If you gender your child's toys e.g dolls aren't for boys, do you expect the same values from your (male) partner e.g they don't need to look after the baby?

It’s absolute madness to me that young children are denied access to toys on some made up idea that they’re “for girls” or “for boys”. Even more laughable is when the very same mum’s that don’t allow their boys to play with dolls are the same women complaining their man doesn’t help, that he expects her to do it all. Like… what?! 🤦🏻‍♀️

I don’t gender toys, but I have a little boy and really has an affinity for anything with wheels 🛞 but he also has a few dolls…. He prefers the wheels 🤣

I once heard a woman in the toy section tell her son who wanted a unicorn toy that he couldn’t get it because unicorns were for girls. Like buddy its a freaking horse with a horn on its head chill out

I’m not going to waste money just to prove a point. I’m going to go for stuff I think my kids may be interested in as well as learn. My daughter generally likes pink, rainbows, unicorns and stereotypical girls toys. My son was always slightly different as has autism so toys weren’t really his thing so had to look outside the box. If really depends on the child. That said I have said that’s for boys/girls simply to get out of buying an unnecessary item. That said I’ve personally avoided stuff like baby dolls for my daughter.

exactly my thoughtsss

People ask what to get for a boy vs for a girl because boys and girls often genuinely have different interests, which is helpful to acknowledge when buying a gift. There’s no absolutes and I wouldn’t intentionally restrict what toys a child can play with, but you’re deluding yourself if you think stereotypical behavior is purely a social phenomenon.

@Rebecca the first thought of a baby boy coming through the birth canal is “dinosaurs can drive fire trucks”

@Victoria I didn’t imply that was the case. My daughter likes dinosaurs and fire trucks. I simply said that there are differences in interests that aren’t purely social, and these interests could impact toy preferences

My 2 year old girl so very much into construction vehicles and tractors and I just go with whatever she wants to play with, we don’t gender toys at all. I even mix her clothing because I like the look of something meant for boys (graphic tees, tractor print pjs) but we don’t care, she doesn’t care she just sees what she’s currently passionate about which is great! 😊

My daughter is the girliest girl I know. She adores baby dolls, Barbie’s, unicorns etc. but that girl also LOVES fire trucks, Lego, fixing things with her play tools and playing with cars. Her best girl friend loves dinosaurs, she’s dino crazy. Her best boy friend is a total boy, loves super hero’s and paw patrol but when he comes to our house he loves playing with her Barbie doll house and babies. I wouldn’t want my daughter around anyone who said “you can’t play with that it’s a boy/girl toy”. Just let kids BE kids and play with whatever makes them happy and stop gendering toys. It’s weird!! Xx

My son is ASD so he don't see toys that way he just sees something colourful or a car that has wheels which he is obsessed with and he will play with it to him it don't matter its a bright pink barbie car (it was my nieces) and it don't bother me or his dad that he plays with it

I have a 2yr boy he is very much into trucks and animals but the other day we went to the corner shop n he pointed at a Barbie doll with no hesitation I got it for him but he just lost interest in the Barbie after few hours.. I prefer him making choices especially the things he has interest in

I was looking through a toysRus flyer yesterday, and my sister pointed at a giant doll house and said I should get it for the boys. I looked at her and said no way. She looked confused as I had bought my boys' dolls and kitchens, etc. If they want it I buy it. They even have their own vacuum. I told her she could buy it because I wasn't spending over $200 on a dollhouse, lol. My boys have a ton of the bluey playsets so we started taking about how it's the only houses/dollish sets that's not marketed to just girls (that I've seen) like calico critters, polly pockets, etc

I prefer to avoid any gender based toys..I mean kids should be able to play together and having specific toys for specific genders would just limit their imagination and exploring fun

My son knows what a kitchen is for, he doesn't play with daddys tools. Therefore he's getting a kitchen, not a tool bench 😛

They're just toys. Same as pillows, why cant my son sleep on a pink peppa pig pillow? Why cant my son have that pink monkey that he really likes? My nan got rid of it because "pink isnt for boys". It's stupid and it riles me up. Toys are toys. So what if my son wants to dress up and play barbie? I'll be ken!

Toys encourage imaginative play. I'm one of 4, I have 1 sister and 2 brothers. We used to mess about wearing eachothers fancy dress outfits, they would wear princess dressed and we would wear thunderbird, or spider man etc. Same with barbies and action men. We would swap and play with them. My brothers also wanted to push our buggies, and play with our dolls cause they saw my dad pushing their buggies and wanted play "dads". Kids are kids and they will play with any toys.

If I got my 2 year old a bunch of dolls he would not play with them. And yes I'm 100% positive, a lot of his close friends are girls and he will find any car toy they have. Some children genuinely just like the stereotypical toy