do 15 month old girls play with dolls??

Sally - posted on 10/31/2012

Depends on the kids. Some little girls love dolls; some hate them; and some couldn't care less. Little boys are exactly the same.

Megan - posted on 10/30/2012

In the nursery where i work, lots of boys and girls play with the baby dolls but not until about two and a half. The younger ones will sometimes play with the "little people". Many do like to play with the toy food and the little kitchen. Also, some of the littler ones do like to push a baby in a little stroller...but Its probably the stroller they like better than the doll in it. There are some clever ideas for babies like these on this list Christmas gifts for babies

Relax about what she plays with though...just encourage all different types of play.

Niketa - posted on 10/27/2012

Hi, My name is Niki Bhatia and I am the author of a childrens book, PINK IS JUST A COLOR AND SO IS BLUE. It is about letting go of our old gender stereotypes about colors (pink and blue) and toys kids choose to play with. The main character is a little boy who is not too athletic and his best friend is a feisty little girl who is "tomboyish". Our ultimate goal is to assure that our kids grow upto be confident, productive individuals, without placing so much emphasis on color and toys when they are sooo young.Toys are just a means of exploring and learning about the big world. Don't we want our girls to be confident gogetters. So let her be confident and comfortable with herslef. We need to teach kids and parents to be more open minded....

http://www.amazon.com/Pink-Just-Color-So...

Kelly - posted on 09/14/2010

I was shocked that my under-one-year-old smiled at dolls and pointed to their features. She's not as keen on actually playing with the soft dolls she was given for her first birthday but I have some plastic/rubber ones put aside for Christmas that I'm sure she'll have. Obviously the type of play will vary as they learn to act out their world in role play more, when they are older.

Heather - posted on 09/14/2010

My 6 year old didn't really play with dolls until she was close to 3. She'd carry them around every once in awhile, but not play. Now she's a soccer playing girly girl who fights me any time she has to wear pants and not a dress. :)

My 3 year old has been playing with her sister's dolls every since I can remember. Since she was about 1, when anyone asks what kind of present to get her we always say a doll. She loves them.

I agree with those who say don't push anything on her. Just let her discover her own interests. Whether she's a tomboy or a girly girl, she'll be perfect however she is.

Rhonda - posted on 09/13/2010

My little girl is 15 month's too and she like's baby dolls but rather play with cars,blocks and outside in the sand too. So I just think they are just to young to know what they like just let her explore and I think sooner or later she going to play with a doll.

Lexi - posted on 09/13/2010

I think each kid plays differently. My 14 mo son loves dolls! He has 3 of my baby dolls from my childhood and he snugles them and carries them around. He also loves his sandbox, the kiddie pool, and he already figured out how to make vroom vroom noises with his trucks! I don't think there is any reason to try to teach her to play with a specific kind of toy. There is no reason girls have to have play baby dolls and boys have to play trucks. My husband thinks it's adorable that T loves his dollies. It's enough to have the dolls in her toy box and let her discover them when she wants to. It sounds to me like she is just an active girl. She wants something to play with that is a little more creative and interactive than a doll. Legos to build, running around with a ball, sandbox, those are all fantastic ways to build strength, hand eye coordination and all sorts of other things. Just because she doesn't want the dolls yet doesn't mean she wont be a nurturing woman

Mel - posted on 09/12/2010

My daughter, whom is nearly 4 now, loved her baby doll from 1 year old and even had to buy her a new one when she turned 3 as the other one got so used! She loved playing outside, with the balls too, so just lucky I have a girl that loves both. I wouldnt push her, just let her discover what she wants to play with :) She is still a girl after all

Sandy - posted on 09/11/2010

My girl is nearly three and still prefers cars, trucks and dinosaurs to dolls, but loves pink over blue and likes dressing up. So I think somewhere in there a balance of preferences according to society and cultural norms will happen on its own. :)

Melissa - posted on 09/11/2010

I took my mom and 14 month old daughter to a consignment sale. While I shopped for clothing, my mother took my daughter to the toys. Most of them are unboxed and used (unlike retail). My daughter saw a newborn size and weighted doll. It was too heavy for her to carry around comfortably, but she did her best with a huge smile of contentment on her face. My mom just "had to" buy it for her! Several months later, she doesn't carry it around the house, but when she comes upon it in her toybox, she gets that same smile across her face. She'll carry it to where ever she comes across a more interesting toy and then drops the doll there.

