opinions on monsters high doll for 4 year old

[Bex84]

My daughter is 4 and adores dolls. She has a mix of Lottie dolls, barbies, Disney princesses and equestria girls. She does alot of imaginative play and in no way thinks its the way woman should have to look (we have talked about how everyone is beautiful in own way and what inside that counts) she really wants a monster high doll but not sure if they are to old for her. She doesn't overly take any notice of clothes so not worried she will want to dress like doll as she is more of a tights, girly skirt and lots of pink type of girl (shocking since never did gender steriotype and I'm a jeans, jumper and trainers girl myself lol) would you get one for 4 year old? I think some of the girls have them in her class.

 

[tommyg]

Hi Bex
Personally I wouldn't. Is Monster High a TV programme? Have you seen it?
I would have though Monster High is for older girls who have out grown Barbie etc. However my view is tainted by the fact I think they are quite ugly dolls IYKWIM.

 

[Natasha2605]

I would buy her it if she wants one.

Summer begged for them for christmas. She thinks they are cool, I think they are ugly. She's never seen the program, nor have I. She plays with them alongside her barbies, equestria girls etc and loves them.

A doll's a doll imo.

 

[Bex84]

We wouldent do the programme any way, she is more into paw patrol and Heidi so don't think she would be interested in show. She likes a few of the barbie movies and Disney so don't think it would even interest her. She literally just likes the dolls. Totally agree they are ugly but she loves them. I remember my mum thinking same about barbie dolls. I really wanted barbies but was never allowed them and remember being sad I couldn't have dolls and despite not being allowed I still had screwed up body image more to do with my mum never being happy with herself and my dad making what he believed were funny comments.

 

[Bex84]

Thanks for replies

 

[SarahBear]

I had to look some of those up, but I wouldn't let my daughter have barbies, equestria dolls, or monster high dolls. The lottie dolls look awesome though. When Violet is closer to 4, I might get her a lammily doll though.

 

[Bex84]

DD loves the Lottie dolls. Think she has 2 barbies which she was given and then equestria girls is more due to love of my little pony. I did see lamily doll which thought looked cool but dd wasn't overly interested. To be honest think she is influenced by wanting what other kids have. She is going back and forth and decided she might want some paw patrol stuff

 

[CaptainMummy]

I dont see why not? My daughter has a few, as well as countless barbies, a few equestria girls and some bratz dolls too. If that is what she wants then I would absolutely consider it.

 

[Bex84]

I didn't want to say no just remembering been desperate for a barbie as a child as I loved playing make believe. My parents didn't let me and I still had a messed up body image which was more to do with my mum never been happy with herself than wanting to look like a doll, as I thought I was fat and that meant ugly, my dad saying fat comments to me perceiving them as funny and looking back I was normal size and is what is inside that counts. She more sees it as a funny looking doll and she likes monsters. She's always been to play with whatever and never wanted to steritype. My little boy adores playing with little people princesses. Just want to be age appropriate

 

[Natasha2605]

I actually think the monster high dolls are really well made. So far their hair still looks lovely (i find disney dolls tangle easily) and their limbs all bend at the joints so I imagine they will be hard to break

I don't think they're 'influential' to Summer either. She's certainly not asked for high heeled boots, pink/blue hair and purple lipstick as of yet.

 

[Bex84]

You're so right about Disney dolls. I platted rapunzels hair strait away. Good to know well made

 

[LaughOutLoud]

I don't think it can influence them either- they're just seen as toys! I personally think they look horrible but we do have Disney and barbie dolls. I think we started getting these since DD turned 5 so she can't swallow any bits coming off the dolls!

 

[SarahBear]

People keep saying their kids aren't influenced, but I don't know how they wouldn't be. Kids absorb things like sponges. I mean, we actively try to fight gender stereotyping within our own home, but Violet is now starting to gravitate to pink and princesses. It's because that's the image of girlhood that is pushed so strongly these days. The only way to avoid it is to stick your kid in a bubble. She's still far more balanced than many kids I see which is probably because of limiting exposure and actively exposing her to alternative images and being careful about the media we expose her to. As far as dolls go, it doesn't come down to one doll and it isn't just consciously wanting to "dress like a doll." Kids are influenced by the constant bombardment of what it means to be a girl or a boy. By having a different doll or by challenging barbie, it also opens the door for discussion when the child is older rather than just assuming that things like barbies or bratz are "normal." At this point in time, Violet wanted a barbie because she played with them with our neighbor. She knows we don't like them and is happy with the idea of a Lammily doll. At this point in time, she isn't yet influenced by wanting what others have. She's only 3 though, so we'll tackle that when it comes.

