3 year old boy with a doll?

Question

I have a 3 year old...well almost 4 year old son...and I also have a 5 month old baby girl...My son wants a doll so that he can take care of it, like I take care of my daughter...should I get him one?? I gave him one of his stuffed animals and some newborn clothing, an old bottle and old diapers my daughter grew out of so that he can dress it...but he still wants a doll.

Answer 1

So get him a doll. He is just a little guy. Why do people seem to think that a boy playing with a "girl" toy is bad. A toy is a toy that's all Momma. Let him play the little Daddy, there is nothing wrong with that.

You have herd what they say about imitation being the most sincere form of flattery right

Answer 2

Whats wrong with him having a doll? He just wants to be like the people he thinks are the greatest people in the world, his parents.Get him the doll it won't make him "g*y" or anything like some people will probably tell you.

Answer 3

Sure..my little nephew is 4 and he likes to go to my moms house and get the baby doll and baby stroller and push them around..i think its so cute. Plus you dont want your boy to just grow up shooting guns and rough housing, you want  him to be able to take care of something and love it and clothe it, perfectly normal. Plus if you ever get a kitten then he will be gentle and know how to hold it and stuff. You want him to have a caring compationate side too, not just all bully and fighting.

I think it is so cute to see a boy pushing a stroller, like he is the daddy. Awww buy him one, plus my little brother grew up with my two younger sisters all his life, you think he didnt let them play dress up with him, oh yes they did with pics to prove it...haha

Plus me and my older brother grew up together and we would switch like I would play cars with him and he would play barbies with me. And we turned out just fine and great friends.

Answer 4

He's only 3 years old.  I don't think you should make a huge big deal of it.  He's just mimicking what you do.  Get him a doll and maybe some action figures, or even a Ken doll.

Don't worry.  Remember, he's still a baby boy, and he's trying to do what mom does.

Thanks,

Bridget

Answer 5

Get him a doll.

Honestly, your husband and in-laws should be ashamed of themselves. I can't believe they would ever call his kitchen a sissy kitchen. That's horrible.  

Tell them your son can play with whatever he chooses to play with, and you're not going to restrict his interests because of some ridiculous notion that there are "boy" toys and "girl" toys. It's so silly.

And tell them that there is no bullying your son by calling his things sissy toys. That's just shameful. I would so yell at my husband  

Answer 6

Read "Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys" There is nothing wrong with what you are doing.  Allowing him to play with perceived "feminine things" will not "de-masculate" him in any way.  My son loves to play with his kitchen and fake food and we even bought my oldest son an Easy Bake Oven for Christmas when he was 7.

Answer 7

Sure, if you can afford it, buy him a doll. Why wouldn't you?  (He will, presumably, be a father when he grows up!)

Answer 8

its normal. boys that age usually go through that stage where they want a doll. when my broher was four going on five he wanted a doll to play and take of. like i said its just a stage and its normal

Answer 9

U Must fulfill all ur childrens demands only by then ull get them listening you !!!! Or else theyll just be saying that my parents dun let me do this n that !!! n that is a shameful thing in society !! so u must let ur boy get one !!!

Answer 10

i babysit a pair of twins boy and girl age 3 going on 4.the boy always likes to play with his sisters dollys and dress up in her play dresses and high heels its actually quite cute.their mom talked to their docter about it and she said that alot of children do this and will grow out of it so theres nothing to worry about. If it will make him a happy kid get him a doll. i dont see why not.

good luck!

Answer 11

I was in your exact position, except that my son - also 4 ended up taking one of his newborn sisters dolls and carrying it everywhere. The doll was cheap and the head fell off. He wanted a 'baby' so at the store I found these small baby dolls that had other colors like blue and purple and he picked a doll with blue clothing, and it came with a pacifier. He named his doll after his sister, and he took care of it in every way that I took care of his sister. He wanted a bottle so he could 'feed' it, he burped it, he even wanted a washcloth when I would bathe his sister so he could bathe his baby.  Imitation is flattering. He wants to take care of his 'baby' like you take care of his sibling. It's also a way of being included. Now that his sister is a year old, my son takes care of his 'baby' less and less.  I see no problem with your son wanting a doll - what does he know about 'boy' toys and 'girl' toys. Us adults are the ones that have problems with it. He just wants to nurture it. He'll be done with it eventually, and it can be passed to his sister. I always told my son what a good Daddy he was being. Don't Daddy's hold and nurture babies too?  

