Would you let your kids play with your dolls?

I've been in the hobby 7 years and my son is two years old. I'm definitely at the point where I'm going to downsize.. There is a lot less time for solo activities compared to pre-baby. I let him poke at some of the tinies sometimes under supervision. I expect to be a lot less active in the hobby for a while.

 

I would say it definitely depends on the child. I have seen some very careful kids and the complete opposite of careful as well. (Kids flock to me for some reason) It depends on how they are raised whether or not they are trustworthy to hold a BJD. Although, I don't own a BJD (yet) I probably would never let a child "play" with one, or at least in the way they most likely would want to.

 

I'm uncomfortable around children and don't ever intend to have my own, and with my choice of partners, can't accidentally make one. This may bias my answer a bit.

I don't let anyone, regardless of age, anywhere near my dolls unless they understand what they cost and what they mean to me, and are willing to replace anything they break. To me that is fair. This means my mother has met my dolls a couple times, and my girlfriend @NerdyNeko meets them all the time. Beyond that, I have maybe three friends that have even seen them.

While I'm sure everyone on this thread can beg to differ with me, and that mature children do exist, I work in retail, and they're pretty rare there. Besides which, even a mature child can have an accident, particularly since I only collect SD's and they're heavy, and can't offer any fix but an apology. Though apologies are nice, they aren't going to help me pay the potentially between $50-250 to replace broken things (and sometimes more if it's one of my soom fantasy parts or a harder to get head.)

I suppose, if one of my friends had a kid, and that kid was around 12, I might let them look, cause by then they'd be able to grasp the concept of looking and not touching, and that's generally the age at which I'm a little more comfortable around children.

 

I DO let my children interact with my dolls. My son is 4.5 years old & my daughter is about to be 6 months. My son enjoys stroking their hair a lot & carries them around if I allow him. My daughter is a bit more limited (obviously), but she really loves to look at them.

 

I'm child-free, personally, but I do have a much-younger cousin (and there are people I went to high school with who have similarly-sized kiddos to him). He's generally pretty respectful of other people's things-- if it's something he thinks is interesting, he'll ask and he might get a hand on it before asking, in a gentle 'can I pick this up?' way, something that happened when he was over to "help" unpack at our new house.

When it came to my sister's doll collection, he was very interested in having her open the cool-looking doll boxes, and very interested in her doll stands, of all things, but then pretty immediately ready to move onto things that were more fun, once the dolls themselves were out. So I think my dolls will probably be safe from tiny hands. At least until any even smaller future nieces or nephews, I guess.

(His mom collects miniatures, unrelated to dolls, so he is used to tiny things, some of which are delicate and not to be really played with)

 

We have a 4 year old daughter in the house, and she's actually been trusted to pick up and bring the dolls to us on occasion. She is surprisingly gentle, even with the smaller sizes. I even let her cuddle my Frankie one evening while I told bedtime stories to her, and Frankie came out of it perfectly fine. The only things I personally stress is for her to wash her hands before handling them and to refrain from touching their faces.

I think there is such a thing as being too careful with our kids. If our kids are so nervous around the dolls and afraid we'll snap at them if they so much as touch the dolls' clothing, then they might grow up developing an unhealthy attitude toward them. I've noticed the more I chastise her for touching Zenith, the more prone she is to grabbing him and cuddling him when my back is turned. If I let her do so under my supervision, she normally doesn't act out as much or grab him without permission. Quite obviously our daughter is still too young to own a BJD herself, and I wouldn't entrust anything over $40 to her because I know it will break eventually, but we hope that as she gets used to our ever-growing family of dolls that she will find herself used to them enough to want one of her own down the road.

 

My kids grew up with my BJD (and doll) collection and they are teenagers now. I've selectively let them handle all of my dolls over the years and they have been raised by a doll collector - look with your eyes, you always ask before you touch, and your hands are always clean. I've since bought them their own dolls. I recommended companies based on aesthetics they like. They chose the clothes, shoes, and wigs. Everyone is happy to have something they can claim is theirs in the doll room.

