Hello Fellow Mammas! My 16 month old has recently become interested in dolls. He points them out in the store and in books as well. Today I browsed at the local toy store and found a lot of not-so-fun plastic and polyester dolls. I would like to get him a doll to play with (preferably a boy) and am interested in a doll with natural fabrics/materials. A handmade one would be really cool. That said, I am not ready to fork out $$$ for something that could be a passing phase. Does anyone know of places to look? Any suggestions are welcome :)
Thanks so much to everyone who responded to this post!! After some looking I found a great little boy baby doll for my little guy and he loves it! :) I really appreciated everyone's thoughts. Though this may be a bit down the road I may try knitting a doll (I am taking a fun knitting class and have seen some cute patterns online). Thanks again to everyone :)
It may be synthetic, but the boy Cabbage Patch Kid was great when my son was that age, and only costs between $20-$30.
Depending on where you live, check out the Acorn store in Santa Monica, or one of the stores at the Waldorf Schools, either the Pasadena one or Highland Hall in Northridge. From you description, you should be able to find what you are looking for. Good luck!
German made wooden dolls are what I picked up for my little one. They are smaller than most plastic dolls - better for doll houses I suppose. Available in ethnic- at a toy store in Santa Monica close to the library or/Wild Oats-maybe its the Acorn store someone else mentioned. sorry I don't have the box and can't remember where exactly - but great toys- lots of wooden toys non-toxic paints etc.
good luck
G.
Hi A.,
You could get him one of those dolls that have buttons on their jacket ,zipper on its'shoe,(has shoe laces on the other shoe).they come in boy or girl(I got one for my son at Toys R Us when he was little.(You can look online)They are made out of colorful fabrics and the kids learn how to tie,zip and button the cloths .You can also visit Build a Bear.Kids really like that store and you make your own.So they get to be part of making it.Good luck!!
Lakeshore learning in pasadena is really good for cloth dolls boys/girls all ethnicities that teach dressing basics. They have a website and i believe you can order online. Check it out
good luck!
K.
Hey,
I don't KNOW this will work for sure, but Waldorf has a focus on natural materials and its all about pretend play for everyone. Try some Waldorf websites and see if you can find a Waldorf school or school supplier that can suggest or sell a doll to you! Good Luck!
Dear A.,
May I suggest making one yourself. When we were growing up we could not afford alot of nice clothes or toys so we "designed" with our mother and helpe her sew them. This part of a childhood was so wonderful that as soon as my brother had a child the first thing he did was buy a sewing machine. My brother!
Take heart if you do not sew. a simple doll is all you need. Go to your local fabric store with your son and have him pick out a fabric. You can buy a patteren there as well or just buy about a yard of fabric and matching thread, take it home cut out the shape of a ginger bread man ( 2 peices) stich them together at the sides, turn insie out and stuff it with the remaining fabric ( your son can help with this part ) then you and your son pick out a design (smiling, small eyes, big eyes etc.) for the face and draw it on the face with perment marker. It may seem like a lot of work but it really will be HIS doll.
You know what they say about boys with dolls? They make great dads!
my son had the cabbage patch boy dolls.. he also had a MY BUDDY AND ME boy doll. they were pricey when he was little...hes 27 in 2 months ...but i think that they have gone down in price a bit..check on ebay. or even the boy dolls that have the laces and zippers that are attached ..teaching for later
My son, who is now 9 went through the same thing. I just bought whatever he pointed at. It was not the cuddliest but he enjoyed it. He had some care bares, cabbage patch and a Barbie or two- who were always naked. My daughter now has taken all these as hers. I wouldn't spend too much, toys come and go in favor. I think making one could be fun -if you want natural nothing is more natrual then Mom making a doll for her son- google it! Or Buy a pillow case some yarn and stuffing and design! Maybe your son can help- Have Fun!
The Acorn Store in Santa Monica (5th Street) sells amazing hand-crafted dolls and toys, it tends to be quite pricey though...and interestingly enough Target now has a small section of knitted and wooden toys, I can't remember if they had dolls though. Another option , if you are feeling crafty, is to make one yourself - you can order a kit from weirdolls.com. If all that fails you can definately get a toddler boy doll from The American Girl Store at The Grove, not natural but good quality and very safe. Good Luck!
There is so much more characters that are available since my kids were that little. But Dora Dora has a friend named Diego. There at one time used to be Steve from Blues Clues. Or there is Raggedy Andy. Dora Dora, Diego and Steve were infant/toddler friendly as as RaggedY Andy. You might check out the Wiggles. Hope that helps some. There are some female/male dolls that teach children how to dress. The only thing there is you really have to check them out. Some have buttons but there are others that are velcro. Goood luch and I hope this helps
Hi A. -
There's a lovely line of dolls made by a French company called Corolle. They have soft-bodied babies and children (I think they refer to them as toddler dolls, but they look older). They also have older (like pre-teen) dolls too, but those aren't cuddly at all, in case cuddly is what you're looking for. They also have dolls that are all vinyl and completely sealed in their joints that they call bath dolls and they are equally cute.
The dolls come in varying sizes, ranging from 10 inches up to I think 20 inches. The smaller to mid-size dolls are quite affordable. The mid-size ones have soft bodies and are very sweet and cuddly. They have boys and girls, different nationalities, different colors of hair and eyes, varied faces too. Their faces are very sweet, and all the dolls have a soft scent of vanilla, which is just so delightful.
You won't find them at any of the big chain toy stores. I'm pretty sure Three Cheeky Monkeys (a WONDERFUL store) at the Westside Pavilion carries them. Tom's Toys in Montrose and Beverly Hills has them, and this Little Piggy Wears Cotton in Santa Monica does as well. I got one at a bit of a bargain on eBay once.
Of course, American Girl also offer baby boy dolls and they are right at the Grove. That's a great line of dolls, but I don't know if you want to dive into that circus just yet!
Both companies have web sites that you can check out easily, but it is awfully fun to take your child to a store and let them look at the dolls and see what they respond to.
Hope you find one your little boy loves -- have fun!
- Colleen
ps -- after I posted my response I noticed that you had said you wanted a doll made of natural fabrics. Yes, the Waldorf dolls would be what you wanted and someone said where to find them. Also there's a catalog called Hearthsong that you can order from. They are lovely and sweet. I'll leave my post up in case you or others may be interested in Corolle -- and no, I'm not a representative of the company -- just a fan of the dolls!
