Yep, Bitty Baby is better for younger girls. Even at ages 7 and 8, the girls do not know how to care for the hair of the larger dolls, and that is a lot of work for mom to keep it untangled! But, the messy hair usually means the doll is loved and played with. AND, it is such fun to make clothes for the dolls!
My daughter is 18; she has 14 large dolls and two bitty babies. (I bought only one of them…the rest she has purchased either at an AG store, bid and won on ebay, found at yard sales, and some even rescued from Goodwill! One of those was sporting a very sad haircut; I evened it to a cute, short, easy-care haircut for the now wheelchair-bound doll!) She has them on display in her room, and she changes the clothes with the seasons. She loves to watch videos online and do different hairstyles. Some girls absolutely love them and will be enamored with them for life.