 

My son was 3 when I got my first BJD but I had porcelain and playline dolls before that. He was also fascinated and very gentle with them, so I gave him one of my OT dolls for his very own, a Hujoo. He adored it; dressed it, photographed it, brushed it's hair, and played with it in the miniature dollhouse I built. He's grown out of it since then, but I think it's a great middle ground for younger kids who want their own BJD but aren't really ready for one yet.

 

When I have children, they will probably get to play with my old (my new ones now will be very old then!) beloved original dolls, the first ones I got and couldn't let go of. If they wanted to of course. Or I'd start them off with cheap, smaller dolls. I think it's great that a child would want to save up for their own instead of just demanding one!

 

My boys are 3 and 5 and they are madly in love with dollie play time. The 3 yr old is quite the director of photos..."she needs the coffee cup, his hair is in his eyes," etc. The 5 yr old is director of aesthetics and has very definite ideas about styling. "She would never wear that dress...it's just not her...and don't braid her hair, she likes it soft." (My husband is not always amused)

It's great to play together and watch their imagination and creative growth. Being able to have their input and play time takes some of the mystique away from the dolls whereas if they were completely off limits they would be irresistible for them. They are always very careful and gentle...and I make sure that my dolls are back in their case long before the Light Saber battles begin....they are boys after all

 

My two year old is fascinated by my BJD and Blythes. They get kisses and they always must have wigs or shoes or he hunts them down to put them back on. I did downsize a lot after having him. I have two BJD left (a volks YoSD and a pukipuki). So far he's extremely careful with any of our toys. My husband collects transformers so the baby is always being reminded, look, don't touch, or touch gently.

 

I don't have kids or many dolls yet, but I like the thought of them being passed through the generations.

 

I started with BJDs when my son was 3. I watched him very carefully around them, had taken him to a couple of doll meet-ups, and by the time he was four I got him a very small, non-BJD "practice" doll. He was so careful with her that I took a chance and got him his own MSD for his fifth birthday. (I was that age when I got my first porcelain play doll from my grandma, and she's still in fine shape, so yes, there are careful small children!) Ken (a Volks MSD Ken, he liked the name too much to change it!) is still in marvelous shape after 9 years. My son now has four dolls, and is at the age of working and saving toward his next one.

It's been a delight to watch him over the years be inspired by his dolls--he's learned to sew, make props, write stories, take photos, and treat them as special sort of "forever friends" that don't move away or become rude because they think they've outgrown cartoons or Pokemon or Legos, which has happened a lot at this stage in his life. He has made some solid friendships through this hobby, and that is a pleasure to watch too.

 

i dont have nor do i plan to have kids, but i do have younger cousins, and the answer to this is a big fat no. i havent had good experiences with kids, and its my knowledge that they dont really care for precious items that much. its not always their fault cause they dont know the value, and there are some mature kids who listen when they need to be gentle. but all i can picture is a grubby child grabbing my doll and throwing it to the ground :'- ( so ill stay on the side of caution and avoid that scenario altogether.

 

I don't have kids, but if I did I would react the same way as I would with pets. You can play with them if you take care of them.
With pets you can't pull their tail or do other things they don't like. You can't drag them around and you have to mind their feelings. With dolls it's a bit different, but you have to be careful and gentle. If not you can't ply with them. Kids are smart, and if your patient, fair, and explain to them why the rules exist in terms they understand, they will listen.

 

Just wandering back in here to update on my experience with my kids. Twins, currently 7 years old and a two year old, all girls. They 'love' their own dolls to death - dragged around, twisted, banged on things, bits broken or cut off, you name it. But they don't touch my dolls. I don't keep them out of reach or locked away, but even the two year old knows 'no touch mummy's dolls'. There were a few times when the youngest took a (small) doll off the shelf and brought it to me (yep, trying to be 'helpful'!), but they were teaching moments. She hasn't done that since before she turned two.

They don't play with them (yet), but yeah... Just like adults, kids can learn if they care to. It isn't about the age nearly as much as it is about how much your feelings matter to them.

