Would you let your kids play with your dolls?

I just couldn't help adding a pic to this thread.

My DZ Yu Noble is my oldest doll, I've had him almost 5 years. He is my youngest son's favorite doll (of mine anyway) and every year in September I take pictures of them together as a sort of "how big has T grown". This was 3 years ago.

 

Oh that is so cute!! That is a fantastic idea too! I may end up using it with my little one! Thank you for sharing! I love that they are holding hands!!

 

Buff has one of her young daughter, who I believe will be 5 this year, with her (daughter's) doll. She wasn't 20 months then, maybe a year if that, but it's cute. Johanna, Buff's daughter, has her own BJDs, and treats them really well! Some of Buff's she's not allowed to play with but there are others she can, plus she has her own.

I looked, but couldn't find it.

 

wow the daughter is only 5 with her own BJD(s)? That is amazing! I guess so long as you teach them to be gentle and that they are not similar to toy dolls then you should be fine right? If you ever do find it or if she can post it I would love to see it! I guess seeing that people allow their kids around teh dolls sets me at ease! Thank you for responding! I really appreciate it!!

 

My youngest received his first doll (DZ Leo he named Roger) for his 5th birthday. He has 3 now and he is 7. His most recent is a DZ Mo because he wanted a large doll like my Yuu but didn't think he could handle the size. He is now asking for a 60-70cm doll with elf ears. He has always been the most interested in dolls of my two kids wanting to watch me do face ups or help with dressing them.


Here he is receiving Roger. Roger is a "catwings" according to Tharen. His wife is a Doll Leaves Mei Panda named Pandy.

I've enjoyed sharing this hobby with my boys and don't consider the dolls any more inappropriate as gifts than expensive electronics. It is true that my boys are more gentle than most and understand the difference between toys and collectible dolls. They also understand the difference between their dolls and my dolls. they can carry their dolls around and do pretty much whatever they like with their own dolls with the understanding that if they break their own dolls it is their loss (they are gentle and so far nothing has ever happened to one of their dolls other than dropping a wig). My dolls are only to be touched with permission and they never touch some one else's dolls. Tharen has understood this since he was 2 years old. I might have been more cautious if my children had not taken to the dolls so well.

 

Wow~!! That is really amazing! I wouldn't have thought that someone so young could handle these so gingerly!!
I grew up with a little sister that ruined practically everything she touched so I was worried about my daughter but if I can find a way then maybe she'll be like your children too? I hope so at least! That is just so amazing! Your kids must be very well behaved! Kudos! Any tips for a newbie to the BJD world as well as the mommy world?

 

When I was little my mother had porcelain dolls she had had since she was a small child. She kept them up on a high shelf and I was only allowed to hold them if she was with me. I remember her telling me that they were very special, easily broken and that I had to be very careful with them. I always understood that my mother cared about those dolls very much and that they were not the same as my action figures, baby dolls or stuffed animals. Even though I was a gentle child she never just allowed me to play with her dolls which made them extra special when I was allowed to hold them. When I was older (about 5) she bought me my own porcelain doll which I could hold and play with more but I kept it put up on a shelf when I wasn't playing with it and always cared for it more carefully than my other toys. I had learned my lesson through her modeling.

I have tried to take the same tact with my boys. When they were very little and I first brought the dolls home they could only hold them if they asked and I was present. My oldest was a bit older and always more gentle so if he asked to have one of the small dolls sit with him while he did school work I didn't think much of it but my youngest I monitored every moment while he interacted with the dollies. In this way I taught them that the dolls were very special to me, that they were not like normal toys and that they needed to be handled with care. I also let them help me whenever I did anything with the dolls so they could learn how to properly care for a doll. Little children love to model adult behavior. The most important thing I have done was teach my boys responsibility for their own actions and possessions. Like any child they can play rough and from time to time a toy gets broken (or left out where one of the dogs can chew on it). When this happens they know that I will not be buying them a new toy, they will either have to accept living without that toy or they will have to dig into their savings and replace the toy. If one of boys breaks a friend's toy or their brother's toy they have to pay to replace it and if they break something around the house (this does not happen often) they have to pay to fix it. They know this and they are more careful with their possessions because of it. I am happy to buy them more expensive gifts because I know they will cherish it.

 

With babies and toddlers, I would say keep them out of their reach, like you would with anything breakable. I would also be concerned about small parts like eyes and magnetic hands being a potential choking hazard. With children, I guess it depends on the child, and their personality/ maturity level. Some children understand how to handle breakable things, and being careful, and some children seem to have no regard and just like to break things for the hell of it. I think it's great to see members with kids having dolls too. It's nice to be able to share the hobby with your family, and a good way to teach your child about responsibility.

 

I've seen a couple 4-5 year olds with their own BJD's, and a friend of mine has a VERY high-energy 5-year-old who has seen (and handled) mine. With my friend's kid, I am careful to remind her "no touching without permission, no touching the face." and to supervise. So far she's been fine, and realizes they're not toys to play with. I have other dolls she CAN play with, so she gets to see the resin BJD's then can play with a Barbie, Monster High and my little Obitsu. I think her mother or one of my sisters must have mentioned my dolls to her before she came to my house the first time, because she saw my Obitsu and a Monster High sitting out and asked "are those to play with?" like she knew there were some there that were NOT for playing with. She likes to look at photos of them on my phone and ask me about them if we're going someplace in the car or waiting on food at a restaurant, and to see and hold the actual dolls, but after a few minutes she's ready to move on to dolls she can actually play with and not have to be especially gentle with.

