best baby doll for a 2yo? accessory sources?

[moonjunio]

Hi all,

I'm looking for a baby doll to give my daughter, who just turned two. She will be getting a baby sister in November so I would like to start role playing :-) She already enjoys baby dolls at daycare so I know she would like one.

Quick online searches turned up a multitude from Corolle, which I can also buy locally (at $40..):
http://www.amazon.com/Corolle-Premie...2862506&sr=8-4
I think the vanilla smell would bug me a bit (it's my least favorite fragrance) and the price seems quite high without the amazon discount, but I like that you can buy lots of accessories (although again, expense!!)

More tempting is this anatomically correct doll imported from Spain, I think Diana is the brand or model, I would likely get the 13.5" size:
http://www.dollslikeme.com/store/p/3...oll-13-5-.html
No accessories but at least it has a cloth diaper and a yoni :-) Listed as phthalate-free, too.

Does anyone have more suggestions for dolls, or any baby doll accessories that you like (I don't have time for making my own)?

Thanks!

[JudiAU]

We were just given a scented Corelle doll and no one in our house likes it, including the baby it was for. My 3rd old calls it Stinky.

[moonjunio]

Haha, I can believe it! Thanks, interesting the kids didn't like it either.

[RebeccaWo]

My DD loves her Baby Stella

[mommy2maya]

we have bitty baby from the american girl store. my girls love her. since she has a soft body, it is easier to dress her for small hands. no yoni but she does come with a cloth diaper

[spmamma]

DD's grandparents got her a Pottery Barn doll for her birthday. She loved it, and I love it because it's soft and sweet. No plastic - yay!

[tbone_kneegrabber]

Ds has the Diana doll in 13 1/2 inches from Doll Factory Direct He loves it and its totally the right size for him.

He also has a baby doll Ergo
a stroller we bought at a yard sale
and I bought some clothes on esty, although the doll is a little hard to find clothes for

[carmel23]

We have a Corolle 12 inch doll, and my daughter loves it. She has played with it since 18 months or so. Honestly, she prefers the soft body of the doll, its more hugable. They have the other type of doll at the children's museum, and she plays with them, but they aren't as snuggly.

I do not like scented anything, and don't remember being bugged by the smell. It doesn't smell now.

She loves to carry the doll in her dolly-sized sling, change its diaper. She prefers her baby to wear a diaper and sometimes gets him dressed, but most of the time it is a diaper and that is it.

It is a nice doll, washes up really well.

[ellairiesmom]

so funny-i posted this exact post before christmas. couldn't decide between calin/tidoo or the anatomically correct dolls & it was going to be a gift from the new baby to her big sister.

fwiw, i went with the corolle & bought both tidoo & calin. i bought a cheap graco double doll stroller to go with it. she loves them.

the smell didn't bother me at all.

[moonjunio]

Thanks for the great ideas - I love the doll Ergo, and the baby Stella accessories have a pleasant color mix that is more appealing than the "pink everything" that's so ubiquitous! I may go with a soft body after all. hm...

About the Ergo, my daughter can do buckles but it still might be a bit fussy. Anyone have ideas for doll slings?

[Red Pajama]

we have a baby stella, who is completely soft bodied, and a corolle doll, as well as other various off-brand babies. Baby Boy (the corolle) doll is the favorite. My kids think he smells like cake. Sella has been ignored. Babies with realistic faces, hands and feet are the ones that are played with here.

[carmel23]

We got our dolly sling, which is really easy to put on, from Sonya's toy garden. It doesn't look like they have the one we purchased years ago, but they do have one: toy garden

[lach]

Each of my children have the 14" Corolle and they love them. They both sleep with them and carry them around and push them around in their doll strollers together. It's very cute.

The smell is not strong at all: you can only smell it if your nose is right on the doll's head. I'm surprised that it was strong enough for the first poster's children to even really notice it.

We have an anatomically correct doll too (bought it to help with potty training), and it never gets touched. I think they don't like the hard body.

The nice thing about the 14" Corolle is that it's the same size as the Bitty Baby and they seem to be kind of the "industry standard" for baby dolls, so there are lots of accessories available. The best accessories we've gotten, fwiw, are from Target.

[physmom]

Originally Posted by moonjunio

Thanks for the great ideas - I love the doll Ergo, and the baby Stella accessories have a pleasant color mix that is more appealing than the "pink everything" that's so ubiquitous! I may go with a soft body after all. hm...

About the Ergo, my daughter can do buckles but it still might be a bit fussy. Anyone have ideas for doll slings?

Yeah, we just got a silk scarf and tied it around DD and she can put the doll in it. Very cheap!

We do EC so we also bought her doll the Baby Born Magic potty. Our local Toys R Us had some locally made clothes that fit her doll (http://www.fisher-price.com/fp.aspx?...t=LM_SweetAsMe because it was the only one I could find that looked like her that was affordable at the time. )

FWIW, DD does NOT like the soft body. She was very upset that her doll was not anatomically correct and keeps asking about that. We've recently picked up this doll for her http://www.amazon.com/Gotz-16-5-Maxy.../dp/B000F4C4UA because we thought it had a plastic body and it was on same for 19 EUR. It turns out it doesn't but I'm sure DD will survive.

Also for extra clothes we have some of DD newborn clothes we put on her dolls. Most are too big but the hats fit well and even the big ones are fun for DD to put on her doll. She also but her diapers on the dolls too even though they are huge.

[moonjunio]

Ooo, that toy garden site is addictive! I like the zipper action on that carrier, and there's also lots of play silks that could be a sling...

[carmel23]

Originally Posted by moonjunio

Ooo, that toy garden site is addictive! I like the zipper action on that carrier, and there's also lots of play silks that could be a sling...

they have excellent customer service too. When we used to live closer to them I would get a lot of stuff from sonya, but now since we live in another state I don't order from her as much... but we have some cherished things, and I love their stuff.

The rainbow playsilks are the *thickest* most colorful play silks, *ever*.

[2timestrouble]

Originally Posted by RebeccaWo

My DD loves her Baby Stella

I also got my 2 year old girl a baby Stella, is sooo soft, cute and my daughter loves the magnetic pacifier. Is a little pricey but totally wort it.
You can buy some accessories for it

[ellairiesmom]

we got the below sling from nova naturals...she was using a scarf & also playing with a piece of cloth that i got from my babywearing instructor's course, but the elastic on the sides of the doll sling really keeps her dolls from falling out so it has become her favorite...i had a $10 off coupon so that helped.
http://www.novanatural.com/toys/doll-sling

we also had a MT made by a fellow TBW member...Tina of Beanslings-it matches one of mine & is really cute...

the 2 carriers & cheapo strollers are her favorite accessories.

[junipervt]

if you're still thinking of getting a corolle this site has them pretty cheap & everything on the site is 40% off of the price listed.
http://www.kidsurplus.com/search.asp...orolle&x=0&y=0

we have one for DD & the smell really isn't too bad. DD doesn't mind it & we don't smell it unless we sniff the doll.

[moonjunio]

Fantastic resources everyone, thanks again :-) Maybe I will take DD to the store and see if she likes Stella or Calin better. She uses the hard vinyl anatomical dolls at daycare so I guess that's "covered" so to speak. And I'll definitely snag one of those fantastic carriers!