Many adult people, mostly women, collect dolls. They are cherished and lovingly called “my children”. Some women go one step further and buy a lifelike Reborn doll. However, because children are not simply bought, Reborn babies are “adopted”.
Learn everything about Reborn Babies.
Table of contents
Reborn Babies: Toy Or Therapy?
Reborn comes from the English and means reborn. The lifelike dolls are handmade from a special silicone compound. Since the turn of the millennium, the trend, which originated in the USA, has found numerous followers worldwide. A Reborn doll is more than just a toy for adults. What is behind it?
Many Reborn fans come to their first Reborn Baby through their doll collecting passion. Because the production of such a baby doll is very labor-intensive and time-consuming, the specimens are expensive.
Each Reborn doll is unique. The faces and proportions can be individually modeled according to the wishes of the future doll moms: awake or asleep, light or dark-skinned, newborn, premature or even one-year-old. Some reborn dolls are made according to photos and resemble the own child up to the hair.
Genuine one-offs reach prices in the four-digit range, modified Reborn dolls from prefabricated blanks are cheaper to have. In the meantime, there are kits with which various baby replicas can be made.
Reborners call themselves the artists who first bring a reborn baby to life with a lot of love and craftsmanship from numerous individual parts. The film industry is also very interested in lifelike-looking baby dolls.
Dolls Like Newborn
The goal of every doll artist is to make the baby doll appear as real and natural as possible. This is achieved by using medical grade silicone that feels almost like real skin.
Hair and eyelashes are individually implanted from real hair, and the realistic-looking eyes are supplied by renowned glass artists. The finished doll bodies and especially the children’s faces are given an individual look by fine brush strokes with waterproof skin colors.
Even fine veins or birthmarks are painted on if desired. Each Reborn Baby comes with a certificate designed like a real birth certificate. The happy adoptive mothers can act with their Reborn Baby like with a real baby.
Just like in a realistic role play, it is bathed, fed, dressed and lovingly cared for. The Reborn Baby has finally arrived in its new family.
Baby Doll To Love
In addition to their natural appearance, Reborn Babies also smell like real babies – like baby powder and baby cream. And the scent is long-lasting. The enchanting baby scent is achieved by adding natural aromas. The recipe remains a secret of the manufacturers.
A reborn baby can be washed, bathed, diapered and sung to sleep. However, movable folding eyes, as with commercially available functional dolls for children, are unusual for a Reborn Baby.
The facial expression of such a unique doll corresponds to a very specific moment. Most newborn babies sleep, a Reborn doll does the same. Artists and future doll parents also place a high value on authenticity. Just as every mother thinks her newborn is beautiful despite any small blemishes, so do the owners of an individually designed Reborn doll.
Reborn Baby: Underlying Psychology Or Fashion Hype?
“When I hold my baby, I immediately protect his little head. I take him for walks and also take him on vacation. The maternal instinct is awakened, you automatically treat the doll like a real baby.
My Reborn Baby has helped me a lot to get over the loss of my prematurely born child.” This or something similar is how doll mothers report their experiences with Reborn Babies.
A Reborn Baby satisfies a variety of needs. The realistic replicas of real newborns serve as substitutes and are often used in medical facilities for therapeutic purposes.
No commercial baby doll can do this because they just don’t look natural enough. Maybe you have already thought about adopting an original Reborn Baby?
Reborn Baby: Underlying Psychology Or Fashion Hype?
You cannot simply replace a loved one with another. This is also not the purpose of a realistic baby doll. Although the mothers know that it is only a replica, they care for their Reborn doll like a real baby. Many of these women have lost a baby to illness or birth trauma. Perhaps the child was born stillborn or a premature baby who could not survive.
The pent-up emotions and love for their own child can be so strong that the grief seems unbearable. Mothers who have lost their child feel empty, useless and not infrequently even guilty. The loss can lead to a deep, life-threatening depression.
A Reborn Baby is therefore a recognized therapeutic tool that can alleviate birth trauma, help cope with grief, and give mothers renewed courage to face life again.
Boy Or Girl
When designing the baby faces, great importance is attached to a lifelike reproduction. The body proportions are also subject to this requirement. Of course, the sex of the child is also included. The future owner can decide on a little boy or a little daughter, whom she “adopts” by unwrapping the package. The naming can be celebrated with a small ceremony. Either the doll will receive the name of a deceased child or one of their own.
On the Internet there are various forums and communities where Reborn fans exchange ideas and show photos of their Reborn children. Also addresses of Reborn artists are collected here. Whether Reborn girl or boy – it is unmistakable that the mothers are proud and happy and it is not just a short phase. If a trauma is overcome with the help of a Reborn baby, the baby doll serves as an indispensable souvenir and valuable collector’s item.
Reborn In Practice
Therapists, midwives and youth institutions use Reborn dolls to help dispel fears and prejudices. Expectant parents learn how to swaddle, bathe and feed their baby in the future with the help of a realistic baby doll.
If there are no parents or grandparents to give advice, young people first have to learn how to hold a newborn baby properly. A reborn doll takes away their fear of doing something wrong. Girls who get pregnant unplanned often don’t know what to expect and underestimate the amount of work that being a mother entails.
That’s why some schools use a Reborn Baby doll with function for special project days. Surely you have heard about it or seen the corresponding documentary on TV. For 24 hours, a pair of students has to take care of the baby.