 

I've had less trouble with my son than my mother-in-law. My son never touched my dolls when he was very small. If he touches them at all now, it's to fix their hair or shoes. My MiL would pick them up and twist them around. She broke the posing peg in my unoa's torso.
I did have a random little girl decide to poke all of my 1/6th dolls in the eyes. She didn't do any damage, though.

 

probably not the best example... but I was in a car accident a few years ago where one of my friends was transferred to the emergency room and I was left in the waiting room. We were on our way to a doll meet and I had our dolls with us (the doll's were fine :B - and we honestly were too, just very sore) but in the waiting room there was a little girl who kept wandering up to me and hovering around my bag that had my doll (AOD Wang Zi) sitting on top of it. I ended up handing him over to her and she just walked him back over to show her dad and then climbed back up in a chair and just kinda like.... pet him? XD just kinda cuddled him and brushed his hair with her hand, much like any little girl would do to a baby doll, for a few minutes before her dad told her to give him back to me.

So she was really gentle with him. She was a toddler who looked like she had just gotten walking right, still kinda doing the awkward toddler waddle though.


So she was harmless and really nice with my doll, but that's really been my only experience with kids.

I've since become a little more protective of my dolls and am a little hesitant to hand over my dolls as it kids and strangers a like, but if it was just a little toddler that couldn't go far, I'd probably let them play with my doll for a bit. I don't really get fussy about touching faces or messing up wigs though, so that probably makes me a bit minority. I'm more concerned with waddling feet stepping on them.


I guess there's also the time that I went to a mall with a friend of mine who's young daughter owns a doll which she took all over with her and it even went on the slide with her. It made me smile She treated her like a baby doll, but the doll was fine, not even any face up damage, and this wasn't the first day she'd been allowed to play with the doll either.

Every doll, just like every child is different.
Some dolls are more fragile than others, just like some kids are more rough than others.

 

There is no way I would let my kids or I should say my daughter play with my dolls. She has plenty of her own dolls to play with and when she is older if BJD's is something that she is interested in, then she can maybe play with/handle the dolls. For now though, I would be devastated if she were to accidentally break or damage one of my dolls so I try to avoid that

 

I have a brother who is 5 and he's well behaved and gentle. I love him a lot and I believe if he asks to touch or play with my doll I will be okay with it. Of course under supervision and his hands washed. But once I get bored supervising him I will take the doll away lol

 

My daughter isn't quite 4 yet and I allow her to handle my dolls. She is very gentle with them because I've explained to her that they break easily and that they are important to me. She knows not to touch them without my permission too. She enjoys helping me dress them and set them up for photo shoots.

Years ago, little girls had porcelain dolls to play with. They were just taught to be gentle.

 

My kids are all older teens and older and have no interest in the dolls though I tried to get my daughter into it so we have something to do together. She would rather coupon lol. My grand daughter is one and though I used to cringe when she played with them she enjoys them so much and would always ask me to take them out of their box to play. I'm thinking of furnishing my dollhouse for her as she gets older so she can play with them there.

 

Never had kids and never wanted them and don't usually get any kids in my house. But absolutely would not let children touch, let alone play, with any of my dolls. I don't even like kids to touch my cats!

 

I keep some of my Minis and Tinies on a shelf in the living room, and sometimes my daughter (8) sneaks them down and plays elaborate stories with them, sometimes intermingled with Monster Highs and Barbies. I think it's so cute. But, they are my own children, and they know how to treat stuff.

 

Absolutely, my daughter who is now 12 holds my dolls all the time. I've had bids since 2009 if I remember correctly and even back then she would hug them, move them around and brush their hair and things. And she'd stand them up and poke them.

Every child is different though of course and I admit there are some kids I wouldn't allow to touch them. I know a few who have never cared nor learned the value of things and don't even take care of their own parents things or their own, but in general I'd let most kids be around and touch my dolls. I don't have a problem with kids touching them at all.

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yes agreed, some people do not train their children well do they?
In my mind there is nothing more wonderful than seeing a child relate to a doll. And I agree with iris above, it doesn't matter, boys or girls. A doll is a representation of a human, not a girl thing exclusively.
My kids even know the names of some of the more popular ones, makes fetching (ie, Little Girl, can you bring Phoenix over here?) easier.

 

My older nieces play with my dolls-- B even staged a photo shoot with two of my tinies. She had a lot of fun and just kinda threw whatever props she wanted:


Granted, she's 11, and surprisingly careful with them. But she's been taught from the word 'go' not to touch their faces, not to swing them around, etc. She also knows she can only play with mine with permission, and not to touch anyone's doll but mine. My other older niece is soon to be 17 and she 'plays' with them in terms of dressing them in outfits, etc. In my mind, she's definitely old enough to have her own.

So, I'd totally let my kids, should I ever have any, play with my dolls. They may not be interested in them, who knows. But I wouldn't mind in the least.