 

Yes, my 20 month old son sometimes strokes their hair and gives them kisses. But he is a carefull and sweet kid and he is always supervised either by me or his dad when he plays with them.
Exept for my DZ Shoyo, I never give her to him because she is too big and heavy and I hope to keep her almost 9 year old but still perfect company face up intact (dont know if thats the right word).

 

My 3 year old brother loves my dolls! He constantly asks how they are, where they are, can he hold them, etc. I don't mind since I've taught him how to hold them and he isn't naughty around them at all, since he knows how precious they are to me. So if I ever have kids, I say why not? I'd have to teach them how to handle the dolls and what to do, but I would like to share the passion I feel for the hobby with them.

 

@Ayas-Shadow I really liked your answer. You raised some very good points and have the right attitude and approach with your children. I really appreciated your answer.

 

I would never let children play with my dolls. I would take care of my nephew he would touch them. But he knows that they're not like action figures.

 

My son, who is 9 actually has two bjds. Both I purchased for him while attending anime conventions. He is enthusiastic and enjoys going with me (probably due to the fact that mom pays and the fact he has 3 older sisters). I don't buy expensive ones for him and I ask him to play with them with me present. He is good with them and takes care of them.

 

My youngest nephew is 9, and although he doesn't play with the dolls, he's quite artistic and gets curious about how I made things so I let him look and pick them up. He's quite careful, so I don't worry too much.

 

Not happening. I have a 4 year old daughter, and she can be quite a handful at times...She loves to play with my stuffs (usually my cosmetics, and some craft things like glitter glues, paints, stamps, etc)
I couldn't imagine if she decides to play all those things together ON my doll...

 

Thank you! I can now say, with the boys at 10 and 7, that it worked, too! Oldest will still 'play' with me with them if I'm taking photos. He likes to take pictures, too, or hand them to me, or help pose them sometimes. Youngest HAD his own dolls (Bratz I got for free, and some Barbies I bought to steal clothes from) that he liked to pretend to give face-ups to while I worked on my dolls. Sometimes he still plays with them, but not very often. And my dolls are no longer of interest. Their props and furniture are, as they work with the boys' action figures, too, so we're still working on that end. They like seeing new dolls I get, and what I do with the ones I have. But other than that, they completely respect the dolls, and have no real interest in them aside from them being something to do WITH me once in a while.

 

No, I wouldnt. I've tried it with my nephew and she broke the doll's arm(

 

I wouldn't let a young child play with my BJD's as they are too easily broken and so expensive. Sure some children can be relatively careful but I still wouldn't be comfortable with it as at the end of the day if they did accidentally break one I would only have myself to blame. They can look but not touch. My standard dolls that are made of vinyl or durable ABS I would be okay with them handling but again as they are collectibles I wouldn't actually let them "play" with them.

 

I don't have kids, nor do I want to have any, but I doubt I would ever let a child play with one of my dolls. However, I took very good care of my barbie dolls as a child. I kept their hair and clothes neat and because of that was even given a couple of expensive porcelain dolls that I still have today in perfect condition (if a little dusty). So, if the kid were older and took good care of their things like I did, I might consider letting them hold one under supervision, and only after I've made sure they know to be very careful and not touch the face.

 

my son (10years & 7years ) look and give me their opinion on the custom, they have always known that it is fragile and too expensive.
Their respect it a lot!
my younger, when he has 4 years was a little more desire to touch, I let him do under surveillance and on the large bed if a bad grip and then I gave him my ken and barbie young girl .. .there found his account

 

I've been around BJD's since I was about 3. I got my first BJD on my 5th birthday. I've had him close to 10 years.

 

No. My child will not touch my dolls until he truly knows the value of dolls and the daily maintenance.

 

I personally wouldnt let them, but its just.. my opinion. i honestly dont let anyone touch my dolls

 

I understand that we do not touch his dolls, I should not even have so much I am awkward, lol.
I believe that having left my dolls under the high security of my sons makes them less curious to do so secretly! When I was small I touched all that was forbidden to me, out of curiosity and defeated. My dolls are not in danger at home, it is reassuring and pleasant because I do not have to shelter them.

