Baby girls make their way to dolls as soon as they can crawl,while boys will head for the toy cars,a study has shown.The findings,the first to show consistent differences in very young babies,suggest there is a biological basis to their preferences. Psychologists Dr Brenda Todd from City University London carried out an experiment involving 90babies aged nine months to 36months.They were allowed to choose from seven toys.Some were boys'toys-a car,a digger,a ball and a blue teddy.The rest were girls'toys:a pink teddy,a doll and a cooking set.They were placed a meter away from the toys,and could pick whichever toy they liked.Their choice and the amount of time they spent playing with each toy were recorded. Of the youngest children (nine to 14months),girls spent much longer playing with the doll than boys,and boys spent much more time with the car and ball than the girls did.Among the two-and three-year-olds,girls spent 50percent of the time playing with the doll while only two boys briefly touched it.The boys spent almost 90percent of their time playing with cars,which the girls barely touched.There was no link between the parents'view on which toys were more appropriate for boys or girls,and the children's choice. Dr Brenda Todd said:"Children of this age are already exposed to much socialization.Boys may be given'toys that go'while girls get toys they can care for,which may help shape their preference.But these findings agree with the former idea that children show natural interests in particular kinds of toys.There could be a biological basis for their choices.Males through evolution have been adapted to prefer moving objects,probably through hunting instincts ,while girls prefer warmer color1s such as pink,the color1 of a newborn baby." Both baby boys and baby girls like to play with  according to the study.
a ball a teddy a car a doll