Representation matters! Dope Toys for Little brown girls and boys

Some may not realize the power of representation but seeing yourself reflected in the positive images you consume works wonders for your self-esteem and self-image. This is why movies like Black Panther are so celebrated in the black community. For the first time in over a decade, our people have a fresh batch of superheroes and characters to look up to! It’s possible to get this positive affirmation in places outside of the movie theater too. Here are a few other sources of positive representation for little melanated children.

Coloring books:

All adults can think back on a time during childhood when they colored their favorite characters in a coloring book. Most black women also remember coloring the white Disney princesses with brown skin and black hair because we didn’t have many characters that looked like us. Now young girls have Princess Tiana and Moana but there is still a long way to go as far as inclusion and diversity go in children’s cartoons, stories, and movies.

In order to show young girls images of themselves, some people have created their own coloring books. Curlies Color Too is a coloring book created by Youtuber Yolanda Renee, with her two daughters in mind. This book features coloring pages full of little girls with afros, puffs, cornrows and all of the hairstyles young black girls rock. Black Queens Colouring is a similar book but it focuses on positive images and affirmations for young black children. When my toddler is old enough to really appreciate these I will buy a few for sure!

Dolls:

The first time I saw this toy was on Shark Tank and I’m happy that they are still around. The Naturally Perfect Dolls  are an alternative to the American Girl dolls, that feature black girls with styleable natural hair. I actually purchased the Angelica doll for my daughter’s second birthday. I will be posting a review when we receive it. I’m very excited about this purchase and I’m happy to support a smaller company that is trying to make their mark in the toy industry.

If you are looking for a baby doll you should give Just Like Me Toys a try. They offer Anatomically correct dolls of multiple races. These dolls look really realistic and would make a cool gift for the doll lover in your life.

Having brown dolls in your child’s collection is extremely important for all races. This might be the most important instance where representation truly does matter.

Books:

Although I buy a variety of books I do try to make sure there is as much representation in my child’s storybook collection as possible. Representation does matter! Here are a few but if you want the full list, subscribe to my email list and receive my toddler reading list FREE! We have quite a few of the classic

stores by Ezra Jack Keats as well as a few new ones.
Here are a few of the books I currently read for my toddler that feature little black children. Some of them are even by black authors.

Scaredy Kate by Jacob Grant
He’s Got the Whole World in his Hands by Kadir Nelson
Marvelous Me: Inside and Out by Lisa Bullard
I Love My Hair by Natasha Tarpley

Clothing:
Mo’s Bows offers classy bows and dressy accessories for little boys. It was created by a young black boy makes it even more amazing! Flexin in my Complexion is another company started by a young kid. Kheri Rogers started this company at10-years-old when she was bullied for her dark skin tone. Now she offers t-shirts and other apparel that empowers melanated children and encourages self-confidence.
Shop Brown Girl, like Flexin in my complexion, offers apparel with positive affirmations directed towards skin tone. These are sied for babies and toddlers.

Gear:
College age kids will love the home decor, luggage and stationary sets offered by Pardon My Fro. I discovered them on Instagram and I wish I had earlier because my bathroom would’ve been poppin with an afro girl shower curtain!