How old is too old?

[Holly]

My kids all still bring toys with them, but I make them leave their things in the car. Not out of embarrassment but because I know they will lose them in the store. :lol: My DS was constantly bringing his Webkinz to church last year (at age 7). I didn't think anything of it and no one made negative comments...he got lots of small talk comments about it.

[sparrow]

My 6yr old asked for an American Boy Doll for his birthday (I don't know if they even exist, he calls any good boy doll an American Boy Doll). I thought that was so cute, but when my 9yr old asked if he could have one too, my heart just about melted!

 

And both boys would definitely bring them places, though the 9yr old would probably leave his in the car.

 

I played with Barbies for quite a long time...

 

 

You can do that! My Froggy Stuff has a tutorial using one of those 18-inch dolls from Michael's :001_smile:

 

Make an American Boy! for less

[lea_lpz]

I still would bring toys or a doll at 11 /12. I think a lot of kids this age would if there weren't so much societal pressure for them to grow up fast. In the past, girls played with dolls much later than now.

 

Boy or girl? Ugh....I don't really care. My ds loves to play house and play daddy with my dd's dolls and she requested a robotic dinosaur and hot rod for Christmas. They all end playing with each others toys anyway.

[Karen in CO]

My 8yo and her 10yo friend take their dolls all over the place. My 12yo and 8yo are often seen all over including stores, parks, and restaurants with their babies in carriers.

 

I assume they'll quit when they're ready. Right now, I'm happy they both still have terrific imaginations.

[lea_lpz]

I still would bring toys or a doll at 11 /12. I think a lot of kids this age would if there weren't so much societal pressure for them to grow up fast. In the past, girls played with dolls much later than now.

 

Boy or girl? Ugh....I don't really care. My ds loves to play house and play daddy with my dd's dolls and she requested a robotic dinosaur and hot rod for Christmas. They all end playing with each others toys anyway.

 

Food for thought...as we as a society have fathers more actively involved in parenting, maybe boys will be more likely to "father" dolls without the automatic association of playing with girl toys being any indicator of their sexuality, not that I care about that either, for that matter. Just that, my dh is a hands in dad, and wore all his kids in a baby carrier, did his fair share of diaper changes /bottles, so why wouldn't a young boy mimic this behavior?

 

[Amy in NH]

Please either set me straight or back me up. How old is too old to go out on an errand with a doll (and not be that weird kid)? Does it matter if the child is a girl or boy?

 

FWIW, said child had a doll carrier that said child planned to wear with the doll in it.

 

Thanks!

 

 

Too old = When the child feels uncomfortable

[Mommy22alyns]

My 6yr old asked for an American Boy Doll for his birthday (I don't know if they even exist, he calls any good boy doll an American Boy Doll). I thought that was so cute, but when my 9yr old asked if he could have one too, my heart just about melted!

 

And both boys would definitely bring them places, though the 9yr old would probably leave his in the car.

 

I played with Barbies for quite a long time...

 

 

 

You can get even a used AG doll and have it re-wigged to be a boy. I think there are people on Etsy that can do that.

 

 

My girls don't carry AG around because I'm paranoid something will happen to them - they're not cheap!

[Joyofsixreboot]

Not my rules but sib pressure here says anything older than K.

[LeslieAnneLevine]

 

Too old = When the child feels uncomfortable

 

I agree. It shouldn't be about whether a grown man feels embarrassed that his 6 year-old is carrying a doll around.

[happypamama]

This is entirely why the American Girl doll company exists and makes a killing. They sell their dolls to older girls. My almost 5yo carries a look-alike fake AG doll everywhere she goes. It's adorable as long as I don't have to hold the doll.

 

My almost 11yo dresses her AG dolls and brings them with us in the car sometimes. The dolls don't leave the car anymore, and she doesn't play dolls with her friends unless they are doing the dolls' hair.

