Yes or No???

mckayleesmom wrote: My mom wants to buy Mckaylee a Barbie for xmas. Mckaylee has also been asking for one. I told my mom I wanted to wait till Russell was a little bit older before I got Mckaylee a Barbie because Im afraid he will choke on all the little shoes or something. But am I being silly? Maybe I can just take the shoes out of the box before Mckaylee gets them and put them up for when shes older? What would you do? She really wants one too.

5littleladies replied: My girls always end up losing the shoes anyways. I think it would be fine if you just take away any little pieces that could be an issue.

Sarah&Mackenzie replied: I think you should let her get her one. I agree with you on taking out the little parts.

kimberley replied: i guess if she really wanted one that would be okay if you take the little parts away. i personally hope to steer clear of barbies with my girls. i dont need them worried about body image already

MomToMany replied:

redchief replied:
Hahah!!! Good luck!

punkeemunkee'smom replied:
I don't think Barbie is the image problem in the US! I would look more towards main stream media! Barbie is a doll and blaming her for poor body image is like blaming a baby doll for teen pregnancy! We as parents introduce and uplift our little girls body image! By limiting Barbies aren't we just saying you can't play with that doll because you aren't that pretty and it might make you feel bad about yourself? Tay is wayyyyyy more beautiful than a 7 inch tall PLASTIC doll and I know your daughters are too JMO!

Brianne~ You should be fine if you take away the shoes! Tay loves the princess Barbies~with the big frilly girlie dresses!

TANNER'S MOM replied: Oh I remember my girls playing with Barbies..and I remember hiding the little shoes and or purses and jewerly. They do have Barbies now though that are age recommended..for stuff like that..

And as far as body image and personal preference. But I can remember my girls playing Barbies.. and Barbie was a nurse, doctor, student, model, teacher and then she came home to Ken.. and they had supper at the Barbie table..with Stacey and whatever the other ones name was.. and they were a family.

I actually liked that my girls could make Barbie be what they wanted to be in their minds.. And prob no different then a regular Baby doll.. teaching our daughters to be mothers because that is what girls do. I think she can be a strong woman too.. be a career woman and smart. And in Real Life if our daughters were beautiful and smart we wouldn't them to think they couldn't be smart either?

lesliesmom replied: My daughter was 3 and her brother was 1 when she got her first Barbie. I just took the shoes away when I opened it for her and put it in a tupperware container for when they both get a little older. I explained why I wasn't letting her get the shoes and small accessories and she seemed to understand, at least she didn't put up a fuss...

My2Beauties replied: Yeah let her have it, just put the shoes and stuff up for now and let her have them later on, they're just as much choking hazards for her as they are for him, although he's more apt to put things in his mouth right now, she still could KWIM! I know that you're leary because I would be too but I guess if you put them up they're fine!

3_call_me_mama replied:
My thoughts exactally


Kathleen got one last year for XMAS (she was 3 months old ) and we are putting it in the toys for tots bins this year.

~Roo'sMama~ replied:
I'm gonna have to agree with you. I wasn't allowed to play with Barbies because my mom thought it would cause self image problems, and guess what I ended up with them anyways. I don't think that what kids play with is going to matter in that repect so much as bringing them up to be happy with who they are.

My friends had Barbies and I never once looked at them and thought "oh I wish I had long legs and big boobs like Barbie does!".

Maddie&EthansMom replied: Maddie has barbies and Ethan has always been around them. As well as Polly Pockets, Disney Princess, etc. I think Russell will be fine.

My best friend wasn't allowed to play with Barbie when we were little. So Kim definetly isn't alone. There is nothing wrong with not allowing your child to play with certain toys.

coasterqueen replied:
ITA!

Kylie has a few Barbies that were given to her. I let her play with them. I figure she'll get enough of that depressing self-image crap in highschool..so playing with Barbie's won't matter. It will just be one more thing I will have to talk to her about that someone didn't make her right in the factory and we'll just have to live with it.

punkeemunkee'smom replied:
I am a FIRM believer in you are the mommy,you make the rules! My point is that EVERYONE is bombarded on a regular basis with images of the "perfect" body. Are you not going to have a TV,allow your child to look at magazines,billboards.etc?...It is up to us as parents to teach our children to value themselves as people who have more to offer than a tiny waistline and big boobs! I don't think banning Barbie is going to help improve anyone's self image just like playing with A DOLL, imo, is not going to hurt it!

