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Original poster

Could someone recommend a doll for a doll-hating mother

52 replies

stealthsquiggle · 27/11/2009 16:00

DD(3) has announced that she really really wants a 'big' baby doll for Christmas. She currently has a couple of the small, soft bodied dolls which she spends hours looking after.

I loathe and detest the crying/weeing/sucking dolls. Flame me for being a snob, but I so do not want her to have one, and she has no idea that dolls do make noises as all the ones she has played with at nursery/other people's houses have either never made a noise or have long since had their batteries removed .

So if anyone could recommend a silent 'full-sized' doll (but a baby, so not sasha dolls or the like) then I would be suitably grateful. Since she doesn't seem to want much else this is likely to be her main present, so I don't mind too much how much it costs (within some sort of reason).

TIA.

OP posts:
Original poster
stealthsquiggle · 01/12/2009 11:51

It's not the looks I object to - it's the crying, laughing, etc etc - and no, DD doesn't want one that does that - she has no idea that any dolls do talk, etc. If Baby Annabell was mute then I would be fine with her.

FWIW I had dolls (a baby doll and a Sasha doll) but never ever played with them that I or my DM can recall.

OP posts:
WouldYouCouldYouWithAGoat · 01/12/2009 11:52

tiny tears? it doesn'st make noise and you jsut don't have to mention the weeing bit

WouldYouCouldYouWithAGoat · 01/12/2009 11:53

i bet she would be beside herself with excitment christmas day if you gave her a talking doll.

ProfessorLaytonIsMyLoveSlave · 01/12/2009 11:53

Realistic newborn doll? Only 41cm though.

Original poster
stealthsquiggle · 01/12/2009 11:54

WouldYouCouldYou - I would also have to remove the box quick smart before DS read it otherwise he would take great delight in explaining that functionality to DD.

My DM has now read the details of Baby A and is off to look at Corolle dolls instead [phew] - she had been judging purely on looks.

OP posts:
WouldYouCouldYouWithAGoat · 01/12/2009 11:54

get her the freaky breast feeding doll!!!!!

AmazingBouncingFerret · 01/12/2009 11:55

Why not try and find one thats designed for in the bath, a bit like tiny tears, hard body and doesnt take batteries.

Original poster
stealthsquiggle · 01/12/2009 11:55

ProfL now that is ugly IMO - I mean I know it is realistic and all that but it's not really doll-type attractive, is it?

OP posts:
WouldYouCouldYouWithAGoat · 01/12/2009 11:57

it really is a world of freaky looking plastic.

luckily dd doesn't really like baby dolls much, unluckily she reallly wants a barbie for christmas.

Original poster
stealthsquiggle · 01/12/2009 11:59

I suspect I have the Barbie dilemma yet to come - I am working on my brainwashing but suspect that DD is immune.

OP posts:
ProfessorLaytonIsMyLoveSlave · 01/12/2009 11:59

You see, that is why most baby dolls are not realistic .

Original poster
stealthsquiggle · 01/12/2009 12:01

I don't think I ever said I wanted realistic - in fact, more the opposite, since in addition to reasonable looks, I want one which doesn't cry, or wee, or otherwise demand attention and can be chucked in a toy box

OP posts:
WouldYouCouldYouWithAGoat · 01/12/2009 12:01

dd does play lovely games with her polly pocket adn various freaky disney princess dolls that have managed to sneak into our house. i can either buy her lego and flower pressing equipment every years and save up for the therapy or just buy her some barbie shite.

what do you think?

Original poster
stealthsquiggle · 01/12/2009 12:08

How about the coward's way out where you buy her lego and let other people buy her the Barbie shite ? In an act of supreme hypocrisy I am about to order Polly Pocket for my DNiece because it's all she says she wants but neither SIL nor DM will buy them. SIL will no doubt get her revenge by buying DD Barbie shite as/when she starts to demand it.

I did think DD might be more into 'older' dolls as friends by now, but even her Lily Doll has her clothes taken off so that she can be a baby so I think Polly Pocket et al are a year or so off for us.

OP posts:
ProfessorLaytonIsMyLoveSlave · 01/12/2009 12:09

You could operate a one-Barbie rule so that you don't get overrun by them. And teach your DD to crochet Barbie dresses out of dental floss, or something...

WouldYouCouldYouWithAGoat · 01/12/2009 12:10

santa is 'other people'.

WouldYouCouldYouWithAGoat · 01/12/2009 12:11

i was going to knit the barbie some age appropriate garments!

Original poster
stealthsquiggle · 01/12/2009 13:03

PMSL at the mental image of WouldYouCouldYou having the "you're not going out looking like that - here, put a nice warm jumper on" conversation with Barbie

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Original poster
stealthsquiggle · 03/12/2009 11:42

Oh bugger. Rubens Barn doll has just arrived and whilst much better looking in real life it is huge - there is no way it will fit into dolls high chair/pushchair.

Now what - do I try and return it and swap for the smaller one? I don't even know if they will take returns - my fault for not checking more carefully

OP posts:
kimlouiseb · 03/12/2009 21:25

Oh dear. Where did you buy it from?

WouldYouCouldYouWithAGoat · 03/12/2009 21:31

omg - how big is it?

Original poster
stealthsquiggle · 03/12/2009 21:40

It was from an Amazon marketplace seller - who responded very quickly to my contact and has offered to swap it for the smaller one and refund the difference - so she went straight back into her box and back to the Post Office (I feel just a teeny bit guilty ). It was 50cm tall - which sounds OK but when put up against a dolls buggy or pushchair is huge. When I went back to Amazon it doesn't, in my defence, actually say how big it is - I had to find another site to check that the smaller one wasn't tiny (it isn't - still 40cm - so if anything I am worried that one will be too big as well)

OP posts:
kimlouiseb · 03/12/2009 21:50

I'm pretty sure normal baby dolls are about 36cm so shouldn't be much bigger than that. Glad you managed to get it sorted. What was the quality like anyway - regardless of size?
Do you think your DD will like her?

Original poster
stealthsquiggle · 03/12/2009 21:56

She seemed really nicely made, but I think I will swap for Little Anna, rather than Little Ida.

Her clothes were lovely - and you wouldn't have to buy any more as she could have just worn real baby clothes

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ProfessorLaytonIsMyLoveSlave · 03/12/2009 23:04

Oh, I soooooooooo want Ida or Little Ida. They are the spitting image of DD a few months ago, before her hair grew a bit longer. I've been trying to justify it to myself for weeks.