Question for experienced American Girl Doll moms....

[tinkarooni]

My 10 year old daughter has two American Girl dolls, this year on her Santa list she put Lanie and a baby doll from the TRU catalog. She has been very into baby dolls lately, dressing them, changing them etc. So I'm debating about maybe compromising and getting the Bitty Twins. Are these way too young for her? They are $$$ and I don't mind getting them if they really get played with. Opinions? Advice? Open to ideas, thanks.

 

[icalum]

Mom to a DD8 and DD10 here. We have Bitty Twins and several full size AG dolls. I honestly think that the Bitty Twins will not have the play value for your daughter. For the last couple years, DD10 has been very into AG dolls, mostly because of the books that accompany them, something that is not there with the Bittys. Also, the options for matcing girl and doll clothing would be limited with the Bittys. I would buy a cheaper baby doll somewhere and Lanie if you can swing it. Lanie is only available for 2010, which makes her special, and her stories are good, in our opinion.

 

[Madi100]

My daughters both got their Bitty Babies when they were 3. While my 13 year old does not play with babies anymore, my 9 year old does, and they play house more with babies than they do the AG dolls. It all depends on your child. Personally, while my children love their AG dolls including Bitty Baby, their preferred doll is a cheap Fisher Price baby.

 

[Dreamin Disney]

My now 13 year old daughter still loves her American Girl Dolls! She says she wants to take good care of them so that she can pass them on to her daughter. She has three of them now. The dolls are well made and worth the investment.

 

[mrsltg]

Each of our girls has gotten (or will get) her Bitty Baby for her 3rd birthday. My oldest is almost 10 now and has nine AG dolls. She plays with all of them as well as the Bitty Baby. The BB usually is played with while my dd is playing with her sisters. However, she sometimes brings BB to another friends house and they play baby with strollers, etc. It just really depends on you dd. I think all of the dolls are great and well worth the expense. Oldest dd is getting another AG for her birthday from my mother, as well another one from dh and I. She really loves these dolls and plays with them daily. It's worth it to us!

Good luck deciding for you dd!

 

[Clutterbug]

My Dd is 11 and has always loved baby dolls. She just got into the Amerian Girls dolls within the 2 or 3 years and honestly had no interest in the Bitties even though she still plays as much with her baby dolls as her American Girls.

Her favorite dolls by far are a brand sold at any of the major department stores (we've gotten ours at WalMart) and the name totally escapes me right now. They are around 18 inches and have soft weighted bodies and very lifelike looking faces. It's been a couple of years since I purchased one, but at the time they were all under $20. DD especially loves that they fit in 0-3 mos baby clothes and regular diapers.

 

[Ariel8676]

If she wants a baby doll and you want to spend the money on AG then i would go with a Bitty baby instead of the twins..I think they are cuter too..lol
My girls love AG dolls and have all of them..i just ordered Lanie a few days ago. If you are going to get Lanie, i would suggest doing it sooner than later..sometimes they sell out before Thanksgiving! I have a free shipping code if you want it PM me...

 

[MomToOne]

My DD10 has a non-AG baby doll she likes to play with still. Since the "toy" stollers, etc. are too small for her to use, I just gave her her old stroller from when she was a baby to play with. She loves it! She would love a Bitty Baby, but since we have several perfectly good baby dolls that really don't look much different, I've nixed that. But it's just because we already have lots of baby dolls like that. I think if your daughter wants one, and you don't mind buying it, then go for it. But I will say my DD seems to spend more time playing with her AG historical dolls - but that's mostly because my daughter spends hours doing their hair The hair is definitely one thing the historical dolls have over bitty babies!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

My opinion....and we have sveral dolls between our two dd's.

If her heat is set on Lanie, don't get the twins. Why? Lanie is doll of the year. Doll of the year is only available in the calendar year of it's release. You can't buy her later for a future birthday.

When my daughter wanted Mia---no other AG doll would do. And since my girls can read---they do know that the dolls are limited. I wish AG did not do that. But they do. So that is something to consider.