3_call_me_mama replied:
Actually our state doesn't allow bilboards for this very reason

Oh and to answer teh original question (i forgot in my first post) If you are going to allow them then I'd just encourage her to keep them in one place that way you can monitor the little pieces

Boys r us replied: Hey Abbie..Actually..if my memory serves correctly, they DID try to blame Barbie for teen pregnancy I think it was when they started making a Barbie that was a mom b/c officially Ken and Barbie never got married!!

Who really thinks that stuff up? Hmm..I'd say maybe that's what happened to me when I had Tanner at 20 and wasn't married..but then again..that was before this particular barbie came out!

Anyways, Brianne..I think it's a fine idea if she wants it! I can't really imagine telling a 2 yr old that she can't have a barbie b/c I'm afraid she'll want to look like her!

punkeemunkee'smom replied:
Nicole You are right there was a big deal about the preggo barbie! I bought one for tay because she had freckles like us and so did the baby! Taylor thinks it IS supposed to be us and I can tell you right now I DO NOT look like a Barbie!!!

Jamison'smama replied: Jamison got FIVE princess Barbies for her birthday this year---I removed all the shoes she hadn't lost as well as the princess necklace, the glass slipper for Cinderella, the removable hair bows---on and on. Jamison just strips them all naked anyway--and everybody dances together--naked I might add.

I had a friend that superglued all the shoes on their feet.

A&A'smommy replied: yeah I would and I would put the small pieces up

5littleladies replied:
Oh my goodness-that is such a good idea! Too bad my girls would eventuall notice and get mad that they can't take them off and switch them around.

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: Sorry I didn't read through all the posts...but my sister has three girls all under the age of six. The youngest just now turning two! So you can imagine the zillions of Polly Pocket dolls and miniature everything around their house! The youngest did fine. You of course have to watch them, but my sister said her youngest somehow knew tiny shoes don't taste as good as real candy and spit them out. I like the super glue idea though, but I would be worried they would suck on the end and get that toxic glue in their mouth, kwim? I say get one for her!

Hillbilly Housewife replied: Go ahead and let her - what can it hurt?

After all.... the music videos, magazines, are WORSE imo than a simple Barbie.

I've seen Barbie-type dolls that were a little...plumper... lol

I don't have a problem with Barbies really - I just don't want the trashy looking ones. The Bratz dolls? lol They look like 16 year olds dressed to go clubbing!

moped replied: Yes!

Insanemomof3 replied: I say let her have it! I would take the little parts away though.


And, I do agree with those who have said that body image is destroyed in media, not by barbies. But, I do feel that it is our job as parents to teach our child about body image, and how to be happy with themselves. Media, toys, magazines whatever...they all don't matter really, what the kids will learn the most from is PARENTS. If we as parents have issues with our image, the kids will see that.

MomToMany replied:
I'm biting my tongue as I write this since I tend to upset people too much.

Yes, I AM the Mommy, and I make the rules. I think my girls are BEAUTIFUL, and they will grow up thinking that too. By my not letting them play with Barbies, I'm NOT saying they aren't pretty enough to play with them. I DON'T let them watch whatever crap is on TV; there are certain shows they can watch, and that's it. It's the parents job to set limits (at least in our house).

I can also decide which toys my kids play with too. It's MY decision to let them play with a Barbie or not, or any other toy. I just happen to not like the image that Barbie represents, and therefore my kids won't be playing with them. There are better alternatives than that.

Sorry, your post just rubbed me the wrong way .

mckayleesmom replied: Isn't it funny how a simple post about getting Mckaylee a barbie or not can turn into a debate?...Some things amaze me.

Maddie&EthansMom replied:
Oh I fully understand what you meant. I'm just saying Kim isn't alone in her thinking. I'm not saying I agree with Kim, but it is her decision and she has her reasons. Maddie has a dozen Barbies and baby dolls and every other toy on the market.

Seriously...there is no reason to defend why we do what we do as parents and there is no sense in trying to convince each other to change their thinking. All Kim said was that she doesn't want her daughters to play with Barbie dolls b/c in her own opinion it creates the wrong body image. She didn't say it was wrong for everyone else's daughter to play with them and she isn't trying to take them off the market...she just doesn't want her daughters to play with them and for all we know, she probably doesn't let them watch TV, either. Like I said, there is no reason to get defensive. We all do what is best in our family.

As women...even as girls we worry about our body image. Some more than others. I think it has a lot to do with personality and not how you are raised. What's funny is, when I tell people that my best friend was not allowed to play with Barbie they laugh and say "Out of all the people we know, she is more like Barbie than anyone." It's true. She is a beautiful woman and she is very confident in who she is. She does NOT have the perfect body and she is okay with that. It gives me something to think about.

Debra replied:

Maddie&EthansMom replied: I'm locking this.