The materials used include solid wood, MDF, and plastic, and the houses come in a range of sizes that are suitable for dolls ranging from 3 to 18 inches.Here’s what you get with your Townhouse Wooden Barbie Doll House Kit: All of the dollhouses on this list are considered to be both durable and beloved by kids. Through the years, her own children have loved their Wellie Wishers Playhouse.įor this round-up, she considered dozens of different dollhouses, assessing their sizes, layouts, materials, furniture options, and more, as well as notes from our product testers. As a kid she loved playing with a dollhouse her dad built as well as two Barbie houses (Dream and Town). Lexi Dwyer has written about outdoor toys, board games, and toddler gifts for The Spruce. But also remember that if a dollhouse has decor elements such as porches or balconies on the front and back, you may not be able to put it up against a wall without removing them. If you plan to have multiple children playing at once, you might want a dollhouse that's open-sided. If you have young children, you might just want to open the box, set up the rooms, and start playing immediately. Some families also enjoy the process of slowly decorating a dollhouse room by room, and looking at sites like Etsy for just the right pieces, or even making them from scratch. If you have a five-room unfurnished dollhouse and sets start at $20 each, that can add up quickly and cost as much as the structure itself. If sets are sold separately, make sure to note the prices. When you're looking at a dollhouse, check to see whether it comes furnished-many come with only a limited number of pieces. Barbie homes, for example, are scaled at 1:6. Remember that the smaller the second number, the bigger the house. Many dollhouses are scaled at 1:12 (that means if something is 12 inches in real life, it's equivalent to one inch in miniature). When furnishing your dollhouse, the word to remember is scale. The Spruce / Charlene Petitjean-Barkulis Furniture If you buy a dollhouse that's made of untreated wood, you can also paint or stain it yourself. If you're planning to give the dollhouse as a gift, you may want to put it together in advance to avoid having impatient kids bothering you as you're building. Reading shoppers' reviews can give you a sense of how difficult the process is. Some dollhouses come already assembled, especially smaller plastic ones, but most require at least a little work.
There are also plastic houses that are lightweight and easy to wipe down. Particleboard also tends to be less durable than solid wood, but on the flip side, also less expensive.
Some are made of plastic, which is easy to keep clean, but may be more prone to cracks. Most dollhouses can be made of solid wood, particleboard, or a mix of the two. Some are attractive enough that you'll be proud to display them in your living room. Toddlers may appreciate having a smaller, more lightweight house that's easier for them to manage and even carry around. You'll want to consider whether or not you want it on the floor or a table, and also whether you want something that folds up and can be stored in a closet, or whether you don't mind having it out all the time. The Spruce / Charlene Petitjean-Barkulis What to Look for in a Doll House Dimensions and shapeĪ dollhouse is an investment not just in money, but in space as well.