 

Kids can be trained to handle them carefully. My kids were 1 and 5 when I moved from fashion dolls to BJDs and they are good with them. They are now 13 and 17. They can redress, re-wig, re-arrange the dolls, help me dust and re-arrange the doll room. Even at a young age when they have friends over wanting to go into the doll room, they knew the rules: no food and drink in the room, no touching without permission, clean hands before you go in, no touching whatever is currently on the worktable.

 

No way, I remember being a kid and I was super irresponsible. Kids usually do break things so I don't think so.

 

Not until they were old enough to understand monetary worth, or at least respect for other people's belongings. I would probably try and get them some non-resin BJDs and hope they'd be content while they were still young.

 

Well, my son is just one year old so no, not yet. But when he's older I will - supervised, of course.
When I was still living with my parents I let my then-5-y/o little brother touch my dolls. He was always very careful.

 

I understand "it's expensive, it's precious and fragile" but look more closely at it, children (+5 <) do not always break more things than some adults. Adults broke hearts, clumsy children of objects ... it's easier to forbid than to take the time to explain and educate a child to be careful and respect the things expensive or cheaper because the Value of an object is also that which is borne to it. I prefer to integrate my children to my hobby and share with them who are interested, that live grumpy "my precious" alone in my corner. .. its one opinion

 

I have younger siblings and they are not allowed to play with my doll at all. I wouldn't trust them with him at all.

 

Hell no, they have their own dolls. These are not for children.

 

I do not have any children, nor do I think my husband and I will, but if we ever did I don't think I would let them "play" with my dolls. Maybe admire them, or help me dress them or something, but I couldn't see myself letting them get on the floor and play around with them like they're Barbie's. They're definitely not meant for the kind of play that most young children do. Obviously this changes are the child gets older, so I guess my opinion would change as well. But if I ever did decide to have children, I think I would only allow them to do minor things with my dolls until they got old enough to understand and respect them for what they are.

 

if i have kid,i wont let them to touch my doll
because i think they don't know how to take care of my doll
they will break my doll i think

 

I have little brothers and I would not let them play with them because I`d be so scared they would break them!

 

I don't have any children. If all goes well, I will never have any children. However, I'm the eldest child of a large extended family, with one little sister of my own. So, I've been around a lot of kids, is what I'm saying.

Would I let a child play with my dolls? It would absolutely depend on the individual child. I can't make a blanket statement one way or another. Myself as a nine year old would have been fine with them. I was an extremely careful child. My little sister I'd have waited until she was a young teenager, simply because she was a very clumsy kid. One of my cousins is 17 and I still wouldn't trust her with something as expensive as a BJD, because she's very careless (but she wouldn't have any interest in them, anyway). Another of my cousins is only six right now, but I suspect she'll be able to be trusted to play with them under supervision by the time she's eight or so. I want her to get out of the "dropping things" stage, but she's very careful and gentle with everything she plays with.

Hell, there are plenty of adults I wouldn't trust to be careful with a doll. It's all about the individual.

 

My son was eight years old when I got the doll. Now this doll is as old as once he was. In all that time he never touched her. And always worried that I didn't break it. I recently changed the rubber band and notice how the son, watching me through the slightly open door. Called him and asked him to help me assemble the doll. It was very touching.

 

My boy Sam just turned six and is very respectful of my dolls. This may be due to living in a household of collectables (thousands of comics, action figures, Breyer horses, and a few motley dolls) as well as artwork and "dangerous" tools which are off limits. He knows to ask before he touches, and so far so good! This might of course change as he ages, as I fear he has inherited his father's rebellious nature.
Sadly, I don't have a ton of time for my dolls right now beyond admiring them, as Sam and my studio practice come first. However, Sam helps me name new doll arrivals, and we are planning to modify a Yukinojo/mirodoll hybrid into one of his favorite video game characters this year. Mommy/son project.

 

My daughter was 2 years when I got my first BJD. I always was adamant that she has not to touch them, and kept him away in a cabinet. Today she is allowed carrying them, touching them, but not to play with my dolls.

