Is your 6 year old DD playing with Barbies?

[catpagmo]

My DD is not much of a doll person. She plays with them a little here and there, but not consistently. She has just asked for a Barbie jet. I have no idea where that came from! She said she would play with it, but I'm not so sure. I thought Barbies were for younger kids. So, do 6 year olds play with Barbies?

[citymama]

Wow, I didn't get my first Barbie till 8! I don't think of them as being for younger kids. My 5.5 yr old also asked for a Barbie for Christmas, which cracks me up because the girl does not like dolls. I have no idea where it came from, and unless she puts it as the only thing on her holiday list, I don't plan to get her one.

[Melanie]

I also think of them being dolls for older girls. I don't know when I got my first one but I think I played with them until I was 12.

Dd just asked for one, too. I'm not getting one for her, but she asked. ;)

[catpagmo]

Lol! Clearly, I am not well versed in all things Barbie (thinking they were for younger kids)! I know I played with them when I was a kid, but cannot remember how old I was.

I'm not very excited about getting her one, but this is one of the only things she has asked for, for Christmas. Sigh.

[Green_Tea]

My girls (who are 7 & 8) were done with Barbies by the end of Kindergarten. IME they are popular with younger kids. But that wouldn't stop me from buying the jet if I thought my child would play with it!

[wellyes]

When I was a kid, six was young for Barbies. Now I don't know, but I certainly wouldn't discourage that kind of imaginative, childlike play. I'd get the jet.

[egoldber]

Barbies are most definitely marketed to a much younger age group than they were when we were young. I know that I played with Barbies at older ages and my older DD (10) still plays with them. Most girls I know ages 4-10 still play with them. My younger DD got two for her 5th birthday and she definitely wants more.

[lalasmama]

DD is 7.5yo, and still LOVES her Barbies. In fact, they are "grounded" at the moment, as it is her "currency" right now. She makes bad choices repeatedly, and Barbie and friends come to the time out area. She's working on earning them back.

In our case, it's a pretty recent development, her interest in Barbies. I plan to allow it as long as she wants them.... hoping that playing with Barbies and other dolls will maybe keep her a little "younger" until I can work through and accept that one day she will be a teenager ;)

[catpagmo]

So, is there a certain Barbie you should start with, or are they all pretty much the same?

On another note, I saw the current holiday Barbie and was surprised by how much make-up she had on. Are they all like that? Are there more "natural" ones? (I know, I know, but I have to ask :))

[mom2khj]

My 9yo and almost 6yo both play with Barbies!

The jet is kind of a piece of junk though. 6yo got it last year for Christmas and it's constantly falling apart. They still play with it, they just leave the broken parts off,LOL.

[Canna]

My 6 y.o. non-doll-playing DD does not play with Barbies. We technically have no Barbies, but we do have a couple of those Moxie dolls (gift from relative), Only Hearts club dolls (at DD's request), and Groovy girls and she doesn't play with any of those.

She does play with Playmobil and Legos, and she does really like vehicles (especially Playmobil bus, jeep, boats), etc.

[HIU8]

My DD really started playing with them when she just turned 4. However, she LOVES to play with dolls (all sorts of dolls). Pretty much all her dolls (including her Barbies) get a ton of play. I have no idea how long it will last though.

[mnosky1]

My DD8 has never liked dolls but now plays with them with her her 3 year old sister who loves dolls - they play Barbie ALL THE TIME. She's had Barbies since she was 3/4 (a popular friend Bday gift then and they sat unused) Let's say, a Barbie would not be considered an acceptable gift for the 8/9 year old BDay parties but the girls often play Barbies on play dates, especially if they have a big house or horse barn, or animals to play Barbies with.
My 8 year old actually likes the LIV dolls more and my 3 year old likes the Princess dolls from the Disney store but they all play together even though the LIV dolls are stored separately they all get played with together. They both have a million Barbie things on their list but I think thats becuase half teh various toy catalogs are filled with Barbie. I bought one Barbie item (Barbie vet) and if a relative asks last minute and nothing else is left on my list, I will give one of those Barbie things as an idea.
Her cousin and lives in a different area, and is almost 9 always has Barbie on her wish list too.

