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View Full Version : Avoiding gender stereotypical toys - need ideas for DD



HonoluluMom
10-06-2011, 02:12 PM
DD is going to be about 2.5 years when Christmas rolls around and I'm pretty hard-pressed for ideas. I really want to try to avoid giving her gender stereotypical toys such as dolls, dollhouses, purses, pink-themed toys, etc.

Hit me with some ideas. DD already has unit blocks, kitchen, trike, sand/water table, duplos, lots of books, lots of crafts (paint, playdoh, easel), puzzles, and a Little People farm!

TwinFoxes
10-06-2011, 02:18 PM
Well, DDs love trains. And cars. That being said, I wouldn't avoid giving them "girl" toys. There's nothing wrong with dolls etc. DDs have them, they just don't like them as much as trains.

How about a grocery cart? DDs like theirs. Oh, and the step 2 roller coaster is still a big hit.

hillview
10-06-2011, 02:28 PM
Hummm I'd get her what she likes to play with or what you think she might like to play with.

DS1 has legos trucks blocks and stuffed animals
DS1 has lots of pink toys (his favorite color) and a baby doll and legos trucks cars
/hillary

ourbabygirl
10-06-2011, 02:32 PM
Yeah, DD just turned 3 and her favorite things are
Legos
Trains
Play food, candies, etc. (organizing them)
Play doh
Dollhouse stuff
Coloring
Candyland (could you get your DD other pre-school games?)

Anything Mickey Mouse, Hello Kitty, or Thomas the Train-related.
She also likes Magnatiles, especially when DH & I build things with her.

Aishe
10-06-2011, 02:33 PM
My 2.5yo ds plays with dolls and carries a purse. Those kinds of toys are great for creative and imaginative play. I think they're only as gender stereotyped as you make them. So I wouldn't necessarily avoid them. With a little hunting you can find non-pink options if that's what bothers you.

My ds loves his M & D castle, which comes in either pink or gray. There are wooden dollhouses that are gender neutral. A Rody Horse is also great for that age. DS plays with his every day. Some kind of truck or bus is always good, too.

mikala
10-06-2011, 02:33 PM
Here are some other gender neutral toys for that age group:

Books, magnatiles, dress-up clothes (a lot of the Melissa and Doug ones are gender neutral firefighters, doctors, etc.), Automoblox, playscarves, Mr. Potato head, more advanced puzzles, etc.

vonfirmath
10-06-2011, 02:39 PM
Favorite games for DS at 2.5:

Haba Orchard
Go Away Monsters, Go Away
Gamewright's Hiss!
Candyland and Candyland Castle
Snail's Pace Race (there are two games with that name. This one by Ravensburger: http://www.amazon.com/Ravensburger-Snails-Pace-Race-Childrens/dp/B00000J0RY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317926327&sr=8-1)
I suspect he would have liked Hullabaloo too

Melaine
10-06-2011, 02:45 PM
My girls loved their blocks, bilibos, picnic table, Learning Tower, Schleich animals, Wheely Bugs, and Sprig toys at that age. They still play with all of those at almost 5. Of course, I am all about embracing "girl" toys and "boy" toys equally so we have plenty of dolls and stuff like that too, beside the cars and trucks and sports equipment.

I understand not wanting to over-do the pink, but I have to say avoiding certain toys completely because they are usually considered girl toys perplexes me.

♥ms.pacman♥
10-06-2011, 02:54 PM
My 2.5yo ds plays with dolls and carries a purse. Those kinds of toys are great for creative and imaginative play. I think they're only as gender stereotyped as you make them. So I wouldn't necessarily avoid them. With a little hunting you can find non-pink options if that's what bothers you.



:yeahthat:

i give my DD lots of pink stuff and "girl" toys like dolls etc (mainly to distinguish her stuff from DS's) which she likes but to be honest i think a lot of what she goes for are trains, cars etc..maybe bc she sees DS plays with them!

i recently came from my niece's 2nd bday party. i got her Megabloks which she loved. i think megabloks, duplos are probably universally loved by most toddlers/preschoolers! duplos might be better for 2 and up though.

learning tower is another idea..got it last Christmas for DS and he loves it. i put him in it when i'm cooking something so it's a safe place to keep him contained, yet he can still see what is going on.

i would give trains/Thomas sets a try as some PP mentioned. my DS is obsessed with them, and it looks like my DD may eventually get into them too. at the party my niece was having a blast in her older brothers' room playing with Thomas wooden railway set. at 2 yo they are usually old enough to put the wooden tracks together and link up the trains etc.

zag95
10-06-2011, 05:48 PM
last Christmas DD got a train set (from costco) as her big present! She loves it and has enjoyed playing with it all year (she'll be 4 at the end of January!)

hbridge
10-06-2011, 05:49 PM
Bilibo. DD LOVED it! Nice open ended, no moving parts, no batteries, lots of uses for it toy.

DD used it as a seat to spin, a nest for her animals, a tent for smaller animals, a turtle shell, a stool, the list goes on.

waitingforgrace
10-06-2011, 06:08 PM
What about a pop-up play tent and tunnel, Playhut has lots to choose from on amazon and TRU carries some.

new_mommy25
10-07-2011, 12:32 AM
Thomas trains
Playdoh sets
Stuffed Animals
Shopping cart or stroller (anything to push!)

urquie
10-07-2011, 02:34 AM
dd loves her remo drum (http://www.amazon.com/Remo-Percussion-Diameter-Mallet-Forest/dp/B0002F7KUG/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1317968621&sr=8-5). it's a real drum and they make many different styles. egg shakers (http://www.amazon.com/Meinl-Plastic-Egg-Shaker-Assortment/dp/B0002F5CQK/ref=sr_1_11?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1317969160&sr=1-11)are also enjoyed.

chozen
10-07-2011, 10:36 AM
im sorry, but i just have ask, why don't you want your dd to play with doll houses etc.?

