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We have Lottie dolls, which are kind of like Barbie, but a kid. Less of a problematic body proportion than Barbie.
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We have a dollhouse like this one, that is very simple and gets lots of play: My First Dollhouse – PlanToys USA but we got it for free from the side of the road and now I’m seeing it’s $200!?
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Thank you! Glad to have some alternatives to Barbie.
So this was interesting…
It almost reads to me like having many shapes emphasizes the differences and invites comparison?
In defense of Barbie
Disclaimer that all kids play differently and no experience is universal.
I don’t remember me and my friends or my sisters and theirs, ever fixating on the body shape of Barbies. It just wasn’t material to how we played. We also didn’t really act out careers or other aspirational stuff like the toy execs seem to expect. We generally argued over who got to play the smaller dolls (Kelly/Chelsea/Skipper) because we need to play the KIDS. They would go to school, camp, an orphanage (after watching Annie), road trips… We’d pull from books, movies, and recent experiences to come up with storylines. Random non-Barbie toys be involved as house decorations, pets (an old polar bear ornament often played a shaggy dog), treasure at the end of a treasure hunt. When we traveled, a few Barbies often came along, they were easier to pack and hold on to than eg an American girl doll. No tiny accessories, though!
I wished we had more “normal” clothes for them… jeans, shorts, sneakers instead of sheath dresses or ballgowns and pumps. No one I knew wore sheath dresses. Or pumps. Our Barbies did not have appropriate attire for the many camping trips they attended. I also wished everything wasn’t pink.
For what it’s worth, as a company, and as one of the biggest players in the business, they are listening and changing. They changed the shape of Barbie even before and while I was a kid. They have racially diverse dolls, and they have clearly put some thought into size/shape diversity as well, even though it is very impractical for a line of dolls to have a range of sizes! Not sure all of that caught on but Curvy Barbie is still available!
None of this is to say you should get Barbies for your child, but if they get one as a gift, if it turns out they like them… All is not lost!!
A ruch friend of my little sister’s (dad was a dentist) had a large collection of American girl dolls. My sister loved playing over there and probably intensely jealous of the doll collection. The idea of someone having more than one of those with all accessories blew my mind even at 15. The My Generation line at Target (I think they still have them?) is a similar idea on a budget, but probably still not apartment friendly. And not really dollhouse dolls.
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They do have the my generation dolls still at Target! My mil bought one for each of my girls and then sewed a whole bunch of clothes for them. They mostly like changing their clothes right now.
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I saw an ad for Understance bras that made them seem cute and comfy and I really need new bras and don’t want to go to a store. Reviews are mixed on third party websites. Has anyone here tried them?
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No, but my only bras are molke and knix. I like both. Knix will give you an online consultation, and molke will answer emails with odd questions in a timely and friendly manner
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I think this is why I went a bit overboard and got both. A Barbie mermaid and some other types. Maybe a bit extra but 
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Here’s what I decided on for the dollhouse:
All Seasons Kids Wooden Dollhouse by Hape | Award Winning 3 Story Dolls House Toy with Furniture, Accessories, Movable Stairs and Reversible Season Theme L: 23.6, W: 11.8, H: 28.9 inch Amazon.com
Medium sized but easy to access from all sides.
And I got one of those Lottie dolls too!
I showed kiddo a picture of the Barbie Chelsea doll (smaller Barbie) vs the baby cradle and she chose the Barbie, so I’m not going to worry about the soft baby doll stuff.
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That dollhouse has been on the wishlist for ages! I love Hape’s stuff, such good quality.
OK I have two completely unrelated requests!
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Any recommendations for a power scrubber thing? My tubs are in a rather embarrassing state
. Some random reddit thread I found recommended this one, but I think some folks here have one they like? -
Any recs for a very soft hoodie? Full zipper in the front would be ideal.
Thanks y’all!
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please be careful about cleaning tubs that are in rough shape. some things are too abrasive, and it looks better in the moment, and then since the surface is damaged it gets dirty super easy from there on out.
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Good to know! I don’t think the surface of the tub is damaged yet, it’s just dirty (gray soap scum I think?). Do you think power scrubbers are too abrasive in general?
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The shadowy one managed to damage our tub with a spray and hand scrubbing. Now it can look better with vim, but of course that just micro abrades further. My mom used to use comet and a j cloth, and her tub corners all went grey from the damage.
So a grey soap scum I would try sequential spray cleaner on - just spray and leave it for 30 minutes, then wipe off. Over many days. After every bath/shower.
I saw from the reviews people were using the scrubber on shower tile, I’d be ok with that mostly, but very concerned about anything on a tub - by the time you’re clean you’re so close to damage. (or maybe I just bought a cheap tub? idk, it is one of three regrets about that renovation)
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This is really helpful - thanks! Yeah, mine is probably a cheap tub (builder-grade from the '90s in a rental, lol), so it probably wouldn’t be able to stand up to a power scrubber, then.
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I have used a mixture of 1/2 vinegar 1/2 dawn on the tub, spray on, wait ten minutes, wipe off with a soft cloth.
We also had an issue with a tub that had been suoerscrubbed with abrasives and been damaged, and it would go from sparkling to nasty in just a few days.
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Well TIL that tubs are way more delicate than I realized
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Ok FINE I’ll clean my tub ugh
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I was also thinking that dish detergent might be good on stubborn scum, the idea of adding vinegar is a great one.
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For no-scrub cleaning I like Kaboom/Scrubbing bubbles in an aerosol can. Cuts through soap scum and grey gunk SO easily. Also fun how it changes colors. I don’t know what’s in it, may degrade the tub or kill you. Rinse well.
If that doesn’t seem to be doing it, I scrub with Comet. Only time I didn’t was our last place which put a coating on the plastic tub liner to clean it up between tenants, and the coating would flake off.
If your place is old school and the tub is legit enameled, it should stand up to baking soda, soft scrub, comet type things. Enamel is basically ceramic, it’s HARD and largely chemically inert.
If your tub is some form of plastic and you’re a renter, I would not futz around cleaning with dish soap and vinegar (which take more elbow grease) for a marginal extension on the tub quality/life for my landlord…chances are it’s already not great when you got it.
TLDR alternate view that modern chemicals are great just don’t mix them.
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We have hard water, and the gray stain build-up on our tub came right out with Barkeeper’s Friend, with little scrubbing. I tried a variety of things, including dishwasher soap, baking soda, and bleach, which didn’t work.
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I like my hoodies from Uniqlo. The one I got 5+ years ago (size M in women’s) is still going strong, after hard use. I got another one last year, size XS in unisex sizing, and I expect it to last for years to come.
They are regular sweatshirt material soft, though. Not sure if that qualifies for the “very soft” you’re looking for.
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