Karis received her first baby doll this week, and she absolutely loves it! I was on a hunt to try to avoid a plastic doll, if possible. I wanted to find something that would be more safe (to the best of my understanding) for her to play with, and chew on, if desired. I knew it would get a lot of love! A few options out there include Waldorf dolls and cloth dolls. I decided to go with the cloth version and found an adorable one (North American Bear Company doll) at a local children’s boutique. Although not incredibly cheap at $25, it is good quality company (should last, Lord willing), and I figured this will be her only one, as we try to keep the toy purchases to a real minimum. It also has cute little outfits that you can purchase separately, which will be fun for Karis in the future.
She added “baby” to her vocabulary as a result. Another great feature is it is so soft and cuddly - making it great to snuggle and sleep with, which she is enjoying greatly. She also loves giving baby doll kisses! I love to see her start to radiate those nurturing qualities. Better to learn now, especially with our second little one on the way. We are learning how to be gentle with the baby and love the baby. So fun!
Another cute one I saw was the Baby Stella doll. Alas, it was a battle of indecisiveness!
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July 31st, 2008 at 2:20 am
The only thing that concerned me is the age 3 and up. Usually that’s for small pieces etc. Maybe it’s because a younger child wouldn’t be able to change the clothes.
We started out w/a doll like one:
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3034126
Her grandmother purchased one before she was even born.
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Lindsay replied on July 31st, 2008:
I thought the 3 yrs recommendation was a little stretching it as there is no small parts that could be dangerous to swallow or anything.
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Kate replied on July 31st, 2008:
I thought so too…I read everything that was included and didn’t see anything listed. Does the bracelet have any small parts to it?
The doll is cute tho! I love how you can wash them. I know when my daughter was that age, she wouldn’t even let me take it away from her. She couldn’t even sleep w/o it.!
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July 31st, 2008 at 7:10 am
How cute! I was just wondering what other types of toys you have or how do you decide which few you want and not get over loaded with toys? Do you organize them in a certain way? Or rotate them? Just wondering…always looking for ideas on keeping toy clutter down!
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Lindsay replied on July 31st, 2008:
Amy, I was actually planning on including this topic in my simplifying series coming up shortly, so stay tuned for further ideas/tips on this topic. I do keep a small collection in a small basket in the main rooms of the house, and one small bag in the car for traveling. We don’t have enough toys at present to rotate them (or the storage space for that matter), but that is a good idea as well. Overall, I prefer to stick with small wooden or cloth toys.
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July 31st, 2008 at 7:39 am
Good for you. I looked up the links to the dolls, and saw that Baby Stella has a pacifier. That made me curious if you use pacifiers…
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Lindsay replied on July 31st, 2008:
We actually were never able to use one with Karis as she would never take it, although it would be handy at times. I am all for pacifier use in moderation. I would make sure they were PVC/BPA free in the future if we try it again with the next one. The Soft Landing blog has some safe recommendations.
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Kate replied on July 31st, 2008:
Definitely try a pacifier on the next little one. I know not all my children liked them. Some do, some don’t. MY nephew (just turned 10 today..can’t believe it!) loveed his binky and didn’t give it up until he was 4 or 5. My niece who is now 8, didn’t like it at all. And of course she was the best sleeper. My nephew doesn’t like to sleep alone. We all contribute that to the fact my sister always laid down w/him for his naps, and when he went to bed at night.
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July 31st, 2008 at 1:59 pm
Gen got her first “real baby” doll this month, too! She’s had a couple cloth babies, that she likes, but she fell in love with the real-looking dolls at the toy store (where Nana gave her a gift card).
I was happy to finally find an “African-American” doll, so she could have a baby that looked like her. I like that it is completely washable, since she has already lovingly smeared it with calendula diaper cream on occasions.
We got her a toy bottle for for the dolly, too, and she loves “feeding” it, kissing it, and putting it “night-night” (rocking and singing to it, wrapped in a blanket). I also made sure we got one that would be fairly simple to make clothes for, in the future.
Blessings,
Michele
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July 31st, 2008 at 3:05 pm
Do you know of any cloth dolls that can be put in the washing machine? My daughter had a cloth doll that was “surface wash only” and during the potty training stages it got wet. I was pretty grossed out that I couldn’t really wash it, so now she has a plastic one. (I know that’s not the best)
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Lindsay replied on August 1st, 2008:
I know for sure that the Baby Stella was washable, and since they are both made of the same material, I would assume this one is washable too, and as Natalie commented below she washed this one successfully numerous times. That was one of the reasons I went with the cloth, because I knew you could wash it in a gentle cycle.
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July 31st, 2008 at 4:44 pm
What a precious little girl you have! She’s adorable!
I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoy your blog and the valuable wisdom you share. I’m working my way through your blog posts (started at the beginning and am now up to February). I’m learning so much - who says you can’t teach an old lady (I’m 47!) something new!
Bless you!
Denise
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July 31st, 2008 at 7:31 pm
My little one has had this same doll for over 1 1/2 years. I love it and I have washed it numerous times. A great investment. My daughter got this for her first doll as well.
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August 1st, 2008 at 4:45 am
My daughter use to have a dolly like that! She used to say “baby happy” but it sounded like “baby abby”, so the dolly ended up with that name to this day!
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August 2nd, 2008 at 8:53 pm
We have baby stella. She has now been adopted by her second owner. and somehow we haven’t even lost the binki. We bought her at a local toy store for $25.
I am now wanting to transition to mostly cloth and wooden toys. But I don’t think we will be able to part with the legos.
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August 4th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
I recently learned that “waldorf” dolls are associated with a religious philosophy that seems to include fairy worshiping. I used to love the magic cabin catalog and but always felt a little uncomfortable with some of the fairy stuff and soon made the connection when a friend of mine was telling me her concerns with a Waldorf school someone had been involved with…that is why the waldorf dolls don’t seem to have faces, i don’t think they believe in putting faces on the dolls or drawings until a certain age according to their learning beliefs. I would love to hear from you to see if you know anything more about this. Have a great day!
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August 24th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
My aunt gave my daughter the same doll for her 2nd birthday, and we LOVE her. I didn’t know that they made clothes for her. I’ll have to check that out. Thanks!
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