Smashing gender stereotypes – Boys and their toys…um… baby born dolls?

I remember a time long long ago, where boys and their toys typically referred to guns, bikes, skateboards…. never dolls! I mean only sissy boys would be playing with dolls right? There was actually a very derogatory word starting with ‘M’ I think, that would be mentioned if an older person ever spotted a boy playing with a doll. A boy playing with a doll automatically meant that he was gay as well. Of course. We’ve come a long way as humans though since 20yrs ago….. I think perhaps before I had kids I also imagined specific gender roles and gender toys. Then my kids were born, and Addison wanted Buzz Lightyear, not Jessie….and I was like…that’s so cute that she wants the more boy toy, over the girl one. Should it even have been a thought though?

Fast forward to 2019 and a Baby Born doll rocks up at my doorstep from Prima Toys. I was thinking…hmm, the PR’s didn’t really do their homework on this one did they? Though as soon as Adam spotted it, he wanted it! I managed to dissuade him and distract him after a few days and I made the decision that the doll would be gifted to a niece for her birthday this month. It would have made an awesome gift and I was pretty sure it’d maybe bump me up the totem pole for title of ‘world’s best gift giver‘. Right??? It’s not that I have a problem with Adam playing with a doll, I don’t. I think I just thought a girl would get more use out of it. She’d care for the doll a bit better. Hmm…nice assumption there about gender roles Simone!

Baby Born Doll Unboxed

The doll has been in my house for over a month now I think, and I decided to try to remove the doll, just to take a few pictures for social media posts. Hubby worked on carefully removing little Baby Born from her packaging while I went to set up for pictures. It was at this stage that Adam walked up to me and said: Come mummy! I show you my baby. Oh crap!

I got to the lounge and he scooped her up and started showing me how he fed her. There was no coming back…the way he looked at her? The way he held her….I knew it was love. I yelled at my husband: Well I guess no doll for your niece, cause Adam ain’t letting go of ‘his’ baby! Sorry K!

Watching Adam with ‘baby’ is really something special. I enjoyed and savoured it, evidenced by the amount of IG stories I did with Adam and his doll this weekend. I think him playing with a doll can teach him many things in life:

• Being responsible for something other than himself. He made sure to carry around her potty, feeding bowl, bottle, etc….all together wherever they went.
• To take up a nurturing and empathetic role. Adam made sure she was fed, warm (got her a blanket). Why was she crying? When I said she was sleepy, he’d wrap her up tight.
• How to display affection and love. Adam is a kid that loves hugs, but to watch him just smother ‘baby’ in kisses and hugs, melted my heart. He’d be sitting outside and I’d catch him through the window, kissing her…so sweet!

Look he did also try to show baby how to handle a gun, and at one stage he had to save her from his dinosaurs…..lol. Let’s add great social skills (hey Dinosaur, meet Baby…) to the list as well.

I need to mention, not only was Adam having a ball with his baby, but my 7yr old son also was infatuated with the doll. The minute he found her unattended, he’d wrap her up and he asked me: Mummy how do you hold a baby properly when you want her to sleep? So I showed him how to place her head in the crook of his arm. He sat watching a movie, baby on his lap….until Adam spotted them, made a mad dash for her, grabbed her and ran off! Boys and their dolls……

Baby Born Doll Features

• She can be fed water in her bottle.
• The result of that is that she can then wee into her potty or nappy, just by pushing on her navel.
• Baby Born doll can take naps.
• Her skin and body is also extra soft, which makes it easier to play with some of her features.
• She can cry too 🙁
• Baby born can eat special BABY Born Food. She can then do a number 2 as well! Adam I ain’t changing diapers!
• This awesome BABY Born can also take baths!
• BABY Born comes with a plate and spoon, a potty, a dummy, a diaper, a sachet of baby doll food, a birth certificate and a friendship bracelet.

I mentioned above that I worried the PR’s had gotten it wrong, but I totally take that back! They got it VERY right! This doll is probably one of my favourite toys for my kids right now…..and I will encourage Adam (and Joshua) to play with the new addition to the family, for as long as they want!

BABY Born is available as an Interactive boy or girl….so you could totally pick up the boy for your son (or daughter) if you’d prefer. There’s also a cool BABY Born brother…. I feel like we need him next! AND…the MOST EXCITING???? A BABY Born rich in melanin, named Violet! Her chocolate skin…. GORGEOUS!  I think BABY Born would make the perfect gift if:

• You’re a potty training mom!
• You’re welcoming a new baby to the family…for the older sibling.
• We live in a rainbow nation, BABY Born may come in handy explaining adoption across racial lines.
• You just want to give your kid the best gift that’ll teach them valuable life lessons!

Baby born dolls, accessories and playsets are available at leading toy stores and retailers countrywide! So…..do your sons play with dolls? Or do your daughters play with guns/dinosaurs and trains?

Disclaimer: I was sent this doll, with no obligation to review. I hasn’t planned to review it, because I wasn’t planning to open it, but because I saw the joy it brought the kids, I HAD to review it. All opinions are 100% honest and my own. Thank you Prima Toys for sending this over!