Another American Girl question

[4littleones]

What would you do? 3 bitty twins, 3 AG dolls, or mix it up like (1 bitty/2 AG) or (2 bitty/1 AG)?

My 3 girls are almost 6, 4 and an almost 3 yr old. The soon to be 6 yr old and the 4 yr old both asked for AG dolls. Well I splurged. Really splurged. I have 3 AG dolls to hand out (one for each of my girls) and 3 Bitty twin girls (again one for each of my girls) I bought tons and tons of 18" clothes for them both from AG and the other brands. I also bought a bunch but not as many bitty twin/baby clothes. We have doll strollers but I bought 3 bunk beds (one for each of my girls). I made a make-shift closet for all their doll clothes from a thrift store find.

My dilemma:
Do I give ALL this stuff to my girls for xmas? They are also getting other things from Santa that were on their lists. I think that one doll each would be the "normal" thing to do but I don't know if I should go with 3 Bitty twins, 2 AG and 1 Bitty Twin for the almost 3 yr old? Or just all 3 AG dolls so they all have the same?
I could save whatever I don't give them for bdays, etc. Or I have no problem returning somethings or reselling them on ebay. I just honestly don't know which option makes the most sense and which will be played with the most and cause the least amount of fighting between my girls. Our neighbor's girls have 18" dolls and doll clothes but only 1 authentic AG doll. That is how my girls know about them and why they asked for them.

What would you do? 3 bitty twins, 3 AG or mix it up?

 

[wiigirl]

I would mix it up...

 

[Maria1985]

It can be a killer

 

[Styx Fan]

Since you ask......I would give them all the bitty babies for now. Especially the 2 youngest ones. And no way would I give the baby an AG yet. Honestly, I probably wouldn't even give her a bitty baby yet. At that age most kids are still prone to writing on the dolls, getting them wet and just generally not taking care of them. I gave my daughter cheaper dolls until she was old enough to understand that AG dolls are special.

Now, if you don't care what happens to them, thats another story. I just hated to give my DD a toy that was going to stress us both out...me telling her to take care of it before she was ready and her listening to me nag her.

 

[navywifetill2002]

My DD got her 1st Bitty Baby for her 1st Birthday. She got a girl Bitty Twin for her 2nd birthday and the boy Bitty Twin for her 3rd Birthday. She doesn't get an actual AG "big girl doll" till she's read all the historical books and can make an informed choice of which doll she wants. We're going to start reading the books when she turns 5 and she'll get the doll for her 6th birthday. She's always been great with her toys so I didn't think twice about her writing on the dolls or not taking care of them and I'd rather have a few good dolls then a bunch of junk ones.

All that to say I'd go with a the Bitty Twins for your younger 2 and either for your 6 year old. If you think keeping them all the same is best then give her the Twin and keep the AG doll for her birthday. I'd keep the other AG dolls for your younger 2 for the same birthday year (ie it's your special gift when you're...6, 7, 8 whatever your magic number is).

For what it's worth we have 18" doll clothes and most of it we can squeeze our Bitty Baby into. The Bitty Baby clothes can also go on the 18" dolls usually with a pair of tights or leggings. Also, even though they cost more I can really tell a difference between the AG clothing and the knock off stuff that Granny keeps buying (both in the fit and quality).

 

[wendow]

I agree to hold off on giving an AG doll to the younger two. The Bitty babies are perfect for them though!

 

[Daisy'sMama]

Last time I was at the AG store, I saw several 2-3-4 year olds dragging $120 dolls around by their hair. It hurt my heart. In the books, the girls are all 9 turning 10. The books and the dolls are both marked ages 8 and up. My DD started reading the books at 8 and got her first doll around her 9th birthday. She treasures it and at 11 1/2, she still plays with them (she has 2 now) almost daily. We did get her a couple off brand ones (target) to see how she would do with them at a younger age. I would encourage you to hold off giving the younger ones real Bitty Baby dolls, maybe get some less expensive ones and give your oldest a Bitty Baby. The ones you bought will save until you think they are ready for them.

 

[ceecee]

I would do the Bitty Twins unless they specifically asked for their Santa gift to be an AG. Hold the dolls for a few years. Bitty's have a lot of fun stuff to play with and little ones tend to like the baby dolls.

 

[Pigeon]

Since you ask......I would give them all the bitty babies for now. Especially the 2 youngest ones. And no way would I give the baby an AG yet. Honestly, I probably wouldn't even give her a bitty baby yet. At that age most kids are still prone to writing on the dolls, getting them wet and just generally not taking care of them. I gave my daughter cheaper dolls until she was old enough to understand that AG dolls are special.

Now, if you don't care what happens to them, thats another story. I just hated to give my DD a toy that was going to stress us both out...me telling her to take care of it before she was ready and her listening to me nag her.

I agree

 

[jmac323]

I agree with some of the posts above regarding giving the younger ones the Bitty Twins. My almost 3 year old is getting a bitty baby this xmas and she has proven to take really good care of her other little babies. My oldest is almost 7 and will get her 2nd AG doll. She loves her Kanani doll and the doll goes everywhere with her and is well taken care of. We read the books together which I also love. She is getting an AG just like me doll this xmas. I would also say that if you are worried about arguments over the AG doll and bitties maybe give all the bitties out at xmas. I know my 6 year old still plays with her bitty too.

