Please recommend a first baby doll for my dd

[artvandalay]

So yesterday I was walking in the toy isle of Sears with my my almost 10 month old. When we walked past the doll section, she started clapping and waving "hi" at all of the little dolls! It was cute.

I would like to get her a soft, safe first dolly to put in her Easter Basket. No buttons or anything, I want to keep it in her crib.

She already has a Madame Alexander that my aunt gave her for Christmas. It is a really nice doll with a soft body, but the head is a little hard. Did anyone just go with a "hard head" doll or stick with a soft head while they are little?

Also what is a good size? I would like to get something 'easier to find" in case she falls in love with it and I have to replace it one day. Also when is a good time to introduce your DD to a doll? I am not used to all this 'girl' stuff!

I saw these on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000IDM804/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0012ZI4HS/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0026O98NI/ref=ord_cart_shr?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

and thought they were cute.

any input appreciated!

[cuca_]

My DDs had both soft dolls and dolls with hard heads and soft bodies at that age. If you want a soft doll, Baby Stella (http://www.amazon.com/Manhattan-Toy-130080-Stella-Doll/dp/B001R6W4KA/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1300887448&sr=1-1) was and still is very popular in our household.

I have also seen this one IRL and it is pretty cute. http://www.amazon.com/North-American-Bear-Company-Cheeks/dp/B000FSIJ0K/ref=pd_sim_ba_28

HTH

[artvandalay]

So cute!! I really like Baby Stella. Can I ask why it says there is a choking hazard with Baby Stella? Is it because of the pacifier? The pacifier looks pretty big to be a choking hazard, right?

[wendibird22]

DD2 (15mos) loves her Corelle Calin doll. Very soft body, perfect size for her to tote around and she does sleep with her in her crib each night. She received this doll for her first birthday and prefers it to all the totally soft dolls we have.

ETA: she's the "charming" style Calin...no hair.

[katydid1971]

Another vote for a Corolle Calin or Tidoo. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_13?url=search-alias%3Dtoys-and-games&field-keywords=corolle+calin&x=0&y=0&sprefix=corolle+calin (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_13?url=search-alias%3Dtoys-and-games&field-keywords=corolle+calin&x=0&y=0&sprefix=corolle+calinDD) DD got her first one at 11 months from MIL (early 1st b-day present) and still plays with it daily 2 years later. Also love this stroller to go with it http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Brilliant-Basics-Stroll-Along-Walker/dp/B0015KVXW8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1300893674&sr=8-1

[Snow mom]

We have a doll very similar to the Gund one you linked that MIL got for DD when she was born. It's never been a favorite, but it gets some love. DD seems to love Tidoo best. I prefer Calin because she has a bit more heft and feels more "real" to me but I think DD likes how light Tidoo is. Yesterday she was carrying two of her Calins around (yes, I have a problem...) and kept saying "this baby is heavy!"

[ellies mom]

So cute!! I really like Baby Stella. Can I ask why it says there is a choking hazard with Baby Stella? Is it because of the pacifier? The pacifier looks pretty big to be a choking hazard, right?

I'm going to guess they are talking about the pacifier. Honestly, I think a child is going to be a little hard pressed to choke on it but it could fit through a toilet paper tube. Anyhow, you don't have to give her the pacifier.

OK- My youngest is like your daughter. She thinks dolls are just the greatest thing in the entire world. We bought her the Baby Stella for her first birthday but she also took over DD1's Corelle Calin. The Calin is smaller but Baby Stella has a soft head. So really you can't go wrong with either one. Now at almost three, she tends to play with the Calin more but she still loves on Stella.

[AnnieW625]

Is this the Madame Alexander doll (http://www.amazon.com/Madame-Alexander-29200-Check-Huggums/dp/B00004TZY6/ref=sr_1_5?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1300897582&sr=1-5) that you are talking about? DD1 has one that she got for her first Christmas and she didn't play much with it until she was about 2/1/2 yrs. old, and then she found my doll I had as a child too. She actually walked around a lot with my doll (same one) and called it mommy's baby when I was pregnant with DD2. Since we already have two I most likely won't get one for DD2.

I too am thinking about getting her a Corolle Calin doll for her first birthday too, but if you really want a soft head doll then I like this one, Corolle Grenadine (http://www.amazon.com/Corolle-Miss-Grenadine-Cloth-Vinyl/dp/B000F4G5GY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1300897736&sr=1-1).

[ladysoapmaker]

I didn't look at the links (I didn't want DD#2 to get any ideas).

I love the waldorf style dolls. (I just made on for DD#2, she takes it everywhere). The are completely soft and the faces are (or can be) fairly generic not hideous smiles or frowns... Kids can decide what the doll is feeling.

http://www.magiccabin.com/Department.asp?section_id=2004&search_type=department&search_value=1502


I was looking through my links for some more but I realized i only had the craft suppliers bookmarked. And the other issue is they can be expensive.

Jen

[Melaine]

Baby Calin has seen more love here than Stella. I looooove Stella myself but we wound up selling them.

[Pear]

dD loves her Calin doll more than all the others and she is really into baby dolls. We have two son we can always find one because she won't go to bed without it.

[sweet_pea]

One of the Corolle Babipouce dolls (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=corolle+babipouce&x=0&y=0) would be a soft and safe option for that age.