If you're not sure what you think your daughter would like, I'd suggest the consignment sales. I don't feel bad spending money on a toy that she's picked out. And since it's not packaged in a box, she can try it out before you buy. My latest fav toy? A slide for outside. $15 vs about $70 in the store. Who cares if another child has had their fill of it before us? The more use I see on a toy, the more I'm confident I am that another child would enjoy it, too.

Heather - posted on 09/11/2010

My daughter is 14 1/2 mos old she just recently has become interested in her dolls, he rocks them and pats them gently, she hasn't tried to feed hem b/c she's breastfeed so she wouldn't know what a bottle is!lol. I have sat in the floor and showed her how to be genlte to them just b/c we have dogs and I also babysit a baby so I wanted her to understand gentle touches. Now I also babysit another girl that's 15mos and she could care less for a baby doll..I have also tried to show her like i have with my daughter and she is not interested...so I think some are more "motherly" than others!

Mary - posted on 09/11/2010

I wouldn't worry about it. Let her play outside - especially while it's pretty and she still can! She might take up dolls when it's not as nice out and you guys have to stay inside more. My little girl loves to play outside - with balls, the dog, swing, chase ducks, go fishing, etc (defintely a tom boy) - but she will momma a baby doll if we stay in very long. It's good to be well rounded. But it's really not the end of the world if she doesn't fall in love with dolls!

Shannon - posted on 09/10/2010

my daughter loves her dolls and teddy bears as well as her cars/trucks and legos. she gives the dolls hugs and kisses and carries them around. so i guess it just depends on the kid, what they want to play with. my daughter has a good range of toys "boy" toys as well as "girl" toys and she plays with them all.

Meilan - posted on 09/10/2010

My girl will be 14 months on the 16th and she plays with dolls all the time. She actually rocks them, gives them kisses, feeds them, walk around with the pram, ... Very cute to see it. You can't push it, though. We didn't buy her a doll, but we saw her play with them in day care.

Lady Heather - posted on 09/10/2010

Apparently mine does. She attempted to feed her doll with a bottle today. Then her teddy bear. Then all the cats who were not as nice about it as the toys were.

That said, it's only one of her current interests and she doesn't play with them for as long as an older child or make up games with them or anything. She would probably spend more time in a sandbox at this age than playing with a doll.

I don't see how there's ever any need to encourage your child to play with one form of toy over another. I think having different sorts available and letting them decide is the best way to go. We have lots of "boy" toys in our house - cars, trucks and such - and we always will whether we have a boy or not. I played with cars as a kid and I was never much of a tomboy. My husband was never allowed to have a toy kitchen when he was little because his parents thought that was a girls toy. I think that's pretty horrible.

Jayme - posted on 09/10/2010

every child is differnt if ur baby isent around babys so probly wont care for a doll rite now . my oldest started playin with baby dolls when i had my youngest there 5 years apart now my baby whos bout to be 3 plays with dolls cause her big sis does to worry bout it my girls act more boyish than my son does u can never tell what there going to b like when there older just injoy them for who they r

Helen Katrina - posted on 09/09/2010

my daughter loves her "baby" as she calls it doll, she has to go to sleep with it every night, throughout the day she plays with it, but she plays with her blocks and loves to kick the soccer balls around with her daddy and play outside too.

