist) and kittens (with bows in their hair) are for girls.

thia a bit too.

Shock maybe, and not wanting to have to lose or challenge a potential family friend? I can understand this. "How can this be real" and going to a forum to feel steady again.

That's so sad, to think in this day and age there are people like your friend who would deny a child a toy they'd love, and discourage their interest in something just because the child is female. There is no justification whatsoever in withholding something from your child on the basis of their sex. Your friend is very wrong.

My dd never liked dinosaurs but she loved cars and monster trucks so she got a car garage and monster trucks for Christmas. She also loves Barbies and dolls, but living in a slightly backwards place I did get a few comments about it and one friend even said her husband would never allow her to buy her daughter boys toys.