American Girl store for a 3.5yo?

[mikeys_mom]

We are traveling to Chicago this summer for 1 week and will be staying very close to the American Girl store. DD#1 is 3.5 yo and has never heard of AG so I initially thought that there would be no point to go. I am now having second thoughts. She likes playing with dolls, but doesn't have any specific dolls she is attached to. It changes from day-to-day. I have no intention of buying her an AG doll just yet. My parents typically buy the granddaughters an AG doll for their 7th birthday when they can take care of it properly.

This weekend someone told me that I would regret not giving DD#1 the experience of going there. I think that she is too young to really appreciate it now and I figure that there is always the possibility that I take her back to Chicago or to NYC when she is a bit older. For those that have been to AG store, what are your thoughts? Do we go? If we do go, what do we do there and how much time should I allocate?

[egoldber]

I took my older DD there for her 8th birthday and she loved it. Personally, I think that 3 is too young, but there were certainly plenty of girls that age there and they seemed to be having a good time.

I also think it is hard for them to go and not "get" something, KWIM? But she is a great age for Bitty Baby or a Bitty Twin (at the store you can buy one vs the set) and will have a great time in that area. And it would be a nice souvenir.

We had lunch in the cafe, which I was very UNimpressed with. Highly overpriced, small portions and very expensive. I would perhaps do tea instead.

[pinkmomagain]

In my experience, 3 is too young to really appreciate/get something out of the AG store experience. I'd wait a few years.

[mikeys_mom]

Thanks for the input. Like you said, my initial thought was that she is too young to really appreciate AG. We eat strictly kosher, so the cafe is not a great option, though it does look fun and I'm sure she would love that sort of thing.
I will have to think about getting her a bitty twin, or maybe suggesting to one of her grandparents that she would love one ;). She seems to prefer dolls with hair these days so if I am going to actually pay that much, I think it's a better option. My first thought when I looked into the store is that there is no way I can take her there and let her just have an "experience" without buying her anything, so yes, I get what you are saying :).

I think we will just have to make a decision while we are there. A few of the museums we are going to visit, I'm sure DS will love. I don't know how long DD#1 will last at some of them, so it could be a nice compromise to take her somewhere more "girly".

[Melaine]

We went to the Atlanta store late last summer. The girls were almost 3. We didn't plan the visit, because I didn't realize the store was there, but when I found out it was I HAD to go. I've loved AG since I was a little girl. Honestly, we didn't plan to buy anything there, but we wound up getting the Bitty Twins. I just thought it would be a really fun and special memory and I couldn't resist. Even DH was easily convinced.
We could have easily not bought the dolls, they wouldn't have cared at that age. (They still thought Build a bear was like the zoo, observation only).

The girls do love the Bitty Twins. They went with us to the library just this morning. They are the first dolls they've had with brushable hair and that definitely appeals to them. I'm really glad we bought them while we were at the store, because it made it more special and fun. We took a picture there of them with the dolls, too. They still remember getting them, I've asked them about it.

Bottom line: I think it's a fun visit and if it's not out of the way, I would go even if you don't make a purchase. If you want a nice toddler size doll with hair, then I say get a Bitty Twin and it's more fun to get it now at the store than to order later from the catalog.:love-retry:

ETA: We didn't do the cafe or anything so the whole visit was really about an hour. The girls were tickled to see the doll hair parlor where they were styling the hair though.

[mikeys_mom]

We went to the Atlanta store late last summer. The girls were almost 3. We didn't plan the visit, because I didn't realize the store was there, but when I found out it was I HAD to go. I've loved AG since I was a little girl. Honestly, we didn't plan to buy anything there, but we wound up getting the Bitty Twins. I just thought it would be a really fun and special memory and I couldn't resist. Even DH was easily convinced.
We could have easily not bought the dolls, they wouldn't have cared at that age. (They still thought Build a bear was like the zoo, observation only).

The girls do love the Bitty Twins. They went with us to the library just this morning. They are the first dolls they've had with brushable hair and that definitely appeals to them. I'm really glad we bought them while we were at the store, because it made it more special and fun. We took a picture there of them with the dolls, too. They still remember getting them, I've asked them about it.

Bottom line: I think it's a fun visit and if it's not out of the way, I would go even if you don't make a purchase. If you want a nice toddler size doll with hair, then I say get a Bitty Twin and it's more fun to get it now at the store than to order later from the catalog.:love-retry:

ETA: We didn't do the cafe or anything so the whole visit was really about an hour. The girls were tickled to see the doll hair parlor where they were styling the hair though.

Good to hear that you were able to spend an hour there and your girls enjoyed it. I know DD#1 will have fun there if we do go. We definitely will not be able to get away without buying something. I think because she has an older brother, she understands that you can buy things. At that age, I was able to take DS to the toy store and he still thought it was like the children's museum and never asked to buy anything. DD#1 is a different story...

DH just reminded me that he thinks she still has bday $$ from her great- grandmothers that we never used, so we could put it towards a bitty twin if we decide to go. I think we will see how the trip goes and if there is a good opportunity to take her. Otherwise, we will skip it and aim to go when she is older.

[sail731]

Went last weekend with 3 yr old DD. She looked around and thought some of the outfits were neat, though really showed little interest in things. If you have some extra time I would check it out. Otherwise, waiting a few years would probably be best.