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Why boys play with trucks and girls play with dolls
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A new study done by researchers at City University London found that children who are as young as 9 months old prefer toys that are specific to their gender. - photo by Herb Scribner
Science has officially found that boys want boy toys and girls want girl toys.

A new study done by researchers at City University London found that children who are as young as 9 months old prefer toys that are specific to their gender rather than toys targeted towards another gender.

The study, published in the journal Infant and Child Development, explained that this could be because male and female babies follow different developmental paths, and that there may be environmental reasons why babies prefer something tied to their gender.

"Biological differences give boys an aptitude for mental rotation and more interest and ability in spatial processing, while girls are more interested in looking at faces and better at fine motor skills and manipulating objects, Dr. Brenda Todd, a senior lecturer in psychology at City University, said in a statement. When we studied toy preference in a familiar nursery setting with parents absent, the differences we saw were consistent with these aptitudes. Although there was variability between individual children, we found that, in general, boys played with male-typed toys more than female-typed toys and girls played with female-typed toys more than male-typed toys.

To find this, researchers had boys and girls play independently without their parents. Girls were offered dolls, pink teddy bears and cooking pots, whereas boys were given cars, blue teddy bears and a ball.

After breaking down the ages into three age groups 9 to 17 months old, 18 to 23 months old and 24 to 32 months old the researchers found that the boys and girls were both drawn to toys that were stereotypical. As they got older, all groups tended to favor toys that would be considered stereotypical for boys, according to the study.

"Our results show that there are significant sex differences across all three age groups, with the finding that children in the youngest group, who were aged between 917 months when infants are able to crawl or walk and therefore make independent selections, being particularly interesting; the ball was a favorite choice for the youngest boys and the youngest girls favoured the cooking pot, Todd said.

This finding comes despite recent discussion about which toys boys and girls should be allowed to play with. As Todd explained in the study, theres been an uncertainty about whether boys and girls prefer toys tied to their own gender and how that affects a childs development. This piece of research shows that yes, indeed, children are drawn to toys that match their gender.

Previous research has linked these preferences to evolutionary reasons, according to LiveScience. Boys and girls tend to favor toys that match up with ancient gender roles like, for example, boys preferring trucks and sports balls because they encourage more rigorous and physical activity, according to LiveScience.

But other research, like a 2009 study from Texas A&M University, found that children tend to embrace toys based on what they prefer and like, not what their bodies are asking for.

"It's hard to interpret what the looking data mean because we don't know why people are attracted to specific things, Kim Wallen, a psychologist at Emory University, said, according to LiveScience. Clearly children recognize that certain objects in their environment are appropriate for certain activities. They could be looking at a certain toy because it facilitates an activity they like.

Researchers like Wallen argue that boys prefer trucks because of the way their minds work. Specifically, their minds rotate in a way that a girls brain doesnt, which is why they prefer toys that rotate, like trucks or balls.

"Multiple studies in humans and primates shows there is a substantial male advantage in mental rotation, which is taking an object and rotating it in the mind," Wallen said. "It could be that manipulating objects like balls and wheels in space is one way this mental rotation gets more fully developed."

Of course, the reason why children stick with the toys that fit their gender may stem from societal beliefs. A 2013 study out of Plataforma SINC found that modern toy commercials market products to specific genders, with girl toys highlighting beauty and boys toys promoting strength and power.

These researchers looked at close to 595 toy advertisements around Christmas time from 2009 to 2011 and found that the majority of them target specific genders, like with phrases such as "What is a woman? The engine driving a broom when marketing girl toys.

The researchers found theres somewhat of a change underway in how toys are marketed towards gender, with the idea being that advertisers can do better to promote boy-centered toys among girls and vice versa.

For example, commercials that are often targeted towards girls now have boys in the background. Similarly, ads for crossbows, a toy normally reserved for boys, now show the piece of weaponry colored pink.

The researchers also specifically pointed to Goldieblox, a U.S. toy company that markets its female toys for future engineers, as an example of a company looking to change how toys are promoted to both genders.

