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

Laoky has a good point. Some people feel that a $500 BJD is OK. Some people feel that a $20 Barbie is too much. It doesn't just depend on the child's maturity level. It also depends on things like the family's income. It boils down to you being able to spend $X on a toy for a child. X should be whatever you feel comfortable with.

I think "wrong" is...well, the wrong word to use. There is no right and wrong when it comes to these things. Everybody has their own definition of what they will (right) and won't (wrong) do with their dolls. I think "wasteful" might be a better term. If I decide to buy a $1000 LE and drop it off a building, it isn't wrong. But it certainly is wasteful. I wasted my money, the doll's materials, and the company's time.

 

You have to define the question. What do you mean by wrong? Morally, financially, etc? Or a combination of all?

By personally, you mean the question subjectively? People can have different opinions by what their experiences are and some can sometimes push their opinions upon a group of people.

For example, If I were to have young siblings around let say, 6 that tosses their dolls around, I would definitely feel upset. However, I can not generalize that all young children around 6 are immature and are not ready to own dolls.

 

Absolutely! i have made progess with my daughter now as well. I sit with her on the floor and i let her handle my doll's clothes and wigs. For a 19 month old she is ever so careful and delicate! i wash her hands before and after the handling, and we "put the dolls to sleep" at night, is her bed time routine as well, and she feels comfortable to share her big cupboard with my DragonDoll Ming, who watches over her at night. EACH CHILD IS DIFFERENT!

 

I have always been careful with my porcelain dolls that I have gone when I was younger. Yes, some of the clothes are missing and one girl had her leg broken by accident, but I try my best to look after them.

However, my younger sister whom is 5, is not safe with dolls, especially Barbie ones, so I have to keep these more expensive dolls up high from her. I would do the same when I eventually get a BJD, but maybe if she could prove that she would take care of my things, then I would let her play with it.

But only when she is old enough.

I guess it depends a bit on maturity or how you are taught.

 

My son owns a BJD, he is 5. He takes care of it and really enjoys the hobby. He plans his own characters/faceups etc (although I do faceups for him) and also likes to photograph them I see it that he can learn a lot from this hobby eventually

He also takes care of my LTF, and I have no problem with letting him as he is very responsible around my dolls, and has learnt to be careful because I have given him the chance to learn, rather than just refuse to let him near them.

There is nothing "wrong" with buying a doll for a child, and quite frankly is nobody elses business but the person purchasing said doll

 

I have a 4 year old sister who handles my dolls and she understands how gentle and caring she has to be with them. She carries them cradled in her arm to keep them safe.

Now i know 4 is VERY young but children can understand that bjds are very fragile and need gentle loving care. I agree that id does depend on the child


But if i younger child does want a doll i think i smart move would be to start with an obitsu or a Dream Dollfie. The are lighter and much less fragile

 

It's all relative. Some kids are really responsible and respectful with there things and some couldn't care less. Age doesn't really have much to do with it, unless you are handing it over to a toddler (they don't have the know how to understand the value yet), as long as they ae fully aware of what responsibility comes along with a doll of that value and quality. That said, $300 dollars for a doll to some people is a huge amount of money to spend and to some people $300 isn't very much. Like I said it is all relative

 

The only children I would not give a BJD to would be those at risk for swallowing the parts. Other than that, I believe in giving children high-quality toys as long as you teach them how to handle and take care of them.

I don't quite understand why some doll companies (those that sell collectables as well as a few BJD companies) give a disclaimer that their dolls should be only for age 12 and up, or for adult collectors only. As a young child I played with but was very careful with my dolls so I know there are many other kids who would love to have a pretty collectable doll and wouldn't mistreat it. Plus, it seems like a shame to have such a beautiful little doll locked up in a box so nobody can enjoy it but to look at it through glass.

 

Lol at "9-15". I'm fifteen. xD

But I think it definitely depends on the kid - I met a nine-year-old girl at a meet who was completely mature (probably even more so than me, haha!) and I totally supported her mom's decision to buy her dolls. But some other, less mature kids... never.

