Oh, Dearest Mother, Sweetest Virgin of Altagracia, our Patroness. You are our Advocate and to you we recommend our needs. You are our Teacher and like disciples we come to learn from the example of your holy life. You are our Mother, and like children, we come to offer you all of the love of our hearts. Receive, dearest Mother, our offerings and listen attentively to our supplications. Amen.



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Subject Topic: Barbie alternatives? Post ReplyPost New Topic
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anniemm
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Posted: April 15 2009 at 4:14pm | IP Logged Quote anniemm

My oldest daughter is turning 5 this year and I would love to find her a birthday gift that is similar to Barbies without being scandalous. We have made the decision not to have Barbies at our house, but when we visit others who have them she loves to play with them. I don't think it's the "dress up" aspect so much as the acting out and imagination that comes with them.
Anyway, I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions here because I am at a little bit of a loss. I was thinking of some waldorf gnomes, but I don't know if that will have the same affect or what?

TIA!

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JodieLyn
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Posted: April 15 2009 at 4:22pm | IP Logged Quote JodieLyn

what about doll house and dolls? hmmm let me go find an example of what I mean...

Doll Family
dollhouse
Castle Playset
castle

also the fisherprice Little People sets tend to go over very well.. with lots of ages I caught quite a few "too old" kids playing with some at the Church's bazaar (dontated items)


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folklaur
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Posted: April 15 2009 at 4:31pm | IP Logged Quote folklaur

Only Hearts Girls

I know they are at Target.
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MaryMary
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Posted: April 15 2009 at 4:48pm | IP Logged Quote MaryMary

Hi Andrea,

I also tried to find many Barbie substitutes for my girls (now 8 and 6). Here are some of the things I found that my girls love:

Folkmanis Princess puppet along with the prince, king, and queen (after all the princess must have her parents close by to impart wisdom!)I love to find beautiful, girlie dolls within a family context! These are lovely, well-made puppets...they have withstood a great deal of love and abuse!

Also, they love the Corolle Camille Ballerina doll She is a 13" doll, bigger than a Barbie, but they love to dress her up and do her hair. We have other baby corolle dolls, and I can't say enough good things about the quality of these dolls. These are the ones I will hang onto for my grandchildren!

And one of their favorite toys/Barbie substitute has been a Fisher-Price Dollhouse We have an older version of this house and it has easily been the best toy investment we have made for the girls. I also bought additional children so they would have a big family (I think we're at six children now!), and I even put Catholic stickers on some of the inside walls of the home to look like religious art . They received it about 5 years ago and still love it and play with it regularly.

All of this being said, there have been some Barbies that have crept into our home (gifts from relatives)but it is not their favorite toy at all.

Hope this helps!   

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helene
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Posted: April 15 2009 at 7:41pm | IP Logged Quote helene

I second the Only Hearts Dolls. They are at Target and fancier educational toy stores. My daughters have several and love them. Very gentle and sweet.

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Pilgrim
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Posted: April 16 2009 at 7:28am | IP Logged Quote Pilgrim

MaryMary wrote:
and I even put Catholic stickers on some of the inside walls of the home to look like religious art [LOL

That is such a cool idea!!!

Our 8yo dd also has the Fisher Price Loving Family dollhouse. She has had it since she was 2yo, and never had more than a couple of days without playing with it, it is definately a favorite of hers. I have found them cheaper at Walmart and Kmart before. I bought ours at Walmart for 50$. Also if cost is an issue, I have found the dolls and accessories for pretty reasonable prices on Ebay. another bonus is you can find some neat accessories ther that aren't in mny stores!

Dd has built up quite a collection by relatives giving the dolls and accessories as gifts over the years, so it's a great suggestion for gift ideas from others. Actually the house was a gift from her grandmother and grandfather, as a Christmas and birthday combo, since her bday is pretty close to Christmas. So that' another idea if cost is a factor, have a few people go in on it together.

God bless! And a happy, blessed Bday to your dd.
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donnalynn
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Posted: April 16 2009 at 9:13am | IP Logged Quote donnalynn

My girls were never so much into the dress up either so we went with little clothed dolls like these...

dollhouse dolls

I suggested these to grandparents and they make wonderful little stocking stuffers so we built up a little collection over time - they come in different enthnicities too.

The girls would take other scraps of fabric to make aprons or other little dresses - dh made a simple dollhouse - which doubled as a barn or a school room. We got a schoolroom accessory set at one point and I think that was their favorite.



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