Reborn Dolls - Just Like Having a Real Baby?

by Jennifer Jordan (Subscribe to Jennifer Jordan's posts) Jan 2nd 2009 8:01PM

Categories: Just For Moms, Babies, Weird But True

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Remember in high school sex ed class when you had to take care of an egg? The experience was supposed to give you a little taste of what parenthood was like, as you tried to keep the egg from getting lost or broken. Now that I'm a parent I can say that experiment was nothing even remotely like having a baby. So how do you know you're really ready for parenthood, or if you'd make a good parent in the first place? For a growing number of women who yearn for something more than this season's must-have handbag, the answer lies in the swaddles of the reborn baby doll, "Reborns" are dolls that look and feel just like the real thing, so much so that the general public can't tell the difference. Call them cute, call them creepy, but these lifelike infant dolls give women the opportunity to try on motherhood -- or a simulation of it -- without any worse consequence than a few odd stares.

I see it as the no harm, no foul approach to trying out parenting. Of course, this approach doesn't prepare you for actual parenthood either -- these fake babies don't cry or wake you up in the middle of the night screaming and don't impress with their capacity for projectile bodily liquids. Yet perhaps the reborn babies take the fear out of holding a fragile little baby, of wondering and worrying if, indeed, someone is ready to take that next step towards pregnancy.

Practice Babies, Pets and More!

Whether it's for parenting practice, harmless fun, or to strike fear into the hearts of sexually active teenagers, your son or daughter can pretend to care for a number of pseudo-living things -- from the traditional to the high-tech and everything in between.

For a growing number of women who yearn for something more than this season's must-have handbag, the answer lies in the swaddles of the reborn baby doll, "Reborns" are dolls that look and feel just like the real thing, so much so that the general public can't tell the difference.

Eve's Realistic Newborns

The "Baby Think It Over" simulator is designed to inspire potentially promiscuous teens to examine the possible ramifications of a moment of passion.

solutions-site.org

Who needs a blinking, peeing bundle of plastic joy when you can experience the burdens of parenthood by lugging around a $2-bag of flour?

kingarthurflower.com

Some might believe that a bag of flour is a little more robust than your average newborn -- but a fragile egg can help you experience the delicate task of protecting a baby.

13dede at SXC

For a friend that's a little more lifelike, try a Furby. This "must-have" toy from the late 90s slowly learns to speak English the longer it lives in your home.

capitrueno at flickr

Another "must-have" gadget with the tween set, these Tamagotchi key chains task their owners with feeding, bathing, and playing with them -- or they die!

Tamagotchi

And of course who can forget the infamous Pet Rock? The 1970s fad convinced kids that a lifeless gray stone could be a pet.

Wikipedia Commons

Worried about the cost and responsibility of dog ownership? Suspicious that your son or daughter won't follow through on their pre-pet promises to walk, feed and bath Fido? Try Hasbro's "Furreal" for an almost real canine companion.

Hasbro

Thinking about a bunny but can't stand the smell? This rabbit-esque gadget blinks, moves, and even lights up! Not exactly realistic, but adorable just the same.

Nabaztag.com

There are also those of us who've had our children and are decidedly not having anymore. I just had my second baby and now have two kids under the age of two to put through daycare and college. I don't know that I'd have the time or the resources to have yet another child. Yet every time I hear about a baby being born I think how nice it would be to cradle another little new bundle of joy, perhaps one that won't spit up on my last clean shirt. Really, though, I consider myself blessed to have children--but what about women who are unable to have children and don't want to or cannot adopt?

Linda, a 49-year-old reborn baby owner, told ABC's 20/20 that she loves her reborn doll because "It feels like I have a real baby." Linda buys baby clothes for her reborn, swaddles it, takes it with her wherever she goes. "I take them out to the park, if I'm walking the dog, and maybe put it in its stroller, or put it in its sling, or hold it in a blanket, and people do think it's real." No one knows the difference and she gets treated like a mommy. Which is probably to say that people are nice to her and give her positive attention. Florida artist Eve Newsom, who creates reborn babies, said that the dolls filled that empty place in her heart created by numerous miscarriages and the financial inability to consider adoption. "My reborns bring me a medium of joy and happiness." Is there any crime in that?

