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

I started my youngest cousin off with a 25cm Hujoo I painted myself. She saw me paint the faceup and install the eyes and she was super excited There was a eye-poke incident just because because she was curious, but that's easily remedied. She perceive it as "hurting the doll" and would never do anything rough and respects her very much now. My cousin's 11 and I think she's ready for the real thing.

But yes, it very much depends on the child.

 

My 10 year old daughter is my partner in crime with BJD collecting, and a mature responsible child.. I tossed the idea of getting her her own BJD over the last year, and just ordered her a real puki for her november birthday.. I think she is ready for the responsibility, but i agree that most 10 year olds should stay well clear of BJDs...Depends completely on the child~~~

 

depends on the child. some are more careful than others and treat things with respect. and i guess i should say person? i know adults that still can't grasp this.

 

I think it's kind of a cocktail of parental choice and the maturity of the child. If you think your kid can handle the responsibility of an expensive doll and the...Well...Somewhat more detailed anatomy, then I don't think it should be an issue. If the child is prone to breaking, defacing or loosing things, then that probably wouldn't be a good idea to give the kid such a big ticket item, but there are plenty of them that could be trusted. I guess there's some social sway too, people who aren't into the hobby might find it strange, maybe even perverted, but in the end it'd really be up to the buyer.

 

When I have a child, and if they wanted a BJD, and were by my judgement responsible I'd definitely get them one! I'd get a used doll most likely, and not one of the expensive brands, but a nice jointed doll of their choosing that they would love to play with and customize.

I'd wait till they were at least 7 though, as a base age (but maturity levels are different for all kids, might take till 8, 9, or 10). It's also a good test of responsibility, cause if they DON'T take good care of it lord knows they aren't getting more expensive toys from me!

The other thing I might consider when I get to that point is for the child to really earn it, like save up allowance so they know the value of saving for something over time. (I believe in allowance to help teach kids about money rather then buying them everything all the time. The allowance is given based on the child doing the basic household chores they are responsible for - just like a mini job.) That or also doing certain special chores for me or neighbors for extra money.

But long and short of it, long as the family can afford it I see no reason why not. I myself personally would find it unnecessary to get a really expensive one for a kid, but that is my opinion, in the end what people do with their money is their business.

 

Not at all! I got my first BJD when I was 8-years-old and I always took great care of her. However I was more mature than other kids my age, and my mother who got me into the hobby taught me how to take care of them. I think it depends on whether or not the child is mature enough to handle such an expensive doll and if they're trust worthy. Now I'm 13 and I guess that's still considered young to own BJD's but my mom often compliments me on how well I take care of them so I think it's fine for me owning them.

 

I think you should start them off with an inexpensive bjd first. As long as the bjd is taken care of.

 

I agree that it depends on the kid, my little cousin is soon to be 15 and I would trust her with a doll simply because I know how careful she is. I also want to get her a doll one day because of this reason and I've gotten her eye on a specific one that's not too expensive and is more than acceptable.

But I also wonder what it'll be like when I have children, which I do plan on having, and they see my dolls. I always wanted to buy specific dolls for my kids that I could save up until I decided they were responsible enough to keep them safe. I have the exact dolls picked out and everything already, oddly enough.

 

This barely applies to me right now since I'm almost 16, but I'm 15 and planning to get two dolls soon.
Of course just like adults, all kids are different. I'm kind of the person that would research anything extensively before I hop into it, whether it be a hobby or just something expensive that I plan to buy. In this case, it's both.
It took me about a year of researching and drooling at dolls before I felt I could take on the responsibility of getting a doll.
Then there are the other people that I see at school who doodle on their binders, throw their backpacks in the dirt, and whatnot. Also, younger children want to be like their parents, and are more inclined to want things that their parents own.
I guess it really depends on the person and the family, but I think that the child should probably request a doll, rather than the parent going "Hey, want one?" Because children want things. Children like very pretty things.

 

i dont think its wrong to give a kid a doll i have seen some kids on k-dramas who are around 7 playing with them and i do think its wrong as long as they are mature with it, but my sister is 8 and i dont now if shes really she loves dolls but i see her with her lalaloopsy she just drops them i have talk to her about it though i honestly dont think she responsible enough yet or has the patients to save at least half the money for one . So, in all it really depends on the child.

 

I agree with most of the comments regarding that it really depends on the child. Some children are more mature at earlier ages then others. Its a matter of IF they know how to respect and care for their belongings. Some ADULTS I know aren't even responsible when it comes to their expensive technology (laptops, cell phones, etc) and so I wouldn't even trust some adults with a BJD. SO with that said, it DEPENDS...

 

The way i see it, is, if the child isn't mature enough, then it's a no.. Like i'd never give my 7 yearold nephew a doll because he can't even care for his own hamster. He's way to rough, but i'm sure if my sister liked the whol doll-thing she'd give him one if he wanted one. On the other hand i see little as 6 year olds having ipads too. They're all scrached up and badly injured as i call it. but some actually care for them, carefully puts them back in their backpacks and such.. And even though i think they're way to spoiled to get everything they point at, i think they'd be fine to give a doll.
But as long as they're responsible i wouldn't mind. Like CharCharJoCo says, even some adults wouldn't be responsible to give a doll and i agree on that.

 

I'm sending my preteen niece an Only-Doll tiny for her birthday, along with a letter outlining basic BJD care. I think she's going to love it!

I have a tangential question, thought ... I would love for her to see photos of other dolls, but since she is a little kid, I have no idea where she could see just the cute photos and none of the gore or sexualized photos. (I have no problem with either, for myself, but I hardly think they're age-appropriate for her.) Is there such a thing as a BJD forum just for preteens?

 

It kinda depends on the child. I'm 13 years old and I currently have 2! I think personally that if the child is mature then 11-12 really is that bad. However, 9 or under is a little far stretched. Anyway if the child can take care of it then i think it's fine. You might wanna start them out with a less expensive one first though because these dolls are certainly not cheap and are not as easily replaced.

 

Well.. As long as you know the younger can handle such a doll. Or if the younger pays with her own money ( if the person can) I think it's okey.
If the person is mature and can take care of other (at a certain level) it's ok. That's what I think..
And the most imortant thing: Their money, their doll, their decision!

 

Well I most certainly don't think it's wrong in fact I got my first bjd at about 10.

 

You know if you can cook on a stove you can have a bjd

 

I dont' feel it's my position to judge what a parent buys for their child. If the child is saving up their own money and purchasing the item then it's also none of my business to determine what that child should or should not spend their money on. It's their money so they can choose what or what not to purchase with it. What another person does with their money does not affect whether or not I can enjoy my own hobby therefore I choose not to determine what it right or wrong for another individual.

 

I am a younger doll owner and I keep great care of my girl. She was not a present, I bought her. Some people my age I would not think would be a good idea to have one.

 

I don't care how people choose to spend their money on dolls or their children. I think the only concern they should have is safety for the child if the child should decide to experiment with restringing, chew bits off the resin, use broken sharp bits as toys and so on. I think that's the primary reason why the dolls have an age limited. So any adult that misreads their child's maturity can't blame the company for accidents.

I wouldn't have been a good example of a child mature enough for a bjd. I destroyed almost everything out of curiosity. I'm uncertain about my niece too. She knows the importance of being careful and really tries to be careful but somehow things still end up scuffed and up-side-down.