Are You Going Doll Shopping During March Break?

If you are not traveling during March Break, perhaps this is the ideal week to make time to go doll shopping!

A couple of weeks ago I shared with you some of our favourite dolls for children less than two years of age, and I promised to be back with popular choices for children beyond the early years. Here are some of the dolls we most often recommend for age groups ranging from two years to tweens.

2 to 4 Years Plus

This is the age where we get a lot of requests for potty training dolls.  Watching your child playing with these dolls can give you important clues as to how your child is feeling about the potty training experience.  The Emma and Paul dolls by Corolle are anatomically correct, all vinyl and love to drink and wet and take a bath. Another option is the baby Annie doll by Melissa & Doug.
                
Who will like it?

Kids who are fascinated with normal bodily functions and parents who want help potty training.

Why we like it!

Playing with these dolls can help with potty training and give you clues as to how to approach your child on this helping you to understand how they’re feeling about the potty training experience.

5 Years Plus

More sophisticated clothes and hairstyles are best suited for this age.  There is something for everyone here but our favourites are the Adora dolls by Charisma.  There is so much quality and attention to detail that these dolls look almost real.  In fact there is so much variety we have been able to find a doll that looks like every one of our staff team as babies! These are also the dolls which we have chosen for our adoption program in our stores. Whether the doll is a newborn or toddler or from a foreign country, our goal is to make children feel the way I did when I was growing up with my dolls.

Who will like it?

Kids who love beautiful dolls that look like real people.

Why we like it!

These dolls are stunning and the weight feels just right when you hold them.  I have one that reminds me of my daughter when she was little.

Tweens

I have two girls.  At 12, one was going on 16 and would hide and even dismiss the fact that she played with dolls, while the other one at 14 still displays her favourites. The dolls most tweens seem to gravitate to are the Karito Kids by KidsGive.  These dolls from other countries are not only beautiful, but when kids take their special code and log on to KaritoKids.com, they can allocate a percentage of the retail price to one of four causes which help needy children around the world.  It is a fun and easy way to teach kids about the importance of giving back and to expose them to other cultures from around the world.

Who will like it?

Kids who like the American Girl style dolls, but also like the idea of helping needy children around the world.  Parents who are interested in teaching their children about other cultures.

Why we like it!

The entrepreneurial women who invented these dolls have their heart in the right place and really understand the importance of teaching kids about helping and giving back.

Those are our choices.  We'd love to hear from you about your favourite dolls for various ages. Oops, I meant your kids favourite dolls!

Misti and Gary Mussatto are members of Neighbourhood Toy Stores of Canada (NETS) and the owners and buyers for three community toy stores in the lower BC  mainland:  the Toy Jungle in Park Royal, the Toybox in Kitsilano, and the Toy Jungle in Coquitlam Centre.  The Mussattos are parents who buy from the standpoint of parents.  Misti is always looking at the features and benefits of toys while Gary is constantly playing and asking “Is it fun?”.