 

 

Yep, same here. I've seen other girls of the 10-11ish range bringing AG dolls to co-op and such; it doesn't seem like a big deal to me at all. No different from my kids bringing their Transformers or Lego creations to play with in the car. I don't generally allow them to bring toys into stores or appointments, with the exception of the toddler, unless I know it's going to be a particularly long and dull time (in which case they bring books or ask for my iPad, LOL), but I don't think they've asked in ages anyway.

 

I figure kids have their whole lives to be big, so if they want to hang on to stuffed animals or dolls for a while, I'm fine with that.

 

Also, I could see my 8yo and almost 11yo playing with baby dolls still -- if they didn't have real babies around. They argued over who would get to wear DS3; I expect more of that with the new baby.

[misty.warden]

My mom goes out with her ball-jointed couture doll pretty much everywhere except to work, she's 45. I think it depends on how sensitive the doll-toter is to criticism.

[texasmama]

My 7 year old carried a two foot tall stuffed panda into a new church we were visiting today. I didn't think a thing of it and neither did dh. I wouldn't want to join a church in which people objected to a first grader with a stuff animal anyway. ;)

[klmama]

If the child in question is a boy, I think you should defer to your dh's opinion. He may have a better sense of what is and isn't going to bring on grief from other boys. Kids don't forget things they think are weird, and they may tease about them years after the fact.

[Mergath]

If I saw someone over the age of twelve toting a doll around, I might find it a bit strange. Even then though, it's not like I'm going to say anything. And I can't fathom that anyone would think it odd to see kids younger than that carrying a toy around. Of course, when I grew up, kids weren't expected to act like teenagers before they even started Kindergarten. :glare:

[Crimson Wife]

AG dolls I have seen toted around until puberty. Barbie type dolls or baby dolls I would say until 6 or 7.

[KungFuPanda]

No one at the age of your sig line is "too old".

 

 

I agree.

 

Socially, I think as long as the child in question is elementary school age, and hasn't developed a womanly body she won't be seen as 'that weird kid' for carrying a doll in public. Privately, a parent really should care more about their child's feelings than what others think of them. If you're traveling in circles that tend to rush kids to grow up too soon, I'd rethink those influences on your daughter. You can't have it both ways. You don't get to push a 7-year-old to act 11, then act all surprised that your 11-year-old acts like a teenager.

[IdahoHomeschooler]

My 7 year old daughter regularly brings her babies with her where ever we go. They are often carried in a doll carseat/carrier contraption. It would never occur to me that this was anything but "normal" behavior. I know that I "publicly" played with dolls until about 11 yo, and "privately" much longer. Heck, at 37, I will admit to owning a couple of Blythe dolls. I fully intend to never be "too old" to play! As far as being socially acceptable or whatever, who cares? There is plenty of mainstream behavior that I wouldn't want my child to engage in. If she is seen as weird by some kids, then those are the kids that she isn't likely to have much in common with. She will find some other weird kids to be friends with, you know, because this is how it works in real life. This is why there are such things as Star Trek conventions, Boy Scouts, and WTMforums; to allow similarly weird people to hang out together. I can't help but laugh at the irony of a question about social acceptance being asked on a homeschool forum!

[catz]

I've seen 12-13 year old girls at the American Girl cafe with their dolls. I played with dolls for a LONG time, although I did go underground with it after a while.

[Ellie]

I'm not sure there's an age.

 

But for practical purposes, I never let either of my dc take toys with them when we left the house. I didn't want to have to always be on guard to make sure the toys didn't get left behind somewhere, or the children's grief if their favorite toys were misplace forever. No toys out of the house (no special blankies, either). I'm just mean like that. :D

[In the Rain]

My 11yo carried her AG doll on the airplane. I didn't notice anyone looking oddly at her. She takes it to friends' houses, but does not carry the doll around to other places (store, library, church, etc.) My almost 9yo begs to take stuffed animals everywhere. Dh and I agree that she should not take one to church, as it would be a distraction for her and those around her. She can take them anywhere else. We do limit it to nice looking stuffed animals. The "well loved" ones stay at home, where they are safe.

