Just a few days after you bought some dolls  for your child, she seems to be discarding them already and wants to have other kinds of toys. Suddenly, she feels that the doll is “boring” or there is “nothing to do with it.” She refuses to play with it and look for other means of entertainment. Even though there are a lot of options available to you, but the one that may have the biggest impact is the introduction of accessories to the child’s doll. With accessories the child can feel that he or she has gotten a brand new toy, and you did not have to spend very much to make an old doll feel like a new one. With the right accessories, you can extend the play life of your child’s doll and save yourself money in the long run.

Clothes

First and foremost, children that play with dolls love to dress those dolls in different outfits, because the child can use the outfit to transform the doll into whatever the child wants the doll to be. A new outfit completely changes who the doll is and allows the child to develop a brand new personality for the doll during play time. The ability to change clothes is one of the reasons that Barbie has been so successful; she can change into whatever the child wants her to be, whenever the child wants her to change. A new set of clothes does not have to be expensive and you will see the lifespan of the doll increase dramatically with new clothes.

Jewelry

No doll outfit is complete without the corresponding jewelry, such as necklaces or bracelets that can be worn by both the doll and the child. Much like clothing, doll jewelry is a cheap way to change the personality of a doll and give children a new outlet for their creativity. Many clothing sets will come with jewelry included, though there are some jewelry only packages available.

Extras

The accessories so far have focused on changing the doll’s appearance, but those are not the only accessories that are available. Extras are the little things that can reshape the doll experience cheaply and effectively. With the addition of something like a bean bag chair and a desk, the doll has transformed from a baby that has to be taken care of into a sophisticated college student. With a sleeping bag the doll is ready to go have some fun in the wilderness. There are a huge number of extra accessories that can be added to the doll experience and give children new ways to look at and play with their dolls.

As a parent you have to constantly be on the lookout to find ways to get the most out of your children’s toys, so that you get the most for your money. With the cost of dolls rising rapidly, you need new ways to keep your children interested in the dolls that they already have, without spending a ton of money on those dolls. Accessories are a fantastic way to keep children interested in their current dolls, with a price tag that is very affordable.

About the Author

I am Cathy Leoni and I wrote this article to help parents find good ways to extend the life span of a child’s toy without spending a lot of money by using doll accessories. Parents can find examples of the accessories I talked about at http://www.laurentdoll.com/doll-accessories.