HonoluluMom
10-07-2011, 04:34 PM
im sorry, but i just have ask, why don't you want your dd to play with doll houses etc.?

I do wonder if I'm taking this a bit too far and I don't know if I'm going about it the right way, but I don't want to be the one to introduce and/or reinforce the concepts that a girl should be the nurturer/caregiver and must be "beautiful" or the weaker sex to be accepted in society. I don't want her to have a "princess" mentality.

I want DD to know that she's powerful, can be the leader/innovator/builder/trailblazer, and essentially can do anything she wants to do if she puts her mind to it. Basically, that there are many options available to her.

This really is my humble opinion. I'm fine with dollhouses, dolls, etc. and at some point if DD wants to get a doll or dollhouse, I'll get them for her, but will try to make it more gender neutral.

Green_Tea
10-07-2011, 04:38 PM
I consider dolls and dollhouses to be gender neutral and excellent for pretend play. Plan Toys makes awesome dollhouses, and my DS always liked playing with them!

http://www.plantoys.com/products.php?cat_id=3

mnosky1
10-07-2011, 04:42 PM
My girls (3 and 8) honestly have every toy imaginable - boy and girl typical toys. My oldest liked more gender neutral toys, my youngest loves all girly stuff. They've both been exposed to it all though. One thing not mentioned was matchbox cars - my oldest started getting those around age 3 and usually gets a new set each year at Christmas - our favorite are the plain orange tracks that you can make go from couch to floor, over blocks, etc. Playmobile, train table are more boyish things that we have that haven't been big hits. Legos and unit blocks are big hits. Dolls were not a hit at all with my oldest until just this last year when her 3 y/o sister started asking her to play and now they play all the time, always incorporating schleich animals and the horse collections which ate dd8s favorites. So, just some thoughts.
Oh, kitchen, store, and vet office are popular themes too - all gender neutral but I have friends that don't want their boys playing kitchen!

newg
10-07-2011, 10:16 PM
I do wonder if I'm taking this a bit too far and I don't know if I'm going about it the right way, but I don't want to be the one to introduce and/or reinforce the concepts that a girl should be the nurturer/caregiver and must be "beautiful" or the weaker sex to be accepted in society. I don't want her to have a "princess" mentality.

I want DD to know that she's powerful, can be the leader/innovator/builder/trailblazer, and essentially can do anything she wants to do if she puts her mind to it. Basically, that there are many options available to her.

This really is my humble opinion. I'm fine with dollhouses, dolls, etc. and at some point if DD wants to get a doll or dollhouse, I'll get them for her, but will try to make it more gender neutral.

My favorite picture of DD1 is of her wearing a ballerina outfit, tutu and all, while also sporting her tool belt.......bent over one of her ikea chairs, "fixing" it :D
She's got a bin of cars right next to her bin of disney princesses......and she plays with both equally.
We have tons of legos, wooden blocks / cardboard bricks/, kitchen stuff, and play silks mixed in with all the "girly" stuff.

Melaine
10-08-2011, 08:25 AM
I've got to say, I don't think limiting the varieties of toys is the answer to avoiding gender stereotypes. Giving your child a chance to play with any and all toys he or she wants to, seems like the way to go, IMO. Giving your daughter a doll is a far, far cry from sending her the message that her only job as a woman should be child-rearing. I honestly think negative mindsets and stereotypes go much deeper than toys; you can teach your daughter that there are no limits to her potential without limiting her playthings. JMO, of course.

Simon
10-08-2011, 09:01 PM
I avoided responding to your OP because my boys have all of the things you have listed as not wanting--dolls, dollhouse, etc. I am scouting a cradle for my 1yo this weekend.

The one big thing I see missing is sports equipment:
Basketball hoop, "T" bat and balls, soccer goals, lacrosse sticks, hockey sticks (street and ice) plus pucks, crocquet, boccee, bean bag toss, volleyball, badminton/tennis, etc., etc. I don't care if my boys never play sports away from our home. But at home, they have access to it all.

Uno-Mom
10-09-2011, 01:26 AM
Totally understand where you're coming from! One idea: if you go into a mainstream toy store, you'll be hit with waves of puke-pepto bismol pink in the doll and kitchen aisle. But if you scout on Amazon or fancier toy stores, you can find much more variety.

One (of many) things that make me cringe at the girl aisle is the assumption that girls need bland pastel, dull pink for everything. Sprog's doll (Corelle Calin) has a funky red courderoy tunic & I felt much better about that for some reason. It's got personality and is a quality toy, not a stereotype.

I was self-conscious about automatically pushing dolls on my daughter because "girls need dolls" but I felt good about taking cues from HER once she started reaching out to babies IRL. It's a fine distinction, but it mattered to me. She also loves her play kitchen but my challenge is to teach her it's ok for girls to cook... since DH does all that in our house!

Try not to stress too much. Your daughter is fortunate to have a thoughtful mother. That's way more important than any particular toy. (Least, that's what I tell MYself when I think about these things. :) )