Clueless about American girl please help!

[auralia]

First off dd (will be 5) knows nothing about American girl. She is a Disney girl though and doesn't like baby dolls, but loves the animators collection of dolls.

I was considering bringing her to the American girl store in atlanta for her fifth bday. I would let her get a doll and an extra outfit or two. We usually go to myrtle beach for her birthday, but thought a change up might be nice (we live in east ga).

Being that she doesn't know anything about these dolls is this a bad idea? She has seen her cousins doll and thought it was pretty but wasn't really given the opportunity to play with it as the cousin is pretty protective.

Is she too young for this? Am I jumping the gun? And is there any way to save money on something like this? I think buying the doll before hand to save money might ruin the magic of it, or will it? Are some dolls better than others? Anything to avoid? Are there ever any sales/deals in store. I know the only online sales seem to be free shipping around octoberish from what ive read here.

Would love any info or tips anyone might have! Thanks!

Also a hotel recommendation near the Atlanta American girl store would be appreciated too if you have one!

 

[smitch425]

First off dd (will be 5) knows nothing about American girl. She is a Disney girl though and doesn't like baby dolls, but loves the animators collection of dolls.

I was considering bringing her to the American girl store in atlanta for her fifth bday. I would let her get a doll and an extra outfit or two. We usually go to myrtle beach for her birthday, but thought a change up might be nice (we live in east ga).

Being that she doesn't know anything about these dolls is this a bad idea? She has seen her cousins doll and thought it was pretty but wasn't really given the opportunity to play with it as the cousin is pretty protective.

Is she too young for this? Am I jumping the gun? And is there any way to save money on something like this? I think buying the doll before hand to save money might ruin the magic of it, or will it? Are some dolls better than others? Anything to avoid? Are there ever any sales/deals in store. I know the only online sales seem to be free shipping around octoberish from what ive read here.

Would love any info or tips anyone might have! Thanks!

Also a hotel recommendation near the Atlanta American girl store would be appreciated too if you have one!

5 is pretty young for an AG doll. Also, I don't think I would want to spend almost $100 on something she really isn't wanting. Not that she wouldn't like it, but I would think that there might be $100 worth of other things she actually wants right now. Just my opinion, though. If you decide to go ahead with it, perhaps the bitty twins would be a good choice. Less hair to tangle and you get two for the price of one regular doll.As far as I know, the dolls themselves are never on sale, but sometimes the certain outfits are. Good luck!

 

[Pembo]

We started with an Our Generation doll from Target. It was a lot cheaper but similar to AG. DD, now 9, loved that doll and it peaked the interest for AG. She got her "girl" about 6 months later. She was 6 I think. She has always been a doll kind of girl.

 

[mjkacmom]

I'd wait until she wants it - usually around first grade, when they can start reading the books. My oldest was so excited to get her first one. However, her siblings inherited hers, and since they were younger when they got them, were not as excited.

 

[WDW2012]

I liked the suggestion of the Target brand one to start off with. I have a 5 yo dd and she is not a doll girl at all. We took her to the AG store in NYC just to see what it was like and she was like "do I HAVE to get a doll?" LOL. After seeing the prices and the amount of $$$ people spend on their dolls, I'm really glad she isn't into it.

 

[BrerMama]

What about a Bitty Baby or Bitty Twins? You can buy those at the store in American Girl stores and add accessories. My girls both got their Bitty Babies at 4 and they played with those until 7 or 8, when they were ready to move up to the American Girl dolls.

 

[auralia]

The main problem is the child has everything under the sun. Dollhouse, princess castle, leap pad (loads of games for it), trains, cars, kitchen set, play ground set, play house, trampoline etc.. People think I run a day care because we have so much. The spoiling isn't all my fault. Dh is military and our families send things down and that is at least half of the spoiling. That I why I thought of this it is the only darn thing she doesn't have that I can think of.

The only other idea I have is a nice etsy rapunzle dress... Which I just now remembered this idea so perhaps I do have something else I can give her!

 

[auralia]

Also she doesn't like baby dolls, she acts pretty "grown up" for her age.

