Beth (and anyone else!) : Dolls for Toddlers?

[atlbaby]

I read in the Lounge how Beth got Sarah a tea set and how she poured tea for her doll (which is so cute!!) and it got me thinking maybe I should buy Arielle a doll. She *loves* her bears and other stuffed animals, but has no dolls yet, (save for a very strange looking one she was given at birth). What types of dolls do you have and where did you get them?

And Beth, please tell me more about the tea set--I'd like to get Arielle one too! Right now she feeds her sippy to Big Bear (he is HUGE!! Got him at Ikea of all places!! Came in for a tv stand, out with a bear...whatever!) :)


-Rachel
Mom to Arielle Jill, 10/30/01
#2:) EDD 10/24/03

[egoldber]

LOL!!! I think we got the same Ikea bear as a Hanukkah gift. And he gets tea too. :)

I got Sarah a little doll set at Target at the after Christmas clearance sales. It is a rip-off of dolls I have seen at TRU that are like this: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00005C3SJ/qid=1046804251/br=1-4/ref=br_lf_t_4//104-3750569-6449535?v=glance&s=toys&n=1049438

Actually I got her two doll sets. :) One was called "Rollaround Regina" and she came with a diaper bag, stroller, and accessories. I also got her "Sleepytime Sara" (I'm a sucker for any product with Sarah in the name) who came with a moses basket, baby bottle, diaper bag and other accessories. Both sets were only $5 each. The sets said they were for age 3 and up, but that is bcause a lot of the small accessories in them are choking hazards. I put away all the small items and substituted other safe things I already had. I think that the baby dolls in the set are about 15" high. So they are large enough for her to handle, but not too big as to be unwieldy.

So far I have only opened "Sleepytime Sara". She LOVES this doll. She feeds it (bottle and spoon feeding), she rocks it, she pushes it around in her Little Tikes shopping cart, she puts things in and out of the diaper bag, etc. It is so cute I cannot even describe it for you.

This is the tea set that I have: http://www.iqkids.net/kitweartoyte.html I found this one (for a little cheaper) at a local non-chain toystore, but it is available all over on-line.

The flatware :) was a little small, so I put it away. But she loves the cups and saucers. I like this one because it is plastic, but not the flimsy plastic that can sort of "shatter" if it breaks. I got a cheaper set at TRU and returned it because I was a little worried about it.

The tea set and the doll set are her two absolute favorite toys right now.

HTH,

[colleenfs]

I got an adorable soft tea set for a friend's 2 year old, who loves playing with it. I like the fact that it's made out of fabric. I'm going to get this for Julia when she's a bit older.

http://www.lillianvernon.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&productId=11470&addOn=384&categoryId=&catTree=&clearance=

Colleen and Julia 1-10-02

[Jen841]

I have recently seen soft tea sets at TJ Maxx and Marshalls for $5-15. I forget the exact price.

[brubeck]

Just before my daughter turned 2 she started anthromorphizing (is that the right word?) with her stuffed Elmo: putting it in the high chair, feeding it, putting her pajamas on it, etc. She was also really getting into taking her own clothes off and on, so I wanted to get her a doll she could dress and undress.

Turns out the vast majority of dolls are for ages 3 and up. What I ended up buying was a Madeline stuffed doll that was for ages 2 and up. It comes with clothes you can take on and off (although the hat is a little tricky) and my daughter loves it even though we have yet to crack open any of the Madeline books (although I intend to one day). I think you can get this doll for about $20 online and you can even buy other outfits for her.

Haven't bought her a teaset yet but she loves to play with plastic dishes that I set up on her table.

[khakismom]

My parents got Kathleen a Corolle doll when she turned 1 year old and that has been her constant companion since. Corolle has a big line of dolls--the one Kathleen has is called a Calin doll. She's 12 inches--small enough for a toddler--and has vinyl head, legs and arms, a bean-bag body, and has the cutest little face. Here is a link to the doll Kathleen has:

http://www.liveandlearn.com/corolle/calinandminiset.html

She *loves* this doll--it has been the best gift ever. She now changes its clothes and wants to change its diaper :). It's really cute! You can order Corolle online, or I know FAO Schwartz and Zany Brainy carry this line of dolls.

