Looking for "Perfect" First Doll

We have the same little doll from Wal-Mart that another poster mentioned. We bought it for our daughter when she just turned 1 and she now has two other dolls but it is still her very favorite. The size is just right for her little arms and the two of them go everywhere together. The doll fits really well into toy strollers, etc. and can sit on it's own, etc. At the low price, we even bought a "back-up baby" recently to stash in the closet in case the first one is ever lost.

I read once that when buying a first doll to make sure and get a small enough one that can fit in the crook of the child's arm. There was a study or something that showed little kids preferred that size because they could hold and control it easiest.

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Dear T.,
I don't have a brand or anything to recommend, just features.
At 15 months, her doll should not have real hair, only molded.
It should not have opening and shutting eyes.
The body should be cloth, and it shouldn't be bigger than she can carry.
If it makes noise, it will wear you out!
The eyes should be open, kids don't bond to dolls with closed
eyes. If the arms, legs and head are plastic, that's probably okay, but the body should be cloth at least.
I wouldn't get her anything bigger than 15 inches at this time.
So, there you go.... My daughter loved hers, carried it everywhere, but alas, we did lose her, so maybe get 2 identical dolls to have a spare..... Best of luck. B in Plymouth, MN.

1 mom found this helpful

Both of my girls got this doll from walmart. It's only $5 or so and it's just in one of those cardboard boxes full of dolls, like they do with the small stuffed animals. She has a plastic head and fabric body and cute outfit with a hat. They are just the perfect weight and size. It kind of looks like a small cabbage patch doll. They have held up very well as my oldest daughter is 4 and hers still sleeps with her every night and she plays with it all day. Every once and a while I'll take the clothes off and wash them though :o)
J.
I had to come back and add that I think this is the same doll some of the other posters are talking about. I also bought back up ones for my kids. lol

How wonderful that you are being so thoughtful regarding the first doll selection and are looking to pick the one right doll and not five. I would recommend those soft little Waldorf dolls. They are nice and small, easy to carry, soft, and you can select the skin, eye and hair color, which is neat. Best of luck in your search. E.

I have a 3 year old girl and a 2 year old girl. They both love dolls, and are happy with any kind of doll. They really like ones that they can take in the bath with them, or ones that fit in their dolly stroller and wagon. My girls dress/undress the dolls and the dolls end up with markings from crayons or something on them, so at least for us, we stick with the cheaper dolls for now. The three year old has started talking about "American Girl Dolls," but we will wait until they are older and know how to take better care of them.

hi T., my favorite doll when I was a munckin was Strawberry Shortcake, I took her everywhere with me, and nowadays they have the most fabulos Strawberry Shortcake dolls. I would go with one of the cloth ones that dont have alot of hair. My Sofia is only 4 months old and she already has her doll..

Hi!
I just bought my daughter the perfect doll for her 2nd birthday. It was a cabbage patch newborn. It is created smaller than the other cabbage patches, and it has a cloth body and a bald head (but you can get hair) it comes with a carring seat and a bottle. She loves this baby more than the others and loves to feed her baby.
Good Luck!

I loved dolls so much as a child and had quite a few - I still have them - so I understand your wanting to find the perfect one! My daughter also LOVES her 'babies' and has quite a few but her favorite (believe it or not) was (and still is) the four dollar and 88 cent doll we picked up at Walmart one day. It is a great size for a 15 month old and it is pretty cute. They have bald plastic heads and plastic arms and legs but a soft, beany body. They don'e have a box or anything...just the doll in your choice of a few outfits w/ pacifiers. We bought ours 2 years ago (when they were only 3 dollars and 84 cents!) but they still have them. I plan to keep watching this request so I can find out about other great dolls out there!

my daughters frist doll was a cloth one with no hair.. she got fake bottles with it that disappeared when you put the bottle up to her mouth.. i decided with no hair has she liked to suck on hair and didnt want her choking. the doll was a little smaller then her and she hung on to that doll for years.. good luck finding the right one for you and your daughter....

first times are hard..lol but what we did was find a doll that didn't pee ,poop, cry, suck,eat food, drink water or etc... which it hard to find... but we found a normal baby doll that had her own carrying pouch... at shopko that way she has a normal doll to play with ... she loved it ... she still plays with it today and she is 5 there are no batteries to change or broken pieces... i hope that helps..

good luck

E.

