Is a doll a suitable for a 1 yr old and if so, whats the best one?

taliwillow

Hello all,

My lovely little girl will be 1 in 8 weeks (I can't believe how fast it's gone!) and I'm also due to have baby no 2 in 8 weeks so I have been wondering how on Earth I am going to cope. I was thinking that maybe it would be worth getting my daughter a baby doll so that I could maybe try and involve her so perhaps when I'm feeding the baby, she could sit with me and feed her baby too? I am just not sure if she will be old enough to understand or even get jealous but she seems to be suddenly growing up so much, I have no idea what she will be like in 2 months time and as this is my first, I don't know what children of that age are like generally. I was thinking that even if she isn't interested immediately, she may want something like that withing a few months of the baby being born.
What do you all think and if you think she isn't too young, what doll would you recommend thats a reasonable price?

Thanks

Taliwillow

missjennipenni

My 1st baby annabelle is a good one, Ive bought it for three 1 year olds now, with a wee stroller, and they have gone down very well!

missjennipenni

http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.100-0396.aspx

Krystaltips

DD was about 9months when she got her first doll, it was a fisher price little mommy doll and she loved it!

Any soft bodied doll would do really, I think Asda do some for about £2.50... As long as there's not very small bits that could be swallowed it will be fine.

HotLips_2

Hi taliwillow,

Yes a doll is a suitable toy for a child of 1 year old. We got our little girl one last year for Xmas (she was only 10mth) and she now takes it everywhere with her. Her interest in the dolly (her baby :rotfl: ) started to grow when her Childminder took on caring for a baby at the begining of this year, now she wouldn't be without it and we are looking to 'upgrade' it for her this Xmas!!!

Good luck with the new bump by the way.:T

Nicki

I would get one which is completely made of plastic, rather than one which has a fabric body, and ideally one which has eyes which open and close as these tend to be more interesting to very little ones!

I'd have said she's probably a little young to be very interested in a doll just yet, but she's likely to start getting interested and wanting to copy you when her new brother or sister arrives. One reason for getting a plastic one is so that she can give dolly lots of baths without it coming to any harm, as she probably likes waterplay at this age. Some clothes and accessories would also be good, even if these are just cast off baby clothes.

Good luck with the new arrival. My two kids are very close in age too (13 months between them) and to be honest it was OK when they were babies. I coped much more easily than I thought I would as I was still in the baby rhythm and lots of people were keen to help out. I personally found the hardest time to be ages 1/2 and 2/3 when they were both off and running in different directions and one was potty training to boot!

mrcow

If you're getting a doll, get a buggy and a bottle for them too. ELC do a buggy for £6ish and we got a couple of those bottles where the milk disappears when held upsidown. The girls like them as it's something practical to do with the babies. They also sem to like undressing everything in sight.

None of our dolls were expensive ones, but both the girls loved the smaller babies rather than the big ones (and they both like girl babies too as opposed to boy ones for some reason).

Nicki

mrcow wrote: »

If you're getting a doll, get a buggy and a bottle for them too. ELC do a buggy for £6ish and we got a couple of those bottles where the milk disappears when held upsidown. The girls like them as it's something practical to do with the babies. They also sem to like undressing everything in sight.

None of our dolls were expensive ones, but both the girls loved the smaller babies rather than the big ones (and they both like girl babies too as opposed to boy ones for some reason).

Think about buggy carefully though if she's not yet walking or only just walking herself. You'll need something very stable with or without a doll in, so she doesn't tip over if she's using it like a baby walker. They are also lethal near stairs with a novice walker... And make sure they have no straps which she can get herself tangled up in.

Same with bottles. If you're thinking of these, get big ones with no bits which could come off in her mouth. Sure as chips are chips a 1 year old will put one of these bottles in their own mouth and try to feed herself, and with a newborn you need to be sure that all her toys are 100% safe if you have to take your eyes off her for a second.

Milford_Cubicle

There's certainly nothing wrong in giving a one year old a doll. As well as things already suggested, perhaps get a hard bodied doll so she can take it in the bath with her? I know how much my daughter loved having as many toys as possible in the bath with her at that age :rotfl:

TomsMom

Can I suggest that your new baby brings your one year old a dolly baby as a present? That way Mom and one year old will both have new babies together?

This is something I did when I had my second child (many years ago I might add!). Although my daughter was 3 at the time, it meant an awful lot to her that her new brother brought her a present when he entered the world. That way she didn't feel left out. Maybe your nearly one year old isn't old enough to feel left out, but just in case she does notice that the new little bundle is taking attention away from her it might just help for the new baby to have thought of his/her sister.

Good luck, and I'm sure you'll cope just fine.

mrcow

TomsMom wrote: »

Can I suggest that your new baby brings your one year old a dolly baby as a present? That way Mom and one year old will both have new babies together?

That is such a sweet idea


:happylove