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

My daughter is 11 and she has 8 dolls. 2 were gifts, 1 was a prize from a drawing, the rest she bought with her own money. She loves her dolls and comes with me to meets etc.

 

"Wrong?" No. How people spend their money is their business as long as it isn't hurting anyone.

Would I buy a BJD for a young child? Absolutely not. All I can go on is my own experience as a child, and though I was not a destructive kid, I only had an abstract concept of cost so I wouldn't have truly grasped how expensive a BJD is. I wouldn't have taken good care of it and might have even lost it. I was forever losing things as a kid.

Until you earn your own money, I think it is hard to fully grasp the concept. It's very different when my parents bought me things, compared to my having to buy them myself. Now when I buy pricey things, I think, "this purchase is equal X number of hours worked," and that makes me more cautious of tossing away hard-earned cash. The things I buy with that money is more precious to me, because I had to work hard for it.

 

My daughter is turning 7 in a few months and will likely be getting a doll for christmas. She plays with mine all the time and is quite gentle with her dolls (aside from the occassional fall off the bed, which often occurs when the dog jumps on it, lol). I'm not sure what she'll get but I'd probably better have a full wardrobe lined up for it e.e;
Normally i dont think kids should have these particular dolls (maybe oibutsu's or Hujoos, the ABS stuff sure). My niece and nephew definately wouldnt do well with a bjd, it'd be broken within a week, but my daughter has always been really mature about her dolls. So I must say that the child should prove they are mature enough to take care of their other belongings before being allowed to handle a bjd for an extended period of time and eventually owning one.

 

Depends on the parent and the kid.

My sister and I were extremely careful with my mom's collectible dolls when we were children- but it was because we knew they were very precious, fragile and had to be played with very very gently. However, my sister did not impart the same respect for fragile things on her own kids. They now range from ages 7 - 12 and while I love them to death I would not trust even the 12 year old with anything more expensive or fragile than a Monster High doll. (And even then certainly not a collectible one like a SDCC doll)

I've met Hannaliten's 11 year old daughter- and she is extremely mature and careful- more so than many collectors. I think it's more likely that I would break one of my dolls than she would break or lose hers. I think that it is cool that she saves up and buys her own dolls and accessories.

So yeah, I guess it depends.

 

there is no YES or NO on this..no RIGHT or WRONG .
everyone can judge the situation by the child .

 

There's no problem with younger kid having a BJD. It's like a kid with an iphone/ipad. I mean I guess it can be seen as "spoiling" the child. But if the kid is yours and you know she/he is one of those kid who actually take care of their stuff, then it's no one else's business.

 

I bought a couple of ai BJDs at Tuesday morning. They were inexpensive and a little cutesy for me so I gave them to my daughters, 4 and 6. These are their "fancy" dolls I put away (far away) when they are done. They are deeply interested in BJDs, enjoy watching youtube videos with me so I want to encourage them. The younger one is very delicate and girly so she takes great care of her doll. My older one not so much. Depends on the kid, I suppose. I'd still keep them separate from the other toys.

 

I've found children's behavior is largely based on what is and has been expected of them. Being that if you treat your child as mature, almost all of them will rise to meet the new standard. Resin is not so fragile that a reasonably behaved child should not be allowed to own one. I would consider a Bjd to be an appropriate gift for a special holiday like Birthday and Christmas, but not a random treat.

Of course children who are so little they put things in their mouths do not apply. For obvious reasons.

 

I think it really depends on the child and their age so any very well behaved child for their age could get one and I would have no problem with it as long as their parents made sure they took care of the doll and put it away when they were done instead of say threw it under the bed like most children.

 

Maybe parents can look at the daily habits of the kids before deciding whether or not buying a bjd to their young kids... Do they clean up after they work with sth, do they take good care of their stuff (toys, clothes...etc)... I found kids who are more oranized and alert usually will keep things clean and handle things more carefully... Of course resins doll are on the more expensive side... may have to teach them how to handle for sure~~~ ^.^

 

I'm thinking to get a BJD doll for my daughter one day,maybe just tiny one,but only if I feel that she can take care of it and is interested in dolls I don't think that it's wrong ,it might even teach her a thing or two .

 

I think if the child is responsible and handles it correctly then sure of course get them one but let's not forget these dolls aren't cheap so for me if have to make sure they were going to treat it properly

 

It really does depend on the child. I've seen play dolls that kids had taken Sharpies to, ripped apart, etc. If they don't take good care of less-expensive toys, then they're definitely not ready for a BJD.

OTOH, some kids are very careful with pretty things from a very early age, and if the dolls are wearing "easy" clothes and are pre-painted etc. I can't see why not. (Some fasteners on clothes are just not suitable for little hands.)