 

Lol I am too, I noticed the 9-15 thing and thought it was funny. I don't consider myself a child. *Back on Topic* I agree with you, it depends on the maturity level of the kid, not the age they are. I know some 9 year olds that would be able to take care of a BJD, and I know plenty of 17 year olds who seem like they'd never be mature enough xD

 

Indeed. Family finances, interest and responsibility and maturity of the child in question, as well as age are important factors. Or as already said in short, it depends on the child/person!

Hmm. Had the topic been phrased along the lines of "Young(er) kids having and owning BJDs - opinions?", it had been a more neutral stance on this question from the start. Especially since some members are young and others parents. It's been very interesting reading opinions and examples none the less

s0yuz makes a good point about BJD collecting and negative or positive impact on having a realistic concept of money. I for instance sure wouldn't let my daughter who is 8 start off with a doll that costs the equivalent of a month's rent (or more!). But, starting off with something that even she might be able to afford, should she have saved up for it (eg by saving weekly allowance etc), seems more reasonable.

 

I have no real opinion that hasn't been said already... but I will note this.

I was given barbie dolls as a child, and I HATED them. They were often destroyed quite quickly because I never wanted to see them, or any of the accessories/clothes/what have you that they came with. I'm not sure why, but I just couldn't stand them.

However, I absolutely adored an old porcelain doll my grandmother had. I thought she was the most beautiful thing I had seen. Whenever I was allowed to hold it I was very careful. One x-mas she gave it to one of my cousins as a gift. She told me she would have given it to me, but because of all the broken barbies she didn't feel she trusted me.

Just a weird little story, but since a lot of the discussion has been about the care the child takes with the dolls I decided to point it out.

 

I know my mom said if I wanted one of these dolls, I would have to take care of her and buy her myself. I was 12 at the time, and I still love Naomi (Bobobie Sprite) to death! I don't think I would trust my younger sister with her, but if they seem mature enough to handle one, I would say go for it!

 

Well, if the child is mature enough, and will take care of their BJD; I'd say it's alright.

My 10 year old sister wants a BJD but, judging from what happened to her porcelain doll (Whose legs were shattered to pieces). Those like her should wait a while.

 

It depends both on the kid and the parent. If I were twenty years older, have many dolls myself and a child of about 10 years old, and he or she would ask me if they could have a doll, I'd consider it if the child knows about them. My child(ren) would likely be raised around dolls, as I'm not planning on stopping collecting anytime soon, so if you're an owner yourself, then it's okay.
If I didn't collect and my 10 year old kid would want one, it'd be a completely different thing. Then I'd tell them to wait a few years.

edit for a bit OT..

I do NOT agree with this.
I own one doll right now, and I've tried face ups on her, but I'm really not that good. Right now I don't have the skill to sew her clothes. I also don't have a sewing machine so I can practise.
This hobby isn't only for people who can do face ups and clothes themselves.. It would be useless to do commissions then, wouldn't it? Or have doll companies sell clothes or have an option to put a face up on the doll.
I don't know how serious this comment was, but to me it makes little sense since people spend their own money on these dolls, so no one gets to tell them not to buy clothes and have someone else do their face ups.

 

I cant sew and i certainly wouldnt waste my time trying to do it, and i dotn view owning BJDs as an excuse to become a seamstress :P. I get my clothes from the market place and ebay. Does that make like a child? i don think so! i do my face-ups ahd body art, and i knowmany people who just enjoy the sense of "comapmy" they get from their BJDs, which is FINE! all of us are different. Jusdt like kids are different, and their behaviour will reflect what they have been taught at home too! i know their personality shows a LOT, but influences and learning to respect and handle with care are learnt from home. My daugther is in the stage of handling and caring. This xmas she got a tiny porcelain doll, she is 20 months now, and her maturity and care always amaze me.

