$12,000 Fake Babies Are the Newest Mom Craze
July 5, 2011
by Lauren At Parenting.com
Fear not, grown-ups, you are not too old to play with baby
dolls. Forget snagging your daughter’s Cabbage Patch Kid from its tea
party; you can have a lifelike “reborn doll” instead, reports FoxNews.com, available for anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars. Yep, you read that right—they can sell for more than $12,000.
“Reborns” are realistic-looking baby dolls—weighted and stuffed to feel
cuddly and baby-like, available with rooted head and eyelash hair (the
rooting—or application of hair—can take days), manicured and varnished
baby nails, open nostrils, and even a simulated heartbeat, magnetic paci
and magnetic hair ribbon. You can even order a preemie doll that comes
delivered with an incubator and IVs.
Younger women are apparently buying the dolls to satisfy untapped
maternal instincts, whether they’ve lost a pregnancy or they’re not
ready for real-life mamahood, while older women may invest in them when
their children leave for college. (For the latter, custom-made dolls can
be made to look like a woman’s own baby, born 20 years earlier.)
Regardless of the purchaser’s age, these dolls aren’t collector items;
most of these women treat reborn dolls like real babies, taking them on
walks and strapping them into high chairs and car seats.
This might seem a bit kooky (especially the $12,000 price tag part) but
I'm hesitant to judge reborn doll owners. If it helps someone who is
distraught after a miscarriage or is unable to conceive, then I'd say it
serves a very unique purpose for women who want a very expensive hobby.
I'd just hope the fake diaper changes and feedings wouldn't get in the
way of the real world.
Do you think these dolls are out-of-control ridiculous? Or do you see why some women might want one?
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