 

[Bex84]

I agree about not steriotyping. In fact my DD has alot of toys that would be classed boy toys by some. I encourage her to pick stuff she likes, to be honest looking at her Christmas toys both my kids had stuff that could be for either gender. My daughter mixes with boys and girls and is as happy playing with cars and trains as she would her dolls. I want her to grow up and son as well knowing its not bad to like pink and princesses or blue and cars, that it is about an open mind. My daughter adores dinosaurs and said she wants to be a palaeontologist so don't think she has been to adversly affected. She adores paw patrol and even her lunch box is susposidly from the boys section. Of course she will be influenced. She has said only boys like that since starting school and then we sit her down and say girls and boys can like it and she decides if she likes something. I don't like things with violence so that bans some things. I try to be a good influence by not talking about body negative images and how its what's inside that counts, she rarely sees me see makeup and mostly in jeans and jumper and sees most women around here the same so she doesn't see the dolls as norm. Put it this way if my son decided he wanted to wear pink shoes etc when older neither I or dh would be upset. She has Lottie dolls, she has soft fairy doll puppets, the dolls and horses from Argos who have normal bodies, she has boy dolls so she doesn't just have steriotyped dolls.

 

[LaughOutLoud]

I think a lot is also to due with their own personality. Yes we can give them choices an expose them to both gender/non-stereotypical things but ultimately it's what they prefer. My DD always saw me without make up, she was always dressed in trousers/combats, an has to this day played with cars,trains, dinasours. However, her favourite colours always been pink and I don't see why she can't have barbie dolls if she can have cars an garages. She is also very mature for her age and had a phase of wanting to wear dresses all the time at 3, now at 6 it's jeans an trousers. It's all about balance and having open lines of communication.

 

[Bex84]

Laughoutloud that's exactly what I think. There is absolutely nothing wrong with my daughter loving pink and dolls, as long as she knows she has choice and its not linked to gender. They will have preferences as we do. I love her for who she is and I will bring her up to love herself. I think its more about the conversation. By parents did the strict no barbies etc... And I still had issues. Society will affect her but it will be about us giving her the tools to feel strong enough to be herself. I think a doll is a small part of what effects kids

 

[Natasha2605]

But to perfectly honest Barbie is different to Monster High which is different to Disney Princess which is different to Equestria Girls which is different to lalaloopsy dolls. And on it goes. What better way to teach children about diversity and individuality than through their play and imagination. No two dolls are the same. It's about encouraging free thinking and encouraging their ideas and thoughts.

They certainly don't influence my daughters, nor did they influence me. I never wanted blonde hair, big boobs and short skirts like Barbie. My daughter doesn't want football tops like her barbie wears, or want to take up tennis. Encouraging thinking and individuality is down to so much more than trying to influence them through doll play and sterotypes.

Sorry, off topic from OP. Just thinking aloud to thoughts above.

 

[minties]

I would is Sophie wanted one, but she hates dolls. I have some Barbies as I used to collect them and she won't even look at them.

Dolls have been around for a long time now, and I don't think they are inherently evil or a bad influence. Sophie likes pink and purple but it's because she genuinely has gravitated towards them and I'm not going to push her away from colours/toy styles because of how I may feel about them. I don't like pink but it doesn't make me better somehow, or her liking it "bad" or anti-feminism.

 

[Bex84]

Totally agree with the two post above. I encourage DD to understand difference is not bad. She wears glasses and has a squint and had people point out. Her eye straitened alot but she still worries as people pointed out. She likes the different looking dolls as she thinks they look cool not because the want to be them. I know she would adore a doll with glasses. I also dont care she likes pink and purple. When I taught I had children say only girls like pink etc... And I always said but my favorate is blue, girls and boys can like what they want. Pink is not bad, playing with dolls is not bad, playing princesses is not bad and not anti feminist. For me feminism has always been about choice. I am currently a sahm and it makes me no less feminist than a working mum. I wanted to stay at home. I want dd not to be limited not only by what is girls and what is boys toys but also not to be limited by what an adult may perceive as anti feminist. I think sometimes we can put adult ideas far to much on children. If my little boy wants dolls when he I older I would not be bothers either

 

[AP]

I would, I have a couple I like the alternative style they have and if thats what my kids wanted, they could have them.

Just not their style but i sure as hell wouldnt wanna wear what barbie wears anyway