Would you let your kids play with your dolls?

I've been in the hobby 7 years and my son is two years old. I'm definitely at the point where I'm going to downsize.. There is a lot less time for solo activities compared to pre-baby. I let him poke at some of the tinies sometimes under supervision. I expect to be a lot less active in the hobby for a while.

 

I would say it definitely depends on the child. I have seen some very careful kids and the complete opposite of careful as well. (Kids flock to me for some reason) It depends on how they are raised whether or not they are trustworthy to hold a BJD. Although, I don't own a BJD (yet) I probably would never let a child "play" with one, or at least in the way they most likely would want to.

 

I'm uncomfortable around children and don't ever intend to have my own, and with my choice of partners, can't accidentally make one. This may bias my answer a bit.

I don't let anyone, regardless of age, anywhere near my dolls unless they understand what they cost and what they mean to me, and are willing to replace anything they break. To me that is fair. This means my mother has met my dolls a couple times, and my girlfriend @NerdyNeko meets them all the time. Beyond that, I have maybe three friends that have even seen them.

While I'm sure everyone on this thread can beg to differ with me, and that mature children do exist, I work in retail, and they're pretty rare there. Besides which, even a mature child can have an accident, particularly since I only collect SD's and they're heavy, and can't offer any fix but an apology. Though apologies are nice, they aren't going to help me pay the potentially between $50-250 to replace broken things (and sometimes more if it's one of my soom fantasy parts or a harder to get head.)

I suppose, if one of my friends had a kid, and that kid was around 12, I might let them look, cause by then they'd be able to grasp the concept of looking and not touching, and that's generally the age at which I'm a little more comfortable around children.

 

I DO let my children interact with my dolls. My son is 4.5 years old & my daughter is about to be 6 months. My son enjoys stroking their hair a lot & carries them around if I allow him. My daughter is a bit more limited (obviously), but she really loves to look at them.

 

I'm child-free, personally, but I do have a much-younger cousin (and there are people I went to high school with who have similarly-sized kiddos to him). He's generally pretty respectful of other people's things-- if it's something he thinks is interesting, he'll ask and he might get a hand on it before asking, in a gentle 'can I pick this up?' way, something that happened when he was over to "help" unpack at our new house.

When it came to my sister's doll collection, he was very interested in having her open the cool-looking doll boxes, and very interested in her doll stands, of all things, but then pretty immediately ready to move onto things that were more fun, once the dolls themselves were out. So I think my dolls will probably be safe from tiny hands. At least until any even smaller future nieces or nephews, I guess.

(His mom collects miniatures, unrelated to dolls, so he is used to tiny things, some of which are delicate and not to be really played with)

 

We have a 4 year old daughter in the house, and she's actually been trusted to pick up and bring the dolls to us on occasion. She is surprisingly gentle, even with the smaller sizes. I even let her cuddle my Frankie one evening while I told bedtime stories to her, and Frankie came out of it perfectly fine. The only things I personally stress is for her to wash her hands before handling them and to refrain from touching their faces.

I think there is such a thing as being too careful with our kids. If our kids are so nervous around the dolls and afraid we'll snap at them if they so much as touch the dolls' clothing, then they might grow up developing an unhealthy attitude toward them. I've noticed the more I chastise her for touching Zenith, the more prone she is to grabbing him and cuddling him when my back is turned. If I let her do so under my supervision, she normally doesn't act out as much or grab him without permission. Quite obviously our daughter is still too young to own a BJD herself, and I wouldn't entrust anything over $40 to her because I know it will break eventually, but we hope that as she gets used to our ever-growing family of dolls that she will find herself used to them enough to want one of her own down the road.

 

My kids grew up with my BJD (and doll) collection and they are teenagers now. I've selectively let them handle all of my dolls over the years and they have been raised by a doll collector - look with your eyes, you always ask before you touch, and your hands are always clean. I've since bought them their own dolls. I recommended companies based on aesthetics they like. They chose the clothes, shoes, and wigs. Everyone is happy to have something they can claim is theirs in the doll room.

 

My son was 3 when I got my first BJD but I had porcelain and playline dolls before that. He was also fascinated and very gentle with them, so I gave him one of my OT dolls for his very own, a Hujoo. He adored it; dressed it, photographed it, brushed it's hair, and played with it in the miniature dollhouse I built. He's grown out of it since then, but I think it's a great middle ground for younger kids who want their own BJD but aren't really ready for one yet.

