Emotional Bonds to Reborns

Creating an emotional bond to a reborn is something that is sought after by many enthusiasts and also viewed as taboo by the general public. There are a million reasons why people who don't quite grasp the concept would consider it taboo, but my objective is not to focus on that.

How do you know when you're emotionally bonded to a reborn? What can you do to make the bond stronger, or just to create a bond in the first place? For first time collectors, why do you want a bond? As silly as it may sound about a doll, these are expensive works of art,and often stay with one 'mommy' or 'daddy' for many years. Reborns aren't the sort of thing you can buy one week and forget about it a month later. 

Could you put that cutie in a closet? I didn't think so.

So, why want an emotional bond to a doll? 

As every collector is different, so are their reasons. Many people find that the feeling of holding a baby is relaxing and soothing (termed 'cuddle therapy'). Cuddle therapy can be an extremely useful tool in overcoming seemingly overwhelming events or thoughts, simply by forcing yourself to be calm by holding a 'baby'. 

How do you create an emotional bond?

As with real children, there's no official guide to creating a strong bond, but partaking in activities with your reborn can be quite constructive to bonding. The most often suggested activity for creating a bond is taking your reborn out- whether its to the store while you shop, to the park, or even just you two by yourselves on a walk around the block- its definitely strengthens your bond to be out with your reborn and to be acting as a real mother would. When you take your little one out and get reactions about 'how cute they are', or just small talk from someone who doesn't realize it's not a real baby, it brings a feeling of pride. It's up to you whether you want to disclose the actual nature of your 'baby'.

'Feeding' is another great suggestion, as just taking some time to sit down, relax, watch TV and pretending to feed your reborn is a nice feeling after a hard day. Some enthusiasts don't 'feed' or enjoy the activity, but I find it to be a good way to bond, even if you do it just for pictures. Taking pictures and making videos of them is one more great way to bond, especially if you have a place to share them with other enthusiasts.

How do you know when you are bonded to your reborn?

Again, everyone is different, but a good sign of knowing when you are totally bonded is that you cannot even consider putting your precious one up for sale. Another tell-tale sign is that you spend a lot of time changing their outfits, holding them, cuddling, or just giving them a lot of casual glances (you know, to make sure that they're 'okay'). Your way of showing your bond may not be the same as others' ways, but that's the beauty of reborns. Much like real children there is no 'one way' of doing things, there's as much variety in reborns as in the people who own them.