For the past six months Kailyn has been asking for an American Girl Doll for her birthday. I’ve casually told her “okay” or “we’ll see” not knowing just how expensive the dolls really were.
Then when she brought it up again last week I decided to check into the price.
I knew they were expensive but O.M.G. I had no idea that the dolls STARTED at $115. And outfits? The cheapest I saw was $30.
So to get Kailyn an American Girl doll with an outfit and earnings I’d be spending $160 plus shipping and tax.
After discovering the price I told her that if she did get an American Girl Doll for her birthday that would be the only thing she was getting.
She’s got her heart set on this doll but I’m a bit torn.
Here are the pros and cons:
Pros
- Kailyn takes very good care of her stuff. If she got this doll I’m sure she’d take care of it and potentially play with it for years to come.
- I’d rather buy one good quality gift than spend money on a bunch of junk that would just get thrown away.
Cons
- The doll plus outfit would cost $160.
- I usually get both girls something for each birthday. (For instance on Ava’s birthday both girls got a new bike. But the bikes were only $40) If Kailyn got an American Girl doll Ava would also expect something. But Ava doesn’t take care of anything and spending $160 on a doll for her is flat out not going to happen. (On the other hand Ava isn’t too picky and would probably be happy with a $15 Walmart doll or something secondhand.)
- The doll plus outfit would cost $160!!!!!!
Possible Ideas for Buying the Doll
- Go in halves with someone else. (Like her Dad or Grandma)
- Make her pay for the part of the doll. She’s been saving money for quite awhile to go to Build a Bear (another place I refuse to pay for) I think she’d be more than willing to put her money toward this instead.
- Find one secondhand…..but where?
What do you think? Bad idea or no big deal to buy a six year old an expensive gift?
Also does anyone have any experience with American Girl Dolls? Are they worth the money?! Is there anyway to get one of these for less?
Yikes! $160 for a doll? Craziness. I would look on eBay first. Then maybe have a family member split the cost. Good luck and let us know what you decide.
Yeah I know. I would have never said yes so nonchalantly if I would’ve actually checked the price first. I had absolutely NO idea that those dolls cost so much money! Eeeek.
She needs skin in the game! Take the bear money and make up the difference. That is a lot for a doll, but if she takes care of her things, then it might be worth it. Good luck!!!! Tough one..
Yeah I think she might take more pride in the doll if she puts some of her own money toward it. That’s how past purchases have worked out anyway.
P.S. I nominated you for the versatile blogger award! Love your blog.
Interesting that you bring this up! I had the same exact dilemma with my mom when I was in 3rd grade. I wanted an American Girl doll but it was too expensive. Mom had the same situation of buying two as well since my sister and I are identical twins. She ended up saying that she would pay half if we saved up half from our allowances. It ended up being our Christmas presents. Fortunately we both saved up enough to buy the dolls. If one of your girls doesn’t save up half then she gets something different for Christmas. Our dolls were the historical ones so we didn’t buy extra outfits. I still have the dolls! They are over 15 years old now!
That’s awesome that you still have the dolls. Yeah, there’s no way I’d buy Ava one. She doesn’t take of her things. Kailyn on the other hand is very uptight about keeping all of stuff very nice, neat, and organized.
I think I could get away with buying Ava something much cheaper.
My mom did the same thing for me when I was a kid. Except she didn’t make me pay half. It was just all that I got for Christmas period the end. (I also didn’t get an allowance as a kid.) And that was after years and years of wanting. It is a big price tag, but like you said, she’ll take care of it. And if it’s the only thing, and especially if she pitches in, and Ava will be happy with another less expensive doll…
This is a tough one. I had (actually still have) an American Girl Doll that I absolutely treasured. I begged for about a year before my parents bought me one for Christmas. And I’d get one outfit for each birthday. It is (or at least it was at the time) a very high quality, beautiful doll. I plan to give mine to my future children because it’s still in great condition. That being said, the things are expensive!!! I do wonder if you could find one used on Craigslist? Alternately, I like your idea of going halves with another family member.
I haven’t checked Craigslist or eBay. Honestly, I never even thought of those places. I’m glad to hear your doll has still lasted though. I guess the dolls being high quality would be the one plus side to it.
I swear I just saw American Girl Dolls or maybe accessories on Zulily…
Have you checked CL or EBay?
I’m going to check!
WOW! That’s expensive. But, there are a couple of options: are there dolls on EBAY? Or, could you and several relatives split the cost? If that’s basically the only thing she wants then you can persuade your family members to contribute to the doll instead of buying additional gifts.
Yeah I definitely think I could get my mom to go in with me. And that would probably be a good thing. I think my Mom usually goes way overboard buying my girls birthday and Chrismas gifts and I like the idea of having one quality thing instead of a bunch of toys that will only get played with for a short period of time.
eBay has somen ” gently used” starting at $ 80. I do think she is at the age where she could get a lot of use out of it. : )
Yeah. I do think she’d take good care of it. I almost feel obligated to her one now to since I said yes assuming the dolls didn’t cost an arm and a leg. Going to check out eBay.
I still have 3 American Girl dolls that I had as a child – and that was 20 years ago! One of the best things I loved about the dolls were the books that went with them to tell their stories. Does the doll your daughter likes come with any books? Does she like to read? It could be a good investment!
Hmmmmm…..I’m not sure if the one she liked came with a book or not. I know it said that you could pick your dolls interests, hobbies, etc. but I’ll have to check on that. And yes, we read all the time. And now that she’s started school she’s beginning to read on her own. I’m glad to hear that so many people have had their dolls for so long. Hopefully they’re still the same quality!