 

Wow.. 20 months.. My brother is 20 months, I wouldn't even consider letting him near Lili..
But that's probably because his nature is BREAK THROW SMASH.

 

I too think it's important to teach children that some things are fragile, to be handled with respect. If you allow a young child to handle something fragile, you are showing the child you respect them and you're building trust (on both sides). Like in Montessori schools, preschoolers are given glass drinking glasses and even glass pitchers to pour from. These are small in scale, to fit small hands, but the child quickly learns skills that many grown-ups normally don't even allow the child to experience till years later. Even if you don't 'give' your child their own BJD, if you own one yourself, that child will want to investigate this object that you clearly care about, and be drawn to it like a magnet, possibly breaking it (heaven forbid) unless you take the time to 'teach' them how to handle it.

On that note, I accidently broke a Jun Planing's doll hand off(!) myself, while unpacking a shipping box. My 5 yr old daughter was there and we both felt like we learned an important lesson: even grown-ups need to be very careful.

 

What?! That is a very sad story. {{{hug}}} to you! Too bad your Grandma didn't understand. I wonder if that cousin might be interested to know now what a doll person you've become...you never know, maybe it's just clutter to her now and she'd love to get it out of storage and give it to you.

 

As so many have said before me I think it's really a maturity level thing. I got my first doll three years ago in High School. If a child is willing to learn about the doll, taking care of it, and the various things NOT to do to the doll then they should be allowed to have it.

It's someone's prerogative to order these expensive dolls for their kids. I can tell you before I even got my first doll I did two years of research on them first. I wanted to know everything I could about them so I was somewhat prepared when he came home.

I've met some kids who I don't think should even bother owning a doll or let alone have one. I can also say I've met kids who are maybe even better owners than myself! It really honestly when you get down to it is the level of maturity and treating your things with respect.

Oh, So what you're saying is when I was younger you wouldn't have allowed me to have a doll because I can't do face-ups or sew? Basically what you're saying is if you can't do these things get out of the hobby? I still can't sew nor can I do face-ups. I did however take the time to learn jewelery making for these dolls and learn to paint their nails. I know plenty of adults who buy clothes for their dolls and have others do the face-ups for them.

These dolls are NOT nor will the ever be a big barbie to me. I view these dolls as interactive art pieces and things of beauty. Just because I can't make their face-ups or sew their clothes does NOT mean I don't care about every single boy I own. I love my boys just as much (if not more) than some people do. My boys will always be special to me, I earned them for various things in High School. (High school was very very tough for me. These were the incentives to stay in school and graduate. They were also incentives for good grades and exams.) I have bought my own doll since getting a few of these guys.

Kids may not have the patience for sewing or doing face-ups. I know from experience with painting my first dolls nails, it is a long time that you have to wait in-between coatings and paintings. Some kids may just want to hold their doll and "play" with them. They wouldn't want to have to sit there forever waiting for their doll to dry. If you can teach them how to do proper care, what to be careful of, and what not to use on their dolls. If they understand all of this and are willing to go to a few doll meets with you and see these dolls in person first, and then after that STILL want one. Then by all means I would say get them one.

I don't agree with you AT ALL. Just because I can't do face-ups or sew clothes does not make me not WORTHY of owning these dolls. The fact that I put all my time and effort into learning about these dolls for TWO YEARS before I even considered asking says I can own these. Even if I hadn't and I just liked them I could still own them. I treat my boys with the utmost care and respect. I have two actual carrying cases and a ton of pillows for taking them out of the house. I also do other things for them as I have stated above. I do jewelery and nail painting for them. (Depending on the character depends on if their nails get painted.) So what you're saying is that I should just give my dolls over to someone else who can sew for them? Just because someone can sew for these dolls doesn't mean they are a better owner. (I'm not saying they aren't.) My boys are like my kids to me.

To some of us we see these dolls as children. So would you say to a parent, you can't have your child because you can't make their clothes and do their hair in just the right way? I certainly would hope not.