[lizzywednesday]

So, is there a certain Barbie you should start with, or are they all pretty much the same?

On another note, I saw the current holiday Barbie and was surprised by how much make-up she had on. Are they all like that? Are there more "natural" ones? (I know, I know, but I have to ask :))

Do they still make "My First Barbie"?

She's usually easiest to dress and sweetest face with the least amount of makeup.

When I last bought one, she was a ballerina.

[veronica]

Wow-done with barbies by kindergarten? DD will be 6 in two weeks and asked for the jet as well. She has a few barbies but rarely plays with them so I've been hesitating.

[BelleoftheBallFlagstaff]

Barbies are most definitely marketed to a much younger age group than they were when we were young.

So true! I played with them until I was 10ish, and DD got one at her 4th b-day. Times they are a changin'!

[catpagmo]

Do they still make "My First Barbie"?

She's usually easiest to dress and sweetest face with the least amount of makeup.

When I last bought one, she was a ballerina.

I googled "My First Barbie", and it doesn't look like they make them anymore. Boo. Thanks anyway! :)

I'm going to have to do some serious reconnaissance w/o DD to figure out what's what in the world of Barbie. I'm pretty sure she's going to end up with at least one, and a Barbie car, too! Or jet, unless it's seriously junky like someone said upthread.

[Melanie]

Do they still make a Skipper Doll? She seemed more innocent and age-appropriate for a young girl. I always liked that she had flat feet instead of those icky high-heeled ones.

[lalasmama]

Do they still make a Skipper Doll? She seemed more innocent and age-appropriate for a young girl. I always liked that she had flat feet instead of those icky high-heeled ones.

There's not as many Skippers as there once was. When I was a kid, I remember there being many different kinds of Skippers. I think I've only seen Skipper once lately, in a "Sisters" set. Thankfully, the Barbies now don't have those high-heel feet! They are have GINORMOUS, kitten-heel-height feet.

[lizzywednesday]

For the OP - It looks like the Barbies in the "I CAN BE..." and storybook lines have less makeup than the other lines.

At the Mattel site, there's this one; she's a lifeguard:

http://shop.mattel.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11213077#


And there's this set with her "little sister" Stacie:

http://shop.mattel.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11206893

Good luck!

[Melanie]

Ahh...so I found "Chelsea" which appears to be younger than Skipper. I did see a couple of sets with Skipper but now she's got colorful stripes in her hair so not really something I want to encourage my 6 yo to want. ;)

[s7714]

My older DD received her first when she was 5 IIRC. (Given that, my younger DD has in turn been playing with them since she was about 3 because as we all know Grandma likes to make everything equal.) They are now 6 and 8 and play with them all the time.

[tropicalmom]

DD is almost 5 1/2 and we avoid Barbie brand around here. She has been interested in the Only Hearts Club brand since just before turning 5yo and will get more along with the horse set for Christmas. Just can't do Barbie since I learned that if she were a live human she would be physically incapable of walking. Don't want DD to get any body image issues from them. Only hearts club have beautiful natural faces, 6 or so different dolls each with a story and the bodies are completely bendable

[Melanie]

DD is almost 5 1/2 and we avoid Barbie brand around here. She has been interested in the Only Hearts Club brand since just before turning 5yo and will get more along with the horse set for Christmas. Just can't do Barbie since I learned that if she were a live human she would be physically incapable of walking. Don't want DD to get any body image issues from them. Only hearts club have beautiful natural faces, 6 or so different dolls each with a story and the bodies are completely bendable

I hear you! I'm hoping the pink 'Barbie' logo on the little sister doll boxes will suffice since at this time I think she's only heard that her friends have a Barbie and wants one. I don't think she's really seen them...fingers-crossed. At some point I may buy her some of the classically-faced/-proportioned ones.

[catpagmo]

It looks like I will be embracing Barbie this year, but I'll be skipping the jet. Thanks for all the feedback, everyone!