Dolls Are Okay for Your Baby Boy

Some social critics believe that inclinations to gender-specific toys are instinctive to a child. However, the results of a recent study conducted on babies contradict this long-standing notion.

A paper from the University of Sydney revealed that boys aren’t naturally fond of “manly” toys. The babies were shown photos of human dolls, cars, and stoves. The researchers then calculated the time the children took staring at the pictures. It turned out that dolls caught the baby boys’ attention more than cars and trucks did.

American Boy Dolls Teach Autism Understanding

Autism can be a difficult condition for people to understand. While compassion should be shown to those who have the disability, compassion for autism is something that doesn’t naturally occur to many kids, even though the condition itself is a lot more prevalent than most people think.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 out of 68 babies in the U.S. are born with a condition that falls under the autism spectrum. This represents a 119.4 percent increase from 1 out of 150 births in 2000, which makes autism the fastest-growing developmental disability in the country. These facts highlight the need for parents to be more proactive in guiding their children accordingly. To help with this, several toy makers create boy dolls specifically designed to promote autism awareness among children.

There’s Nothing Wrong with Boys Playing with Dolls

As you may very well know by now, the best way for children to learn is through play. In that sense, there’s really no point in making toys gender-specific—girls can play with cars and boys can play with dolls, and both of them can learn real life lessons from the experience. After all, what’s wrong with portraying little boys as nurturers? If you’re raising a son, wouldn’t it melt your heart if he wanted to take care of a baby doll, knowing that it could potentially make him a great dad one day?

Boy Dolls: Toys of Valuable Treasures

There is still the common notion that dolls are only for little girls. Though it may be true that majority of dolls are usually played by girls, it is still an undeniable fact that even young boys can benefit immensely from playing with dolls. There are a number of companies that create boy dolls, which are guided by the fact that all children, including boys, can discover treasures about life by playing with these kinds of toys.

Explaining Disability to a Child through Dolls

A family that cares for a child with disability regularly faces a lot of challenges. Every family member becomes involved in the task to maintain a welcoming, comforting environment for their disabled child. However, a recent study suggests that siblings may be the most affected of all.

How to Choose Toys for Children with Autism

Deciding what toys to give children with autism may seem challenging when you perceive that these children have “special needs.” However, a wide range of toys happen to be appropriate for their condition. If you’re aware of some autism concepts, you can find suitable toys:

Tips to Keep a Doll Collection Looking Brand New

More often than not, people purchase dolls so that their children have something to play with. For others, however, 18-inch dolls are valuable collectors’ items. If you fall in the latter category, you definitely want to keep your dolls in mint condition. This is a simple enough task if you follow the following tips:

Lose the Tan

Are you the type of person that likes to display his or her collection? If so, make sure you display your dolls away from sunlight. Direct sunlight is a doll’s worst enemy, as natural lights easily fade the color of a doll’s skin, hair, and clothes. The worst part is that the discoloration is uneven, making it difficult to repair.

Be aware of how the sun changes its movement patterns as the seasons change. If this proves difficult, you can always add treatments to your windows to keep your display area shaded at all times.

Smoke Outside

Cigarette smoke tends to cling onto a lot of fabrics, but doll clothes fabrics absorb the smell like nothing else. Removing the smell of smoke from dolls is very difficult, even for professionals. If you or a loved one smokes, do so outside your home.

Room Temperature

Take care to store your dolls in places where the temperature is regulated, especially if they are made of vinyl and other types of plastic. Very cold temperatures can lead to cracks along the body of your doll, while very warm temperatures can warp and discolor the body.

A Few Tips when Choosing Toys

Toys are one of the things that characterize a child the best. Toys keep a child entertained throughout the day and help stimulate his or her senses. Children are always bound to radiate smiles upon the receipt of a new toy—whether for their birthday or during Christmas holidays.

This is why it is important for parents and guardians to surround their tots with the proper toys to help the latter have the ultimate childhood experience. There are several pointers that thoughtful adults should consider when buying toys for children:

Variety is king. Choosing toys that only function if used a certain way can easily bore any child. It is better to choose a toy that allows children to use it in different ways. A toy that has longevity on its side will make it a child’s favorite.

Use the child’s imagination to your advantage. A child is extremely rich in imagination, so a toy that aids the child in make-believe activities like playing house is invaluable. A girl or boy doll is a perfect example of a toy that mixes well with a child’s role-playing games.

Aim for cross-generation playtimes. Toys like puzzles that can be played by both child and adult will result to more exciting and meaningful playtimes than usual. Toys of this type allow the adult to spend quality time with the kids.