First doll? Is there a thread on this subject that i can't find?

[swampnurse]

My daughter is one now and loves all of her big brother's toys, so i don't really want to buy her toys of her own yet. I figure eventually she will want some of her own stuff and i'd like to follow my "quality not quantity" motto like i have tried to do with my son's toys. I'm sure this is a popular topic, but couldn't find any results. Is there a first doll that everyone likes?I probably won't buy it until Christmas, but thought i'd do some research.

Thanks!

[kayte]

There are lots of threads on this subject... the usual consensus is the Corrolle Calin for a first doll. I never have any luck searching for specific threads I know I have seen either!

[bluestar2]

ETA: I have also seen the Corolle dolls at smaller independent toy stores in case you wanted to see them before buying.

[new_mommy25]

My DD has several cheaper baby dolls like Little Mommy and Zapf. But for her first birthday I wanted to get her something more special so I bought the Corolle Calin. I bought hers at bn.com. I love the doll. She is very well made and cute. DD likes her too. We also gave her a stroller to push the babies around and she loves doing that. When you compare the Calin doll to the cheaper baby dolls you can really see a huge difference in quality. I also think the Baby Stella doll would be a good first doll. She is adorable!! I think DD might be getting her for Christmas.

[ehmom]

check the website liveandlearn.com. it has great pictures of the corolle dolls. i got dd the corolle "bebe charmeur " doll when she was 2 years old and she loves it. it is a bit bigger than the calin, but honestly it is not that much larger and it is lightweight. it comes with a bottle, paci, bib, socks and a hat. it can also sit up on its own unsupported. i am so glad i got her this one instead of the calin. i think she will play with it for many years.

[fattytuna]

When DD was about 18 months old, I took her to the store and let her pick between Corelle Calin, Tidoo and Emma. She picked Emma. She loves that doll.

[funda62]

Well, I was planning on getting my DD a Baby Annabell from Zapf but it looks like they are no longer available in America (weeps because we lived in Germany until recently and they are everywhere over there). So now I'm thinking about a Baby Born instead. This would be for 2nd b-day. Any thoughts?

[new_mommy25]

Those dolls kind of scare me.

[AugBaby]

DD1 got an inexpensive small doll for her first birthday, and she loved it so much because of its size and because it was her first doll. It took quite awhile for her to love another doll, and I swore that with dd2 I would give her a nice quality doll to fall in love with when she turned one :-)

DD2 is just over two and because dh is a chemist, I was quite concerned about China's manufacturing processes even then. I couldn't find and still haven't found a plastic doll that isn't made in China. As a result, we decided to give dd2 a Waldorf doll as her first doll. We purchased her through Joy's Waldorf and not only does dd2 love her, we love her.

The soft doll is so nice for a little one who is still somewhat uncoordinated. Accidental bumps with the doll's hand/head or falling on top of it doesn't hurt. The girls would nurse holding a doll at times and I can't tell you how many times either I or dd got hit in the head when the doll dropped or was flung the wrong way.

The Waldorf dolls are stuffed with wool which retains the warmth from the child holding it. It's so much nicer to cuddle than a hunk of plastic IMHO. DD2 is 6 and we purchased a Baby Jess for her. I had thought of purchasing one for our 2yo but it really is too big for her. The button doll is the perfect size for a littler girl.

They are costly, but it really is worth it. I have made a few Waldorf dolls and the kits are not too expensive. However, my version wasn't half as cute as the finished ones we bought. If you really want to use a kit, I'd recommend getting Joy's DVD as she shows you step by step how to make it.

She also sells beautifully made clothes for the dolls. We've purchased doll clothes from Target and they're made of some really cheesy fabric that ends up pilling almost immediately. The Baby Jess doll wears infant clothing.

Good luck with your decision and have fun picking it out :-)

[funda62]

Why?

[xmasbabycomin]

Baby Stella...soft and sweet; a good starter