[peaceful_mama]

So I go to Target the other night, and while I'm there, I decide to look for a little something for DS, 5 months.

WHAT is up with this whole collection of rattles and stuff that are all pink and being marketed obviously for girl babies???

I would have loved to buy DS the little elephant that you pull on it and it played Twinkle Twinkle...but I'm not going to buy a pink elephant with bows all over it. Not because I think DS gives a

: what color it is, but because I think the whole idea of a collection of infant toys marketed toward girls is stupid.

And I don't even LIKE pastel pink. lol

I KNOW they did not have this stuff 4 years ago with DS. 2 years ago with DD they had started the stuff like the butterfly papasan chair.

This is the first I've seen of all these "GIRL" baby toys...what gives??

 

[jt'smum]

LOL!! I totally understand its rather pukey how much is pink! I got DD the blue Eric Carle Elephant. I like the color pink but think pink toys are just a bit much. I love that they have Eric Carle toys.

 

[allisonrose]

I get bummed out in stores due to all the girl clothing. I looked in a few stores for something a tad dressy for my guy for Easter but despite all the dresses and ruffled stuff for little girls, I only saw one dressy boy outfit! (I ended up not buying it because the pants weren't stretchy.)

My guy has this toy which plays Twinkle, Twinkle.

 

[kiara7]

That's why I buy wooden toys/toys with no gender assignments. It's hard enough finding clothes for ds. Seems like everyone thinks that only girls are born these days.

 

[jt'smum]

Your toy is like a whoozit. DD #1 loved hers!

 

[sapphire_chan]

So I went to Target to get Lina's cousin a b-day present. And I consider a little radio-controlled car because you can see the circuit board and that's awesome, yes? But I think maybe it's not quite girly enough for her parents, maybe, and go looking around. I came across an aisle literally labeled "Boys' Activities"

:

::cop: and "Girls' Activities"

I marched right back over and got the RC car while lecturing Lina on how gender stereotypes were bad.

 

[sapphire_chan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jt'smum LOL!! I totally understand its rather pukey how much is pink! I got DD the blue Eric Carle Elephant. I like the color pink but think pink toys are just a bit much. I love that they have Eric Carle toys.

Lina has a gray one. Very realistic, imo.

 

[littlebabydoll]

The baby world does seem very girl-centric. When I was pregnant a boutique girl implied that I had IVF because more boys are born that way in her opinion. She said most of her clients were girl mommies. I guess girl mommies are more likely to go all out with the cute outfits. Well, its good for me. There is a greater variety of boys clothes that go on sale.

I stick to wood toys for my lil guy too. They are hender neutral incase I ever have a girl too.

 

[rach03]

I've noticed this, too...and I have a 3 yr old DS and a 8 month old DD, so I know they didn't do this a few years ago!

I've got a Green Toys tea set put away for DD and I'm sure she will have a doll one day...but she will be playing with a lot of wooden blocks, cars, and other neutral stuff passed down from her brother!

 

[limabean]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rach03 ...but she will be playing with a lot of wooden blocks, cars, and other neutral stuff passed down from her brother!

[Bolding mine]

I agree with much of what is said in this thread, but I do notice that people tend to see many "boy" toys (like cars) as neutral, but do not see "girl" toys as neutral. People will buy a little girl a remote control car (which is fine, and I would too), but they won't buy a little boy a pink elephant? Maybe there is overkill on pink toys in stores lately (I haven't really noticed), but surely some boys love pink too and are happy to see toys out there in their favorite color.

Ugh, I know I'm not articulating this very well, but does anyone else see what I mean?

 

[dolcedaze]

I believe it's entirely for marketing reasons. Many families will have at least one boy and one girl, and the more "girl" things manufacturers can sell, the more "boy" products they'll sell to those families later, or vice versa.

 

[rach03]

I wasn't really saying cars are neutral, but I do know what you are saying...I didn't word that very clearly. I was just saying she would get all his "boy" and "neutral" stuff and she will like it

My DS has a doll and he does like the pink bath ducky we have for DD.