 

[madelyn]

Had our first trip to an AG store last summer when my daughter 4.5 years. The Bitty dolls were more her size and her age range but she seemed more interested in the 18 inch dolls. I wasn't sure what we would end up with at the time we were at the store so she ended up picking a Bitty feeding set that she could use with baby dolls she already had at home. Over the next few months we ended up with 3 used dolls reasonably priced from Ebay. One was hers and the other two were mom's! For her birthday she got a new Julie and for Christmas she got a new Kanani. So here she was, 5 years old with 5 American Girl dolls (two of them supposedly mom's)! She usually played with them with me so she learned to play with them responsibly. I did find out she cut the hair of one of the Ebay dolls a little. Otherwise she has kept the dolls in good play condition. We don't let her play with the dolls with other friends her age because the one time we did the dolls didn't get treated quite as nicely by the other girls who played with them like any other doll. My daughter is now 6 and I wasn't planning to add any more dolls to the collection but she will be getting a Marie Grace from my sister who jumped on that deal. I would give the girls all the Bitty Baby dolls first and wait for another time for the larger dolls. I would be worried that if you gave some 1 type and others another type, they would want what the other girls had. If you waited another year to give them the larger dolls then your youngest would be nearly 4 so hopefully old enough to play with the larger doll responsibly under guidance.

 

[Sunnywho]

I think you should give the three bitty twins first. That way they'll get more play out of those before moving up to the AG dolls. Once they get an AG doll, they may no longer play with the younger doll. The boy bitty twins are really nice too, if you want to add another bitty twin to the collection! For play, the beds and pajamas are nice, and the food sets are nice!

 

[4littleones]

My almost 6 yr old specifically asked for AG doll like her friends Josephina. My 4yr old also asked for AG but she is interested in both the 18" and the bitty.

I have bought tons and tons of 18 inch clothes for these dolls. The three 18" dolls were what my gut told me to do so I thought that would be it. Then I worried the 18" was a bad choice for my youngest and bought 3 bittys with some PJ's as an extra but not nearly all the stuff I had already bought for the 18" dolls. I mad one make shift doll closet and tons of hangers and I figured the 3 girls would share the clothes.

My biggest fear is my 5 yr old neighbor, she plays rough and brakes all of our stuff. My kids are all really good. I honestly can't imagine them writing on them or cutting their hair.

 

[anl]

I think 6 is plenty old for an ag doll. She will love it! My dd got twins at 4 and first doll at 5.

 

[QVCshopper]

I think 6 is plenty old for an ag doll. She will love it! My dd got twins at 4 and first doll at 5.

Same ages for my daughter, too. And my baby is getting her first Bitty Baby on her 1st birthday (but I did find it at a garage sale for $2). That Marie-Grace / Today Show deal a few weeks ago was awesome. The bed is so pretty!

 

[wannagoback]

I've got three girls (ages 8, 6, and 2) and we have three AG dolls, two Bitty Twins and 1 Bitty baby. I bought two and the others were purchased by loving family members. DD8 and DD6 started with their AG dolls but when DD2 (16 months at the time) got a bitty baby as a gift, DD6 really preferred playing with the bitty baby, which is why she now has a bitty twin. DD8 has always played with her dolls but only recently has enjoyed setting up furniture and really interacting with her dolls. They ALL enjoy playing with baby dolls still and they do much more role-playing with babies than they do with the AG dolls.

Your oldest may be ready for an AG dolls but my younger ones definitely prefer the bitty baby and bitty twin.

As far as clothes, it is actually the bitties that have a larger torso, so some of the AG stuff is tight to fasten on them, but for the most part, the clothes are interchangeable.

How fun for your girls. They've got a lot of nice gifts in their future!

 

[4littleones]

Thanks so much for all the input. We are struggling with the flu here (Dh, then me and now my little guy) The 3 girls have been healthy so far knock on wood. Just got tamiflu for my son so I hope he will be doing okay for christmas.

I am still so torn. What do you think if I just go ahead and give them each an 18" and a Bitty twin? Is that insane? I didn't get any dolls with curly or really long hair because I knew that would not be a good Idea. I got my youngest the older bitty twin from ebay. The one with short hair and little hair tie on top of her head. Her AG doll has medium length hair, I wish I would have gotten her Kit but the doll I picked out for my youngest still has manageable hair. If my almost 3 yr old isn't good with her 18 inch I can just put it away until she is ready right? I am the mom and I do make the rules around here last time I checked lol! I just picture my 3 girls, grandma and I dressing up all the dolls and having a blast. I have 6 dolls ready to go. Should I do it or am I nuts?

 

[4littleones]

As far as clothes, it is actually the bitties that have a larger torso, so some of the AG stuff is tight to fasten on them, but for the most part, the clothes are interchangeable.

How fun for your girls. They've got a lot of nice gifts in their future!

That is so good to know! Thank you! I lost track of how many outfits and shoes I bought. I spent a bunch online from AG and then I went bananas at JoAnn Fabrics buying the Springfield doll stuff. They will have a full closet of clothes to pick from.

 

[disprincess4ever]

I Woolf wait for the 2 girls younger than 6. In my opinion, no one should get an AG doll before the age of 6. I think parents forget the 8+ tag the dolls come with. If you wait out on the younger girls, then they will take better care of the dolls when their older. Also, it will prevent them from growing up too fast, don't rush childhood!

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

I really think you should wait on giving the youngest 2 the AG dolls. They aren't meant for kids that young. Kids that young try to take care of toys, but they still don't understand that some clothes and toys are more fragile than others. You are wasting your money giving them something meant for kids twice their age because you have visions of playing with the dolls with them. Give one to your oldest and a bitty twin to each younger girl.