Gender Toys

[monkee12]

Do you buy your child toys that are more designed for 1 gender? I wouldn't necessarily buy my son a barbie or pram or my girls a truck set but I wouldn't stop them playing with them as such. My friend will only allow her 4 year old lb play with toys designed for a boy.. What do you think?

 

[kirstybumx3]

I'll buy Rio whatever I think he will like. He often plays with a pram and doll at my mums house and I'm fine with that x

 

[Natasha2605]

I buy whatever I think they'll like. Typically this is "girls" toys as they are total princesses. Summer wants a wooden fire station alongside a pink dolls house which so I just buy what they like!

 

[FAB mama]

I buy whatever he will like. He is very much a boy though… I offered him a couple of my old dolls that I found and he pushed them away and said "no". But he sounds excited when he points out that something is pink! If he asks for something girly I would get it. DH may grumble about it, but I'd get it.

 

[Lilicat]

I don't look at gender when choosing toys, I got for what they will play with. Neither of my boys do imaginative play (one definitely autistic and one possibly) so that rules a lot of traditionally feminine toys out but if they wanted those toys I would be happy to buy them for them.

My eldest likes animals, letters and numbers and my little one likes every kind of vehicle. Both seem to like pink though as they always choose it when they are colouring. Neither has enough speech to express it as a preference but they always choose it.

 

[Bevziibubble]

I don't pay any attention to the gender, I just buy what she likes to play with. My LO loves cars, trains, balls, Spiderman and snails!

 

[liz1985]

I will buy anything really. Ds is crazy about trains and cars so more typically boys toys. However he has also got a pushchair, kitchen, hoover and cleaning station which he enjoys. Dd is only 11 months so does favourite anything yet but guessing she might be a bit of a tom boy as she has a brother and all her cousins are boys as well.

 

[AP]

We went through a year of Cars with Tori, even the boys clothes.

 

[Vicyi]

Im the same as everyone else. DD1 was Thomas obsessed from the age of 18months - 3years so thats what she got, she then turned into the girliest girl ever. Then DS used to dress as tinkerbell and carried round a my little pony (he adored twilight sparkle) which people actually took a lot more offense to than when my daughter liked trains but anyway... he's now 4 and obsessed with superheros so i dont think that kids playing with 'opposite gender' toys makes any difference at all. x

 

[aimee-lou]

As above i just buy what they like. Edward got a bright pink washing machine last year as he was obsessed. The pink one WS cheaper than the neutral one do i bought ygr pink one. Earl used to love waybuloo and he had pyjamas and tops with the female characters on which my husband thought odd. I don't see the lines as definite.

 

[emyandpotato]

Why wouldn't you buy them? Would you if they showed an interest in them? Yes I buy my son prams, dolls, nail polish etc. etc. and I will buy my daughter cars etc. if she shows an interest in them.

 

[Indigo77]

DS has a baby doll, a stroller & a pink bear....

 

[shambaby]

it seems to be more 'acceptable' for girls to like boys' things than vice versa - for example, my hubby is thrilled that Zoe likes cars etc, and happily bought her a Duplo car set, but was horrified when I almost bought Hayden a pushchair 2 Christmasses ago (he was obsessed for a while, but lost interest while I was deciding which to buy). Personally, I will buy whatever they are interested in, I don't think toys should have a gender, and it annoys me that so many toy shops arrange their stock that way. I also hate when a 'boy's toy' (eg a garage) is produced in pink to make it into a girls toy. Why can't a girl play with the original primary coloured one?

 

[monkee12]

Why wouldn't you buy them? Would you if they showed an interest in them? Yes I buy my son prams, dolls, nail polish etc. etc. and I will buy my daughter cars etc. if she shows an interest in them.

As I said I wouldn't stop my children playing with them, we have everything a boy and girl could want at home so I wouldn't need to specifically go out and buy stuff, I asked as my friend said that little boys shouldn't be playing with a pram, my son is too young to play with dolls etc but I wouldn't stop him playing with them when he is older if that's what he wanted to play with, my girls play with cars and balls etc and that's fine, i just wouldn't go out and specifically buy a pack of cars for say my 6 year old daughter (she wouldn't even ask as she would say more ponies) but would get them as a toy they could all share.

I know my 6 year old would play with a car if she was playing with other children but wouldn't if she was playing by herself unless it's a barbie car lol, I don't have any problem with it at all however.

 

[monkee12]

it seems to be more 'acceptable' for girls to like boys' things than vice versa - for example, my hubby is thrilled that Zoe likes cars etc, and happily bought her a Duplo car set, but was horrified when I almost bought Hayden a pushchair 2 Christmasses ago (he was obsessed for a while, but lost interest while I was deciding which to buy). Personally, I will buy whatever they are interested in, I don't think toys should have a gender, and it annoys me that so many toy shops arrange their stock that way. I also hate when a 'boy's toy' (eg a garage) is produced in pink to make it into a girls toy. Why can't a girl play with the original primary coloured one?

This is what gets me, once they bring out a pink and blue version then people seem to go for the 'gender' one. It's the same with clothes, many people don't like to see girls in blue and boys in pink, it's a shame really. I remember putting my oldest in a blue pair of jeans when she was younger and she was like 'this is a boy colour' she had wore blue before and never said a word but because someone in school said pink is for girls and blue is for boys..it stuck on her mind x

 

[Kate&Lucas]

I've always just bought toys I think he might like, separating toys by gender seems bizarre to me.

 

[Bid]

ELC are the worst with the pink and blue versions of everything - I've complained about it on their fb page before. Most of the time they don't even offer a neutral version. I don't have an issue buying him 'girl' toys but pale pink is just such a meh colour that I wouldn't buy it. He wears a lot of pink though, he rocks it

 

[monkee12]

I can't stand pink as a colour anyway lol

 

[Kay_Baby]

It's adults that teach gender stereotypes sadly. I happily let my boys play with pink pushchairs and dolls and always get as much as possible in a neutral colour. I had a really hard time finding a tea set that wasn't pink for DS1 and girls clothes that weren't pink for my niece.

 

[Pearls18]

Growing up I played with my brothers' toys a lot. I don't buy "girl" toys like barbies etc as my son would throw a fit, whenever an advert comes on for a traditionally girly toy he says "that's for girls, that's BORing" lol, I think it comes more from nursery as it's not anything we've ever discussed at home. My DH wouldn't be happy with buying girls toys, and tbh I just haven't thought about it either way. I find there's more acceptance for girls to be into cars, marvel etc I mean I don't find it at all odd for a girl to like a car?? But a lot of people would find it stranger to see a 4 year old boy with pink princesses and barbies. It's a bridge I will cross if the boys ask, it's my hubby I'd have to talk around! If we had daughters I don't think DH would be so funny about buying her cars and stuff, but I'm not sure.