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Anonymous
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Excuse the trivial subject but can anyone recommend a doll house for my 4 yo? that's what she wants for her bday and I have no idea which one to pick. I've done most my research online and liked the Melissa & Doug Victorian. Does anyone have that one? what's your opinion?
thanks |
Anonymous
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I've built quite a few dollhouses, more along the "collector" line. For my daughter to play with, I picked the Real Good Toys Quickbuild Colonial. I got her that one because it's so sturdy, and if it gets at all damaged, I won't be heartbroken about all the work I put into it. She's had it since she was 2, though, and it still looks like new.
I'm just starting this one: http://www.realgoodtoys.com/store/productview/110988//Victoria_s_Farmhouse_Dollhouse_Kit. Haven't decided yet if I'll sell it or let her "help" with the interior decor. I know you asked about toy dollhouses, but I have a real preference for something a little more personal and enduring. Done well, it can be a real heirloom, rather than just another future Goodwill donation. |
Anonymous
wow those are gorgeous!! I wish I had one of those as a kid 
That is out of my price range though, and I worry about giving her something soooo nice... she can get really "creative" with her dolls and cause some damage... thanks a lot though, it is really beautiful |
Anonymous
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I hear you. I'm itching to start building a real dreamhouse, with working lights and all the mini victorian details, but I'm holding off til my daughter is a little older and can take care of/ pride in special things. I just have this fantasy of building and outfitting one that will be in the family for the next generation-- or two. Everything I've done so far I've given as gifts or sold.
As for a toy dollhouse, have you looked at the Plan house? It's very appealing to me, for some reason. Gets great reviews on Amazon. There are lots of accessories for it-- spread the cost out over a couple of occasions! That's the great thing about dollhouses, by the way... you can just plan to add bits and pieces over time, and the "homeowner" can look forward to getting a new piece of furniture in her stocking every year. |
Anonymous
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I too love dollhouses. I still have the dollhouse my grandfather made for my sister and me -- when we were 10 and 12. I still collect occasionally, things like miniature silverware made by a guy in Arizona, or tiny glassware made by miniature craftspeople.
That's a different market, however. I agree that a 4-year-old may be a bit hard on it. One option would be to make a nice wooden house: This site has some make-it-yourself houses at all different price ranges: http://www.miniatures.com/hbs/global/index2.asp. And then, for now, just give her plastic furniture and people: http://www.fisher-price.com/fp.aspx?st=10&e=dollhouselanding Or maybe your daughter, like mine when she was 3-4, really just wants the pink-purple plastic house from fisher price. We knew it was the "one" when we were at ToysRUs and DD sat down in front of it and just stared, instead of whining like usual for stuff she saw at ToysRUs. My daughter played with a fisher-price house for hours, every single day, for about 3 years. Also, they are practically indestructable, so when she takes the plastic family for a "pool party" in your sink, you don't have to panic. You can get her a better quality house when she's six, if she's still into it. |
Anonymous
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my daughter has the kidkraft doll house.
it's her size when she stands up and she can fit all size dolls in there.. http://besttoysguide.com/kidkraft-dollhouses |
Anonymous
| My daughter has a Kidkraft one, too. It is sturdy and was easy to assemble. The selling point for me was the wood construction and sized for Barbie or, in our case, the entire collection of High School Musical dolls. It was cheaper and far better built than the Barbie houses. |
Anonymous
thanks, I just looked through these and the look like a lot of fun... I was thinking the same thing about the doll sizes... her dolls are mostly barbie-sized so something like this would work great. thanks everyone! |
Anonymous
| Plan Toys makes some really lovely dollhouses and has tons of accessories. I think one of those would be good for a 4 year old who's probably too young to need a victorian kit dollhouse or something where you could decorate with wallpaper, search for tiny pieces on vacations, wire it for electricity, etc - those things that maybe a 7-12 year old would be really into. There's another brand called Ryan's Room or something that makes similar simple, good quality stuff for that age group. |
Anonymous
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Here are some great doll houses for you to look at
http://www.entropy.com.au |
Anonymous
| I bought my daughter a cheap,small Fisher Price dollhouse when she was 2, thinking it was a good distraction for about a year or so. When she turned 4 I asked her grandparents to buy her a bigger, nicer doll house. They bought her a very plain Plan Toys one and the wire "people" Plan Toys makes to go with it. Well, 3 years later, the Plan Toys one sits ignored and my 6 year-old and 3 year-old still play all the time with the Fisher Price one. I really wish they had gotten a frilly victorian one with softer people, I think it would have been a bigger hit, at least with my kids. |
Anonymous
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My DD is now 7 and has played with her FP Loving Family Twin Time dollhouse since she was 3. Its nice, we got a ton of furniture so she spends most of her time arranging it.
She also has an old dollhouse that my great uncle built for my mother when she was little. Its not a fancy one, but its lasted through several generations. Of course, my DD is currently using it primarily as a stable for her horses haha. |
Anonymous
| I got the Kid Craft doll house with the elevator at Costco and it was super cheap and very well made. My daughter still loves it and it really looks pretty in her room. |
Anonymous
| DD is 3.5 and loves the Fisher Price Loving Family dollhouse. |