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Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Age Range of Reborns

Don't fool yourself into thinking that there is only one size for a reborn doll. The "age range" (a rough estimate on the age a doll would be if it was an actual child) for art dolls and reborns is quite vast and varying. Reborns typically come in sizes anywhere from preemie to 12 months. In this post, I'm going to cover pros and cons to each size. 

Preemies

Ahh, precious preemies always remind of us just how fragile life is. While these beautiful dolls don't have to face the hardships of being born prematurely, they certainly present the look of a preemie accurately. As in the above picture, many artists who are selling preemies will display them with appropriate photo props such as parts of newborn care kits, hospital newborn blankets and hats, and breathing tubes as you would see in a real NICU unit in a hospital.

Preemie reborns have an appeal all their own. They can be commemorative of a real child who passed shortly after entering the world, which is a beautiful way to show love and work through grief. Even without a commemoration to the reborn, these preemies look so fragile and frail that it often brings out the "protective" side of enthusiasts. Any size reborn can bring those feelings out, but preemie reborns just seem like they need so much more care.

As a downside to these tiny cuties, taking them out in public can present a problem. Often they are so tiny that you would never see a real baby out of the hospital at that size. If you like getting reactions to your dolls, preemies are perfect. On the other hand, if you're like me and avoid society, you might want to keep your tiny one at home! 

Newborns

 With one of these cuties in your home, you're reminded of the magic of new life every day. Most don't have a prop umbilical cord as shown in the picture, but if you're going for full realism it's a good idea to consider. While I could list the pros of newborn sized reborns, it's easier to list the cons since they're the most widely purchased size.

Bundle of cute? Completely. But just as with real newborns, you can't do a great  range of things with them. Posing a newborn doll can get repetitive without a good change of scenery, clothing, and props.

Young Toddlers (9-12 month size)

Twins from the Arianna sculpt by Reva Shick, unknown artist

Okay, I'm going to be biased. I think these two are super duper cute, and that young toddlers are pretty cute in general. All cuteness aside these little ones have a more balanced list of pros and cons. Some sculpts can only stand, or like these two adorable kiddies, sit. Open eyes on a reborn are always a little awkward when taking them in public too. As far as pros to young toddler reborns, they are incredibly poseable and can be photographed  "doing" many different things (take note that incredibly cute twins above are 'coloring').

Older Toddlers and Masterpiece Toddlers

'Little Bo Peep' by Monika Levenig, Masterpiece Toddler
 Okay, maybe 'young children' would be a better idea for this size group. Little Bo Peep pictured here is about the size of an 8-10 year old. Upsides to these cuties? They're adorable, of course, and like younger toddlers they are very photogenic and can be posed a plethora of different ways. One of the most common downsides to them is that since their bodies are fully vinyl and ball jointed, they are not the most cuddly in the opinion of some enthusiasts.





 

3 comments:

  1. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2sweetdecor/450379141?token=53bf07a1

    I am looking for those who love reborn dolls yet in need of a little bit more packaged within. I'm in need of some backers to back me up in spreading a little extra love and care...compassion in the world. I'm especially catering to those who have miscarried as I have miscarried twins, struggle with Alzheimer's or coping with Empty Nest Syndrome. I would like to plant seeds of love, hope and faith through each reborn doll I personally make. This project is not live on Kickstarter yet but will be launched pretty soon. Finished dolls in video is done by other reborn doll artists and credit given at the end. If you would like to know the launch date so you can back my project up please email me at nevaehskeepsakes@yahoo.com and I'll personally keep you updated.

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