Still, Esther Martnez, researcher at Rey Juan Carlos University, said in the study that theres still work to be done to make sure boys and girls both feel like they can buy a toy even when its marketed to another gender.

"Just because a boy is seen in a doll advert will not make the boys watching identify with it," she said.
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How to avoid 'sharenting' and other paparazzi parenting habits
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A recent study revealed parents often spend up to two hours staging a single photo of his or her child to post online. - photo by Amy Iverson
Before having kids, some people just dont appreciate their friends baby posts. But after having a child of their own, three fourths of new parents jump right on the parental social media bandwagon. If you have become a member of this group, there are some rules to follow for posting responsibly.

Much of a parents worry is how to teach their children to use social media responsibly. We talk with our kids about privacy, oversharing, and setting restrictions on their devices to keep them safe. But parents themselves need to look in the digital mirror once in a while. Before having children, it doesnt take as much effort to think about what to post online. Its up to us to decide what we share about our own lives. But once you become a parent, there are many questions to think about regarding what is appropriate to post about your kids on social media.

In a recent survey, kids clothing subscription company Mac and Mia surveyed 2000 new parents to find out how they are documenting their kids lives on social media, and what concerns they may have.

First of all, people without children seem to feel a bit differently about the onslaught of baby pictures online than those who are parents. 18 percent of people say before they had kids, they were annoyed by their friends baby posts. But after having children of their own, 73 percent admit they post progress pictures of their little ones every single month.

Not only are new parents letting the world know each time their baby is a month older, but they are posting about their kids every few days or so. Men and women report they post 6-7 times per month about their baby.

And while 70 percent of new parents say the benefit of using social media is how easy it is to help family and friends feel involved, there are some downsides. Here are a few tips to avoid the pitfall of becoming paparazzi parents.

Dont miss the moment

In the Mac and Mia survey, some parents admitted to spending up to two hours to get the perfect shot of their baby. That seems a little extreme. New and old parents alike should be careful about spending so much time taking pictures and videos that they dont enjoy the moment. Years ago, I decided to never live an experience through my phone. A study by Linda Henkel, a psychology professor at Fairfield University in Connecticut, found that when people took pictures of objects in an art museum, they didnt remember the objects as well as if they simply observed them.

This photo-taking impairment effect can happen to parents as well. If we are so consumed by getting the perfect photo, we can miss out on the moment all together, and our memory of it will suffer.

Dont forget about privacy

60 percent of couples say they have discussed rules and boundaries for posting their babys photos, according to the Mac and Mia survey. Even so, men are 34 percent more likely to publish baby posts on public accounts. If parents are concerned about their childrens privacy, keeping photos off of public accounts is a given.

In the Washington Post, Stacey Steinberg, a legal skills professor at the University of Florida, and Bahareh Keith, a Portland pediatrician, wrote that sharing too much information about kids online puts them at risk. They write that all that sharenting can make it easier for data thieves to target out kids for identity theft. Check that your privacy settings are where they should be and never share identifying information like full names and birth dates.

Dont be paparazzi parents

36 percent of parents say they take issue when their childs photo is posted online by someone else. Responsible social media users will always ask permission before posting a photo of another child. But parents should also think about whether their own children will take issue with their own posted photos a few years down the road.

When parents are constantly snapping pictures and throwing them on social media, it can be easy to forget to pause and make sure the post is appropriate. I always use the billboard example with my kids. I ask them to picture whatever they are posting going up on a billboard in our neighborhood. If they are okay with that, then their post is probably fine. Parents should ask themselves this same question when posting about their children. But they should also ask themselves if their child would be OK with this post on a billboard in 15 years. If it would cause embarrassment or humiliation, it might be best to keep it private.

Once children reach an appropriate age, parents should include them in the process of deciding what pictures are OK to post. Researchers at the University of Michigan surveyed 10- to 17-year-olds and found children believe their parents should ask permission more than parents think they should. The kids in the survey said sharing happy family moments, or accomplishments in sports, school and hobbies is fine. But when the post is negative (like when a child is disciplined) or embarrassing (think naked baby pictures or messy hair), kids say to keep it off social media.
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