reborn dolls

[incandescentglow]

Apologies if there's been a thread on this already but has anyone seen this reborn doll stuff on tiktok? Also don't flame me for this it's just for a chat and some understanding

There's a girl on there who bases her life around her "babies" but they are dolls. She posts hauls of stuff she's bought for them, forever showing us the sleepsuits, mittens, dummies, hats, bibs, bottles, the lot, and doing "day in the lifes" of her being being a full time mum with naps and feeding and crying and day trips out and I can't get my head around the way she spends all her money on babies that aren't real

The biggest problem that she is being called out for a lot is her use of formula, she buys tubs of formula, makes bottles with them and she's called out for taking formula away from the real babies that rely on it, and she also uses breast milk bags, which I hear are in short supply

Another reason she's not very popular is she's claiming that her doctor has given her medication to induce lactation, which I'm sure would never happen, there is no reason to do this, she doesn't have kids she is not pregnant so I'm sure it wouldn't be true

I know reborn dolls are useful and help people mentally when it comes to baby losses, don't get me wrong I have personally lost two babies this year so I understand the need to maybe replace the loss with a doll, however I don't see how this can't be a big mental issue, in her mind she is a mum, she has children, surely this is not normal

I really just can't get my head around it

These come up on one of our local selling groups all the time and I find them super weird- thanks for explaining they are sometimes used to soothe baby loss. This woman however does sound unhinged.

I can understand them as a comfort for those who have lost babies. I have a teddy that I got after we lost our DD and it was a great comfort to have something to cuddle. So I get that they can provide a use.

But I don’t fully understand the extent to which some treat these dolls as real. The woman you describe sounds very OTT, making up formula is extreme! There was documentary a good few years ago about this and included a middle aged woman who did the same thing and treated her doll as if it was real. She used to dress it up and take it out in a pram regularly and we actually saw her in real life in a shopping centre once. It’s quite sad when you think about it.

What do you need to get your head around? You suspect she is unwell. What more is there you want to get your head around?

I really want to get into making these , I'm really arty and bet I could do a better job than most of the ones I see advertised. There seems to be a market for them too. Only thing is it would be creepy having them round the house while I was making them!!

Do you think she is doing it to get views/money. Which you are contributing to nu watching them?

Yes I mean if people are complaining about the behaviour why are they watching?

Why do you watch this woman, she is clearly unhinged?

I know who you mean. She is clearly unwell and was in a relationship with a man in his 60s (?) who is also her uncle by marriage. I dread to think what goes on in her life the dolls and the formula milk are the least of concerns around this girl .

Pretty sure she is only about 18 but I could be wrong. I'm positive she said they started their relationship when she was 15.

I've seen someone with one in town. So fucking confusing as both times I smiled at her wanting to be friendly and wave at the baby (was with my toddler) and then realised it was a fake baby. So awkward.

She sits with it in a pram in this eco cafe with other mums.

I saw this the other day. The woman needs help.

The women on TikTok with the reborns clearly have either mental health difficulties, learning needs or have experienced loss/trauma. Does it really do any harm to anyone that they live like this ?

My heart goes out to most of them.

Hers aren't even reborn dolls, they look like they are from wilko.

They are making me super
uncomfortable. Whats even the point of making them look so life-like?

Having reborn dolls is not for me, but I have no issue at all with people having them.

Also think having watched it she’s experienced some form of trauma or has additional needs perhaps.

There's a video I've seen going around and it's a couple going food shopping with a reborn conjoined twins. Can only think they are doing this for attention seeking reasons. I find it distasteful.

I understand them for baby loss and I have also read some interesting articles on how they're used to help soothe anxious dementia patients.
I don't agree with these extreme situations though, where it is an obsession and she's living in a fantasy world, it isn't right.
But there are a lot of people out there that collect these dolls and act in a similar way.

I read an article once about a woman who had some and always took at least one everywhere she went, liked people to admire it etc. I can't remember if she'd lost a baby or had made the decision not to have anymore babies and these were the replacement. But she also had two live fairly young children and it seemed to me a bit unhealthy for her to spend so much time playing with dolls rather than focusing on her actual children.

This particular woman is buying up formula, making it up and tipping it away after holding the bottle to the dolls face.

She's buying special reflux formula too, and there are shortages apparently.

She also reckons she's been given pills by the Dr to make her lactate and she posts videos captioned "bag my breast milk with me". Its obviously formula that she is wasting. She's also buying and wasting breast milk bags, and dummies (and highlighters) as she regularly posts "hauls"

She actually said that if there was one tin left on the shelf, and it was between her and a woman with a kid that needed feeding, she'd take it and not let the woman have it.

Is it kindermill that caused the latest fuss?

Then stop watching her. Why are you watching this?!

I was scrolling fyp and came across someone ranting about her and clicked through to see what it was about. Many people were doing their nut about it. I dont follow her or watch her.

Maybe this is the only way she is going to experience of being a mother I've been watching this girl on tiktok and its sad but people shouldn't judge you don't know what is going on in her life and doing this she is surviving

I used to work with a lady who had dementia who had several reborn dolls. She used to take them for walks in her pram around the gardens (she was in a care home) and followed a daily schedule for her babies. It actually really helped her maintain some connection to the world and time of day etc.