How To Buy A Barbie For Your Little Girl

There are many different Barbies on the market so it can be a bit of a challenge to choose one for your girl. Remember when all we had to do was choose either a Barbie with black hair or blonde hair. Times really have changed as there are not all kinds of Limited Edition, seasonal and other types of Barbies on the market.

When choosing a Barbie choose one that is age-appropriate. Some Barbies have arms and hands that can come off and be a choking hazard. There are special Barbies manufactured by Mattel for younger types.

There is also now a Barbie made for every child's interest or hobby. Does your kid like sewing, caring for animals, horses, aerobics and sports. Whatever your child's passion or interest is there is a Barbie to match it.

It's also pretty easy to buy the same Barbie twice. Check out which Barbies that your kid owns already. Interesting choices are occupational Barbies or ethnic Barbies. Sometimes your little girl will just tell you what Barbie is on her 'need it' list.

You can get a Barbie at just about any price nowadays. There are tons of sites online where you can get them used and new. Pick a price range that suits you and find a doll to match it. I have seen genuine Barbies being sold for as low as three bucks on auction and discount sites on the Internet.

A big no no is to get your kid a fake Barbie. I tried that once and I never heard the end of it. The doll has to be real. Make sure the doll is packaged in its favorite pink signature Barbie box as well.
If your little girl is not too old you should avoid a Barbie that comes with lots of clothes and accessories as everything will just get lost. I can't tell you how many of those little pink shoes I found stuck in the vacuum cleaner.

If your child is older you can teach her to sew by making clothes for Barbies. There are some sewing patterns on the market that allow you to make an outfit for Barbie and one for you or your daughter that matches perfectly.

Not all Barbies are ten inches high. Some of them are actually the size of a toddler. These are called My Size Barbie and they can trade clothes with a four your old. The value of this is to teach the toddler how to get dressed.

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Should Little Girls Wear High Heels?

I must admit I am a little shocked by a photo I ran across lately. It was of little Suri Cruise, who is only three years old, strutting around in little white high heels.
Granted what she was wearing was a very classy and cute pair of heals. They were kind of high however. The heel looked to be almost two inches. The construction of the shoe was T-strap style but still I had to ask myself a couple of questions. Is this fashion for toddlers thing going too far? What is the deal with high heels on little people who have yet to grow bones? Could it actually stunt their growth.
The other disturbing thing is how sexual these shoes look on such a young child. It seems though that celebrity children can never be too young to be sexualized.
It seems that Disney is in on the act. My little girl talks all the time about how she wants some high heel Princess shoes. These are plastic clackers with big sequins and feathers on them that have a heel. I think they are a bit slippery and dangerous to walk in because the soles of them are smooth plastic. They are also cut a little sharply so with a very young girl I would be scared she cut her foot.
This is part of a larger trend towards sexualizing little girls and although I am not altogether for it I am not against it either because I do think that it helps girls develop their sexuality. However you are also seeing little girls turned into sex objects. Even their tiny glittery tops are low cut and a bit provocative. It makes you wonder if the design minds behind these kiddie fashion creations have ever heard of child molesters. Some of the fluffier dresses remind me of Jon Benet Ramsey wear.
I think Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes should know better. They must know as parents that what their little girl wears influences thousands of parents. People imitate the way celebrities dress. For the record I don't do anything that a celebrity does. I really do believe that a little kid should not be in high heels at the age of three. Maybe it is okay at age five if the kid has to wear those special tap dancing shoes that have a bit of kitten heel. Other than that it is not necessary.
Of course I am just assuming that it was her parents who chose these shoes for her. It could be that the child insisted on wearing them. However in my house I am the boss and the child does not tell me what she is going to wear during the day.

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