She wants one of her own, but I think it is too early. Right now, she has some kind of substitute doll made of vinyl. If she keeps her interest, she may get one in 2-3 years.

 

My nephew loves my dollfie dreams! I always make him wash his hands and I change them to cheap clothes and wigs before I let him touch them, but he's always been enchanted. He's interested in my resin boy too, but since resin is less durable than vinyl when it comes to falls and whatnot I don't let him play with him. Besides, my resin boy is as tall as he is since he's only 3!

 

I was 14 when I got my first BJD, so I basically did grow up with them. When I started in the hobby I was TERRIFIED to restring and take the heads off; I would go through ridiculous lengths to not do either. It cracks me up now because I'm obviously aware of how simple it is, but I was definitely overly gentle with them.

 

My kids have grown up with my dolls. (BJD's, fashion dolls, 1/6 scale figures). They are almost 7 now and I have promised I'll buy them their own BJD's when they turn 8. Plastic ones like Hujoo. They have left my dolls alone and have never broken any of their own dolls (Barbie and Monster High).
They are interested in photographing and I hope they will be interested in making their own dollstuff with me in the near future.
I hope they will enjoy dolls all their lives. I feel sad when I see kids as young as 8 selling their toys away because they don't play anymore. It is age when you are beginning to be old, patient and handy enought to start to do your own dollclothes, dollhouses and so on. I remember when I was a kid playing with my friends with our Barbie, Daisy and Sindy dolls. One really important part was making things for them. Sewing, knitting and crotching clothes, building houses out of cardboardboxes, making furniture and other stuff.

 

I started collecting dolls when my eldest was a couple of years old, it snowballed from there. So all three have never known a life without dolls and toys. They mostly ignore the bigger dolls, they're too large and weird for them to want to play with I think. However eldest did LOVE my Monster High and I used to let him play with them supervised (they are quite fragile and he was like 3) and I have some lovely photos of him with them.
Middle son has a couple of dolls of his own because he claimed them, youngest stole one of the mlps lol. I don't mind so much, I enjoy sharing my toys and seeing the delight on a kid's face is so worth it.

Now with the BJDs, they aren't really allowed to touch because you know, expensive, but they show no real interest in doing so.
They like the wigs, but the dolls themselves? Not so much.
The LOVE their accessories too, small doll accessories seem to really entertain them.
I lost several doll vehicles, an entire fridge and a bed to the kids lol. They take them and then I haven't the heart to take them off them.

My husband also collects dolls so the kids are sort of just used to them. Eldest seems to find them slightly annoying now because theyr'e "in the way". Earlier he looked at me and told me "mum, move your dolls, they're on the shelf I want to put my laptop!"
and I looked and told him "those aren't my dolls, those are dad's, talk to him." so he marched over "DAD! move your dolls!"
He won't touch them himself, he's too scared to and the bjds are quite heavy, so we just get yelled at to move them.

I think they'll probably grow up slightly annoyed by dolls hahaha.

 

Hey, sorry if a post like this already exists. I found a couple in search, but they were locked. Hopefully this is ok
So when people talk about having kids and collecting BJDs, it seems like they're mostly focused on the bad, or on worries. Either collecting makes them feel guilty for not spending every spare dime on their kids, or having kids makes them nervous that their dolls will be neglected or broken. So I'm curious, does anyone else think there are benefits to having kids and dolls?
For example, I have 2 girls, 2 years and 7 months old. Of course my 7 month old doesn't really know what's up, but my 2 year old loves dolls and I think my hobby benefits her because I know how to sew clothes for her dolls, fix them when they get broken or dirty, and I'm always eager to get her cute new dolls. Having her is great for me because I don't have to feel self-conscious about scouring the toy aisle anymore haha. Also sometimes I steal her doll clothes, which is how I now know that some Lammily clothes fit ResinSoul single-jointed msd. (And wellie wishers/glitter girls shoes fit, and Calico Critters clothes are a reasonably good fit on Pukipukis) Basically, I love having a little buddy who enjoys dolls as much as I do.
Anybody else feel the same?

