Is it "wrong" to let younger kids have BJDs?

I agree with iris0110. A doll is expensive, yes, and fragile, yes, but so is an ipod or a laptop! If you think your child is old enough to be responsible with one of those, they are old enough to be responsible with a doll. And a doll provides more opportunity for creative play, costuming, faceup practice, etc, so it is in my opinion actually a more appropriate and enriching item for a child than a MP3 player. Of course, I would only give a doll to a child I thought was not only responsible enough to treat it with gentleness but also very interested in playing with the doll. I wouldn't like to see the doll forgotten and discarded.

 

my opinion is it depends on how old the child is. there is no way i would want my kid to have lets say a 70cm dragondoll or a spirit doll! (if you have seen/know about them you know why O___O') but something like a pukipuki or a smaller bobobie that is totally fine. heck! it may teach them some responsibility! but im talking about a 3-10 year old.

 

Depends on how mature the person is. I know very mature 10 year old's and I know very immature 40 year old's. I say if the person does the research and is willing to spend their own money (whether they worked for it or saved allowance/Holiday money) then sure, why not. I heard someone say on here "You only live once, so why not!?" and that's what convinced me that I have to get a BJD.

 

My 3-year-old niece is actually really good with her stuff, but she loses interest very fast. If I got her a doll, it would be buried with the rest of her toys in the next 2 months.

 

Why? If they're careful and care for the doll, should it matter?

 

In my opinion, it's not always about age, but about their understanding. I was around a friends little sister (7) who I was at first VERY nervous about letting her play with the dolls, but after saying to be careful, she was so gentle with them, and I never worried about her playing with them from there after.

On the other hand my 23 year old bf who loves them, has done more damage by letting them fall from things, trying to pose them too far, and even setting down one of those sticky lizards on her skin, to stain her (FYI those sticky things.. ya.. never EVER set them on your doll..)

 

Once you get upwards of 15 years old, kids are more likely to be saving up their own money to buy these dolls (as opposed to having them given as a gift). As a result, I would argue they are more likely to respect the value of the doll (since they know firsthand how much work and patience goes into saving for one) and know what it takes to care for one.

Now, I can tell you at nine a BJD would have just been a glorified Barbie doll to me. I'm pretty sure the majority of my Barbies had their hands chewed up by our cats.

 

I agree with those that say it depends on the kids. Though I'd always keep checking up on them to make sure they were taking good care of the doll.
When I was a kid I was always loosing small parts, leaving stuff laying around and accidentally standing on and breaking things. And let's not forget that young kids are friends with young kids, who are likely to not understand or care about the dolls, and also being around friends can also make people "show off" messing around and trying to act 'cool' etc.

But if you know the kid (and if you're buying them a BJD I should hope so, LOL!) and trust them, then I see no problem so long as they understand that they're not to be treated badly.
I was given porcelain dolls every other year for Christmas by one of my grandparents, and I wasn't allowed to play with them (I would still steal their pretty dresses for the dolls I was allowed to play with though) and I was always careful. But then again they frightened me so I didn't tend to go near them all that much.

The other week my Aunt and youngest cousin came over (She's 12) and my mum told me to show them my dolls, so I got them out and she loved them. Her mum kept reminding her to be careful, and she wanted to take loads of pictures of them - but I had to be the one to handle them. I'd have had no problem letting my cousin do it herself, and ended up asking her to help me carry them back to my room in the end, because I wanted her to actually be able to have the chance of holding them.
My Aunt then told her if she wanted one she'd have to get a job, haha
But she's welcome to play with my gang whenever she comes over, I have no problem with that, and think she'd take great care if she had her own.

 

Personally i do not think that parents should just GIVE a doll over to their child (though yes it does depend on the child) now my reasoning for this is it does not teach the owners responsability nore does it teach them the amazing feeling you get when after MONTHS or YEARS of saving for the perfect doll and having it be shipped to you to use all the money you had saved for it to open it at that moment.... no one can REALLY expirence that unless the did save and scrounge and penny pinch their way into buying the doll after MONTHS of research. personally i think that when the person can get a job to pay for it themselves then they should be able to perchase the doll and take care of it because if they have a job and keep it. personally that shows me responcability. <--sorry for ranting) but either way it seems a bit to young for me if they were say about 12-14.

i am not knocking on the parents/ people who are rich i am just saying that anyone who goes out to buy a bjd for someone else is in my view robbing the person of the amazing feeling of accomplishment they would get after working so hard to get these amazing dolls ^_^

-cheers-

 

It's only "wrong" if the person knows that the kid will not take care of it. These dolls are not like cheap plastic toys that can be thrown around and abused. They are works of art. Now if someone has a child that wants a BJD and the child can be mature and take care of it, by all means.