[Tenasparkl]

One of the Corolle Babipouce dolls (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=corolle+babipouce&x=0&y=0) would be a soft and safe option for that age.

I agree. My daughter had one at that age (before Calin and Tidoo) and LOVED it. So soft and cuddly, but looks more like a baby doll than a stuffed animal like the all plush ones do.

[ohsara430]

We have this baby stella,
http://www.amazon.com/Manhattan-Toy-122020-STELLA-BLONDE/dp/B001DZMITW/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1300903353&sr=8-4We

I'm not crazy about it, it was a gift, but DD seems to like it so I bought the feeding set for baby stella and she LOVES that.

[JoyNChrist]

I bought my niece Baby Stella for her second Christmas (she's a November baby, so she was about 13 months old), and she LOVED her. She still carries her everywhere, and she's three now.

[artvandalay]

Is this the Madame Alexander doll (http://www.amazon.com/Madame-Alexander-29200-Check-Huggums/dp/B00004TZY6/ref=sr_1_5?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1300897582&sr=1-5) that you are talking about? DD1 has one that she got for her first Christmas and she didn't play much with it until she was about 2/1/2 yrs. old, and then she found my doll I had as a child too. She actually walked around a lot with my doll (same one) and called it mommy's baby when I was pregnant with DD2. Since we already have two I most likely won't get one for DD2.

.

This is what we have, it's very similar:

http://www.amazon.com/Madame-Alexander-Little-First-Huggums/dp/B000BUTCJY/ref=sr_1_31?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1300898178&sr=1-31

her eyes open and shut. It's cute and a nice size.

So many cute dolls to choose from!

[MamaKath]

http://www.amazon.com/Madame-Alexander-29200-Check-Huggums/dp/B00004TZY6/ref=sr_1_5?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1300897582&sr=1-5
This was my dd's first doll and she loves her still. She has a cotton body instead of the velour which feels much nicer imo.

[Roleysmom]

The Corolle Baby Calin is a big hit here. DD2 got it at 14 months old and it was just right in terms of size and weight.

[Swirvin]

I think it comes down to what you want to spend. At 10 months I would keep the doll very simple. My almost 2 year old still cannot dress her dolls and I find she gravitates toward more simple dolls. Here are some I can recommend based upon what we have or have gifted.

The Corolle dolls mentioned (Cailin and Tidoo) are very good. I like that the Tidoo can go in the bath. My oldest daughter has one of these and it is a really good size for smaller kids.

Sophie & Lili (http://www.sophieandlili.com/) My dd received one of these for her 1st birthday and she loves her. She doesn't carry her everywhere with her anymore but she still snuggles with her at bedtime. The mini's are very cute for traveling, to keep in your diaper bag and would look cute peaking out of an Easter basket ;)

Waldorf dolls. These are more expensive but are worth every penny in my book. My dd received a doll from this seller for Christmas when she was 18 months: http://www.etsy.com/shop/germandolls This doll has seriously not left her side since. The lady who sells them is super sweet and does custom work. The 12" size is perfect for small hands. Right now the doll just has a simple diaper/bonnet layette and I like that she can "grow up" to be a big girl when my dd is older and ready to start playing dress up with her dolls.

Another Waldorf doll I can recommend for younger children is this seller: http://www.etsy.com/shop/PolarBearCreations I bought a 12" cotton velour baby for my niece. Again a super sweet seller and she can customize the doll to look like your dd. We have an owl from this seller too which is super cute.

There are many great Waldorf doll makers out there. If you do a search on BBB for waldorf dolls you will find a ton of links.

HTH

[artvandalay]

Sophie & Lili (http://www.sophieandlili.com/) My dd received one of these for her 1st birthday and she loves her. She doesn't carry her everywhere with her anymore but she still snuggles with her at bedtime. The mini's are very cute for traveling, to keep in your diaper bag and would look cute peaking out of an Easter basket ;)
HTH

O.M.G. The Sophie & Lili dolls are adorable!:heartbeat: I love that they don't have any removable clothing/chokable parts. Sooooo cute.

What size did your DD get for her first bday? The 12 inch? For a 10 month old do you think the mini would be easier for her to hold?

Sigh. Having a girl is going to be expensive! Too many cute things to buy~

[Swirvin]

We got the 12" size and had "1st Birthday" and her name put on the back. I think a 10 month old could handle a 12". It is a great size for cuddling :)

And yes, having a girl is very expensive ;)

[Pinky]

The Corolle dolls mentioned (Cailin and Tidoo) are very good. I like that the Tidoo can go in the bath. My oldest daughter has one of these and it is a really good size for smaller kids.

HTH

Didn't know Tidoo could go in the bath... that's good to know! Thanks.

[NCGrandma]

Another vote for Tidoo. I gave one to my DGD for her first b'day, largely because Tidoo could tolerate frequent baths. Tidoo has finally been mostly retired after more than 5 years of faithful service because she got too floppy... An excellent choice!

[vonfirmath]

Sophie & Lili (http://www.sophieandlili.com/) My dd received one of these for her 1st birthday and she loves her. She doesn't carry her everywhere with her anymore but she still snuggles with her at bedtime. The mini's are very cute for traveling, to keep in your diaper bag and would look cute peaking out of an Easter basket ;)


Thank you!

(1) Affordable
(2) reminds me strongly of my "Blue bear" growing up that went EVERYWHERE with me for a time.

...But they are almost all sold out :(