Linda - posted on 09/09/2010

my daughter is 26 months and she play with her dollas well as blocks and even toy cars as well as many other toys she has i just let her play with what ever she wants to i have no problems with what she plays with

Alexi - posted on 09/09/2010

My 17 month old daughter got her first dolly a few days ago...she cuddles her, pats her back to comfort her and tries to BF her and gives her a cup with juice. She chooses when she plays with her. But she also plays with cars, lego and the sandpit and puddles and mud and all sorts. I just let her do what she feels natural doing...and thats having fun no matter what it is. My 3 boys like to play with her toys also and i do not stop them, either way.

Heather - posted on 09/09/2010

Most kids who are age 15 months are a little young for "imaginative play". (Some kids are the exception.) It sounds like your wee one is into activities that stimulate her senses as opposed to ones that stimulate her imagination. This is normal, and should be no cause for alarm. It does not mean that she's a tomboy or that she won't be interested in "girly" things. (But ... even if she WERE to be a tomboy, so what??) Keep the toys available, and one day, she'll start playing with them, never fear.

Heidi - posted on 09/09/2010

My duaghter was much happier making mud pies outside and pushing beetles round in the dolly pram!!
She is now nine and loves her dolls (still loves mud pies too) Best to leave them to play what they want, although i've had some funny looks when my toddler boy took his sister doll everywhere :)

Jennie - posted on 09/09/2010

My little girl only plays with two dolls the rest she doesn't care about them. But mine also loves to play outside and with balls. She needs to start relating to you now but not necessarily is after the Electra Complex (She falls in love with daddy) that they start to really identify with mom. But mine is doing it from now she wears my heals, purses and bracelets but it may have to do with the fact that I am a Stay @ Home Mom and we are ALWAYS together. But don't start to freak out from now and don't force girly stuff on her because she may start to hate it. Hope I can help :)

Kristi - posted on 09/08/2010

Both my girls received baby dolls around their first bdays and really enjoyed them. They nursed them put them to sleep, etc. Maybe she hasn't had much opportunity to see what parents do with babies if she is an only child and doesn't have exposure to other young babies - playgroups where moms have newborns, etc. I wouldn't worry. Have a little bit of everything available and let her choose what she enjoys. Kids learn by imItation, so if it's important to you that she learn these nurturing skills, you can spend more time around moms with new babies or show her what to do with the baby doll by playing house with her from time to time. It's a nice thing especially if you are having a new sibling arriving anytime soon. I think it helped my oldest to be gentle with her baby sister.

Allison - posted on 09/08/2010

My 17 month old boy carries his "baby" around with him, but not all the time. He usually carries it around by the leg, and then leaves it alone and goes back to it later.

Erin - posted on 09/08/2010

Don't push it on her, Just keep it with the rest of her toys. My daughter didn't take to her doll right away either, she seemed to be tomboyish also. She loved dirt and her favorite toys were my husband's flashlight and a roll of duct tape! Every kid is different, let her like what she likes. Even now that my daughter is 2, she likes to push her baby around in a little stroller but she NEVER just sits and plays with one. They are on the go now, walking and dirt to them is the greatest inventions! She actually has a "pet rock" she found in our driveway one day and has been in her purse since!

Valerie - posted on 09/08/2010

Kids will and should play with whatever interests them. My son wanted a doll when he was 2 and we got him one so he would leave his older sister's alone. They were good friends for about 3 years and then he just kind of outgrew it. My youngest is a 21 month old girl and she got a baby for christmas last year. She started holding it and putting a blankie over it, and feeding it around 15-16 months and now she really likes acting like a little mommy. However my oldest two are in sports so she is used to going to volleyball, soccer, basketball, and baseball/softball games and loves digging in the dirt and throwing and kicking balls. While camping last weekend, she actually caught her first snake (a small garter snake) and carried it around the campsite for about a half-hour enjoying how it crawled over her hands and arms. I don't think parents should be concerned about 'gender' toys and play. Let them play with what they want and don't push anything on them. If there is something you enjoy and want to share with them, just expose them to it a lot. We don't force our toddler to play with balls or make her want to hit a ball with a bat, she sees her older brother and sister doing it and wants to try it too.

