baby doll for dd when real baby arrives

[skidaddle]

DD is 19 months and will be 2.2 when her little brother/sister is born. I want to get her a doll that can be her 'baby' so she doesn't feel left out/neglected when I am feeding/changing etc but all the dolls I have seen are terrifying baby barbies with lipstick on etc and bear no resemblance to an actual baby.

Can anyone recommend a good doll for this kind of thing and has anyone tried this with the arrival of a new baby and how has it worked?

Thanks

[stargate]

get elc's baby lucy - it usually comes with free goodies and get a baby bottle with disappearing milk.

wouldn't get the all singing, crying, weeing ones like baby annabel till she is older (dd1 had this at 3.7)


give dd some of her newborn clothes (if you kept them) they will fit, if you got "small baby" size these will fit better. also first size nappies fit so don't waste money on the doll ones.

tip for now - everything you need to use for new baby that is still out and on display or being used for dd put away. dd will forget it was hers and will limit jealously.

had similar gap with mine and as dd1 was still in nappies she got incredibly jealous over dd2 being changed on "her" changing mat. i had a second one anyway, so this was easily addressed but i did have to change two nappies simultaneously for the first 4 weeks!

[RosaLuxembourg]

Don't bother with expensive all singing, crying pooing etc dolls - what children really like is a doll they can get wet! Have a look around for a fairly cheap doll that is plastic all over - some come with baby baths or you can just buy a small washing up bowl - then your DD can give her baby a bath alongside the real baby. Give her a real flannel and a little towel to dry baby with.
Agree with previous posters re buying preemie clothes, nappies etc - cheaper and more realistic than toy shop accessories - try charity shops too.

[MrsJohnCusack]

agree, get a cheap one that can get wet.

Also, it is a very good idea - DD was 2.3 when her baby brother was born nearly 12 weeks ago and she LOVES doing the same with her dolls as I do with him. The ILs gave her a rather fancy doll, she of course prefers a pretty raggedy old one that my grandmother found in a post office in about 1958! She also plays with her other cuddly toys, putting them to bed, trying to change nappies, pulling up her top and aiming them somewhere near her belly button for feeding etc. - v.cute.

if you have any knitting rellies, get them to knit some little clothes too - the doll DD has ended up favouring is too small for baby clothes, but an aunt came up trumps with some knitted things.

and do talk about babies a lot - we weren't convinced DD was getting the message but when DS arrived we realised she'd taken in a lot more than we thought about how there was a baby arriving.

[skidaddle]

Thanks all, will go for a cheap plastic one. Do you think it's worth getting a buggy/baby carrier as well or is that too much?

MrsJC - your dd sounds lovely - that's exactly what I'm hoping will happen with my dd but envisage extreme jealousy may be her initial reaction (understandably)

Now that I've hit the 12 week mark and know this is really happening I'm starting to panic slightly - how on earth will I entertain dd when I am constantly feeding the new baby? And how will I cope with broken nights when I have to get up for the day at 6.30 and have no naps?? Well I suppose you just do as you all have... doesn't stop me panicking though!

[admylin]

I gave ds one that could be washed and even did a wee, just before dd was born, he was small (16 months old when she was born) and he was not really all that interested in the doll or the sister! I got a toy that I knew he liked (a tea set) and gave it to him just after dd was born saying it was a gift from his new sister and that impressed him.

[MrsJohnCusack]

DD has a cheapo pushchair my mother bought for 3 dollars (in NZ) - it's probably the best present DD ever got (she had it way before the baby came). so look out for a cheap one - great for all the cuddlies as well as the 'baby'

and she has had periods of real jealousy too - but she's getting over it. I spent the whole pregnancy panicking over what to do with 2 - now it's here, it's OK, but I suspect that's because baby DS is a good sleeper at night. It was never as bad as I expected though, not even at the beginning!

[lucymc]

I went to hospital to visit my baby brother for the first time and was presented with my own new baby, who was wheeled into the ward in a basinette by one of the nurses. I was so excited, I remember feeling delighted that I was important enough to have a baby too. It is one of my fondest memories (apart from getting a new brother of course) and that was 28 years ago.

[PinkTulips]

my first baby annabel is nice and not too expensive, dd has one and a cheapo dolls buggy and loves it

congrats and good luck!

[skidaddle]

lucymc, that's so brilliant you remember and what a great idea to get the nurses to bring it out - I assume you were a bit older than two though if you still remember!

MrsJC - that's exactly what i want to hear - that it was EASIER than expected with no. 2 because from what i've been reading on other threads this is not the norm. I suppose it's just getting past the first bit which is hellish with no. 1 and I imagine nos. 2, 3, 4....

PT can I get baby annabel in Woolies or somewhere like that?

Thanks all, feeling less panicky now!

[MamaG]

Asda do little buggies for about £3, so do Tesco

[MamaG]

skidaddle you can't bath first baby annabel, I don't think - my second was much easier than I though it was going to be, too

[Nbg]

My mum bought dd the original Tiny Tears doll when she was 2 and then when I had ds last summer, just before she was 3, MIL bought her a cheapy one from Woolworths with a pushchair.

Would like to point out that she hates them both and prefers playing with her train set lol!

[MamaG]

oi B&Q, I still haven't received a cat from you

[PinkTulips]

ah but you see i pop both kids in the bath together, have done since week 2 so she never wants to bath the doll.

she pretends to give her a shower sometimes though

the little baby annabel has a dummy which dd is over the moon about because her baby has to have a dummy like her and her brother lol

[Nbg]

Ahh well.
Doesnt matter now anyway. It was just to invite you to that Usbourne book thing I was doing but I've packed it in now cos I'm so so poorly.

Woe is me.

[MamaG]

AWww whassamatter?

[moodlumthehoodlum]

This worked really well for my dd who was 15months when ds arrived, and we gave it to her well in advance so that she got used to me holding another baby and could play with it as well. We now have a whole family of babies, which rather than having names are called "cold baby" (for the purely plastic one) "hard baby" (for the one with plastic hands and feet etc) and "soft baby"(which is the soft baby stella, which is lovely soft fabric with a magnet behind her mouth so she can "suck" a magnetic dummy, and is easily her favourite).

[Boco]

Definitely don't get one that makes noise. Dd1 had baby annabel when dd2 was born and with the whole sleep deprivation / postnatal wierdness, i kept thinking i was going mad - hearing faint crying coming from the toybox and thinking she'd hidden the baby - happened several times.

Definitely get a buggy though, they get played with loads, just a cheapo one is wheeled round all the time, and good for slow walks. Although dd2 prefers to wheel around a small plastic dinosaur called Gammy.

[Nbg]

Just exhaustion I think MG.
Dh packed me off to my parents last week

Sorry hijack over!

[skidaddle]

heehee boco - can completely imagine looking for my newborn in a toy box Hate those singing/crying ones anyway - scare the sh1t out of me!

[ScottishThistle]

I agree, cheap bathable doll & a buggy, perhaps a carry cot if you can stretch that far.

My Charge was given a Baby Annabel (not bathable), a buggy & carry cot for her 1st Birthday...No other toys have been played with as much, she's now 3 & 'Bella' goes everywhere with her!