Girls playing with toys

Flickr find at Wallflower. Whether you buy them, sew them, or throw them together on a whim — kids love forts. This is a photo-heavy post so brace yourself I made this for my favorite girl Ellis!

Parents who want to raise their children in a gender-nonconforming way have a new stocking stuffer this year: the gender-neutral doll. The dolls come with a variety of wardrobe options and can be dressed in varying lengths of hair and clothing styles. But can a doll — or the growing list of other gender-neutral toys — really change the way we think about gender? As a developmental psychologist who researches gender and sexual socialization, I can tell you that it also makes scientific sense. Unfortunately, a doll alone is not going to overturn decades of socialization that have led us to believe that boys wear blue, have short hair and play with trucks; whereas girls like pink, grow their hair long and play with dolls.

Our editors independently research, test, and recommend the best products; you can learn more about our review process here. We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links. A cute baby doll is something every child should have. The kid in your life might want a soft cuddle buddy to sleep with a night or a doll that comes with a few outfits for a dress up session.

I really believe that kids benefit from having access to a diverse array of toys, regardless of their gender. While everyone has different values as a parent, some of the preconceived ideas we have about boys may not just be outdated, but actually negatively impacting their mental health. We inherit a lot of our ideas about gender from our own parents, which makes it easy for them to go unexamined. Their influence on our behavior can be pretty subtle, too, and we may pass on unhelpful ideas to kids without even realizing it. Kids figure out their gender really early in life—by about two years old.