Archive | February, 2012

Top 5 Tips on Buying Reborn Baby Dolls – Ezine Articles

20 Feb

 

Reborn baby dolls are life like resembling a baby and it is difficult to tell whether it is real baby or just a doll. These are collected by hobbyists and doll collectors who find them to be totally unique and beautiful.

Range of Sizes

These toys are available in different sizes such as:

Minis which are only about 6 inches in length.
Newborns of length 15″.
Premature babies which are also called as preemies ranging in length 14″ – 16″.
Baby dolls of size that varies between 15″ to 21″.
Toddlers ranging in length from 21″ to 23″.

Owners of these Dolls

There are basically two types in which we can categorize the owners; doll collectors and hobbyists.

Doll Collectors: These are people who buy these toys from reputed companies like Ashton Drake, Berenguer, Apple Valley and Lee Middleton. These are created with expert craftsmanship as well as excellent quality products and are priced in the higher range going up to $500 or more.

Hobbyists: Such people work with a kit that has head, limbs & other body parts. These kits are created by many companies in the country like Secrist. Using these kits they make a life like toy which is very much similar in appearance to a real baby. This kind of hobby has been given the name of reborning.

Where to buy from?

There are many options available if you are interested in purchase these collectible items such as doll artist can be contacted to purchase directly from them, you can also purchase them from craft fairs held in your region and lastly you can search for them at eBay which has a large collection from different companies and artists to select from.

Top Five Buying Tips

Lastly we look at buying tips, these tips will help you make the right purchase & guide you in your decision making process.

At the time on buying online make sure to check the photos so that you can be certain that it looks a real baby.
Ask which color has been utilized. Most suitably it should have genesis heat paints.
Many time purple wash is done on the inside on reborn babies limbs which will tend to leak over a period of time & should be avoided as then the reborn baby starts to look as if bruised.
Hand implantation of hair using micro-rooting makes the hair look completely realistic, so check the description to know which method has been used in creating hair.
Fingers and toes should ideally have glass beads or dusts and polly pellets as fillers in body to give them the soft & cuddlesome features.

Product Rated

Disney Toddler Rapunzel

Madame Alexander, 18″ Playfully Pretty, Favorite Friends Collection

What Do 2 Year Olds Like to Play With?

15 Feb

People without children often find themselves stumped when confronted with the question of what to buy for their friend’s or relative’s toddler. What sort of thing do little children like to play with.

My years of experience as a mother, attending playgroups and socialising with nannies and childminders has shown me that the things that toddlers like best are toys that contain other toys! Children have fantastic imaginations and so for those with a smaller budget you could consider finding a nice box such as a shoe box, or one of those plastic boxes that are used for washing gel capsules. You could then buy several little toys such as plastic farm animals or toy cars and put them in the box. Wrap the whole lot up and give to the beloved toddler in question.

Those with a large budget should consider a wooden dolls house or a children’s toy kitchen. These are also ideal. A doll’s house is great as it usually has several ways of accessing the house such as a lifting roof as well as an opening front. This makes it ideal for more than one child to play with at once (a great idea if you’re buying for twins!). The toddler will delight in moving all the furniture about the rooms. You will probably find all the furniture scattered around the playroom – but at least you will know that the toy is being enjoyed.

Another alternative would be a children’s toy kitchen. These are enjoyed by both boys and girls as they both enjoy pretending to be like their mummy and daddy. As with the dolls houses, most of the fun will come from opening the oven door and putting things in or taking them out. With this in mind, remember to buy a set of toys saucepans and play food to go with the kitchen.

If you object to buying a toy kitchen for a little boy though, I can recommend toy workbenches which have similar appeal to kitchen’s and dolls houses. The toddler can remove all the little toys like the toy screw drivers and hammers and spend hours replacing them in the rights spots.

Product Rated

Barbie Fashionistas – Barbie Doll

Disney Princess Beauty Tote (Hang Tag)

Toys Your Young Toddler Will Love

8 Feb

When considering what toys to choose for your young toddler, (one year olds), it’s important to look at the child’s abilities and interests in terms of physical, mental and social areas of development.

On a physical developmental level young toddlers exercise and increase their physical skills such as pulling, pushing, dumping, knocking down, and climbing. By two years of age they can usually catch a large ball, string large beads, (beads should be 1 ¾ inches diameter). Toddlers are exploring all these movements and activities but as yet have rarely mastered them.

Mental abilities and interests center on cause and effect and objects that move or can be moved. Children likes to combine objects and make simple block structures, simple stacking toy structures and put simple puzzles together. Curiosity applies to everything around them as young toddlers experiment with objects, group, match, and sort and identify objects. Water play is a favorite and pre-writing skills emerge with the first scribbles and marks on paper. Imitative play begins to emerge in a simple fashion, especially caretaking and housekeeping.

Social ability and interests are focused very much on adults as children attempts adult tasks. Much play is solitary and children tend to play in parallel near each other rather than together. Children express affection for others and show preference for certain dolls, stuffed animals and toys. Being read to is a huge favorite (especially nursery rhymes) as is looking at picture books and picture reading. Interactive games such as tag and peek-a-boo become interesting around 1 ½ years.

Consider the following toys that match the above abilities and interests of your young toddler:

– Push and pull toys with large handles and large wheels. Toys that have special noise and action effects. Doll carriages, wagons, rocking horses, riding toys, small lightweight stacking blocks, solid wooden blocks and large hollow building blocks. Simple pre-puzzles with knobs which are easier to use. Peg boards, hidden object toys and simple pop- up toys, nesting cups, shape sorters, fit together toys, pounding and hammering toys, simple matching toys, number/counting boards, toys with screw on action, dressing, lacing and stringing toys, sand and water play toys that are easy to grasp in one hand, sponges, small shovels and pails, bathtub activity centers, tunnels and colanders, small sandbox tools.

– Sports equipment would include soft, low climbing platforms, tunnels, swings, simple low climbing structures, low slides with handrails, soft light weight balls, chime balls, flutter balls, large balls. All outdoor equipment must be supervised by an adult.

– Make believe play requires its own set of toys such as soft bodied or all rubber baby dolls with no hair or moving eyes or movable limbs. The dolls should fit easily into the child’s arms (5-6 inches). Simple accessories for care taking, bottles, blankets, doll clothes, etc. Stuffed toys that are very soft lightweight and easy to handle. Puppets are a favorite, large as well as hand sized puppets to fit the child’s hand. Role play materials such as toy telephones, full length mirrors, housekeeping equipment such as pots and pans and utensils, dress up clothes. Also included should be transportation toys such as cars, trucks.

– Musical Instruments such as drums, cymbals, rhythm sticks are also appropriate. Arts and Crafts materials such as large crayons and sturdy large sized paper should be included.

– Books, including cardboard books, soft books, tactile books and books read by an adult.

By choosing toys that are directly related to children’s developing abilities and interests, all the while keeping an eye on safety, we support their learning process to the maximum of their abilities.

Product Rated

Gund Baby M”My First Doll” for Baby’s First Toy

Corolle Mon Premier Calin 12″ Baby Doll (Calin Laughing Flowers)