Answer 12

Of course you should. I have a 4 year old girl and a 3 year old boy and my son often plays with his sisters toys. he sleeps with is boy dolly also. But I still know he loves his cars and trucks. I don't see nothing wrong with this at all!

Answer 13

its ok to get him a doll but i suggest you get him a boy doll its perfectly natural for him to want a doll but also try to expose him to toys that little boys play with such as trucks and cars and stuff so he knows that he is a boy

Answer 14

Of course! Just like girls need trucks to play with, boys need dolls. There's nothing wrong with it.

Answer 15

Maybe he wants to take care of a more human-like item such as a doll. I would let him have one. He will grow out of it in a few years anyway. He wants to do something that he sees you doing.

Answer 16

I'd tell them to stuff it. lol

Really, you want your son to grow up to be loving and nurturing, right? The way he is going to learn is by watching the adults around him and imitating them. Having his own baby is a good way to do that.

You could point out that its a good way for your son to learn how to be a loving Daddy. He is playing Daddy not Mommy. Daddies change diapers and feed their babies and if your husband doesn't, he should.  

If you really think your husband and inlaws will give him a hard time, maybe you could get him a stuffed animal that is baby size and let him do the feedings, diapers and clothing with that.

I think its wonderful that instead of him being jealous of his baby sister he wants a baby of his own. That says a lot about what a good Mommy you are.

Answer 17

toys dont make gender hunny...i let my kids play with anything they eventually grow out of it..i would..soon he will grow out of it..my oldest son is 7 years old and loves playing with boy stuff but sometimes he will pick up my 1 year old girl toys and fittle around with them

Answer 18

Don't freak out if your son likes "girl toys"

Remember that when you prohibit things it only makes them more appealing and if you give him the doll and play with him he will move on :) Good luck!!!

Answer 19

Of course! Why wouldn't you buy your son a doll? I don't understand the problem exactly, but if it's because he's a boy I seriously wouldn't worry about it. If the poor boy wants a doll to take care of, I'd let him have it! :)

Answer 20

dolls is for girls

Answer 21

Give him a doll! A stuffed animal doesn't look like a baby. - And don't worry, he'll grow up masculine enough even if he plays with a doll for a while.

Answer 22

If you do not feel comfortable giving him a girl doll, get him a Raggedy Andy or a My Buddy. They are dolls for boys. He just wants to practice what he sees you doing. It is OK. It will give him practice for when he becomes a daddy. Talk with your pediatrician, I'm sure that he'll say the same thing.

When your husband and relatives tell you that is making your son a sissy to want a kitchen set, Ask them how do they think Paul Prudhomme and Emeril Lagasse got started with their cooking shows?

Answer 23

GOOD JOB MOM!!

It is shown that boys that want and ask for baby dolls are very loving, nurturing boys.  He is trying to imitate what he is getting at home and wants to show his love to a "baby" like you are to the new baby girl (congrats by the way).  Does that make sense?  he has a lot of love to share and be it on a GI Joe or a Baby Burps-A-Lot, who cares WHAT the outside of the love object be, he is loving and nurturing.  I pray and hope my baby boy will want to play house too.

My sister got her boy a kitchen set.  there is nothing wrong with it.

To them it's just toys.  Something to bang on, play with and chew on.  To us it means something different, but we are not the ones enjoying it are we?  No, he is.

Let him play with whatever he wants to.  He will end up liking something new next year anyways.

Nurture away, and good job to daddy too.  As babies do as they see.  he sees you as loving and nurturing.  play away baby boy!