10 year old dd and a question

[ProudGrandma]

At what age did your daughters stop playing with dolls?? My 9 1/2 year old still has her Little Tikes kitchen, laundry etc and plays with them once in a while. But she also wants to have more grown up things in her room and we are just running out of space to have both age groups of stuff. So, I was just wondering is she probably close to being done with the baby doll stuff and if we jammed her room full of more mature things, like a desk, an art and craft center, she will be ready to abandon the other...I didn't really want to force her to grow up either...What do you think??

 

Kathy

[sheryl]

At what age did your daughters stop playing with dolls?? My 9 1/2 year old still has her Little Tikes kitchen, laundry etc and plays with them once in a while. But she also wants to have more grown up things in her room and we are just running out of space to have both age groups of stuff. So, I was just wondering is she probably close to being done with the baby doll stuff and if we jammed her room full of more mature things, like a desk, an art and craft center, she will be ready to abandon the other...I didn't really want to force her to grow up either...What do you think??

 

Kathy

 

Good Kathy, thanks for saying you're not forcing her to grow up! Well, that's a hard question. Do you mean the big, bulky plastic toys? IMO I'd not have put those things in a bedroom, just b/c they are soooo big in size. However, I don't know your house and you may have more than enough room to do so. I know we didn't.

 

I'd eyeball over the next few weeks what she is gravitating to in terms of interest and time spent on toys. See which one/s she favors. Perhaps you could opt to cut out half or keep 1 or 2 of her favorites. Maybe putting them in a garage or basement...we have neither.

 

She will outgrow them eventually, but I'd do the above suggestion. Take her shopping and again get a feel for what she's interested in. Target is a good place to start.

 

My dd turns 11 in a couple of weeks. My dd still plays with her dolls...American Girl. She's been asking for a year to make her room more grown up girl....it's a matter of money to "redo". But, slowly we are making the changes.

 

She does not play with the big plastic stuff anymore b/c she has friends and other things to "do"....ride bike, swing (tree), etc.

 

HTH. Sheryl <><

[myfunnybunch]

What would she say if you offered to help re-do her room? Let her know the space limitations and give her a choice: Little Tykes kitchen or a new desk? Baby doll corner or art center? That way it's up to her whether she's ready to move on yet, and she has the option of keeping some of her dolls and getting some more grown-up things too.

 

Do you know someone with younger children or have a center for needy children nearby that might appreciate the toys? She might be more open to getting rid of them if she can picture them going to young children. My dd gave many of her dolls to a younger friend once she was ready to give them up. I think it helped her knowing that they were going to a good home. She kept her two favorites, too. One is on a shelf in her room, and another is in her closet.

 

Cat

[Starr]

At our house dolls lasted a long time. The play kitchen went to the garage and was used for all kinds of things outside. I didn't worry about the mud pies or anything since it lived outside. :) I think you could get rid of a few things and move things around. I wouldn't rush the growing up; it happens.

[runamuk]

Another kudos for not making her grow up too fast. It will come along soon enough. :)

 

Could the bulkier items be moved to a different area of the house? How would she feel about passing them on to a younger relative or friend? Do you have a deck or outdoor space they could go to?

 

Our daughter is 10 and still playing with her AG dolls, baby dolls, Barbies and her Loving Family doll house.

 

She recently asked for a more mature room, so we painted, bought some new-to-us furniture (and got rid of the changing table/dresser combo she was still using) and brought in some more bookshelves.

 

We put her Barbies in a storage box that slides under her bed. I put a small set of plastic drawers in her closet for her dolls and doll clothes. Her doll house is tucked away in a corner of her room, but she can pull it out when she wants to play. The book shelves hold her books, journals, trophies and some of the smaller toys she likes on display (Sweet Street playsets). She still has all of the toys she's not ready to give up yet, but can tuck them away when she wants to feel "grown up".

[NanceXToo]

My daughter was NEVER big on dolls. But I myself played with mine til I was at least 11 :)

[Guest]

That in-between phase can last a while. My daughter would periodically return to dolls and Barbies and little plastic pet shops, but she began to play with them differently and not for as long. But she would still return to them and wasn't ready to let go for a really long time.

 

Some girls probably make the switch to older-kid things in a straightforward and one-time move. Others fade in and out, back and forth. Others clutch the cherished old things tightly and won't hear of changing (abandoning) them. By the end of summer you should know where on this spectrum your daughter lies and then you can make plans for how to deal with it.

[Meriwether]

A friend of mine does something with her little that might work for your daughter. She keeps toys in the basement. Each week the kids "shop" for toys. They can take a certain number upstairs. If you have storage space, maybe you could get a few older things and she could choose each week what she would have in her room. She could keep the younger things a little longer then.

[ProudGrandma]

A friend of mine does something with her little that might work for your daughter. She keeps toys in the basement. Each week the kids "shop" for toys. They can take a certain number upstairs. If you have storage space, maybe you could get a few older things and she could choose each week what she would have in her room. She could keep the younger things a little longer then.

 

I REALLY like this idea...I will have to see how that might work for us.

 

Kathy

[Teachin'Mine]

Kathy, I'd just talk with her and ask her what she likes best about her room, and what she'd change if she could. She'll tell you whether the kitchen is important to her or not. You can give her an idea of some possibilities, like a desk, and ask her opinion. 10 yo girls will usually have a very definite idea of what they'd like best. :)

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

My dd is 12 and still plays with dolls and I LOVE IT!!!!!! I love that she does not feel she needs to grow up as she would in a public school! She has an 8 year sister and they play with them together!!!!!!!

[Pam B]

LOL, my dd- soon to be 14yrs old still plays w/ her Barbies. Not every day or even every week- but she still does and also loves to dress up. DH thinks it childish- but I don't really care. I know that sounds terrible- but I'm not going to rush her growing up. They grow up too fast anyways. Don't get me wrong- I don't force her or even encourage the Barbie play. I just let her do it. No biggie.

 

It's better than her cousin- she's climbing out of windows to meet up w/ guys.

[ProudGrandma]

Well, I just asked her if she could change anything about her room...add something, take something away, would she? She thought for about 20 seconds and said that her kitchen and her washer had to go, they were too little...but she wanted to keep her babies, cribs, high chairs and dishes. I thought that was a great move for her...and when I asked her if she could add anything, without even thinking she said a desk. She is excited.

 

thanks ladies.

 

Kathy