 

I don't think is wrong, it just really depends on the child and wether they can handle such an expensive doll or not... I think it's ok for kids from 9-15 to own bjds, maybe below 9 they're too young and not careful enough but I cant say, maybe there are kids who can handle them and are younger than 9, it just depends on how they treat 'em

 

Kind-of reviving this, because it's interesting! I think it depends on the kid and the kind of bjd. It's like how even many adults wouldn't treat a bjd properly - after a certain point, personality is a bigger factor than age. And I'd definitely get my (hypothetical) kid a bjd, if they wanted one and they were past the age for its parts to be a choking hazard! BUT: I'd get them a cheaper ABS plastic bjd first (A material someone mentioned in passing already).

The only ABS bjd I have cost $35, which is in the price range of kids' toys already, and I feel like it's a cute doll a lot of kids would like! I'd love to see what wig/eyes/clothing choices a little kid would make for their doll, and how they'd play with them. Heck, they could even "customize" them on their own, with non-toxic stuff like stickers or glitter glue. And knowing what I was like as a kid, I would've loved bjds, even when I was pretty little; if I had my cheaper plastic bjd at age 5 I would definitely have adored him (I can guarantee I would've carried him everywhere). I wouldn't trust 5 year old me with their very own resin bjd, but I'd trust them with a cheaper plastic one. As they got older, this would also be a way to gauge how your kid would treat a more expensive bjd - do they forget about them within weeks? Do they play roughly with them? For kids that wouldn't treat a resin bjd properly yet, lower-cost ABS bjds could still be a really fun, appropriate toy for them, and they might not even want a resin one.

Then if they became interested enough to do doll research on their own, and they showed they understood what would go into taking care of one, I'd think about helping them buy a resin bjd. I wouldn't put an age limit on it, because I feel like some kids could reach this at a much younger age - as a lot of people have said already, kids can be a lot more careful and responsible than people think!

 

My daughter is 15. and she owns 7 resin bjds. She started collecting at 13 when I gave her a 5Stardoll tiny that I received as a free event gift. Her dolls are not only beautifully dressed and styled, but she's a wonderful photographer and a seriously budding talent with faceups. So no, obviously I don't think it's wrong.
I don't really consider a 15-year-old a young child. At 15 in the US a young person is in high school and only a year away from being legally able to hold a job and drive a car. Many 15 year olds here own and maintain computer equipment or electronics that cost at least as much as a doll. Many 15 year olds are responsible for a pet, which is an actual living creature that they could harm if they neglect their responsibility--- unlike a doll. Owning a doll is a far, far lesser responsibility than academics/work/driving, so no young person who is anywhere near that stage of life should be too young to own a doll.
And I also don't think that leaving a doll on a shelf all day and not doing anything in particular with it is "not taking care of it". Some people prefer to enjoy their dolls as decorative objects only, and are not interested in crafting or photography. And there's nothing wrong with that. It's a perfectly legitimate way to enjoy a doll. To me, "not taking care of" a doll would mean carelessly leaving it lying around where it could easily be damaged, or the like.

 

It all depends on the child and how they are around fragile things. If they're the type to break things easily, then it's probably best to wait until they are older and more mature. Age is obviously a huge important factor (since too young they could choke on small parts), but some people act more like their age than others.

Hujoo and some non-resin are probably good practice since they're cheaper. I remember on one of the dealer pages recently, a mother sent a picture of her daughter with her new Hujoo Freya she got for Christmas. They worked on the faceup together, the daughter did the faceup and the mom did the sealing and more dangerous parts to it. I thought that was kind of neat.

 

Dolls are your to do whatever you want with them, so that is up to you!

However... bear in mind that resin is unsafe to consume, so if you give a bjd to a kid who likes to chew and bite, I'd maybe call you on being an unsafe parent/adult! There are also small parts (eyes!!!) that shouldn't be allowed around small kids. People just need to be smart about what they expose their kids to--there are all kinds of things in the world that could be trouble. The least of that is whether something is right/wrong because you think bjds should only be for adults because kids won't handle them carefully. Plenty of adults end up accidentally breaking or damaging their dolls, or modding them drastically on-purpose. A little kid could do much less "damage" --IF you consider that damage.

 

I think kids should be allowed to play with BJDs I mean don't go crazy and give them something worth heaps. But there are really lovely cheaper dolls out there that they could play with. I mean kids understand a lot more than people give them credit for. I think if you discussed with them the importance of looking after something important then they would get it. Plus if you want them to have fun with something BJD like there are the new large monster high dolls which are awesome.
Sometimes I trust adults less with my dolls then kids =S

 

Really, I don't see why a kid can't have one. If the parents want to spend that kind of money, they'll just have to be okay with the dolls getting played with like regular dolls. I'm sure some kids will treat them like the art pieces they are, but I think it's great if they play with them too. Sometimes, when I'm in one of my silly thinking moods, I think of Toy Story and look at my BJDS like "should we be playing a game right now?? Do you feel useless up there on display?? Miserable? Afraid that I'll leave you in an attic some day?" xD