Naming Dolls

[RollerCoasterMama]

I'm not sure if this is a question or just an observation...
My son has two Waldorf dolls...a big one and a little velour one. I named the big one right away, so DS has always known his name is Charlie. Just the past week or two he's really started to enjoy nurturing Charlie, playing, changing, feeding and just this week he's discovered doing his bedtime rituals with his dolls and he LOOVES it. He was really putting a lot of animation into playing with Charlie. The little velour doll is one he's liked to play with and throw around, but about the same way he'd play with a stuffed animal. So, last night, to make it easier to differentiate, I named the little velour baby Luke. I'd been trying to see if DS wanted to name him, but he doesn't really get naming things yet. THE MINUTE I gave the velour baby a name, DS became super engaged with him. He made him a bed, gave him a bottle and spent a while shushing the whole household to tell us that "Wukey is sweeping!!"

I've never really thought about naming his dolls...I thought he would do that himself when he was ready. I only named Charlie for fun because he was the first doll I'd made. I never ever would have thought the dolls having a name would make such a difference!!!

And if you're really patient and want to see DS playing with his baby doll this weekend here's my proud mama moment:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uy_2SwBOWus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHN81kmsLKU
(yes, we've still got some plastic gifts left from last year.)

[Kabes]

Awwww! My little guy got a Waldorf doll for Christmas. We kept asking him what the baby's name was after several days he finally responed "Eat". We asked him if the name was "Pete" and he said, "No Pete, EAT!". So it is. I am loving that he will lay down to put Eat to bed at n ight and fall asleep and I no longer have to lay in bed for 30 min to an hour. I know the next thing will be he will want Eat to have a car seat in the car (we don't have room for another car seat) or he will want Eat to have diapers.

[RollerCoasterMama]

Originally Posted by Kabes

Awwww! My little guy got a Waldorf doll for Christmas. We kept asking him what the baby's name was after several days he finally responed "Eat". We asked him if the name was "Pete" and he said, "No Pete, EAT!". So it is. I am loving that he will lay down to put Eat to bed at n ight and fall asleep and I no longer have to lay in bed for 30 min to an hour. I know the next thing will be he will want Eat to have a car seat in the car (we don't have room for another car seat) or he will want Eat to have diapers.

Diapers are easy enough! A little bit of flannel and velcro! Charlie has a diaper, but it's disappeared with the rest of his wardrobe. He has been living in pjs for months now! Diaper changing seems to be a favorite toddler activity. People do it to them so often, it's nice to turn it around. DS has had his dolls since this summer, but he seems to have turned a corner on wanting to take care of them. I don't know if he's come to a milestone in his fantasy play or what, but it is fun to watch. Just this week, putting the babies to bed has become part of our bedtime routine. He really wasn't wanting to go to bed the other day, so we tried a new tactic. Last summer when I'd demo-ed putting Charlie to bed in a basket, he didn't want anything to do with it. Now it's super exciting and fun.

[LuxPerpetua]

My dd must just be weird because she is so not into dolls. All of her stuffed animals are named by her, though, but ironically she hardly ever sees them as "animals" or "something to nurture." She usually pretends they are paint sets or handle bars or milking machines. She's 3 and does not have a nurturing bone in her body (which is the total opposite of me at her age). I'm actually buying her a Waldorf doll for Easter in hopes that she might take to it but personally I doubt she will.

[RollerCoasterMama]

Originally Posted by LuxPerpetua

My dd must just be weird because she is so not into dolls. All of her stuffed animals are named by her, though, but ironically she hardly ever sees them as "animals" or "something to nurture." She usually pretends they are paint sets or handle bars or milking machines. She's 3 and does not have a nurturing bone in her body (which is the total opposite of me at her age). I'm actually buying her a Waldorf doll for Easter in hopes that she might take to it but personally I doubt she will.

Until about 2 or 3 weeks ago, DS just used his dolls as accessories in his play. The nurturing bug only just kicked in. (And half of it is power-trip cuz he gets to be the boss!) My niece of the same age isn't interested in dolls at all either. I was going to make her a doll for Christmas and my sis-in-law actually requested felt food instead to go with her new play kitchen. All kids are different!!

[redfoxmama]

My ds is 3.5 and has never really been interested in his Waldorf doll. He picked him up around Christmas and played with him for a day or two, and during that time he called him "Keenan" (ds' actual name). While playing with "Keenan" he wanted me to compliment his blue eyes or his shirt-- which is the same things people say to him when we are out in public.

[Hannahsmummy]

Originally Posted by LuxPerpetua

My dd must just be weird because she is so not into dolls. All of her stuffed animals are named by her, though, but ironically she hardly ever sees them as "animals" or "something to nurture." She usually pretends they are paint sets or handle bars or milking machines. She's 3 and does not have a nurturing bone in her body (which is the total opposite of me at her age). I'm actually buying her a Waldorf doll for Easter in hopes that she might take to it but personally I doubt she will.

You aren't alone. Mine's just like this. She's 5 and a half and it totally disinterested in dolls and always has been. She has an absolutely gorgeous Waldorf doll which (ironically) is also called Charlie. Charlie just sits on her dresser along with dolls that I have made for her.

She loves seeing her there but has only picked her up a couple of times.

I can imagine however that for a child who is interested in dolls that giving it a name would instill some sort of personality into it and make it more real for them.