I have a 15 month old girl also and we have a small cabbage patch kid that use to be mine. She loves this doll. It has a soft body and hard face. The only thing I recommend is to get a bottle or something to go with it. My daughter loves to feed everything with her sippy cup so we pulled out an old bottle and she loves it. She chews on the nipple so I would suggest getting a toy bottle. B.

Hello T., When my daughter turned one my dad gave her a bitty baby from the American girl collection. I had no idea american girl had soft, beanie body babies. My daughter loves them- now she has two bittty babies and one American girl doll. My dad has bought her something new for her birthday or christmas each year. When some one asks us what they can buy for our daughter there is always the American girl catalog. Also if you do not want to go the more expensive route, Target and Wal-mart sell similar dolls and clothes and accessories that fit american dolls and bitty babies. I believe they also have their own 15 inch dolls and a variety of smaller beanie body babies. Good luck! Girls are so much fun!

my daughter loves the little beanie dolls from Target. they dont come boxed and they are like 2.99 a piece or something like that. they come with pajamas, a pacifier, and a hat which are attached as to not get lost. they are small enough to handle and inexpensive enough to replace. I hope this helps

T.,

I would recommend the "Baby Stella" doll. You can get it at Creative Kidstuff. They have soft bodies, a little poof of hair, and a belly button. It comes with a nuk (the mouth has a little magnet in it, so the nuk sticks to the babies face). You can also get tons of cute accessories as your daughter grows (bassinette, feeding set, back pack, clothes, etc) Do a google search for baby stella and see what she looks like, I think you'll really really like it!!

I'm so jealous... you get to pick your daughters first doll. Mine got hers when she was about two hours old. Yup two hours...Thanks Grandma! She's got a full basket of them now 2 yrs later and the favorites are both from Wal-mart. One is the small one that everyone else seems to love also, no box just a selection of the different outfits them come in. The other one is baby GiGi I believe, it does have open close eyes, it's got a big, bald head and soft body. It was a first birthday present and she's been able to carry it around since the day she got it. The clothes came off immediately and have pretty much stayed off since, but at least the body is fabric. It's the perfect doll for playing "Mommy" and snuggling! Best of luck have fun, I'm sure she'll love whatever you give her.

I would highly recommend a natural fiber "Waldorf style" doll, available through "Magic Cabin" catalogue and various on-line suppliers. They can be made to look like your child (e.g., long brown hair, blue eyes, etc.), they are made of natural fibers and will last a lifetime. They usually run about $100 dollars, but they are worth it. Also, instead of buying your daughter 20 plastic $5 dolls, you can buy her one beautiful lifetime friend. The presentation of the doll to your daughter is also a beautiful and significant event. There is a lot of information on "waldorf dolls" online and also on the selection and presentation of the doll to your child. You may also want to contact a teacher at the Waldorf school in Excelsior (or visit their "seedlings" class for 18 month olds) to find out more about the importance of your child's first doll. If you visit the early childhood classroom, you'll be amazed at how differently your daughter plays with the cloth dolls. The name of the Waldorf school is SPRING HILL SCHOOL and their phone number is ###-###-####... or check the website: www.springhillschool.com. A "waldorf doll" is the perfect first doll and you're smart to have recognized the significance of your daughter's first doll. Good Luck!
B.

My 17 month old daughter has a Corolle doll from Creative Kidstuff that she just loves. I think it's called "Tidoo" and it has a soft body but you can take it in the bath. It's small--just the right size for her to carry like it's her baby.

We got two dolls as a gift. One was a molded plastic doll from Lakeshore Learning - I like this one as my daughter is half asian and this doll is asian. The other is a smaller doll from the "Little Mommy" collection that you can find at Target or toysrus. DD likes the little mommy doll - it comes with an outfit and a bottle and pacifier and fits nicely in the doll stroller we got. easy to carry as well.

I bought my daughter her first doll from pottery barn kids-they have several (we got her the Audrey doll)It is a very classic fabric doll, soft, well made and comes with a change of clothes. It is on the high end for price, but I diffentely think it's worth it for the fact that it's a timeless doll-to be enjoyed at any age!