My girls have their AG preferences and they would be disappointed if I subbed out. Additionally, they do know our budget contraints and they will pair AG requests with non-AG requests on purpose.

So just something to think about.

 

[MichelleinMaine]

I agree that if she wants Lanie, getting something else instead might not be the best idea.

I will throw out as an FYI, though- if you call (or visit) one of the stores directly, you can buy just one twin. (eg a little less expensive.)

 

[dclfun]

Since she doesn't have the Bitty Twins on her list, I'd not get them. Definitely get her the wished-for Lanie. She is a beautiful doll and has been very popular. I bought the QVC set for my dgd to have in the future. While the Bitty Twins and baby are adorable, I think your daughter would be disappointed not to have the doll she's asked for. We love all the AG dolls though and feel they're worth every penny!---Kathy

 

[skip323]

I would also probably go with what she has requested. I will say, though, that dd9 plays with her Bitty Twins .... ALOT! Maybe that is now an exaggeration but she really does love them. I just saw her carrying her twins around about 2 days ago and it just made me smile! She relishes the idea of being a mommy and so those twins are quite dear to her. She will bring them, this year, on our plane ride to Xmas. She loves taking them with her and doing their hair! She has 2 regular AG dolls as well and they are also played with but she LOVES those Bitty twins!

 

[PrincessNoelle'sMom]

I am not experiences at all with AG dolls, but my daughter has now gotten the "bug".. I just received Lanie in the mail and she is BEAUTIFUL! This will be her first AG doll and I do believe it is worth the money. She will get her for Christmas and then will go to the AG store for the day to choose her own doll - "that looks like her" for her birthday. She was torn between the 2, but since Lanie is a limited edition, customer service strongly suggested that I get her by the end of Novemeber because she will sell out!

 

[dclfun]

I would also probably go with what she has requested. I will say, though, that dd9 plays with her Bitty Twins .... ALOT! Maybe that is now an exaggeration but she really does love them. I just saw her carrying her twins around about 2 days ago and it just made me smile! She relishes the idea of being a mommy and so those twins are quite dear to her. She will bring them, this year, on our plane ride to Xmas. She loves taking them with her and doing their hair! She has 2 regular AG dolls as well and they are also played with but she LOVES those Bitty twins!

Gilt had the Maclaren double doll stroller for $20 earlier in the year and I got it for the BT's that I have ( who will be gifted to my youngest dgd when she's a bit older as she's getting the BB this year). I think having something to play with along with the dolls as an accessory really enhances play value. As to the OP- hopefully there will be a good AG sale on Cyber Monday where you can pick up some accessories or outfits. Last year they had the doll sweatshirts for $5. For the same price they also had the haircare kit and the hair styling DVD. Pair that with the salon chair from OG and if she likes to style hair, she'd have great fun with Lanie's gorgeous curls! I also LOVE those Bitty Twins- they are just too cute, but I'd still not get her a doll she didn't ask for.---Kathy

 

[Aliceacc]

My 10 year old got her first, Julie, last year, and is BEGGING for Kit this year. (Already ordered and delivered.)And she's read several Julie books, and will find 2 Kit books under the tree-- gotta love any toy that encourages reading!!


My 7 year old got a Bitty Baby last year. This year she's getting Molly. There just isn't as much to DO with the baby dolls; I think she'll have a lot more fun with Molly than with the baby.

(Oh, and I got bunk beds for each of my girls at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0001YH03U/ref=oss_product Not quite authentic, but they should do for each pair of dolls. And they're a fraction of the price of anything from American Girl. I also got some adorable clothes at amazon--fake Uggs, a faux fur coat, and a few outfits.)

 

[Dorisk3]

My girls got their bitty twins last year, at 9 and 7 years old. I thought they were too old, but they used their money so I was ok with it. They do play with them and have their other regular american girl dolls babysit them!

 

[dhardawa]

My daughter is 11 and has five full sized AG dolls. My son is three and has one of the bitty twins (we split a set). I would say 90% of the time, his bitty twin is in my daughter's room with her AG dolls. I can't get her to stop taking it and playing with it. So, I would say you are never too old to enjoy the twins.