At HuffPost Parents, we believe all toys are for any child who wants to play with them.
While some may still see dolls as a “girl toy,” there are plenty of boys out there who adore their baby dolls, Barbies and stuffed friends. And it’s not only OK ― it’s downright adorable.
So we asked the HuffPost Parents community to share their cutest photos of their sons with their dolls, and we’re sharing our favorites with you below.
1
Carrie Biney/Facebook
"Ever concerned with child development and representation, my awesome mom made sure to not only get my son Benjamin a doll, but a doll of color. 'My baby!'"
2
Dani Horne/Facebook
"Heaven forbid we raise our boys to be good dads..."
3
Bess Given Grant/Facebook
"My son loves his 'Babyzilla'! When my daughter was given a doll for her birthday, my son wanted one as well, and I had absolutely no problem with that! He loves to rock his baby, put his baby down for a nap, and 'change' his baby!"
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4
Kayli Schaaf/Facebook
"I'm sure someone will find something wrong with the car seat straps, but I love this picture of my son at 2. My daughter plays with that doll now, but he picked it out long before she was here."
5
Amy Wenzel/Facebook
"My sweet 16-year-old son has autism and LOVES Disney Princesses. He sleeps with nine princesses and a cat. Even with a queen size bed there's not much room for him! He doesn't care about gender stereotypes, but his other interests have always been typical 'boy' things. It's only the last two years that he's gotten into princesses. One nice thing about autism is that he is oblivious to societal 'standards' and is free to love whatever he loves without paying attention to what he is 'supposed' to like. His other interests include elevators, doors, and every kind of vehicle, especially garbage trucks and trains."
6
Karen Gearon/Facebook
"He used to wear his baby like I wore his brother and this picture always makes me melt, even though it's three years old now."
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7
Melissa Borruso Rice/Facebook
"This is my 5-year-old son Winston and his Wonder Crew doll 'Winston Jr.' He brings him everywhere! Winston is a triplet with 2 sisters, so has been around dolls since he was born & the idea that dolls are for 'girls only' has never even occurred to him. He loves to play soccer and golf with Winston Jr. and I love watching all 3 of my kids play 'mommy and daddy' and 'school' all together with their dolls. I know Winston will be an amazing Dad one day!"
8
Sarah Wilson/Facebook
"Griffin (1-year-old). He causes destruction everywhere he goes (as seen in the background!) but when he hears this baby cry, he will stop everything and give it a cuddle."
9
Katie Ahmed/Facebook
"My little guy is going to be a great dad some day. He loves looking after Bubby, feeding him and changing his nappy. He also loves singing to him while they go for a walk."
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10
Nora Buckley Dyer/Facebook
"This is Finn! For his 8th Birthday all he wanted to do was spend a day at the American Girl doll store! It was the most incredible day!!!! He felt no judgement at all, he has 6 dolls now with lots of clothes and accessories. He loves to change their outfits and hairstyles. He has always loved dolls, started with Barbies and Disney princesses!"
11
Angela Kopanski Runko/Facebook
"My son has loved all things glitz and glamour since he was 2. This is one of his first Barbies and you can see the pure joy on his face. At age 6, he has quite the collection of dolls and plays with them all the time. It's super sweet."
12
Serena Delgado Collier/Facebook
"My son loves his baby brother and baby doll!!! He's such a good little daddy. He just turned 3 but was born a preemie, so his little preemie onesies are now what he uses to dress his baby."
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13
Nina Lane/Facebook
"My boys love their babies! Too many photos to choose from."
14
Crystal Gomez/Facebook
15
Erika May Mendez/Facebook
"My son Andy (5) with his American Boy gave him the ability to play dolls with his sisters and play pretend that they normally excluded him from."
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16
Eleana Pfleeger/Facebook
"Maddox and Gavin. They'll be 3 on July 19th!"
17
Vaidehi Naik/Facebook
"Cooking and taking care of the baby at the same time."
18
Joy Groves-Sykes/Facebook
"My son loves babies. I like to think it's because he has an amazing dad who has taught him that men can be nurturing. I just wish someone could explain to me why all the accessories for baby dolls are made pink and purple. Who has a pink crib, stroller, bath tub, highchair.... I have no problem with my son playing with pink toys but I'd love if these 'just like home' or 'just like mom' toys actually looked like mine instead of using a color to try to push these things on girls. Don't even get me started on the pink kitchen sets and pink Little People house."
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19
Tina Shaw/Facebook
"My son Kyle and his doll Mathew"
20
Cate Megan/Facebook
"Moana goes everywhere my 2.5 year old goes. He even shared his apple juice!"
21
Dawn White/Facebook
"My son Owen when he was getting ready to be a big brother!"
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22
Brittany Casseday/Facebook
"My baby boy loved to 'talk' to this doll. He seemed to think it was another baby."
23
Sarah Brown/Facebook
"Obsessed with Barbies, mostly mermaids."
24
Amy Birnstill/Facebook
"Benny slept with his baby every night for months. Both my boys have dolls and love to play with them. Some days they throw them across the room and other days I find this."
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25
I was promised more naps/Facebook
"We gave our son a baby of his own to take care of the day before his little sister was born. He loved to carry his own baby around in his little Moby wrap while I carried his sister in mine."
26
Victoria Good/Facebook
"This is Miles' twin doll from Ikea (it's since been discontinued). They both have blue eyes, blonde curly hair, and are adorable. He carries his baby everywhere!"
27
Melanie Whelchel/Facebook
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28
Faith-Anne Bell/Facebook
"My boys and their dolls."
29
Juli Dunn Smith /Facebook
"Trenny would always put Baby Hottub to sleep with him!"
30
Allana Robinson/Facebook
"Tandem wearing his doll on his back and a bonding baby on the front (Orange thing under his chin) while playing with magnets. Mama wears him, so he wears his doll. He'll be a great Daddy one day."
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31
Amy Ellen/Facebook
"My Kem. He's four."
32
Meghan Michelle/Facebook
"Apollo loves his baby! He especially loves to hug her and push her around the stroller."
33
Victoria Good/Facebook
"Miles just started changing his baby's diapers!"
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34
Brittany Morton/Facebook
"My 3-year-old son helping to normalize breastfeeding."
35
Savanah Greybiehl/Facebook
"My son loves one of his sister's friend's baby doll, so when he saw this one at the store he grabbed it and carried it around the whole time, so if course I had to buy it for him! And the next time I went out without him I bought a larger baby doll for him, as a surprise. He likes to change its diaper and have her poop on the toilet, lol. (His older brother also had a baby doll when he was 4 and was expecting a baby sister.)"
36
Valerie Marie/Facebook
"We bought 'Baby Dude' for my oldest when I was pregnant to help teach him to be gentle with a new baby. Dude quickly became a beloved member of the family!!!"
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37
Misty Wagner/Facebook
"This is Caleb (16mo in picture). He saw this doll, and wanted it very, very much. Santa was kind enough to bring it. He likes to feed her and make little soothing noises."
38
Rachel Lewis Thibodeau/Facebook
"3.5-year-old Silas playing with one of his babies. We don't do gender-specific in this house."
39
Deborah Perry/Facebook
"Jett brought his bitty twin, Toby, along on our field trip to the war museum in Newport News."
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40
Holly K Howe/Facebook
"Ted loves his Belle."
41
Amanda Burden/Facebook
"Caden carried Rapunzel everywhere when he was little! Now he makes one heck of a babysitter!!"
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