 

[RitaE]

If you were going to do it I'd suggest you get the doll first and then let her take it to AG place to pick out a new outfit.

I say this because after watching my nieces and the neighbor girls with their dolls - those curly haired dolls in young hands are a nightmare and their hair just ends up in a frizzy rats nest. I'd get her something with nice straight hair that is easy to manage. The newest one, the gymnast, seems like it would be a good starter.

 

[ktlm]

She definitely isn't too young for it and will probably love it the minute she sees the store, the question is whether you want to start it when she isn't specifically asking for it as it can be expensive. I wouldn't mess with the Bitty Baby or Bitty Twins if she doesn't like Baby Dolls. DD(5)'s grandma got her the Bitty Baby when she was 2 and the Bitty Twins when she was 3, and she has never paid much attention to them. She was not a baby doll girl either.

Unfortunately, DD got started on AG early because we had a catalog in the house because from about age 4-8 it was all our niece wanted for birthdays and holidays (FYI- she is 9 now, and no longer has an interest in AG). The minute DD saw that catalog, she was hooked. At age 2, she got a "like" AG doll, and played with it pretty much constantly. At age 3, about June she started saying that Santa was bringing her an AG Felicity doll for Christmas, and she never wavered from that so he did. That doll got played with constantly and the doll still looks great over 2 years later. She has gotten other dolls since then because once you start, at least, at our house, AG becomes the holiday and birthday request every year. All of her friends have AG dolls too. It is pretty typical around here for girls to get them (and often a trip to the store a few hours away) for their 4th or 5th birthday. If you want to save a little money and not start AG right now, then you might look at the Princess & me dolls at Toys R Us. DD loves those. She still plays with her AG dolls, but Cinderella gets priority and is the favorite. They are cheaper and I think the dolls are good quality, but their clothes aren't quite as good a quality as the AG clothes. Compared to the AG beds, the princess bed is really junky, but DD doesn't seem to care. DD doesn't seem to care much about the back story of the AG dolls or the books. She makes up her own stories for the dolls. Those style dolls get constant play at our house. To us, they are worth it to us from the aspect that she plays with them all the time and they don't just get thrown on the pile and ignored like some other toys she has gotten. I'm glad we got them for her young while she is interested in having tea parties, and camp outs, and other "events" with them.

 

[auralia]

I am going to look into ordering a catalogue right now. I'll leave it laying around and see if it picks her interest. Great idea!

 

[ktlm]

The main problem is the child has everything under the sun. Dollhouse, princess castle, leap pad (loads of games for it), trains, cars, kitchen set, play ground set, play house, trampoline etc.. People think I run a day care because we have so much.

I can relate. I'm and only and DD is an only, so my Mom buys her so much stuff it is ridiculous. Well, at least if you start her on AG, it will give your family something else to buy her.

DD was one of those 3 going on 13 kids too. She started speaking in full sentences at 1 year old. She treats the AG and similar style dolls as her equals and her friends, or as people older than her, not as her children. I think that is what made the difference in why she plays with them constantly but would barly touch dolls that looked like babies or younger than her.

 

[mom2val]

.

 

[tink576]

You can also try shopping on craigslist for AG doll clothes, you'll find some people sell their used AG outfits when their kids stop playing with them for a fraction of the price.

 

[ceecee]

I would wait until she asked for it. A trip is so special when they are into the dolls, we didn't go to the AG store until DD was 11. I wouldn't waste $ on the Target dolls so not worth it. I think 5 may be a little young, but it depends on the girl, some are more responsible than others. My DD got Samantha at age 8 and promply painted her nails! She could have gotten a haircut (her friend did that to hers) so I guess we were lucky there.

 

[MinnieForMe]

Hi:
My daughter started her AG obsession (for the 18 inch dolls) at 5. She loved her trip to the AG store. I agree with ordering a catalog and seeing if she "falls" in love with a doll. I would NOT order for her. My daughter had very strong opinions of which doll she wanted I would have loved to get her Rebecca but it was Elizabeth for her or nothing.

Good luck!