 

I think you must be talking about a boy. I think a 1st grade boy with a stuffed animal wouldn't attract any attention at all. Maybe it shouldn't be this way, but I do think a 1st grade boy with a baby doll in an infant carrier might attract unwanted attention. Because you also have a baby, there would certainly be some understanding from adults. It is sweet when children copy their parents in caring for little ones. I don't know much about boys, but it seems like other boys might tease a boy that old with a doll.

[briansmama]

 

 

You can do that! My Froggy Stuff has a tutorial using one of those 18-inch dolls from Michael's :001_smile:

 

Make an American Boy! for less

 

Wish I would have known! We ended up ordering him a Waldorf doll off Etsy. He looooves it. He carries it in a papoose he made and wears it around.

[alisoncooks]

My 6.5 yo wants to bring a toy with us nearly every time we leave the house. Usually it's a stuffed animal or a Barbie-type doll. I'm fine with it, but I do restrict certain places (i.e. no toy at church, it may be distracting for other children, etc.) Usually, they may bring a toy but it must stay in the car.

[Incognito]

Thanks for the feedback. Nice to know the Hive has my back! :)

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

I see kids as old as 13 carrying dolls etc around. As long as the child is comfortable, and responsible for their item I don't think there is a "too old" age.

[MrsJewelsRae]

My dd will be 9 next month and she occasionally still brings her dolls out with her, one of them is similar to American Girl dolls, and the others are Only Hearts dolls, they're like soft Barbie dolls, but without the ridiculous curves. I encourage her to do this as long as she wants, kids are being forced to grow up way too fast these days and I'm not buying into it, I think the innocence is sweet and refreshing! My nearly 11 yo son carries Lego men in his pickets nearly all the time.

[Ellie]

After the disappearance of a beloved Jessie doll at Sam's Club when DD was little, we made the rule that toys could go as far as the car but never inside the store.

 

 

Exactly, although the doll we lost wasn't an expensive doll, but still...the thought of losing a Cabbage Patch doll back in the day was just unbearable. :-o

[Laurie4b]

I think your dh is worrying about nothing. He can relax about it. Sometimes adults have quirky ideas about age limits on things for who-knows-what reasons. And yes, I think that being a guy your dh might not have the right "filter" for this. She can almost double her age and no one would think twice.

[Sasharowan]

DS7 just took his new bear to a party that was mostly 17-19yo males. The worst comment he got was "Cute bear," and most of them were strangers to him. No one seemed to feel it was weird or strange.

[caroljenn]

I think the only thing I'd be concerned about a 6 year old, barring any health problems, having with them, is a pacifier or diapers!

 

Geez! 6 is still very young!

[Unicorn.]

When are they too old? When they no longer feel comfortable taking said toys in public with them. Who cares what "society" thinks, or what is the social norm...frankly, society is screwed up. There is nothing sadder to me, than seeing a toddler playing w/ a cell phone or tablet. (and I know that comment will make some of you angry) Let the kid take the doll!

[BigMamaBird]

Honestly, I'd rather see a kid toting around a doll or stuffie well into their tweens than some of the socially acceptable "normal" behavior that goes on in public these days. At least with a doll they're using their imagination, don't get me started on cell phones.

[Isabella]

My 16yo and I recently flew across the country to her university 'prac' week (she studies online, and attends the uni periodically) and took her well-loved teddy bear with her. She couldn't fit it in her check-in suitcase, or her cabin bag, so she held him. At some stage she asked if she could put him on top of my handbag between the straps, because she thought it might look a bit weird her carrying him, but she'd already done that for 30 mins or so. It was still in full view on my handbag, and neither of us got weird looks.

[Dustybug]

My 1st grade daughter regularly carries stuffed animals or dolls with her when we go places. She often will wear princess tiaras or fairy wings as well when we go shopping. Let her be a little kid! :)

[Running the race]

My dd is 11yo. If she wanted to take a doll somewhere, I'd be fine with it. She still loves her baby dolls and all her friends know it. Not that it matters, but she is a socially aware, popular kid.

