My 4.5 year old girls have American Girl Bitty Babies, but have recently been asking for the real American Girl dolls. I have a family member who is willing to buy them for Christmas, but I'm not sure at what age they're appropriate. For those of you with AG dolls, at what age did you buy them? And when did your kids really enjoy them?
(for what it's worth - I'm not worried about my kids drawing on the dolls or treating them badly. They don't do that with their current dolls)
My daughter is 6.5 and is getting her first one. We thought about it last year, but decided to wait one more year.
My oldest got one from Grandma for her 6th bday (she had bought them each a Bitty Baby for their 3rd bday). My youngest wanted to play with it all the time (she's 3.5) so we got her the Our Generation doll from Target that looks like one. They both play with their dolls a lot, and take good care of them. If your girls are asking, and they treat their dolls nicely, I say let them get them for Christmas.
Assuming she will take good care of it, do it now. Online, AG recommends something like age 8. However, I noticed that a lot of 8 year olds theses days (sadly) are already done with doll-play. I got my daughter her's for Christmas when she was 6 and she loves it. They are beautifully made dolls. My 3 year old of course wants one, and I am thinking of getting it for her' 4th birthday. I just really want them to have such a beautiful doll, and I want them to have as many years of enjoyment as possible, especially since they are pricey.
my daughter will get one for her 6th birthday in a month.
grandma will buy it.. I wouldnt buy it too expensive.
My girls were 3, 6 and 8 when Grandma got them each one. They have each enjoyed them immensely.
My daughter was given the AM dolls when she was a little younger than your girls and she took very good care of them. She got the "Itty Bitty" twins. I have an only child so "playing house" is still a common way for her to play at 8 1/2 yrs old. They are packaged in a box and the accessories are adorable. They have free shipping at certain times and the dolls have pets. When your girls get older they will most likely want the movies that you can purchase as well and they do the movies based on eras of the doll. It really is a nice way for your child to look back in time as to what it was like to be a child. They have boutiques in major markets that your children can go to and purchase stuff /cafes to eat at with their dolls and they have children's clothes to match their dolls. It has been an expensive but rewarding gift to have for a lifetime. It instills being young in such a fast pace world of them trying to grow up. I like the idea of preserving her youth as long as I can. You will be very happy with the outcome. Like I said earlier, my daughter still play with them and she has others that she plays with as well, not just the "itty Bitty" twins. Target has some accessories that are not as expensive that you can get away with and they look very similar, but not as $$$.
American Girl dolls will be a wonderful choice for years of play.
i was going to ask this my daughter is 5 and hasnt asked even though her cousins have them...they're too pricey to get without her asking, and i always thought it was silly to spend so much, but hey if money isnt an issue i cant blame the people who can afford them for getting them
DD will get one in a couple years when she is 7 (she's 5 now) when she can really read the books on her own. I only like the historical books ones. I'm excited for her to have one but I know it will better for her to wait. She's already picked one out so I might milk this one for 2 years, telling her if she's really good, does well in school, behaves at home, etc, then we will talk more about it. I've got to use the ammunition that I can!
I'm glad your girls treat their dolls well. I think a general rule of thumb should be that they don't get "good" dolls until they will never use pens or markers on them. In fact, maybe they shouldn't get pens or markers until they know what and what not to use them on! But that's a minority opinion, I know. :^)
I gave each of my granddaughters a Bitty Baby for her first Christmas, which was dumb because they weren't really ready for them until they were five or so. The older three - the youngest is just two - received AG dolls (or facsimilies thereof) when they were 4, 6, and 8. They do play with them! The older girls like their dolls a lot, but the youngest one is really the doll-lover, the one who takes after her Gran. She has taken better care of her AG than I anticipated; I had thought around six was a better age. Maybe your girls are ready, too.
I'm glad my granddaughters all have good dolls to love - and they may still *love* them even after they stop playing with them so much. Kids get busy with other activities, but they still may have warm places in their hearts for their dolls.
It depends on how careful your kids are and how well the doll is made. Can you ask someone you know how the dolls do when played with? When I was a kid I got fancy doll (Madam Alexander) at around 5 and it got ruined by playing with it (even though I tried to be careful). Eventually it was replaced when I was a teenager and it is in a box for my daughter (eventually). However, if the American Girl dolls are made sturdy enough to handle normal play that is different. I think 6 might be a good age.
DD was 10. She enjoyed them for years, took at least one with her all over the place. :)