Dana - posted on 09/08/2010

My daughter always preferred to play outside over playing with any kind of toy. When she was a year old, we had a garden, and she would run outside yelling, "bocky, bocky" (broccoli) because she wanted to pick broccoli and eat it. She is now 12 years old, and her hobbies are gardening and raising chickens. She is also on the soccer team, does gymnastics, swimming... What I'm getting at is, she is more of a physical person, so she just likes things she can do physically. Perhaps your daughter is also like this. Maybe enroll her in a "Mommy & Me" gymnastics class and see how she likes that. Also, tell your husband to stop putting labels on his daughter, and let her be herself.

Dawn - posted on 09/08/2010

she will play with what interests her at the time , some things she will play with them more because she likes them better thats what my daughter does

Linda - posted on 09/08/2010

Well our daughter loved and still does plays outside with the boys (and girls too) in sand, mud, water, insects you name it. She never really played with dolls until a year or two ago. She uses them when she plays with her imagination. She ties them up to horses or any animal and uses them has playmates to other toys she has. But to play with them exclusively, no. But I just caught her cutting hair off her one Barbie. She said it was looking awful and she wanted to make it look neater. Tanis herself just started to take notice of her own hair and has grown it long. Mirror mirror on the WALL! Look at your own daughters playmates. Are they mostly boys or girls. That could influence they type of play. I know that did for Tanis and I would not have it any other way. She can play with the best of them but still likes to dress up.

Paulette - posted on 09/08/2010

My daughter,3yr, never had an interest in playing with baby dolls. I've tried to give them to her, she just doesn't like them. My son is 5 and I thought maybe with him around made her like more boyish things. But as she grew up, she started to really like animals. Also the way they play are two totally different ways. On the other hand, her cousin,3yr, loves baby dolls. Every once in a great while she might pick one up and play with it for a little bit. So don't push her with anything, it's just her personality. Hope that helps.

Emma - posted on 09/08/2010

my girl is 15months as well. She has a couple of barbies that she has interest in occasionally, usually to chew on the legs a bit, or rub the hair on her face for a tickle and laugh. I wouldnt be too worried, chances are your girl is like mine and has so many toys to play with that shes more interested in other things for now. Think of it as her working out how things work already, keep her mind entertained and you should have one smart little girl :)

Bethia - posted on 09/07/2010

all children are different. some start earlier than others with dolls. i know i didn't start til i was liek 6 or 7 even though i would always get some every christmas. my girls wouldn't play with them for anything. if i handed them one they would throw it away or back at me. on the other hand i handed thema ball an they had a hay day. my daughter patsy started at about 6 months though as sh=oon as she got the holding things in her hand part down. to this day she still loves dolls.

Jenni - posted on 09/07/2010

My SD is 3 years old. She got her first doll for her first birthday and she never and still doesn't play with them (unless they're Dora). I can relate, when i was a kid i was never into dolls either. My sister was a bit more than me. I liked animals and my favs were My Little Ponies. All kids are different with what they're into it shouldn't matter if they're gender specific toys. You can't really force a kid to play with something they're just not interested in.

Nancy - posted on 09/07/2010

just let her be herself,,, even 15 month old boys like to play with dolls, it has nothing to do with sex gender.... some boys like to play the dads, and just care for baby's ,, some girls just like to get dirty in the sandbox.. it doesn't mean anything

Katy - posted on 09/07/2010

My 16 month old daughter has blayed with her baby dolls since she was like 11months! She loves it... But she also loves beig outside and getting dirty, I think thats just a kid thing.

Jodi - posted on 09/05/2010

There's no golden rule that little girls have to play with dolls. My daughter LOVES dirt, bugs, sports and all that "tomboy" stuff. She also plays with dolls. If you want her to play with dolls, it can be a great tool for them to work out their lives, surroundings, schedules and feelings, try showing her what to do with a doll. At her age, she may be beginning to use her imagination, but that doesn't mean she knows you can pretend feed, swaddle, rock and care for a doll. Just like she didn't just "know" exactly what to do with legos, same with her doll. Good luck! And if she doesn't like dolls, it's no biggie!

