Baby Doll

Baby Doll

Today's baby doll is super-realistic. It cries, talks, needs changing and will even interact with the child. The baby doll of today is more than a toy; it is an educational tool as well. Thanks to voice recognition, animatronics and sensors, these dolls can have a virtual personality and play games with the child making the baby doll an interactive experience.

Some parents are concerned that the evolution of the baby doll has gone one step too far. There are baby dolls on the market that the child has to breastfeed. The majority of parents find this type of toy inappropriate for young children and believe that it takes education to an uncomfortable extreme. Children are growing up increasingly fast and the years of innocence are shrinking. A child needs to be a child while they can, and a baby doll, a classic baby doll, can let them enjoy their innocence and simply have fun.

Both boys and girls are naturally attracted to dolls and playing with them can be a healthy and rewarding activity. It is natural for a child to want to care and play with toy that resembles a baby. Many psychologists believe that a child is reenacting their own life with a smaller version of themselves that is dependant. This role-play should not be seen as being gender specific. If a young boy wants to play with a baby doll, this should not be disallowed and instead it should be encouraged.

It could be seen that a boy playing with a baby doll is encouraging healthy family dynamics and teaching the valuable lesson that men should share the parental responsibilities. But there is still stigma attached to gender-specific entertainment. A child will not see a baby doll as being gender-specific, in fact they will not see any toys as being exclusive for either girls or boys. It is only once they have learnt what society deems suitable for males and females that their opinions will change. But let your children be young and enjoy playing with what ever they like. There is no evidence to suggest that young boys who play with dolls turn out any less healthy that those who do not.

A toy, whether a baby doll or a Lego set, can help with development. It is important for us as parents to not overanalyze our young children's source of entertainment. We of course need to make sure that it is not damaging or age-inappropriate, but beyond that, all toys can help with cognitive and personal development. Whatever toy they choose to play with you should encourage it, because after all, it is much healthier that putting the child in front of the television for hours on end.