[rachie]

<p>It's going to be Christmas soon!  I recently made my 2yo girl a beautiful waldorf doll.  She loves it BUT...  if she sees a more "realistic" doll she prefers it hands down.  I know as she gets to play with other little girls (and the dolls at grandma's house) - she'll be soon asking me for a more realistic doll.  I can't blame her - when I was little ALL I wanted was a "real" baby - the most "real" doll I could get! </p>
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<p>I've been looking up phthalate-free dolls and there are some cute "Corelle" dolls and "Gotz" dolls and "Kathe Kruse" dolls and a few more....</p>
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<p>I was wondering about the dolls I saved from my own childhood - ?  I have some "My Child" dolls - these dolls I believe have a hard plastic head that is covered in soft suede cloth of some kind and then a stuffed body and limbs that are covered in the same cloth.  I have NO CLUE what type of materials or plastics that were used back in 88 & 89 - but I'm wondering if most of the off gassing has already happened anyways since these dolls are "so old" - he, he.  I also remember my cousins had "Gerber" baby dolls that I LOVED to play with at their house. </p>
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<p>Any thoughts, ideas, suggestions? </p>
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[amberskyfire]

<p>I personally would get new non-toxic dolls and sell the old ones on ebay to pay for it. They are probably worth something. An old plastic toy is more hazardous than a new non-toxic plastic toy. Toys made in Europe are the safest. Vintage toys are not safe because there were no safety standards used in the chemical manufacture of the toys. They may offgass PVC, but there are horrible things retained within the plastic such as phthalates which never leave. Lead levels in those older toys are usually very high. Plastic breaks down fairly qickly and the weakening of the plastic over time may actually cause more of the phthalates and lead to leach to the surface where they can be a hazard. </p>

 

[gracemamma]

<p>Amberskyfire: You have my full attention here as I have an extensive collection of Madame Alexander dolls purchased in the 80s and 90s that I inherited from my grandma and that my toddler has been playing with. These are all with slightly different heads but they are all plastic- some may be from 70s or earlier too. I know they are worth something but this is the one intact collection left from my grandma and I wanted it for DD. How do we know that plastics from this era are a problem? Is it because they didn't have regulations as now, we should assume that they are all dangerous or has there been pretty wide testing to determine this?</p>
<p>Protecting DD is #1but protecting family heritage would be nice too. Thank you and thank you OP for starting the discussion!</p>

 

[amberskyfire]

<p>Not all old toys are toxic, but a good many of them are, so I always err on the side of caution and never give them to DD. If you like, you can narrow it down a bit. Hard plastic is safer from phthalates because phthalates are used to make plastic softer. Steer clear from soft or rubbery doll heads. Hard shiny plastic is better. For lead, I think you can buy a lead testing kit at Home Depot and test the dolls, but I have heard that they are not reliable by some people. Other people have had great results. I'd opt for the test if you really want to give them to your daughter. Or you could put them away for her for when she's older and she can just keep them as a collection. They're bound to be worth quite a bit of money! </p>

 

[rachie]

<p>I've been looking at the newer phthalate free dolls (still pvc) - I think I may get her a new Gotz doll or a new Madame Alexander doll - they are a little more affordable than the Kathe Kruse dolls and the reason I like the Gotz is for the cuteness of the baby, the eyes open/close, cute outift.  I looked into the Corelle doll but they are VERY scented, I've heard.   </p>