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.

Coping with Autism via Dolls

Autism spectrum disorder, known as simply "autism," is the fastest-growing developmental disability in the U.S. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate the number of children with the disorder at 1 in 68 as of 2010. At 1 in 42, autism is more common among boys.