 

When I have children, they will probably get to play with my old (my new ones now will be very old then!) beloved original dolls, the first ones I got and couldn't let go of. If they wanted to of course. Or I'd start them off with cheap, smaller dolls. I think it's great that a child would want to save up for their own instead of just demanding one!

 

My boys are 3 and 5 and they are madly in love with dollie play time. The 3 yr old is quite the director of photos..."she needs the coffee cup, his hair is in his eyes," etc. The 5 yr old is director of aesthetics and has very definite ideas about styling. "She would never wear that dress...it's just not her...and don't braid her hair, she likes it soft." (My husband is not always amused)

It's great to play together and watch their imagination and creative growth. Being able to have their input and play time takes some of the mystique away from the dolls whereas if they were completely off limits they would be irresistible for them. They are always very careful and gentle...and I make sure that my dolls are back in their case long before the Light Saber battles begin....they are boys after all

 

My two year old is fascinated by my BJD and Blythes. They get kisses and they always must have wigs or shoes or he hunts them down to put them back on. I did downsize a lot after having him. I have two BJD left (a volks YoSD and a pukipuki). So far he's extremely careful with any of our toys. My husband collects transformers so the baby is always being reminded, look, don't touch, or touch gently.

 

I don't have kids or many dolls yet, but I like the thought of them being passed through the generations.

 

I started with BJDs when my son was 3. I watched him very carefully around them, had taken him to a couple of doll meet-ups, and by the time he was four I got him a very small, non-BJD "practice" doll. He was so careful with her that I took a chance and got him his own MSD for his fifth birthday. (I was that age when I got my first porcelain play doll from my grandma, and she's still in fine shape, so yes, there are careful small children!) Ken (a Volks MSD Ken, he liked the name too much to change it!) is still in marvelous shape after 9 years. My son now has four dolls, and is at the age of working and saving toward his next one.

It's been a delight to watch him over the years be inspired by his dolls--he's learned to sew, make props, write stories, take photos, and treat them as special sort of "forever friends" that don't move away or become rude because they think they've outgrown cartoons or Pokemon or Legos, which has happened a lot at this stage in his life. He has made some solid friendships through this hobby, and that is a pleasure to watch too.

 

i dont have nor do i plan to have kids, but i do have younger cousins, and the answer to this is a big fat no. i havent had good experiences with kids, and its my knowledge that they dont really care for precious items that much. its not always their fault cause they dont know the value, and there are some mature kids who listen when they need to be gentle. but all i can picture is a grubby child grabbing my doll and throwing it to the ground :'- ( so ill stay on the side of caution and avoid that scenario altogether.

 

I don't have kids, but if I did I would react the same way as I would with pets. You can play with them if you take care of them.
With pets you can't pull their tail or do other things they don't like. You can't drag them around and you have to mind their feelings. With dolls it's a bit different, but you have to be careful and gentle. If not you can't ply with them. Kids are smart, and if your patient, fair, and explain to them why the rules exist in terms they understand, they will listen.

 

Just wandering back in here to update on my experience with my kids. Twins, currently 7 years old and a two year old, all girls. They 'love' their own dolls to death - dragged around, twisted, banged on things, bits broken or cut off, you name it. But they don't touch my dolls. I don't keep them out of reach or locked away, but even the two year old knows 'no touch mummy's dolls'. There were a few times when the youngest took a (small) doll off the shelf and brought it to me (yep, trying to be 'helpful'!), but they were teaching moments. She hasn't done that since before she turned two.

They don't play with them (yet), but yeah... Just like adults, kids can learn if they care to. It isn't about the age nearly as much as it is about how much your feelings matter to them.

 

Yes, my 20 month old son sometimes strokes their hair and gives them kisses. But he is a carefull and sweet kid and he is always supervised either by me or his dad when he plays with them.
Exept for my DZ Shoyo, I never give her to him because she is too big and heavy and I hope to keep her almost 9 year old but still perfect company face up intact (dont know if thats the right word).

 

My 3 year old brother loves my dolls! He constantly asks how they are, where they are, can he hold them, etc. I don't mind since I've taught him how to hold them and he isn't naughty around them at all, since he knows how precious they are to me. So if I ever have kids, I say why not? I'd have to teach them how to handle the dolls and what to do, but I would like to share the passion I feel for the hobby with them.

 

@Ayas-Shadow I really liked your answer. You raised some very good points and have the right attitude and approach with your children. I really appreciated your answer.

 

I would never let children play with my dolls. I would take care of my nephew he would touch them. But he knows that they're not like action figures.