Arrgh ... the pink princess thing is a stage that almost all little het girls go through. I was fond of princesses for a while there too, although I think I switched to mermaids fairly quickly (and this was pre-Ariel). All I can suggest is that you find some stories with princessy girls who do something else besides wear clothes. Or something that's just so fun and interesting that she can't resist it despite the fact that it's not princessy. Do you all have the Junie B. Jones books?
Another thing about Barbie is that she has stuff, and it appeals to kids who have the collector instinct. So if you can channel that into something else ... the Young Lady went in for Beanie Babies, for example.
You can also just put your foot down about the makeup - remind Grandma of all the problems with sexualization of young girls these days. Then decide when you're going to allow which pieces of feminine "advertising" and stick to what you decide. I told my daughter that she could have her ears pierced when she got her period, and learn to wear makeup and have shoes with more than 1-inch heels when she was getting ready for her Bat Mitzvah ("becomes a teenager" works just as well). It worked pretty well - she knew she'd be able to do it someday.
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Arrgh ... the pink princess thing is a stage that almost all little het girls go through. I was fond of princesses for a while there too, although I think I switched to mermaids fairly quickly (and this was pre-Ariel). All I can suggest is that you find some stories with princessy girls who do something else besides wear clothes. Or something that's just so fun and interesting that she can't resist it despite the fact that it's not princessy. Do you all have the Junie B. Jones books?
Another thing about Barbie is that she has stuff, and it appeals to kids who have the collector instinct. So if you can channel that into something else ... the Young Lady went in for Beanie Babies, for example.
You can also just put your foot down about the makeup - remind Grandma of all the problems with sexualization of young girls these days. Then decide when you're going to allow which pieces of feminine "advertising" and stick to what you decide. I told my daughter that she could have her ears pierced when she got her period, and learn to wear makeup and have shoes with more than 1-inch heels when she was getting ready for her Bat Mitzvah ("becomes a teenager" works just as well). It worked pretty well - she knew she'd be able to do it someday.