After getting some items for our daughter (10 years old) for Christmas, we thought to ask her to write a list for any cleanup items we couldn’t think of. Amongst some generic items that we have either already got or will get, she asked for this:
This is a playset for a 4 year old. I’m mostly mystified why an almost 11-year-old would want something that is basically a “baby” toy. (And at $165 retail, an expensive baby toy.) Now, she does have a friend that’s a year younger (and that has a 5-year-old sister) that did get this for her last (9-year) birthday. But peer pressure hasn’t really affected her choices in the past, especially from a friend that she only sees in passing at school (different grades) or for the occasional sleep-over (once every 1-2 months).
I’m thinking that when she has over friends of the same age, she might end up being embarrassed with her toy choice. But I’m not sure how to convey that to her, or convince her that she really doesn’t want this toy.
Doesn’t seem that inappropriate. Kids outgrow toys at varying rates, I don’t really see the harm in letting her play with dollhouses until she decides shes to old for them.
Maybe its the beginning of her career in medicine, which will lead to her becoming a rich doctor with scads of cash to support her parents in their dotage.
It might be that she wants something that wasn’t available/she didn’t know about when she was that age, just as a “wow, I wish I had…” thing. However, that’s a lot of money for something that might not get played with much.
When I was in college and had a little spending money, I went ahead and bought some toys that I didn’t have when I was a kid, like the big PlayDoh play sets or big Lego sets, and would make funny dioramas on my desk out of the toys.
Yeah, except for the Playmobile people looking like they’re for younger children, the set itself doesn’t look too juvenile to me, either. But I too probably wouldn’t buy something that expensive that won’t have much longterm play value.
When I read the thread title, I thought she was going to be wanting sex aids.
While I would say that’s pretty common for people in their 20’s (I bought my nephew Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots mainly so I could play with them), it’s not very common for 11 year olds.
Obviously, this is your call, and anecdote does not equal data, but when my 9-year-old sister got a Barbie Dream House for Christmas one year, my best friend and I (both age 13) spent a lot of time playing with it than she did. (And of course, neither my friend nor I would have admitted to our schoolmates that we spent the weekend playing Barbie!) There may be a lot more play value in that set than you realize.
That said, I’d be hesitant to spend that much on something that might have such limited play value at her age. If she’s interested in medical stuff, my own 10-year-old daughter is jonesing for some CSI-type kits from Scholastic - also available on their website (store.scholastic.com) - and retailing for lots less than $165.
Thanks for the various advise. I think I know what to do to dissuade her from wanting this.
Years ago, when it was age appropriate, we bought her a “Baby Alive”, a doll with a computer that recognized her voice, knew the time and date so it could wish her happy birthday, it ate, drank, etc. Retail: $100.
Does she have any Clicks already? If she doesn’t, then yeah, she’s just having a case of Glitter Gets In Your Eyes, but Clicks aren’t really age-limited. My brothers’ Clicks, and the Clicks of their friends, got played with since they were “age appropriate” until their owners left for college; pretty much any house in our town where there have been children in the last 30 years has one or three old soap boxes (5 or 10l ones) full of Clicks.
The Kidlet is getting his first Clicks next Christmas (the first ones that will actually be his, that is; he’s had access to the previous generation’s old ones for over two years). We expect them to be a frequent feature for at least ten years…
I agree with needscoffee that it doesn’t look too babyish for a 10-year-old. Then again, I’m surely out of touch with kids’ developmental milestones.
But if you don’t want to spend the money and/or don’t think it’s appropriate for your daughter, I’d say just don’t buy it and don’t make an issue over it. Presumably she’ll be getting lots of nice presents (and of course, being well-raised by wonderful parents, will be properly grateful and happy for them).
Why focus her attention on the one thing she’s not going to get?
When I was a kid my parents would only buy us LEGO and they would tell my brother and I to “make our own toys” with them. We felt it was a cop-out and a great injustice at the time, but now I realize my parents were brilliant.
Because the toy is somewhat age-inappropriate, it’s a risky gift, in terms of whether she will really wind up playing with it or not. Personally I would not drop that much cash on something that is a risky gift.
As for how to handle it: I wouldn’t say anything. My kids are well aware that they don’t get everything on their Christmas lists. What’s the fun in just getting exactly what’s on your list! This will just be an item that she asked for but didn’t receive. That happens every year with some stuff. No big deal. (I hope.)
Playmobile looks baby-ish but isn’t really. Both my boys (9.5 and 7.5) love it and want this and this for Christmas. You should see my basement - covered in Lego and Playmobile armies see-sawing back and forth in an eternal bid for global domination.
Since dad actually has to pay for the gifts they wont be getting the castle but they might get the galley.
If you look at the Amazon.com page for this, it has the comment:
So it doesn’t sound crazy for a 10-year-old to want it. The customer reviews say that it has over a thousand pieces and takes a long time to assemble. With a 4-year-old, you have to spend the time helping her, but you can just tell a 10-year-old to do it herself. (With a few hints like, “Keep the loose parts together on a tray or in a bowl so that you don’t lose them.”)
Ask her. At 11, she should be able to articulate the reasons she wants a toy. If it’s “I want to play with it”, I see no problem (except price of course) getting it for her. She can put it in the closet if friends come over. If it brings her happiness, why not?