[Guest]

Last year, my dd walked into Bob Evans with her teddy bear. She was mortified when she realized it, though. :laugh: She sleeps with stuffies and we were going to breakfast after a hotel stay. She didn't really notice she was holding her bear until she was walking to be seated, though. Then, she said, "Oh, geez! Can you hold this, mom? I feel like an idiot!" :laugh:

 

My kids all have stuffed animals they love. I never worried about them bringing them out in public, other than the potential to get lost. I did remind them many times that it would be wiser to leave a favorite animal in the car than risk losing it.

[jewellsmommy]

Dd is 10.5 and has a minimum of 1 stuffed hippo with her everywhere we go. Sometimes, she puts 3 or 4 in her bright pink "I love Hippos" bag. Ds is 9.5 and will take his stuffed yoshi, eel, wolf, or Perry the platypus with him often.

[PentecostalMom]

No one at the age of your sig line is "too old".

 

This. And I think (JMO) that a boy would generally be looked at as weird around five, but a girl could get away with it much longer, especially with dolls like American Girl.

[NoseInABook]

The only time I've ever looked at someone oddly for holding a doll was in my mom's group. She was a grown woman with an American Girl doll and I was baffled. At first I was thinking, "Well... maybe she has a good reason for it? Maybe she's struggling with infertility or a loss and this helps ease the pain?" Then I'm like, "NoseInABook, you're an idiot... Duh, it's her kid's doll and she is holding it so it doesn't get messed up by another child."

[Mommy22alyns]

The only time I've ever looked at someone oddly for holding a doll was in my mom's group. She was a grown woman with an American Girl doll and I was baffled. At first I was thinking, "Well... maybe she has a good reason for it? Maybe she's struggling with infertility or a loss and this helps ease the pain?" Then I'm like, "NoseInABook, you're an idiot... Duh, it's her kid's doll and she is holding it so it doesn't get messed up by another child."

 

 

Guess who got to hold McKenna in her lap for an entire state meet and awards ceremony? Yup, that would be me!

[Jean in Newcastle]

I was holding Samantha while dd was looking for a book at the library. An elderly man came up to me and asked if that was my baby. I said, "Um. . . no." Then he realized it was a doll. I overheard him asking the librarian if they had a class there on taking care of babies. Perhaps he thought this was my prop?!

[Pamela H in Texas]

I wouldn't think anything about someone else's kids. None of my business if nothing else.

If Monkey made a deal about leaving something in the van, I'd let her take it with her.

I wouldn't let any of the others. It is just how we do, though. I can't imagine worrying what anyone else thought.

[beaners]

This thread makes me smile. My kids all picked out dolls at Toys R Us last week with some leftover Christmas gift cards. The cashier chatted with my girls about the dolls they picked out and handed each girl the bag with her own doll. Then she went to ring up the third one and asked if it was a gift. My 2 year old son, who had been holding tightly to the box since he picked it out, smiled ear to ear and said "MINE!" The cashier recovered gracefully. My little boy has been coming up to me and saying "Me Daddy" while he plays with his very own doll.

[jewellsmommy]

 

 

Guess who got to hold McKenna in her lap for an entire state meet and awards ceremony? Yup, that would be me!

 

 

My dh can often be found standing outside restroom areas holding a purse, a hippo (or two), and a wolf. :lol:

[MFA323]

My kids aren't allowed to take toys beyond the car when we run errands. I remember taking my AG doll out until I was 11 or 12. I wish my mom had told me that I was setting myself up to be an outsider in middle school.

[Jenny in Florida]

The only time I've ever looked at someone oddly for holding a doll was in my mom's group. She was a grown woman with an American Girl doll and I was baffled. At first I was thinking, "Well... maybe she has a good reason for it? Maybe she's struggling with infertility or a loss and this helps ease the pain?" Then I'm like, "NoseInABook, you're an idiot... Duh, it's her kid's doll and she is holding it so it doesn't get messed up by another child."

