I have been surprisingly pleased in recent years by some of the dolls I’ve come across in my motherly adventures in little girl land.

I grew up in the heart of Cabbage Patch Kid land (that’s in northeast Georgia if you never knew) and we were sure to visit Babyland General, the “hospital” where the babies were “born,” at least once to get a chance to name a baby.

Needless to say, those dolls have always been my standard of measurement when it comes to other baby dolls.

Another favorite baby doll of mine is by Corolle – this little guy was super-cute and we both loved it when his eyes closed. He was adorable even in the box & seemed to be just the right size for my three year old. And I was bound to love the Madame Alexander Huggums that was given years ago as a new baby present. This is really the most classic kind of baby doll on the market today.

But if I had to recommend one doll today for versatility for both parents and children it would be LaBaby by Berenguer. My daughter calls it “my heavy baby.”

This doll was purchased as a necessity (if you wonder what necessity could be fixed with a doll you must not have kids), and while pricey compared to other “necessity” purchases I’ve made this one has been well worth the price paid.

The baby doll body is soft rather than plastic from head to toe, and it is weighted so that it can be positioned easily (for tea parties and such). They are available in most stores & online, and they smell really...

Dolls have been loved for centuries and continue to have a place of popularity in cultures worldwide. The variety of dolls ranges from vintage and collectible styles to mass-produced dolls. Also, today’s marketplace offers a variety of kinds of dolls, from soft-bodied dolls to porcelain, with skin tones from white to black baby dolls.

Finding the Right Baby Doll

When searching for the perfect doll the task can be overwhelming. Consider the age of the child and the temperament of the child. A tantrum thrower probably wouldn’t enjoy a porcelain doll for very long and a twelve year old would probably want something more like American Girl Dolls or Stardolls .

With an online membership of nearly 23 million, Stardolls are very popular, but are actually paper dolls printed from the website. Here you’ll find ethnic dolls and online interaction for friends age 7 to 17, complete with options for a catwalk to showcase new fashions for the doll clothes.

Kinds of Baby Dolls
Baby dolls come in many shades and sizes. Berenguer baby dolls , Middleton baby dolls and Madame Alexander Huggums dolls are available as African American baby dolls, Caucasian and Asian baby dolls.

It’s common now to find weighted baby dolls that have a more solid “real baby” feel to them, and these weighted babies are often teaching tools in classes about childcare.

Life-like or realistic dolls go potty and cry and need burping and so on, becoming more advanced as technology is incorporated into the dolls.

Cloth Dolls – A Long Time Favorite

Cloth dolls were perhaps the most common dolls for a long time because they could be sewn from remnants of cloth used for clothing in the household. These rag dolls developed into marketable dolls like Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls .

Fabric dolls are still available today in small and large varieties and are appropriate for the youngest children because of the soft features. When the doll is for a baby the eyes should be stitched and the clothing will often be securely attached.

Hard Plastic Dolls

Hard plastic dolls became very popular in the 1940s and 50s as an improvement to the durability and detail found in other doll types. There are still hard plastic dolls today, but the composition of the material is different and more precisely referred to as a hard vinyl doll. Vinyl dolls, such as Barbie dolls , are the most mass-produced and affordable. Made of a soft plastic, these dolls offer easy clean surfaces and are usually safe for young children.

This vintage doll was made circa 1900.

Antique and Vintage Baby Dolls

Antique and vintage dolls are popular with collectors too and even when dollar value may not mean much the nostalgia value could be priceless.

Materials for these dolls include wood dolls, metal dolls, bisque dolls, paper-mache dolls, and composition dolls made of materials such as sawdust, paper, glue and Plaster of Paris.

The most impor...