Baby Doll

Baby Doll, Batman, Girlicious?  Not

If you were to click on "baby doll" in a search engine, chances are you'll come up with sexy pajamas, or Baby Doll lyrics for the song Baby Doll by Girlicious. Then there's Baby Doll, the pint-sized villain in the Batman series. The term baby doll has been used in myriad ways to express many different ideas, usually something to do with cute girls, but we want to look at baby dolls from the perspective from which the term originated - toys for little girls and boys.

Baby's First Doll

One of the first physical reactions your baby makes - other than the grab reflex - is hugging. It may not be the kind of hug an older child gives, but the clutching and pulling into the body is very much present. That's why it's perfectly okay to give a tiny baby a soft, cuddly doll. Their instinct to clutch it to them is not only natural, but adorable, too. Fisher-Price's Brilliant Basics My First Doll is a perfect first baby doll for your little girl - or boy. Cuddling the doll enhances the baby's sense of security and comfort and according to the manufacturer, it stimulates auditory skills, motivates imagination, and encourage role play.

What's So Special About Baby Dolls?

Baby dolls are toys many of us played with when we were little kids. Some of us played with handmade baby toys and dolls that were by far our favorite toys.  Baby dolls are a natural toy for little ones to play with and something they gravitate to quite naturally. Baby dolls come with soft bodies, cuddly and cute, wearing baby doll dresses, or in stiffer forms of fashion dolls for preschoolers and older children to dress up for pretend play. Baby dolls tend to become a little girl's favorite toy as she mimics her mommy and develops her nurturing skills by feeding, dressing, and mothering her dolly all day long. Baby dolls are the best choice for infants and toddlers because of their soft bodies and their simplicity. They don't require batteries and usually don't have small parts that come loose, presenting a potential danger to tiny children.

As infants get older, they may want to play with dolls that are more interactive. Having watched endless commercials on television, many little girls become consumed with the toys they see on the screen. Interactive baby dolls are very popular with little girls who find them enchanting. Some interactive baby dolls have human like functions like drinking from a bottle and wetting their diapers, just like real babies do. These baby dolls are a great choice for little ones who like interactive toys.

Barbie Dolls and Bratz Dolls - The Height of Fashion

Of course, the fashion dolls like Barbie and Bratz dolls are designed for little girls who want to play dress-up with their dollies. Fashion dolls are trendy and have dozens of accessories, from play sets, cars, bedrooms, clothing galore, lots of jewelry and shoes. They're considered to be one of the best dolls in the world and are a collector item, since many of them are only available for a very short period of time. These dolls are best suited to older girls since little ones may become frustrated with the tiny clothing and jewelry pieces which can be challenging to change.

Some of the Top Choices for 2010

One of the top choices for 2010 is the Strawberry Shortcake Doll, an adorable 8-inch doll that weighs in at about one pound. This doll is recommended for little girls three years to seven years of age, although she does come with small pieces of clothing that may make it difficult for a little girl to manage. Another of the top choices for this year is the Barbie Blooming Thumbelina Doll, based on the main character in the Barbie movie, a Twillerbee named Thumbelina. This doll sits inside a flower that blooms with the pressing of a button. Once the button is pressed, the flower opens up to reveal Thumbelina. Perfect for little girls three and up, this doll is sure to steal their hearts.

Fake Babies - Reborn Dolls

A few years ago a very different type of doll was created that were referred to as "Fake Babies". The dolls are called Reborn Baby Dolls and they are a vinyl baby doll that has been artistically altered to look like a real newborn baby. They are so lifelike that it really is almost impossible to tell them from a living baby. Their bodies are weighted with glass to give the feeling of a live baby and the torso is made of doe-skin or flannel in a color that fits the skin color of the doll. The skin is painted using special techniques to look exactly like a newborn's skin - complete with veins, blotching, and even milk-spots. Hair and eyelashes, usually made with angora or mohair, are rooted into the vinyl using fine felting needles. Their likeness to live newborns is uncanny.

Dolls are not only for girls, even though it was long thought that boys don't play with dolls. Kids who play with dolls tend to be more sensitive about their actions as compared to those who never played with dolls as kids. They help to mold kids into nice people.

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