Crystal - posted on 09/05/2010

I have a 14 month old girl and she just pick dolls up and carries them around! She would rather play with a ball any day of the week! But i'm not worried! shell play with them when she gets ready too! She may be the type that just dont like dolls! But i think it is normal for them at this age to just carrie them around!

Maura - posted on 09/05/2010

You can also tell hubbie that lots of girly girls never really dig dolls. My nine year old played with little people and disney figurines at around 2 1/2 to 3 and then moved on to Barbies. She's a pink/purple dress, girly girl who just never played much with dolls (and she had plenty of them available), she loves little pet shop animals. But very few girls play with dolls before about 3 yrs old and tell him tomboy is so 1950s ;-)

Stifler's - posted on 09/05/2010

Maybe she likes trucks and stuff better haha

Deanna - posted on 09/04/2010

It all depends on the child. My girls were all playing with dolls by 2 or 3 depending on the girl. don't worry about it. some never do. let her decide.

Laura Zoey - posted on 09/04/2010

My son loves dolls! He has played with dolls since around 14 months. He likes to hug them, point out their eyes nose mouth bellybuttons toes and he kisses them and if he has two he has them hug and kiss each other. He most definitely does not feed them bottles, you won't find bottles in our house, but he hasn't asked me to feed them yet, or tried to feed them himself. I've heard most toddlers will want to imitate eventually but he is still young. But when he is done playing with the doll he throws it aside or drops it somewhere. Not gently! So while I see a nurturing side in him, I still see masculinity in him :)

Heather - posted on 09/04/2010

Don't stress! I was exactly the same and I turned out happy and normal. I never did love playing with dolls... :) If she isn't interest by 3 or 4 and it still worries you perhaps you might invite a few friends and thier favourite dolls over for a playdate.

Jessica - posted on 09/04/2010

I bought my daughter one for her first birthday and she just would drag it around until almost 2. Now she interacts with her doll and plays mommy!

Hailey - posted on 09/04/2010

they pick it up my daughter wuld rath stay an play with a ball and be out side all day if id let her she rearly plays with dolls i think they to younge to nw if they goin to be a tomboy but nothin wrong with tht :)

Ruth - posted on 09/03/2010

i have 2 girls age 3 and 6 and they like to play with just about anything from cars to making mud pies to dressing up to my make up, they also both like to play with dolls dressing, undressing, feeding bathing them, its all part of learning and seeing what you and your family do on a day to day basis hope this helps.x

Nikkole - posted on 09/03/2010

lol ur hubby is funny. my little girl has 2 dollars and some times she plays with them and some times she plays with her pink ball. and she loves to be outside too. kids play what with gets their eye. it doesnt make her a tomboy

Rebecca - posted on 09/03/2010

I believe at that age, babies still basically play with whatever they think is interesting. My daughter has a couple of dolls, but she finds it more interesting to play with an empty drink bottle. I dont think they see "i'm a girl and i like dolls" at that age

Sabrina - posted on 09/03/2010

my daughter loves to be outside! and soccer and throwing balls and everything she is 23 mnths old and she just started playing with barbies and her doll house n such

Tasha - posted on 09/03/2010

my first was like yours. try getting two dolls and showing her. With it just being her playing she might not really know what to do with it. Kids at that age should be able to parallel play. Basically follow what other children do. in this case sounds like you need to be the other kid! Have fun I always loved these times!

Nicole - posted on 09/03/2010

we got my daughter her first dall on her 1st birthday. she carried it around but did not really start giving it bottles and changing its close untill she was about 2. she also loves to put bows in her hair and dressup. but she will also go outside and get all muddy, catch frogs and play with bugs.