OT--What age for AG doll?

[30ishmom]

Hi there-

What is a good age for a girl to get her first AG doll??

My DD has mentioned that she would like an AG doll for her birthday this year. She will be 5. She plays with the dolls she has and she has a few AG catalogs that she looks through a ton, but I'm worried that she will be too young. Basically, I want to get her something nice for 5th birthday, but I don't want to shell out the bucks for something that she won't enjoy.

Does anyone have any advice? Is 5 too young for AG doll??

Sorry for the OT nature of this question...now back to planning for our WDW trip in April!!!!

THANKS

 

[RobinFabulous]

I think it depends on how responsible she is. My dd got one for her 10th as she had never shown any interest in owning one before. I think it would be great to get one and the book and use that as your nightime reading. I do think they mean more when the child understands thier stories, but that's just MHO

 

[momma of 2]

I have a dd who will be five a couple of days after Christmas. All she talks about is getting an american girl doll. She looks through catalogs all day and even said that if she only gets an american girl doll she will be happy. I am planning on getting her one because I know she will take care of the doll. I plan on brushing her hair because I hear that can be a problem. I think that is the main reason they say age 8 and up is because of the hair. I hope this helps. Good luck

 

[koolaidmoms]

I would say 7-8. They are expensive and if they are abused why spend that kind of money? We waited until 7. My 8yr old loves the dolls and books.

They do have new baby dolls. I know nothing about those. The hair is a pain and dressing them can be tough sometimes for finger that are not overly nimble.

 

[gillenkl]

My daughter is 9 and has no interest in AG dolls She did get a bitty baby when she was 7 and played with it occassionally, but not very much.

 

[wdw_girl_18]

I got mine when I was six! But I wanted one long before that!

 

[MiniGirl]

It just really depends on the girl. My oldest got one the holiday after her 8th birthday and she played with it occassionally. Now, however, she plays with it all the time and has asked for Felicity. This is the first time she has shown an interest in any doll. My youngest was so dissappointed not to get one when her sister did that we got her Mia for her 6th birthay, and she plays with her all the time, and has circled just about everything in the AG catalog as something she wants this year. She won't be getting everything that she circled but will be getting a couple of things and, yes, another doll.

My girls understand the dolls are pricey and they do take care of them -- much better than they care for their other toys actually. Also, we love the books and have enjoyed reading them, too.

They are not for everyone, but my girls really enjoy them.

 

[30ishmom]

Thanks everyone for your replies!! Seems like the consensus is that the right age varies depending on the girl. I have a while before DD's birthday so I think I will wait and see if she keeps talking about it. If she does, I think I"ll go ahead and get one....worst case, she'll play with it for awhile, set it aside and get more into it when she's a few years older.

 

[1LuckyMom]

FYI If she liked Samantha, that doll and her stuff is going into the archives. So the doll, clothes and accessories will only be available while supplies last. Some of her things are sold out already.

 

[tanyaandallie]

We gave my dd the AG Bitty Twins for her 5th bday. She loves them and plays with them a ton. She would LOVE one of the AG dolls but we are waiting on them. I want her to be able to read the books (and understand them) so that she understands the story that goes along with the doll she has. Maybe for her 6th bday but I'm thinking likely for Christmas next year when she is 6.5.

 

[LisaMommy]

I already have one of the dolls put away for my DD's 5th birthday. I have let her play with my AG from when I was a child and my DD has been told many times that these dolls are extra special, and that she has to be super careful. I don't think there's anything wrong with a five year old having one.

 

[mom2princessj]

Well I have to say it depends on your child. My dd is 5 and she's had bitty baby since she was 2 and the AG dolls since she was almost 4. She takes very good care of them and I also help with their hair and dressing them. It's actually fun for us to dress all the dolls and she really loves taking them places with her and playing with them. I think its how you approach the doll with your child. My dd really understands that these are special dolls and they are to be treated as such. When I tell her she's not allowed to comb Nicki's hair she doesn't touch it (curly hair is very hard to manage so I recommend a doll with shoulder length straight hair for the younger girls like Kit or a like you doll). Good luck...if you think she can handle it I'd say don't wait...I'd be afraid that the older the girl is the less likely they are to play with the dolls as much. At least this way I feel like we are getting our monies worth out of them.

