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For many parents, enduring the pressure to buy gifts for their children, pushing a trolley down endless lanes of toys in shopping malls, or besieged by wall-to-wall advertising on the television, the choices ultimately seem stark and simple. Do I get the latest doll with fashion accessories for the girl, or the newest all action adventure pack for the boy?

It would appear, from all the gifts being pushed at us, that we have a very simple selection to make, and it is very gender-specific.

Most toy manufacturers push out cute and perfect for the girls, and rugged and macho for the boys. Dolls and ponies, or tanks and trains, the choice is yours! Unless, of course, you require something a little less engendered.

Targeted group marketing has even gone as far as well known washing machine manufacturers developing toy versions for girls, whilst the boys can have a make-believe tool kit fashioned by Bosch. For many parents this may be a step too far. For, whilst there is nothing wrong, in toys for girls and boys, the increasing stereotyping of gender has to be a little worrying for many parents that nowadays share the household chores, and the DIY about the house.

So what can be done to break away from this gender moulding?

The perfect option is to go for the educational toys and games. These tend to be non-gender specific, and still manage to be fun and entertaining. If you consider that a child's first year or so is made up of education toys then it continues to be a natural progression. Sensory toys, quite literally, are the building blocks of a child's learning and development.

Books, paints, crayons and pencils tend also to be neutral and children learn from them, without realising that they too are, in essence, a learning tool.

Apart from those examples, the classic toy range still features an undying love for the teddy bear - they have been around for the best part of two hundred years, and boys and girls love them equally. They also tend to have a great longevity about them, being cherished and cared for long into development into adulthood and beyond.

I'm not for one moment dismissing gender-specific toys and gifts. I can guarantee I have bought several, but if you feel you want to avoid them, I hope I have given some help and examples to assist in a parent's search.

Learn more about this author, Roy Barton.
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