Build a Bear Workshop and Middleton Doll Nurseries

In many cases we are buying more than the product when we make a purchase. We are also purchasing a name or popularity. This is especially true with fashion. However, now the popularity and name have also hit the toy and children's industry.

Build a Bear workshops have been popular for some time now. AT these workshops children get to experience making their own bear or other stuffed animal. While at the store, the children may select from many different animal styles and clothing outfits. The stuffed animals can even be seen wearing underwear and shoes.

While the children do love the experience, the product that they leave with is no finer made or betters quality than what could have been purchased for half of the cost.

The same is true with the new popular Lee Middleton doll nurseries. Thee children go into the nursery and select a baby doll. They then get the go through a mock adoption to purchase the doll. While the dolls are very cute and like life, offer companies offer the same quality dolls for less than the price of the adoption process.

Both companies are loved by children and remain very popular at all times of the year. However, they can also leave parents with empty wallets. The last time that I made a trip to Build a Bear Workshop, I only purchased two animals and left with over $85.00 in merchandise. I did not purchase near the amount of accessories that were available for my children's stuffed animals.

Before getting wrapped up in experiences such as the two described above, consider the age and likeness of your child. Is your child old enough to really enjoy the experience? Will your child grasp the concept of the doll adoption? Will the stuffed animal at Build a Bear mean any more to your child than an animal from a toy store?

If you truly feel that your child will gain a special feeling from the experience, then by all means the money is worth it. Especially if you use the experience as a special outing and not as an everyday trip.

Yet, if you are only carrying out the experience due to the popularity and hype that society has caused, then why spend the extra money? I know some people that take very young children, less than two years old, to these places and spend much money on items for the child. Wait until the child is old enough to make meaning from the experience and enjoy it. At a young age, the child does not care where it's toys come from and how he/she got them