HTH :) (And congrats on the new little-one-to-be!! Very exciting!)

...Maureen

Mom to
Kathleen 3/22/01
Baby girl EDD 6/12/03

[atlbaby]

Thanks for all the great suggestions! I got Arielle the Little Tikes shopping cart at Toys R Us the other day, and also found a cute doll called My Lil Newborn by Dream Collections. It was on sale for $6.99 and came with a carrying case, change of clothes, sippy cup (very important around here :) ), milk bottle, baby food jar, and bowl with spoon and fork. And the doll also came with a small beanbag doggie. It said for ages 3+ but the only one I found (by Playskool) that was for newborns+ was kind of funny looking, so I just put away the smaller pieces for later.

I am amazed that she went right over and started to feel the baby its bottle and food. (We'll see what happens in October with the real baby though! :) )

I was *planning* to go to Target to check out the 2 doll sets Beth got, tea sets, and the other recommendations as well--but it's SNOWING again here! Ugh...stuck in the house AGAIN with DH gone for 30 hours...Oops, that would be better placed on the Bitching forum!

(edited because I can't spell today)

-Rachel
Mom to Arielle Jill, 10/30/01
#2:) EDD 10/24/03

[nohomama]

For a completely different kind of doll, look at the Waldorf style dolls at http://www.magiccabin.com/shop/list.cfm?cat=dolls&subcat=1. They also have doll making kits if you have the time and are so inclined, http://www.magiccabin.com/shop/list.cfm?cat=dolls&subcat=8.

I've been taking Lola to an early childhood class at the Waldorf school in our area. I don't know that I'm interested in sending her there for school, but she LOVES the toys, including the dolls.

[egoldber]

OHHH!!! I'm so glad you didn't go because Target doesn't have them any more!!! They were a Christmas item only! Sorry, I should have said that!

[egoldber]

Interesting. I have actually made Sarah a couple of soft, cloth dolls in the Waldorf style. She likes them OK, but NOTHING like the love she has for her cheap $5 plastic doll from Target. Go figure.

[atlbaby]

Hehe, well that's ONE good thing about today then! (sorry, I just *hate* being stranded because of weather, in MARCH!)...But seriously now, do you know of any other places where I could get something like the Sleepytime Sarah or Rollaround Regina? I like the idea of a bassinet (to prepare her for the real deal) and a stroller sounds cute! I also checked KB toys, but they didn't have those types either.

I'm glad I know now not to rush to Target tomorrow though! :)
-Rachel
Mom to Arielle Jill, 10/30/01
#2:) EDD 10/24/03

[egoldber]

My local TRU has a really good selection of dolls. Even at full price, doll sets like the one I got were about $15-$50, depending on whether it was a TRU rip-off or a "brand" like Corelle or Zapf Creations. I figure at this age, Sarah certainly doesn't care. And the dolls all looked pretty much the same to me.

If you already have a doll, you may want to just look for accessories. TRU again had a lot of stand alone doll accessories like cribs, strollers, etc. I have also seen things like this at Marshalls and TJ Maxx, as recently as last week.

HTH,

[parkersmama]

I feel sorry for you on the snow but just in case you're thinking being back in Atlanta would be better it's been raining in Georgia for endless days. Our backyard is one big puddle and we're practically having to towel-dry our dogs every time they come in. They are on restricted bathroom access until the rain ends because my carpet is a terrible mess! They even closed the soccer complex and cancelled all games because the fields aren't having time to drain and are getting torn up. I know it's not as bad as snow but it's still really yucky! Especially since I'm usually expecting sunny, warmer days around now! One thing I bet you do miss, though...our pear trees and redbuds are blooming and I saw daffodils today...maybe spring is around the corner after all! :-)

Denise
mom to:
Parker, 9/1/1997
Wesley, 3/9/2000
and #3 (a girl!) due 4/29/2003