Dolls for boys and cars for girls

My son had an Action Man that my daughter use to put in a pram, it use to make him as a mad as hell. I think children will decide themselves what they want to play with but they must first have access to them.

My three year old granddaughter demanded the Spiderman hoody towel when she visited just before Christmas. (I have a choice of four: Ponies, Frozen, Minions and Spiderman).
The two year old boy I childmind spends ages putting the "babies" (dolls) in and out of bed.
Another three year old boy's day was ruined if he couldn't have the fairy wings at preschool. His dad was bothered, his mum said let him be.
The three year old girls love using real hammers and hammering golf tees into cardboard boxes.
I've had dads who objected to their sons playing with dolls and pushchairs... excuse me?
What's important is that all children have access to and opportunities to play with any toys or equipment. Children will find their own level. My mum bought me toy cars because no-one else would.
Commercial shops don't help and certainly do need challenging!

We used to play with cars, but I know that my experience was more one of making up stories about the people who USED the cars, rather than just driving them around and making "vroom vroom" noises.

My brother wanted to play Barbies with us. Unfortunately his idea of playing Barbies was that you take all the clothes off, rip the heads off, drive over them with your Tonka trucks, and inform your by-now-irate sisters that Barbie got run over

Consequently we gave him his own Barbie. It was about the ugliest Barbie we owned. She was very old, parts of her legs were broken off, and she'd been scribbled on with a marker. He didn't seem to mind, thankfully.

I don't know what sort of girls your GCs are but my GD went through a Frozen phase but now doesn't bother about it She's 7. She's gone off pink. She likes taking the wheels off things but she also enjoys dressing up as Snow White etc and dancing. My GS joins her in the dances prefers to dress as superman also makes/dismantles things but has a baby doll he dresses and undresses. He does tend to carry it about by one leg but he will play with it. I think it's about allowing them to choose and not indicating any preference yourself

The pinkification of girls' stuff is definitely much more prevalent than it was when my two daughters were little in the 60s and 70s. They had an amazing array of coloured clothes - babygros in orange and white, red and navy squares, green and yellow stripes (to recall just a few). Toys were much more gender neutral in that lego was just lego, no lego just for girls (a marketing ploy if ever I saw one).

Their toy cupboards did have dolls (which they didn't bother with much, although they loved cuddlies) and everything from trains and trucks to toy cookers.

I find it bizarre that in an age when girls and boys can pretty much do anything they choose, life is still trying to shut them in the "right" boxes.

The thing is kids aren’t ( generally) gender neutral . I have no issue with boys with dollies and girls with cars but IF girls want to play with dollies ....why not? We’re almost getting to the place where people are afraid to buy a child what they want for fear of doing the wrong thing.

Why not let them have access to all the choices and let them choose.?

I have a book here about non gender child rearing.

There's a cartoon of a little girl with a tool kit saying to her mum "At least let me build a dolls house!"

Couldn't agree more Tedber and Watermeadow, children always know what they prefer

grannyactivist - I do believe its much worse now than 40 years ago when I was buying for my first child.

Our 4 and 5 year old grandsons love science experiments and kits. Without exception, the colour and images on the boxes show science to be for boys. In the next row, are kits for girls, they include gardens, baking and kits to grow caterpillars that turn into butterflies. Both kinds of kits are brilliant for children, no matter their gender.
water meadow - I agree that sometime around 4 -5 children become aware of their gender. It becomes very important to most of them to identify strongly as a boy or a girl. Its a normal developmental stage. I don't feel the emphasis on girls/boys toys helps or is necessary.

Cross post water meadow ?

I think you can be as gender neutral as you want but ultimately the kids will decide themselves anyway.

I have never been a fan of gender colors and always had an array of toys out, but find that my granddaughters just love pink and fluffy and the boys whilst, when young they love a pram to push, quickly turf the doll/teddies out and replace with cars and trains. This isn’t ONE particular child but all of them! One loved taking the wheels off it! The two sexes are so different in what they want in way of bikes and scooters bedroom decor etc. I honestly don’t think anyone influences them. If a grandson wanted my little pony on his bedroom wall he would get it! Non of them do, they want minions, mine craft, spider man etc. The girls could have this too but want Frozen, Dora etc,

Is it as a result of said advertising? I have doubts tbh.

I also think it is worrying when people become obsessed with gender neutralising to such an extent that they actually prevent children from having what they want?

My first daughter loved anything on wheels, construction toys and computers. Next one loved dolls and furry toys.
You can give a baby gender neutral clothes and toys and she can still demand all things pink when she hits five.
My grandson liked the buggy I gave him but threw out the dolly and put his train in it instead.

The other problem is proliferation of pink for "girls" toys. My daughter was annoyed that she could only get doll's buggy in pink. Even bikes/trikes seem to be geared towards boys or girls when primary colours would suit either.