Hello, I only have boys, but have a niece that collects American Girls Dolls. We live near Mpls. and at the Mall of America is an American Girl store, no I am not suggesting you visit the store- but rather look on Craigslist and you will find tons! I just did and our area has tons of listings of dolls and clothing and many are selling “lots” including 2 dolls and a variety of clothes. Just a thought- since we are close to the store, many girls have wanted the dolls and as time goes on, they are looking to sell now. There are many women in the area that sew clothes to fit AG dolls too- so cute and similar in style too. I have also heard from other moms that Target has a line of dolls that are similar to AG dolls.
Hope this helps!
Thank you! That definitely helps. Checking Craigslist had honestly never even crossed my mind. And if I can find accessories from a cheaper place then that my solve part of my problem too.
Try the link below. It’s a link from Steals an Deals on the Today show. There were a lot of great doll deals ($67 for My American Girl dolls with outfits and $50 for the Bitty Baby sets) but those sold out. However, there are still some great doll and girl outfits still available. Things are going fast and may sell out really soon but you may find something good. 🙂
http://www.americangirl.com/jsd/mag_bb2014/
I’m glad my daughters are not into dolls. If they were my mother would drag them to the American Girls store in Atlanta. It’s insane. My aunt brings her granddaughters when they visit. A billion dolls, clothes and accessories. You can get their hair done and the kids. And there’s a restaurant where you take the doll to “eat”. So weird!
I’m of the mind that they should get one big gift for birthdays….but then again I’m afraid of when it goes from the $160 doll to an iPad!!! I think the idea of having someone split the cost of the doll with you and then let her buy the outfit and accessory she wants might be good…
I think the doll is worth the memories. Lots of good toys cost this, even Lego sets. I know; I have 4 boys, and I’ve been single parenting them for a long time.
I obviously have no business answering this question, as I have no kids, but I know my cousins (who are around the age of your daughter) absolutely love their American Girl Dolls. We get them clothes for their dolls for Christmas and their Birthdays. Whoever started American Girl Company must be really wealthy…
I didn’t know that doll was too expensive! But for me, I shouldn’t buy my daughter an expensive toy and especially with that expensive outfit.
Anerican Girl started sending catalogs to my house when I was 6, too! I begged and begged and begged for one until my parents broke down and bought me a doll the next year (which were about $90 back then.. Still a crazy amount!) I ended up getting a few dolls throughout my childhood and I’m really, really glad I did. I kept really good care of them and played with them regularly until I was around 16. But I might be a little unusual in that case 🙂
What I would suggest is, just get her the doll, and not any additional outfits yet. Those can be later birthday/holiday gifts, or she can save her money and buy them herself. Or, if you can sew, try making some of your own? I also second the suggestion of checking ebay and Craigslist for gently used dolls!
A few days ago they had a doll plus outfit for around $64.00 on hills steals and deals they do it once in awhile that’s how I got my daughter her first American girl doll
Sorry Jill’s steals &deals
For what its worth my Kirsten doll (a now archived American Girl doll) is still one of my favorite gifts I’ve ever received. I have had her for almost 20 years now and I still have her on display. Plus since she is a retired character her doll sells for over $300 new in box and for over $150 used on ebay. Consider looking at this as a life long gift and it may make the financial hit feel less hard. I can certainly understand not wanting to spend that much money on a doll but I figured I’d throw my experience out there as a good reason to buy one for her.
Thank you for sharing your experience! I think everyone’s comments have convinced me that this would be a great gift.
Yep, had a bit of a cultural shock 3 years ago, when in NYC. I even visited the store with the dolls and stuff, the store where you can even get the doll’s hair styled. Yep, some peeps there have too much money 😀
Have you considered Ebay? Maybe something might show up?
I’m gonna try eBay too. The bad thing is she has a specific doll in mind. So hopefully I can find something suitable! And the price is a shock to me too!! 🙂
My first job was actually working at American Girl Place in NYC and wow, it’s crazy how much parents would spend on these dolls. Ridiculous actually! But I witnessed a couple girl’s reactions when their parents bought them a doll and it was priceless. Kailyn sounds very responsible so she would definitely take care of it. Have you tried looking on eBay? They pop up on there quite often. There are also individuals or companies that make outfits that fit American Girl dolls that aren’t as expensive as the real thing (and I doubt the kids will notice). Try etsy or eBay for those.
I actually found a great line of clothing for cheap on Amazon. And I’ve heard Walmart has clothes too. Yeah, she’ll never know the difference on the clothes! And thank God there’s no American Girl Doll store around here!!
Hey, I have been hearing about the American doll craze in girls a lot lately. Though parents are usually a little sad, but still they want their kids to have it 🙂 Just visit this ebay url, you might find something worth! soome dolls they say are fr $75.
Take care XOXO
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xamerican+girl+doll&_nkw=american+girl+doll&_sacat=0
Thanks I’ll check it out!
One of my hobbies is entering sweepstakes. I saw that there is a American Girl Sweepstakes going on now. The sweepstakes ends on Oct 31. I saw the sweepstakes on Sweeties Sweeps.com . It is listed under the sweepstakes ending this month. I also went on the American Girl website and found it there too . It listed as Fetch a Friend Sweepstakes. Ten people will win a My American Girl Doll and one of the pets. The supplies with the pets.
I hope you can win one of the packages.
Lakeside Collection has 18″ dolls. The website is www. lakeside.com They have a blond and a brunette doll that is $16.95 a piece. They also have clothes that are 3 doll outfits for $13.95. Doll accessories for $13.95. They also have other doll accessories that are around $20.
ETSY HAS DOLL CLOTHES SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO SPEND $30 ON CLOTHES