 

When my daughter was nine, I took her to Chicago to go to the American Girl store and the Field Museum. I made matching outfits for my daughter and her doll to wear, one for each day of the trip, and Sarah went everywhere with us. One day, my daughter was using the "facilities" at the museum, and I was standing outside the stall waiting for her, kind of leaning against the wall, holding the doll.

 

A well-dressed woman came out of one of the stalls, looked at me and smiled before asking, in a ridiculous patronizing voice, "Is that your dolly?"

 

My inclination was to laugh, but I quickly realized she honestly thought she was being sensitive to poor, addled little me, a grown woman still toting her doll around. I gathered my wits enough to explain that I was waiting for me daughter, and that it was her doll.

 

It was an odd experience.

[Janie Grace]

I'm sorry, I don't understand what you mean. Are you saying that it is obvious that little kids should be able to have their doll with them?

 

 

 

FWIW, it was my DD, not my DS. I only didn't say gender because I thought that maybe because my DH is a man, he might be seeing it more as a guy and remembering being a little boy, so I was trying to keep it vague.

 

The reason my DH actively discouraged bringing the doll was because he thinks social stigma is a possibility. Admittedly, my DD is quite clueless about social norms, so he was trying to be helpful to her.

 

I took dolls places occassionally until I was at least mid-elementary school aged, but I will admit that I was never "cool", so it is possible I did that beyond when it was "normal" to do.

 

I actually would have thought that a 1st grade kid having a doll with a cute little carrier would be fun for friends to see and talk about with their friends, not something to be embarassed about.

 

As far as the hygiene stuff goes, we do generally keep the favorite bedtime lovey at home. This was another doll (loved and special, but not THE ONE).

 

 

Honestly, if you're wondering about the opinions of others, it *is* more "accepted" for a girl to carry around a doll than a boy to do so. We might not like it or want to conform to this mentality, but it's definitely still true of our society.

 

A first grade girl with a doll is so completely normal, I can't even believe it's up for discussion!

[Janie Grace]

When my daughter was nine, I took her to Chicago to go to the American Girl store and the Field Museum. I made matching outfits for my daughter and her doll to wear, one for each day of the trip, and Sarah went everywhere with us. One day, my daughter was using the "facilities" at the museum, and I was standing outside the stall waiting for her, kind of leaning against the wall, holding the doll.

 

A well-dressed woman came out of one of the stalls, looked at me and smiled before asking, in a ridiculous patronizing voice, "Is that your dolly?"

 

My inclination was to laugh, but I quickly realized she honestly thought she was being sensitive to poor, addled little me, a grown woman still toting her doll around. I gathered my wits enough to explain that I was waiting for me daughter, and that it was her doll.

 

It was an odd experience.

 

 

:rofl:

[Janie Grace]

My kids aren't allowed to take toys beyond the car when we run errands. I remember taking my AG doll out until I was 11 or 12. I wish my mom had told me that I was setting myself up to be an outsider in middle school.

 

 

See, this is important to remember, I think. My older boys sort of let my younger boys know when it's "time" to be done with stuffies in public. They are aware of being accepted by other boys (even though they are homeschooled) and that, while it's okay to sleep with a stuffed friend in private, you aren't going to be accepted on the kickball field if you're toting your lovey along. Call me crazy, but I do think that's an important lesson to learn as kids transition from "little kid" to "big kid."

[Joker]

My oldest recently told my youngest that other people might make fun of her for taking her favorite stuffed animal everywhere. I absolutely loved it when youngest said, "Let them. If they make fun of me, they're not someone I want to be friends with anyway." Youngest is 11 and I'm glad she feels confident enough to still act like a kid. She'll start middle school this fall with her sister and I'm sure so much will change...

[mom2scouts]

I had to come back and reply to this post. I was at a dance studio today for several hours and there was a 10 year old boy there waiting for his sister and playing with a stuffed animal the entire time. Not one person, child or adult, male or female, had any reaction at all. Nobody said anything about it and most people didn't even seem to notice. The only reason I even thought about it was because of this post.