 

[mamacatnv]

I just bought DD her first one, Julie (Christmas gift) she is 10 and has never asked for one or shown any interest. About a month ago she mentioned it and has been bringing it up ever since.

Personally, at $125 that I just paid for doll and outfit I would not get one for a younger child. The website says 8+ for the older dolls and 3+ for the baby dolls.

 

[Tink561]

My daughter is getting AG for Christmas. She will be 3 the first week of January. She is very excited about getting dolls and I think she will be fine. She doesn't trash her toys. She has the doll from the Disney Princess Tea Party and does fine with that one.

We have lots of the books but haven't read them yet. Right now she will be getting princess dresses for them so we'll hold off on the historical accessories until she is older.

Even if something happened to them I can send them to AG to be fixed later. BTW, she has no interest in the Bitty Twins. She wants "Molly with the glasses."

 

[princesspiglet]

DD (will be 6 in 6 days) got the Itty Bitty twins when she was 4 and has been begging for an actual doll since she was 3. I told her then she wasn't getting one until she was 6 and for the past 6 months she has been reminding me that she will be 6 soon! So for xmas she is getting Mia, along with all her accesories since she is the doll of the year.

Next Easter I will get her Molly since she wants her also. I will probably get her 2 a year as long as she takes good care of them and plays with them.

 

[Ariel8676]

My Older 2 girls (they are 7 and almost 6) got a bitty baby for their 1st b-days. Then last year they each got 3..we have a just like you doll, Samantha, Molly, Felicity, Elizabeth and Emily. My dd that will be 6 is getting Mia for her b-day this year and Kit for Christmas. My 7 year old wants Josephina and Ruthie. They take very good care of their dolls and play with them all the time. They both read all the books and have all the movies.
My youngest (almost 3) has a Bitty baby and bitty twins and plays with them all the time and takes such good care of them...she like to watch the movies too!!
I also thik it really depends on the girl..if your daughter is a responsible 5 yo and takes good care of her things then i say go for it. We are taking my soon to be 6 yo to the AG cafe in NY on her b-day in 2 weeks, she cannot wait!!

 

[eatright]

My daughter got her first AG doll last February when she was 4. We took her to NYC and made a weekend out of it. She got her second this summer in Chicago. I think it definitely depends on the child. My daughter is much more mature than many 4/5 year olds...if your child is the type that will take scissors to the to dolls hair, then you want to wait. I'd definitely recommend the entire experience of AMerican Girl versus just ordering the doll online.

 

[kpadalik]

My DD (6 in 3 weeks) has the Bitty Baby and has had her for a couple of years. She plays w/ her all the time. She treats her Bitty Baby (Baby Madison) like it's a real doll and she's a real mommy - which is exactly the premise behind this type of baby doll. She wants a big doll, but knows she needs to be 7 before she gets one. I think it just depends on your child, but at 7 I know she will be reading very well by then and will start learning about historical times in the US. She can actually understand what the doll is about - not just another playtoy. She wants the Kirsten doll, but I want her to understand what the doll is about and that each doll comes w/ a history behind her. If I am spending that much money on a doll, I want her to appreciate the meaning behind it and the whole premise behind American Girl dolls. I think that 3, 4, and 5 year olds don't understand or have the appreciation yet for historical eras in our country's history. There are plenty of other dolls that are similar looking to the AG dolls for that younger age group. This is only my opinion, so no flame-throwing please!

 

[Ariel8676]

I would never throw flames for giving your opinion, but that is why i said it totally depends on the girl....my older 2 have been reading (very well) since they were 4, they really do understand about each of their dolls. We also read the books together so my youngest will have a bit of understanding.

 

[kpadalik]

Ariel,

Thank you for your response. I am glad to see that your girls use the dolls as they are meant to be used - for play as well as educationallyl! I have a couple of friends who have bought their young DDs AG dolls and I see them thrown in the corner of the room, hair a mess. I've even had the mom ask me if I want the books for anything! Yes, this behavior is the parent's fault, but I just hate to see these beautiful (and expensive!) dolls played with like that. I think that the moms I know just want to be able to say that their DDs have AG dolls. You know what I mean? The dolls should be bought for the right reason and when your DD is old enough to respect them!