Make choosing Toddler Dollhouses much easier with these best picks for durability, design, price, and size to provide the kids with hours and hours of pretend play! With dollhouse furniture and accessory picks, too.

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One of my main goals as a parent is to foster independent play in my kids so they can play on their own and together as siblings. We’ve had a dollhouse for the past four years that has been a key part of this—especially for my now five year old—and I wanted to share more of our process for choosing one, some of the best options out there, and things to consider when shopping for a dollhouse.

TIP: Dollhouses rank up there with play kitchens as awesome open ended toddler gifts for kids of any gender.

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Best Age for a Dollhouse

In my experience, ages 2-6 is really the sweet spot for a dollhouse, but that can vary a lot by the age of the child. For example, when my son was one, he often played with ours, moving cars and accessories around in his own version of creative play. (He’s forever hiding his big sister’s Paw Patrol cars in it!)

My middle kiddo will play for over an hour making up all sorts of scenarios for the figures and accessories. And my 9 year old still plays with ours. But 2-4 is a great age to introduce one.

The main consideration would be to limit very small pieces for younger kids to eliminate any choking hazards. But otherwise this can be a great way to let them develop fine motor skills and explore their creativity.

Best Dollhouse for a 4 Year Old

It can depend on your budget, space, and what your kiddo likes, but I love the first option right below from Hape. It’s big enough to have a lot of options without taking over a room and it’s very easy for a four year old to play with.

(These work in a bedroom or a playroom.)

hape-wooden-dollhouse

Hape Wooden Kids Dollhouse

This is my one of the best wooden dollhouses and the one that we’ve had for four years, plus it’s priced under $200. It’s incredibly durable with its wood construction, easy to wipe clean, and has a lot of options for play with all of the included accessories. I also love that it’s seriously easy to pick up and move—you can hold it with one hand through the two little holes at the top.

There are a ton of accessories to go with it too, so it has almost endless imaginative play options. Totally a top pick.

Shop here
melissa-and-doug-victorian-dollhouse

Melissa and Doug Victorian Dollhouse

With classic Victorian lines, colorful wallpaper, and sweet stairs and detailing, this is a slightly fancier style of toddler dollhouse that would fit will in some classic homes. You’ll have to pick up some furniture and people to play with, but the foundation is solid, and it’s available for under $150.

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fischer-price-little-helpers-doll-house

Fischer Price Little Helpers Big Home Dollhouse

This is a great starter dollhouse for a one year old or two year old since it’s basic, easy to use, and has minimal components. (Check the size of the pieces to remove any choking hazards for any kids under 3.) It also folds up to put away and is easy to store and clean, and is under $60.

Other ethnicities of the people may be available depending on where you shop.

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melissa-and-doug-fold-and-go-dollhouse

Melissa and Doug Fold and Go Collapsible Dollhouse

I love this basic wooden dollhouse from Melissa & Doug for its minimal style and open ended options as a great addition to a playroom. It too folds up, has neutral colors, and comes with plenty of dollhouse furniture and accessories to get started with the pretend play.

It’s also nice that the people are plenty large for little hands still working on their fine motor control. Priced at under $60.

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kidkraft-majestic-mansion-dollhouse

KidKraft Majestic Mansion Dollhouse

If you’re looking for an epic dollhouse, this is it. This life-size dollhouse is giant and has so much space to create vignettes. It even has a working elevator and garage doors that open and close. Clearly you need more space for this large dollhouse and the assembly will take longer, but it’s a great choice if you want to go big for older kids for under $200!

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plan-toys-my-first-dollhouse

Plan Toys My First Dollhouse

This compact, yet sturdy dollhouse is made from natural, organic and recycled rubber wood and is beautiful in its simplicity. It has four rooms to furnish, wallpaper, a balcony, and sliding doors. You’ll need to add some accessories, but it’s a nice (if, yes, more expensive) foundation.

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best-dollhouse-accessories-and-furnitureToddler Dollhouse Accessories

We love the Best Hape Dollhouse People (photo 1), which come in three different ethnicities (that I’ve been able to find) so you can get a few sets and mix them together for more diversity. And also the Hape Family Pet Set (photo 2), the Family Car (photo 3)—which fits the Hape people really nicely and has doors that open and close and wheels that really work— and the Kitchen Set.

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Toddler Dollhouse Furniture

I love this 41 piece bundle of dollhouse furniture (photo 4) from Imagination Generation. So many great pieces for the kids to create with and is a great place to start if you buy an unfurnished dollhouse or you want to add more options to the ones you have.

Shop here
toddler-in-room-with-Hape-dollhouse
My daughter in her room with the Hape dollhouse.

Best Tips for Toddler Dollhouses

  • Consider the space you have in your house and make sure you look at the specs so you can be sure it will fit.
  • Look at the assembly information before you order so you know what you’re getting yourself into. Some of these have little to no assembly, but larger dollhouses may require more.
  • Plan to wipe your dollhouse regularly with a damp cloth to remove any dust.
  • If the kids stop playing with it, try putting it away for a few months. Then pull it out again since it will be novel!
  • Store the accessories, including dolls, little people, staircases, slides, and more, in a simple plastic bin with a lid if they don’t all fit into the house at once.
  • You may also like my toddler stocking stuffers list.

If you have another dollhouse that you love, or you have any questions about these, please comment below. I love hearing from you guys!

This post was first published September 2020. 

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Comments

  1. Hello- thank you so much for this info! I’m looking into buying a dollhouse for my 3 year old and I am truly stuck between the hape house you have and the almost exact version from Melissa and Doug. They are so similar and I’m sure either would be fine, but I wanted to get your thoughts on if you have heard which is better? The M&D house had an elevator in place of stairs and a garage, which hape does not have. But I think hape is more colorful and has lights (I think).

    Reply

    1. We have the Hape one and have had it for 4 years and I have zero complaints. It’s incredibly durable and versatile and yes, the colors are wonderful. It does not have lights but it does have a little garage area (we have the car that goes with it). I think either would be great!

      Reply