#NationalBabyDay, gender stereotypes and a Baby Annabel Review

Monday Is National Baby Day – as it sounds, a day to celebrate babies :) I LOVE babies – seriously, I could have all the babies! With three girls in the house, we’ve had so many baby dolls, pushchairs, prams, cots and doll clothes over the years – the girls still play with the doll I got for Christmas when I was 5! We’ve never been parents to worry about gender specific toys, either not allowing girls to play with boys toys or vice versa. We’ve friends who nade a huge point of not letting their little girl have girlie things – dolls, anything pink, everything she has was very ‘boy’ orientated – even her clothes. Now she’s the kid who wants to wear the pinkest, frilliest, glitteriest outfit she can find!

We’ve always let our kids play with and wear whatever they like. If they like dolls that’s fine, digging in mud? Fine too. Someone once commented to me when I was pregnant with Beastie that I’d ‘have to get used to pockets full of sticks, stones and a kid digging in the mud and climbing trees’ I replied – ‘Oh I already have pockets full of those and my girls LOVE playing in their mud kitchen and climbing the trees.

Kids are kids. And I don’t see toys or activities as boy or girl specific. Kiki loves climbing trees, her Nerf Guns, painting her nails, pretty dresses, snails and playing dolls with her sister. Beastie loves balls, and cars, and wheels… he also loves his sisters dolls and My Little Pony toys. And that is ok.

I really don’t understand why people have such an issue with boys playing iwth girls toys, or girls with boys toys – or even go the other way and say a total no to pink for girls. We’ve always let our kids lead the way – follow their interests, let them play with what they enjoy and wear the clothes that they like.

We got sent this cute ‘My First Baby Annabel’ for #NationalBabyDay – I kinda thought it would be nice for Beastie to have a doll of his own, though it seems Baya has taken a shine to her! {and beastie far prefers toys if he knows they belong to one of the girls!}. She’s a lovely doll though – soft bodied and the perfect size for little hands, she is a great first doll and suitable from 12 months. I have a feeling we may have to get another for Beastie to have….

Do your children play with gender specific toys?