Matching Doll Dresses Encourage Imaginative Play for Little Mommies in a Big World

Matching doll dresses are nothing new, of course.  My sisters and I had them for our babies each Christmas when we were little girls – and they were magical.  That magic lives in my heart and in my home where, in addition to our two boys and two girls ranging in age from one to seven, we also have four little lovelies who are every bit a part of our family: Charlotte, Maggie, Patrice, and Brynn – our daughters’ American Girl dolls.  

Charlotte, Maggie, Patrice and Brynn have never missed a holiday or a trip to Grandma and Grandpa’s.  They've never missed a family vacation (because that’s exactly what a mother of four needs to bring on an airplane!) and they are never treated like mere dolls.  Creating matching doll dresses for Pennymeade’s summer line was imperative to the line as far as Lilly, my five year old, was concerned.  

Lilly graduated from Kindergarten last month and of course, Charlotte and Patrice were a big part of her special day.  Lilly wore the dress that bears her name and her babies wore matching doll dresses.  To celebrate the big occasion, Lilly and her best friends made the journey to one of Lilly’s most favorite places on earth – the American Girl store in New York City. 

While Lilly is an old pro at this adventure, for her sweet friends, also decked out in Pennymeade dresses, this would be their first visit to the wonderland on Fifth Avenue.  For Kindergarten graduation, they would each receive their first American Girl doll!  I brought along the matching doll dresses from our collection as a special gift and had the joy of watching all three squeal with delight as they outfitted their babies in dresses that are made as beautifully as those they themselves wore.

What a day it was!  From the train ride into the city to the magic of the three floors of American Girl heaven, the visit to the doll salon and finally dinner at the American Girl Café where the girls and their babies in matching doll dresses all had a seat at the table, it was one of those days that I know left Lilly drifting off to a very sound sleep with a smile upon her face (of course, not until Charlotte was changed into her pajamas and tucked into the miniature cradle beside her bed!).

 

 

Lilly’s a good little mommy.  I know my girls are watching and learning from every move I make.  I marvel at the care she gives her babies, the gentle way she brushes their hair, or covers them up when they may be a little chilly, or outfits them in matching doll dresses to compliment her own.  Imaginative play is such a tremendous part of developing children’s identities, playing out what they see happening in the world around them, and practicing who they’d like to be when they are bigger. 

From the looks of it, Lilly will be a strict and loving mom, one who loves to dress her babies with timeless style, and who always tells her little ones that she loves them.  I wonder where she gets it.

 


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