 

I do feel the same. I started collecting BJD's when my daughter was 10, and she was always a gentle and conscientious girl so I easily could have had her around them earlier. I took her to meetups with me, we surfed the websites together, and when she started to want one of her own she started saving up her own allowance to buy it herself. She would do extra chores and squirrel away birthday money from Grandpa, it took a whole year but she did it. I think it's a great lesson in saving up, and a great lesson in treating things with respect. If you have to work THAT hard for something you're going to treat it well

 

I started in hobby 12 almost 13 years ago and my daughter not a kid anymore joined for a couple of years. But then daughter in law joined and has been a great friend too to share hobby with. Now granddaughter is slowly joining. She's now five and I have high hopes she will join us on trips to meet ups in a couple of years.

 

Aw, this is a sweet thread. And yes! There are certainly pros to having children in this hobby. My child loves to stroke my dolls' hair and touch their hands. Just a simple thing, but it can be very cute to watch the careful attention.

 

Yes, I have come across some not so nice things towards people who have kids and dolls. So this is a refreshing take on the subject. My eldest doesn't seem to like the dolls, he finds them weird, but he likes his dolls (a.k.a. action figures). But he enjoys miniatures, and wants his own dollhouse for them. So we get to share that aspect of the hobby.

My youngest is 11 months and he LOVES my dolls. I was showing him my 60cm Obitsu girl, which he loved and held her hand! Her wig was being finicky (it's a size too large) and during the course of trying to fix it, her head popped off, and he stopped and frowned. He wasn't happy until I put her head back on. XD The Little Fox also likes other off-topic dolls that I have.

 

That is such a good point! I hadn't even thought of that but it is a great lesson.

Wow, three generations! That is so cool. Life goals, right there.

Oh my gosh, kids loving on dolls is the cutest thing! I love seeing that affectionate, nurturing side in my toddler.

 

Two of the people in my local doll group are a grown mother daughter pair. It warms my heart that they have a hobby they can share, especially as two grown ups!

 

I have no children myself but from the other view side of coin I followed my mum into doll collecting granted mum didn't have BJD's but it taught me to respect the doll and was a great hobby to be both involved in and she it was an ideal way to start to learn about price of things and to be patience saving up to buy a doll of your dreams. I still have some of my mum dolls

 

I am the daughter of a doll collector. While my mother does not collect bjds specifically (currently only has one), she did help me know that liking dolls when all other girls started saying "barbies are dumb" was okay. She showed me that there is more than just the toy isle in Target and the beauty of artist-made dolls, but also that play dolls like Barbies and American Girls were fine too. I love that my mom is a doll collector and raised me in a way that helped me grow into the hobby. She has always been supportive and never looked at me weird when I sat one of my dolls with me during a family movie night (because sometimes she would do it to). I think this also helped with my dad. Since my dad was already used to my mom being a doll collector, he has never bat an eye at me playing with my dolls or whatever (of course, he does not know how much some of my dolls cost either, lol).
I am so happy I am the child of a doll collector, because when I felt I had to hide my love of dolls from my peers, I could always gush about them to my mom, and she could do the same with me!

 

I wouldn't even have my bjd hobby if I hadn't had my daughter. I started out by sewing clothes for her American Girl doll when she was little, just because the official AG clothes were so expensive. Then I discovered I was pretty decent at making doll clothes and that I really enjoyed doing miniature fashion design. From there I went to selling AG clothes on Etsy, and that was fun for me and my daughter too...she liked to help me dress up the dolls and set up for listing photo shoots and so on. Eventually I came across bjd on Flickr when me and the child were looking at AG and Pullip pictures, and I was drawn to the idea of sewing for such big, realistic dolls. I ended up buying my first bjd with money I made from my American Girl Etsy, and when my second one came with a free event yo-sd size doll, I gave the tiny one to my daughter. So we've pretty much always had this hobby together. When we started and she was still a kid, I painted all of our dolls...years later, she's become a ridiculously good faceup artist. All of my dolls are painted by her; I still make her dolls all their clothes. So yeah....dolls are kind of our thing together.