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I have had similar outdated views about my now 4yo DS - mainly from mine and DHs parents.

DS asked for a “doll that he could look after like a baby” when he was about 2. Also loves playing with the toy kitchen and pretend cooking. He loves his Melissa & Doug cleaning set. He asked for a Sylvanian Family house. He picked a jigsaw of a huge princess castle & water bottle with unicorns on.

All of these things were an issue with our families 🙄😂 apparently I shouldn’t be “encouraging these behaviours”. Personally I think he’s a pretty well rounded kid - also loves magnet tiles, climbing everything in sight, duplo, Lego, cars, dinosaurs, arts & crafts, messy play etc.

Heaven forbid he should grow up and be a man that actually takes care of this children, cooks, cleans or anything else that these horrendous “girls toys” that I give him might promote 😂

The friend must live a very sheltered life

My neighbour is a highly-qualified palæontologist. Her work takes her all around the world looking at fossils, core samples etc.

My dd is nearly 9 and has loved dinosaurs since she was 4 or 5. I don't think anyone's ever called her odd because of it. She's more into them than her older brothers ever were (middle one did like them for a while but not until he got to Jurassic Park age).

Dino Dana's a great show for when your dd is a little bit older.

Surely a good 50% of all dinosaurs must have been female. They would have died out a lot sooner otherwise!

^This

As if there are people that actually think like this.
Of course it’s not odd.
I loved dinosaurs as a kid.

My daughter loved dinosaurs. Had clothes, bedding, toys. At the time dinosaurs could regularly be found in the girls clothing section in lovely bright colours…before unicorns, bunnies and be kind took over. I assumed dinosaurs appealed to all kids?

I'm not sure that's entirely fair. I'm my daughter's biggest advocate and I'll always stand up for her. I rolled my eyes when I read my friend's comment, hence the post here, as it just threw me that someone would think that, let alone say it. It hasn't made me question my daughter's interests, at all. It's made me more determined to buy the dinosaurs! 🦕

I was little when jurassic park came out and I loved dinosaurs. We learned about them at school so they were a big thing for me. I think loads of little girls probably did too. I think it's just now that when you look at toys and clothes for little boys it's only cars and dinosaurs so that's where it comes from. We love dinosaurs in our houses and it's something I can enjoy with my kids

I love all things Jurassic Park and until recently had a toy triceratops on the corner of my stairs. I'm a 66year old woman.
We've just had someone on our recycling site asking for a dolls pram for her little boy as he keep taking his sister's.
Buy the dinosaurs.

She doesn't have daughters, just a son.

So why are you posting on mumsnet asking if your daughter is odd

How does your 'friend' feel about birds, are they for girls? Perhaps your DD could explain avian dinosaurs to her...

I had a train set, Dinky cars and toy dinosaurs when I was little (1960s), thankfully before toys seemed to get more 'boy' and 'girl'. My male cousin used to play with my dolls.

@Differentstarts
People post all sorts of questions on mumsnet, it's an online discussion forum. That's sort of the point of it. It doesn't mean I think the answer to that question is yes - I actually think the opposite. I wanted to gauge how common my friend's weird views are. From these responses, it seems not very (thankfully).

Direct your friend Let toys be toys and broaden her horizons!
When my son was little he loved butterflies and skipping, things I was told were "for girls"
I couldn't have cared less, his favourite day out was to butterfly world and I still have a lot of his butterfly things.

There's a book about Mary Anning in the Little People, Big Dreams series which your DD (or your friend!) might like

amzn.eu/d/bf1SM6o

Dinosaurs are for everyone. To gender toys especially for one so young is weird and controlling. Don't listen to your friend. My son had a pushchair at that age for his teddy. He and his brother loved the play kitchen and why the hell not. I'm sure your daughter will lie delighted her dinosaurs.

It’s totally fine for girls to like dinosaurs! I remember choosing one from the gift shop on a school trip when very young, and have had adult female friends who like dinosaurs as well. I find the idea that they should be considered “boys only” a bit strange!

what on earth is odd about giving a kid something they would like as a gift? Unless it’s an assault rifle or something.

It's odd if a 3 year old doesn't like dinosaurs!
I've loved dinosaurs all my life and I'm a 45 year old woman. I still have my 3 favourite porcelain dinosaur ornaments out on display and I was given them when I was about 15.

By the way your friend might be surprised to know that around half of all dinosaurs were actually female.

What a silly person she is. I have heard other people expressing views like that - some parents at my DC’s nursery 10 years or so ago. These people just aren’t very bright, mostly.

There's women paleontologists, they love dinosaurs!