 

If the child is responsible and careful with dolls, go for it. If you can afford to have a expensive doll accidentally ruined, go for it. You know your own children. They make play dolls for kids and by the way, they are not cheap.

 

How young? I'm only fouteen, fifteen in a few weeks and got my first BJD a few month ago, which I had been planning for almost a year. I wouldn't let a really young or irresponsible kid have a BJD because it seems like a waste of money to me. If you must get them something customizable buy them a 27cm Volks or Obitsu.

 

Starting around 7-8 yr old kids can totally appreciate bjds like adults do, just need to explain how important and fragile they are, I don't think it's an issue.
Might even be a good way to teach them responsibility, of course MSDs/ YOSDs sizes would be the best bet. SDs are way too heavy in my opnion.

 

i agree with everyone else. It depends on if they can handle it. Even maturity aside. First you have to figure out if they would really like it and take care of it continuously or if they just want one in the spur of moment and will trash them a week after they get one.

but im a really bad person to ask. I would as sure as hell not let my kids have one. In fact, i dont even want kids... i dont even want to get married... or have a bf. And im a very selfish person and i like having something (family only) that only i like and have. Im very selfish family wise. I dont like sharing hobbies in my family. It makes me irritated...

back on topic, the age limit is there because thats the average age people mature and is thought to be able to take care of the doll... :/ of course specifics all depend on the person themselves but on the safe side its good to wait until theyre older so that you know theyll still be interested in the doll and wont just forget about them.

 

First off, I think the family should be ok with buying something that's so expensive for a child, and they shouldn't be in money trouble because of it.

I would kind of have a problem if a younger kid had a bjd, just because they're so expensive, and I would want to make sure they understand their value and can take care of it. I wouldn't question if someone else got a small bjd for their kid, but i would be, if nothing else, cautious about it. to me 14 would definitely be a good age for someone to have a bjd, especially if it's a bigger one, but if someone who's 12 has a mini dollfie that would be alright as long as the family is okay with it. ^^

 

I think it entirely depends on the maturity of the child.... if you feel as their guardian/parent/whatever that they could handle it (because I know a friend who, at that age, would have TOTALLY taken care of one, even better than some adults ^_^ ), then it's okay. For the most part, I wouldn't just be giving them to kids willy nilly, because a child must truely understand the magnitude of work involved when having one...

I think that in this scenario, it's up to the parent to decide if they're mature enough

 

Depends on the child. some are ready some arnt'. I think they have to show they really are serious about it give them somthing that need to take care of. my younger cousin had to take care of porclian doll before her mom let her get one not quiet the same but she had to keep her clean and less yellow.

 

Around age 8, I think, I'd offer my kids their first MSD. Seems like a fair age for them to be able to take care of it.
However, they would definitely have to have a doll shelf like mine so they didn't get damaged in a toychest or whatnot.

 

Personally I would wonder if a younger kid (age 5-10) wouldn't just as well have an American girl, Bratz doll etc. Those dolls are meant for younger kids and are stronger, less likely to break and easier to dress. I know at that age I would have been terrified of breaking a BJD and it would have taken a lot of the fun out of it. Personally I think that at any age over that many kids would be ready for a BJD. I know I would have been as I was collecting delicate things such as model horses and other dolls at that age and they are all still in mint or near mint condition.

However, if a young child (age 5-10) was actually interested in a BJD over some of the other types of dolls and was committed to being careful etc. I see no problem with getting them one.

The first thing this question makes me think of is mommy/daddy having too much money and too little sense and buying their kid a pricey doll just to buy them a pricey doll.

 

^This. Many people trust pre and younger teens to babysit their children, which I think is enough of an indication that kids in this age range can handle a doll. I think kids who are 11+ could definitely take care of their dolls. Even 10+ for a lot of kids. It's when you get into that 9 and younger group that you have to really be careful.

But it does depend on the kid. Some will take care of their dolls, some won't. But I think there are also a lot of adults as well that couldn't be trusted to handle a doll.