I live in New York City. Literally, not a day goes by when I don't read, see or hear about a child who was injured or killed by abusive parents or caregivers. Those are the people that need our energy and attention -- not these gals who happen to have a fake baby. You want to go after someone who has a weird attitude about kids -- take on those who are inflicting violence on their children. And to those who would look down at a woman who has a fake baby, I would ask them how it feels to have a miscarriage or be told they'll never be able to have a child of their own, to be told they don't have enough money to adopt, to suffer from empty-nest syndrome or find they are at a point in their lives where children or more children simply aren't in the cards. Those things hurt. A real baby these reborns are not, but, like real babies, they bring with them much joy and love. And how can that possibly be a bad thing?

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Comments (9)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

martirama1 1-03-2009 @ 1:07AM

Wow, that's very interesting. I hope that the women with these dolls have some family members who can give them some emotional support. This article was written by someone compassionate. Thanx for that. Have a happy new year!

Liberty 1-07-2009 @ 9:12AM

This is really cool. I think this is a really neat idea.

RebornDollHouse 1-09-2009 @ 1:01PM

Nice post. As the top reborn doll site we see and read many posts on how emotionally disturbed people must be to collect these dolls. Even though we see them as an incredible art form and do not collect them as a replacement for filling some kind of void, we also respect those that may collect them for different reasons. Emotional or otherwise.

As with many things in life, to each his own and as long as it's not hurting anyone, what is the bead deal? I can easily find people that collect matches strange, but that's what makes this world so fascinating.

Cheers!

Julie 1-11-2009 @ 11:11AM

I have another use for these dolls. I work with Alzheimer's patients, and had a patient who believed that she had a son. She would sit in a chair and cry because she couldn't find her baby. We bought one of these dolls and gave it to her, and for the next 2 years she was perfectly happy, taking care of her son.

dorothy 3-23-2009 @ 4:22PM

Very nice post, I find it very interesting to read peoples comments and I think you raise you points very well. I have read lots of information about reborn dolls and your article is a nice refreshing read from the norm - each to their own of course.

carole 10-14-2009 @ 3:13PM

I sell these dolls from my website: www.dollydimplesrebornnursery.com andfind that most people buy them because they just like dolls.

kay 12-11-2009 @ 10:37AM

I'm only 17 and have reborns.I got them because their all the cuteness of a baby but they don't cry and take me away from school work.I'm not ready for a real baby so I have these.

pat 12-18-2009 @ 3:38PM

IT IS NICE TO SHARE MY FEELING WITH SOMEONE WHO MAY UNDERSTAND WHAT IT IS LIKE TO BE ABLE TO CARE OR MAYBE EVEN LOVE THESE BABIES.IT HAS FULLFILLED ME IN SO MANY WAYS. INSTEAD OF TEARS I BRING MY LITTLE FELLOW TO BED WITH ME AND CUDDLE HIM,IT IS A NICE WARM FEELING I GET. I WISH I KNEW OF SOMEONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SHARE INFORMATION OF THERE REBORN.WITHOUT THINKING WE ARE CRAZY. THANKS FOR MAKING MY LIFE A LITTLE BETTER

julie 3-02-2010 @ 9:54AM

We use these dolls and also lifelike stuffed animals with Alzheimer's and dementia patients. Having something to care for gives them some focus and purpose, and is very calming and therapeutic. I have heard some cricisicm of this from other medical professionals (mainly doctors), but my view is, these patients already aren't living in our reality; they aren't going to get better magically; and many are severely agitated or constantly depressed, crying for people who have been dead for 50 years.

If a doll, or stuffed kitten or pup seems to bring them some kind of peace, as a nurse, I'm all for it. One of my friends' grandmother's with Alzheimers had a tiny (6"!!!) stuffed dog which she carried everywhere. She had been non-verbal for almost a year until she got it, and after getting the dog, she began talking again not just to the pup but to staff and visitors, offering to show them her puppy and telling stories about it. Having her "friend" helped her through a surgery, and Pup was buried with her when she died.

Whatever brings comfort at the end of life is a blessing, although many people have to experience this phase of life with a beloved parent, sibling or child before they understand it completely.