 

[AllyRae]

Quote:

Originally Posted by limabean [Bolding mine] I agree with much of what is said in this thread, but I do notice that people tend to see many "boy" toys (like cars) as neutral, but do not see "girl" toys as neutral. People will buy a little girl a remote control car (which is fine, and I would too), but they won't buy a little boy a pink elephant? Maybe there is overkill on pink toys in stores lately (I haven't really noticed), but surely some boys love pink too and are happy to see toys out there in their favorite color. Ugh, I know I'm not articulating this very well, but does anyone else see what I mean?

Yes!! And might I add, my little girl plays with cars and trucks and light sabers along with her "girly toys" and my little boy has access to dolls and toy food and pink doll bedding (he doesn't play with it, but he also has autism and few pretend play skills...he does play with the princess crowns and toy necklaces though). In our house, toys have no gender--each kid has access to all toys in the house and they've both dabbled in the "opposite gender toys".

Some of the stuff for babies though...it's just so nauseatingly *pink* though. Then again, some of it is way too blue too. I prefer the earthy tones so I tended to buy those rather than pink and blue.

 

[KsMum]

I do agree, but can I also add that I freaking love the pink lego box, it's got 3 fantastic shades of pink lego, plus orange and a cool lime green. It's about freaking time!!

This is one set that I can totally get behind

Of course I also am terribly fond of the color pink.

 

[rach03]

Oh, where did you find the pink legos? That would be nice to mix in with the red/blue/yellow/green primary colors to have some variety!

 

[Liquesce]

I like pink and I like bows, so the elephant would be no issue to me, regardless of which gender child I was giving it to.

I'm not huge into some strict vision of surface gender neutrality ... I grew up with toy tractors and tool kits and pink ponies and Strawberry Shortcakes and etc and etc ... as a kid I didn't care who they were "supposed to be" marketed for, I just cared that they were cool and I liked them.

 

[KsMum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rach03 Oh, where did you find the pink legos? That would be nice to mix in with the red/blue/yellow/green primary colors to have some variety!

This is the box,
http://shop.lego.com/Product/?p=5585...csena&hqs=5585

But you can get it all over the place (Target, TRU, etc...) It's fantastic

 

[just_lily]

I don't have as much of an issue with toys, as I do with gender-themed baby equipment. My babe already has a few dollies, and I am perfectly ok with that. If we have a boy next I would be fine if he played with them, but wouldn't be upset if he didn't either because its not like we spent $100s on them.

What I really don't get are the pink infant carseats, Pack N Plays, exersaucers, high chairs, etc. I can't imagine getting all of this unless you are sure you won't be having another baby. I wouldn't want to have to replace it all just because your next kid is a boy.

 

[limabean]

Quote:

Originally Posted by just_lily What I really don't get are the pink infant carseats, Pack N Plays, exersaucers, high chairs, etc. I can't imagine getting all of this unless you are sure you won't be having another baby. I wouldn't want to have to replace it all just because your next kid is a boy.

While I completely agree with a pp that stuff like this is just attempt by marketers to get more of our money, part of the problem is that some parents would think it necessary to buy a non-pink Pack N Play if their second child were a boy, especially when many of those same people would have no trouble putting their baby girl in a blue Pack N Play.

 

[peaceful_mama]

YES I was getting at the fact that there are these PINK highchairs, pack n plays, exersaucers that look like they are marketed to girls, pink carseats, all this stuff obviously marketed toward people buying for baby girls.

My objection to the elephant was not so much the pinkness as the obvious marketing toward girls and the fact that there was NO OTHER color choice. It was part of a whole line of baby toys that were all similarly pink and obviously marketed for girls.

WHY?

I was also at Toys R Us a couple months ago and saw that Fisher Price has remade all their stuff--like their stacker, their "chatterbox" phone, the push popcorn popper thing all those toys that have been around *forever* in a pink-and-purple motif. (yeah you still can buy the originals but WHY are they doing this?)

in a world with overflowing landfills, WHY OH WHY do we need this JUNK that somebody with a girl is going to throw out when they have a boy?

WHY do people think they NEED the pink and purple rather than the old school multicolored?

WHY didn't they have purple and blue and green or *GASP* gray elephants???