We got our 3 y/o a bitty baby. I think it was a collosal waste of $ b/c she doesn't care any more about it than the $7 babies that look just like it.

IMO, untill they are old enough to insist on the AG brand, it's a complete waste.

14:07 again just wanted to say that the bitty twins aren't the same size as the regular dolls that accounts for the price difference I think. Not that it really matters but I doubt they would let you buy just one

I think the 8+ age is a little extreme. By the time I was 8, I thought playing with dolls was babyish and I was totally over them. Do little girls really play with dolls past 8 these days? I figured I would get my DD an AG when she was 3 or 4.

12:33, no I don't think that is an option, I see your point but they will tell you to just buy one of the other dolls if you don't want it to look like a baby.

Does anyone know if you can get an individual Bitty Twin, i.e. just one of the twin dolls? (they're 2 for $100 and I don't particularly want two.) I ask because they look more like the full-fledged american girl dolls, not the baby dolls, but they're suitable for 3+. My daughter is 3 and she had a meltdown in the AG store in Tysons because I wouldn't buy her an AG doll, but I couldn't see spending $100 on a doll she's not even old enough to play with properly yet.

10:39 pp here. My oldest is almost 4: big hits in terms of gifts:

Accessories for the dolls: bed, potty, clothes, ....
Melissa and Doug grocery store
"Today is" type of calendar for the room
Legos
Fancy dress
Real ballet clothes: leotard, small tutu and the ballet slippers

My daughter had another doll with similar silky hair, and it quickly got nasty and ratty, because she would carry the doll around my one arm, dragging it on the floor, etc. So I wouldn't get a proper AG doll for a preschooler.

She does have a bitty baby doll, which she loves. The clothes are very good quality, and can withstand manhandling by a small child. And the doll itself is half the price of the bigger ones, which helped my rationalization a little.

My 6 year old loves, loves, loves her AG dolls. Worth every penny because she plays with them all the time. If I were you, I would skip the Bitty Babies and go right for the AG. If you're going to pay that much, you might as well get more months of play out of it! That's how I look at it. The bitty baby stage was too quick to be worth the money. Just my opinion!

I think that they are awfully expensive dolls, and it doesn't make sense to buy them for a kid who isn't asking for one.

My four year old got one for her birthday--she too was entranced by the catalog. We are working our way through the book. She probably doesn't "get it" the way she would if she were older--but she does love it.

she has corolle baby dolls - a few of them. seems entranced by the catalog that came in the mail so i was wondering....if not american girl then what other "big" gift item for a 3.5 year old...also into disney princesses and has a lot of them....

DD loves dolls already and we got her a bitty baby for her first bday. We will for sure get her one of the other dolls for her 3rd or 4th bday

How about one of the Bitty Babies for now? I think they might be a bit more age appropriate. The dolls and all of the small pieces might get wrecked by your daughter at her young age. I speak from experience, I had the dolls when I was in elementary school and much 7 years younger little sister absolutely wrecked my Molly doll's hair and broke some of the accessories.

I love the original American Dolls with the history and books behind it: to explain slavery, the civil war,....

Without all this there are really overpriced doll. I might start considering it around 6 for a kid that is already discovering some history.
For younger kids, you'll get much more value for your money with other brands.
Corolle dolls are big faves at home.

too young? i am new to this phenomenon. My daughter loves dolls and loves looking at the catalog but I noticed the age is for 8+. any thoughts?