is a 3yo too big for a baby doll?

[Oliver'sMom]

I have three neices who all turned 3 this summer.  I was thinking I'd like to get them each a nice corolle baby doll like this one for christmas, but then I started reading the reviews and it seemed like most of the little girls who enjoyed this doll were under 2yo.  Should I get them a doll more like this?  I like the baby doll more (especially the price) but I don't want to get them something that they'll outgrow right away (or have already).

Also, my neices are all biracial (African American/Caucasian)...do you know of any high quality biracial dolls suitable for a 3yo?

What do you think?

TIA!!

[chattyprincess]

DD is 4.5 and still plays with baby dolls all.the.time. I have seen many many times older girls in the baby doll aisles at target and toysrus. Our little cousin asked for a baby alive for xmas at around 7/8. 3 is still a great age for babies...Dd still plays with her dolly and stroller constantly...I will totally vouch for the target dolly that looks like this corelle doll. The quality is great and it has lasted through a lot! (plus the price is alot cheaper...)

[greenemami]

Dd will be 4 in April and plays with her baby dolls for the better part of most days :) She loves her corolle baby doll.  i will say she also enjoys playing with "big girl" dolls, which seem to be defined by having long hair, lol. 

[lyterae]

DD is almost 5 and she is still actively playing and hauling around her baby dolls, she has two similiar to the first link you posted. She does not have any dolls with long hair.

[PiePie]

DD loves her Corolle baby dolls and is 3.  A 3 yo friend eschews any baby dolls and requires her dolls to have combable hair.  I would check with the parents to figure out where these particular kids are.

[beebalmmama]

I would go for the corolle baby doll if they are 3. My ds had his baby doll for years, but didn't start playing with it until he was about 3. He actively carried it around and slept with it when I was pregnant with ds 2. He was extremely attached to it at age 4, but that could have been because he was getting a new baby brother too.

I think the other doll seems more appropriate for a 5+ yr old. I know I was interested in dolls throughout elementary age

[LynnS6]

My 6 year old still plays with baby dolls. She prefers them to the "older" looking ones.

A quick search for dolls revealed this one from Gotz: Muffin 13" -- it's listed as "African American" but looks much more biracial to me in terms of skin tone, if the picture is accurate. It's a really nice size for a 3 year old to play with, IMO.  And her hair is really cool and curly.

If you search for "African American" or just "African" dolls, you get a pretty big range of skin tones and hair types, for example (most of these are 18" or 20" dolls, which might be a bit big)

Fisher Price Little Mommy Sweet as Me Birthday...

Fisher Price Sweet as Me Hopscotch

Little Mommy Play all Day

Madame Alexander

Two Cute Interactive Twins (warning! battery operated and they talk. I'd go mad)

Wild Planet Water Babies

[redpajama]

My 4-year-old plays with baby dolls all the time.  She has some dolls with hair that look more like "girls" than "babies," and  she still plays with them like babies most of the time--changing their "diapers," pushing them in a stroller, et cetera.

[CherryBomb]

Gosh, no!  My girls are 9, 5, and 2, and they all love playing with baby dolls!

[pbjmama]

I think the baby doll is perfect and exactly what my 2.5 yo would pick out. Corelle says the perfect doll is one that will fit in the crook of a childs arm. The other doll I would say is for 4 or even 5+. 

[Sharlla]

i still played with dolls when i was 10

[Oliver'sMom]

Thanks everyone for the thoughtful responses!

I remember still playing with my baby dolls when I was 9, but I wasn't sure if that was the norm :) 

I really love that corolle baby though!  I may have to get one for ds too :)

[meemee]

do you know your nieces personalities? would they be interested in dolls? also baby dolls? dd is 8 and doesnt play with hers that much, but even today her favourite are baby dolls. the key word here being baby. her other friend was never a baby kinda child. she went for barbies and grown up girl dolls. so i think its a personality issue.

btw dd didnt become interested in soft toys or dolls till she was 4. 

[sunnygir1]

My dd will be 4 in February, and she LOVES playing with baby dolls.  She also likes to play with the dolls with hair, but baby dolls get the most love around here.  Here is a high quality, yucky-stuff free baby doll that comes in dark skin.  My dd absolutely loves hers, almost 3 years later.

[MammaB21]

Actually, I think kids don't become interested in that type of roll playing/pretend play until about 3.5 - 4. DD wasn't interested in baby dolls until recently (she's almost 5). Now she plays with them all the time. I remember playing with dolls until I was quite old, 11 maybe?

[Perdita_in_Ontario]

My DD is almost 5.5 and she still adores her Corolle Tidoo (similar to the Calin). She has some long-haired dolls, but honestly they don't look so great now; she doesn't really know how to be careful with them yet and their hair gets all matted. Tidoo still looks marvelous though, even though she's played with daily.

You could split the difference and get one of these: Les Dollies - but check on HealthyToys.org (?) first because of a few of that line are high in Bromine...

[sunnygir1]

Originally Posted by MammaB21 

Actually, I think kids don't become interested in that type of roll playing/pretend play until about 3.5 - 4. DD wasn't interested in baby dolls until recently (she's almost 5). Now she plays with them all the time. I remember playing with dolls until I was quite old, 11 maybe?

IME they like them much younger than that.  Both my dd and my ds loved baby dolls by 1 year old; holding, hugging, and chewing on them.  Dd was definitely wrapping them up, putting them to bed, and carrying them around when she was 2.  Now at nearly 4 she still loves to play with them, as I said in my pp.

[MammaB21]

Originally Posted by sunnygir1 

Originally Posted by MammaB21 

Actually, I think kids don't become interested in that type of roll playing/pretend play until about 3.5 - 4. DD wasn't interested in baby dolls until recently (she's almost 5). Now she plays with them all the time. I remember playing with dolls until I was quite old, 11 maybe?

IME they like them much younger than that.  Both my dd and my ds loved baby dolls by 1 year old; holding, hugging, and chewing on them.  Dd was definitely wrapping them up, putting them to bed, and carrying them around when she was 2.  Now at nearly 4 she still loves to play with them, as I said in my pp.

Hmmm, cool. I've never seen a 2 year old playing with a baby doll in the capacity that their meant to be played with. At least for any significant period of time.

[beckyand3littlemonsters]

my dd is 5 and still loves her baby dolls and my little sister is 7 and also loves her baby dolls too so no 3 isn't too big imo

[pbjmama]

My 2.5 yo plays with her baby, nursing, changing diapers, wrapping in blanket, rocking and pushing her in the stroller. I guess it depends alot on the kid!