Every time I walk through the toy aisle at a big box store, I'm rather stunned by the doll selection. Or maybe I should say lack of selection. Everything is over the top pink, and if it's not Barbie or Monster High, it's still plastic and often looks cheap. Maybe it's because my mom made a lot of my favorite dolls when I was growing up, but I'm more attracted to stuffed dolls for my preschooler.

If you know where to look, you can find some really beautiful choices. Sometimes it's thanks to Etsy - though watch out for the safety of some of the dolls, sellers will tell you if it's child-friendly or not. Other times it's through independent stores. But wherever you look, I think it's well worth the effort to give our girls a unique doll that's a little less about fashion and pink and more about playtime and role play.

Here are a few of my favorite dolls right now:

(images as linked above)

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