Do your girls actually play with dollhouse?

[pooh101]

DD6 is asking Santa for a dollhouse. I was quite a tomboy growing up and never got into dolls. My friends had them and we'd "play" for a few minutes, but you can barely even move the dolls around, let alone play anything.This may sound absurd, but really how do you play?Do you go into the kitchen to make some food, then sit on the couch and watch tv.etc. I'm clueless; but, I'd like to get my daughter one if there's any chance I'm missing something and it'll actually get used. Are there any really good ones out there?

 

[Momma2dakidz]

Oh man how I miss my dollhouse! My mom spent hours at my grandparents place building me my house for christmas. It was a huge dollhouse, 3 levels and i think it had 9 rooms. It was fully painted on the outside and she left teh inside for me to decorate. I spent many many many hours making furniture out of cardboard, coloring sheets of paper to use as wallpaper, and even more hours going to flea markets with my dad looking for miniatures to use inside of the house. I enacted MANY scenes with my family. I was a major down on the farm tomboy, most of my family play revolved around the animals and re-eenacting my own day to day activities. i just saw a dollhouse tonight at Hobby Lobby and almost bought it! I have no one to give it too but oh man I really wanted to re-live my childhood!


If you can, DEFINATELY get her that dollhouse. Honestly bigger the better! (putting it on a lazy susan helps her play with all 4 sides without it being in the middle of the room.)

If she likes to do crafts you could get her some Fimo dough to make food together. My mom and me would spend hours making different foods. eggs, fruit, bacon, heck we even made the kitchen plates!

 

[mom2princessj]

My dd would play with it often if we had one. We had a cinderella's castle but it was small and sat in a corner as it was hard to play with and the pieces kept coming off. We are now thinking of getting her a big wooden doll house for barbies/bratz etc. It really all depends on your dd. My dd has a small house and she plays with it every time she plays with her barbies which is quite often. I like the big wooden ones because you can play with different dolls in them not just the small dolls but small ones and barbie size dolls. I would suggest one of those. I've found some online but I think all the stores sell them so I'd check around and see what you can find. Good luck!

 

[melancholywings]

Man I loved my dollhouse growing up, I had a Tomy Better Homes one and played with it for years and years. My favorite game was to take all the furniture out of the house and pretend that the family had justed moved in, then I used a Princess Leia doll as an older sister and then as I got older borrowed my brother's GI Joes so that she could go on dates. I'd spend hours making furniture for it.
DD has a playmobile dollhouse and she plays with it occasionally, and she has a dollhouse her and I put together from a kit found at a thrift store. I let her paint the house - so it's garish and little girl. But she loves playing with it more than the playmobile one.

 

[jackie101]

my dd is 8 & loves her doll house & wants a bigger better one this yr for x-mas and I got it. She keeps it in her room & plays with it all the time she has 3 brothers who will beg her to play with it too with their cars & power rangers.

 

[WantToGoNow]

My dd(about to be 5) plays with hers all the time. We actually have 2. We have the big Little Tykes one that we got for barely nothing at a consignment shop that is down in the playroom and the smaller Fisher Price one that is in the living room. I've watched her play with them - she takes them to the kitchen to eat, sits in the living room, puts them to bed, the own downstairs has a toilet/tub so they do that as well. I saw her making her little girl hang out the upstairs window yelling at someone below jus like she herself does with our bi-level window with no screen. Her brother (7) plays with it occassionally himself but I notice his play is much rougher than hers.

 

[tchrrx]

My daughter (8) received one for Christmas last year & loves it. It's the one toy that she really plays with.

This is the dollhouse that she has:
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2384872


Apparently though, Santa didn't bring her the right one (according to her) and she really wanted this one:
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2673964

We had to convince her that Santa wanted her dollhouse to match her bedroom, even if she does like the bright colors better.

It is good quality. Ours did have a couple pieces of furniture broken when we received it. Since it's wood though, I was able to glue the pieces back together & there hasn't been another problem.

 

[delmar411]

my girls play with their houses all the time. If you never did then you won't be able to relate to how they play with them (I never did either so I understand) but it is pretty wonderful to watch them at play and how their imaginations are just churning away.

 

[GothTink]

My daughter ADORES her dollhouse. If she's asking for it, definitely get it.

 

[crisi]

Mine never did. Dollhouse was one of those presents that they really don't play with.

But my kids have never been toy kids. My daughter plays a little with Littlest Pet Shop. But they are TV, video game, board game, sports, crafts, play outside, dress up, ride bikes kids.

 

[tanyaandallie]

I was wondering the same! My dd wants one! We will likely get the one that the pp linked. A friendhas it and they love it!

 

[ALittleDisneyFan]

My dad built my dollhouse which I played with for hours at a time. It was my favorite. My mom gave it away to the neighbor because my dad was planning to build me another with more detail but then he died.

I'm getting my 2yo a "my first dollhouse" from fisherprice (i think is the brand). When she's older, I will want to build her a dollhouse.

 

[SLK1]

We have the Loving Family Townhouse and have had it for years now. It has gotten so, so much playtime! We wouldn't think of getting rid of it. Ever! Even when they're not playing with the "dolls" that came with it, it serves many other purposes, including a home for Littlest Pets, a Webkinz hotel, and, when my DS was little, he used it to imagine what it would be like if a tornado hit. Boys!!!

 

[luckey-lasvegas]

My DD has a smaller one that is now used for her polly pockets, and a Barbie condo that she plays with still ( she's 11 don't tell!). She had a hand made one from a kit that fell apart to fast. So I'd say go for it, she'll find a use for it one way or another.

 

[mom2travel]

My DD got her Barbie house (similar to the one in a previous post) when she was about 3. It was $99 at the time we bought it - definitely a good investment for us (still in great shape too). She is almost 9 now, and she and her friends still play with it alot. Not just Barbies - stuffed animals, doll babies, and of course to make a "kitty cottage" for our cats DD has always been into make believe and playing "family" and dolls. So look at how/what she plays (by herself and w/ friends) and combine with her request for one, and see whether you think she will use it.

 

[PebblesMom]

I loved my doll house, and I would play with it for hours. I learned how to sew because I wanted to make pillows for the beds and couch!

 

[pooh101]

DD6 is asking Santa for a dollhouse. I was quite a tomboy growing up and never got into dolls. My friends had them and we'd "play" for a few minutes, but you can barely even move the dolls around, let alone play anything.This may sound absurd, but really how do you play?Do you go into the kitchen to make some food, then sit on the couch and watch tv.etc. I'm clueless; but, I'd like to get my daughter one if there's any chance I'm missing something and it'll actually get used. Are there any really good ones out there?

O.K. I'm convinced it will get good use. That post about the webkinz was funny cause my dd mentioned that if Santa brings it for her, she can also use it for her webkinz to have a sleepover. The Imaginarium one looks like something she'd love--very girly, colorful, modern. Now to find a sale
Thanks for all your input.

 

[wahoo776]

I was looking for another answer on this forum, but thought I would add my two cents here.

My dd2 is playing with the same Fisher Price Loving Family dollhouse that my DD16 played with!
A daughters friend sold it to us (house and parts)for $25 when DD16 was 4 and this has by far been the most played with toy in my entire house ever. We have bought another and alot of pieces, I usually buy pieces when they are reduced, dds did not care whether she had the latest and greatest parts and they are VERY durable. The only reason we have two is because we need another house for neighbors, both are now over 10 years old and they are still in great shape and are easily washed.(I usually throw them and pieces in the dishwasher, no heat!)

It is funny we were keeping it for my dd16s children, but "surprise" God had another plan for our family! and a pleasant surprise she is!