The doll is programmed and “reports” at different times. An app explains what has to be done then. The reborn baby has to be cared for like a real one. With one difference: if the young people do not take the baby care seriously, it does not harm the child. Any mistakes are then dealt with pedagogically by the teachers together with the students.
Therapy For Happiness
Everyone wants to be happy. Intense maternal feelings can be so strong during a loss that love is given even to a fake child. With the help of a surrogate baby, severely depressed women are gently introduced to life without their own child and gain new courage to face life. In geriatric care, a reborn doll is often used to improve the well-being of the residents. Cuddling and holding a baby has been shown to release happiness hormones and have a positive effect on the mind and body.
Dementia patients remember past good times and are happy. The immune system is sustainably strengthened by feelings of happiness. However, in the case of an unfulfilled desire to have a child or the loss of a baby, sharing a Reborn Baby with other people is not an option for those affected. They want to have a Reborn Baby all to themselves. Unfortunately, no health insurance company will pay for the purchase of a Reborn Baby for private therapy purposes.
Being A Mother Once Again
In addition to therapeutic aspects, a Reborn doll is also simply for personal enjoyment. The age spectrum of doll mothers is broad. Predominantly women want to take care of a Reborn Baby. Men can start with this need rather less.
Some women see a Reborn Baby as a child substitute because they will never have a child. Others simply like to collect dolls and occupy themselves with them – just as men, for example, spend hours taking care of their model trains. Many Reborn Adoptive Mothers miss the feeling of being needed.
At some point, their own children are out of the house. They live far away and rarely come to visit. The grandchildren are a long time coming. Perhaps you have separated from your partner and feel alone within your own four walls. Then a Reborn Baby helps to revive forgotten feelings and to make the loneliness more bearable. The doll child is cared for and dressed, has its own little bed and its own wardrobe. The baby clothes are quite suitable to give away later to real grandchildren.
Where Does My Reborn Baby Come From?
You have decided to buy a Reborn doll? Congratulations, now you just need the addresses where your new baby will come from. The biggest markets for the artistic collector dolls are the USA, Great Britain, Poland and now also Germany. The worldwide fan community is getting bigger and bigger. On the Internet, you can find numerous providers under the search term “Reborn Baby”, in whose galleries you can view and select your dream baby from all sides
In the large cities exchange meetings and fairs are organized, on which prospective customers can regard themselves the newest models. Such meetings serve to see and be seen. The doll children are proudly presented. You can be admired, congratulated and get into conversation with like-minded people. Reborn artists order their basic materials there. From individual silicone body parts in various designs to artistically designed baby heads and complete kits, you can buy everything
How Much Does A Reborn Doll Cost?
For a simple model, please calculate with about 500 euros. Despite prefabricated components, the production of a Reborn doll takes two weeks to two months. The biggest time factor takes the individualization, so that your Reborn Baby looks as you imagine it.
Most Reborn designers use prefabricated components. The range of head and face shapes is huge. Surely you will find a model that comes closest to your dream baby. The waiting time is manageable and much shorter than a real pregnancy.
The hair is applied individually in the desired hair color, and the facial features are carefully painted on with skin colors. Eye color also varies depending on age and ethnicity. Artists who model a face completely from scratch are very rare.
This work is almost priceless. But then it is an unmistakable unique specimen. Many Starchild mothers want a Reborn Baby that looks exactly like the baby they lost and save for months to be able to afford a replica.
Which Reborn Baby Should It Be?
You can only decide for yourself. Feel free to consult with your partner, who will certainly help you choose your Reborn doll. Explain to him (or her) how important it is for you to have a Reborn Baby in your family. If you live alone, you will not have to answer to anyone.
There are different models of these enchanting baby dolls, with different postures, size and weight. Reborn babies are real works of art and are mostly used as star babies replacements. The following models are currently on the market:
- Umbilical cord baby (extremely premature baby).
- Twin baby (as a sleeping and playmate for the surviving multiple child).
- Newborn baby (with or without head hair).
- Sleeping Reborn (with closed eyelids).
- Awake Reborn (with lifelike glass eyes).
- Reborn doll boy.
- Reborn doll girl.
- Reborn neutral (without sexual characteristics).
- Baby doll in different life stages.
- Baby doll with function (breathing, drinking, pulling, sounds) – custom made only.
- Reborn with birth defects (port-wine stain, cleft lip, missing limbs) – custom made only
Reborn Baby: The Accessories
A baby is naked when it is born – so is a Reborn Baby. Even though it is a collectible doll, it is not suitable for storage in a display case. A baby crib or cradle with child-sized bedding should be available, as well as clothing from head to toe.
A reborn doll requires almost as many accessories as a real child. Reborn parents usually already have a complete set of baby equipment from diapers to a bath tub. They can use these for their Reborn Baby. Older ladies like to knit and sew their own clothes for their surrogate grandchildren and thus fill their free time wisely.
A Passion That Not Everyone Understands
You can earn incomprehension from intolerant fellow men for many life models. Some people find breastfeeding mothers inappropriate in public, others are embarrassed when same-sex couples kiss. But when outsiders notice that there is no live baby in the stroller at all, they can be dismissive to pejorative about this “strange hobby.” Even if they learn that you have recently lost a child and the baby doll serves to cope with grief.
It is not for nothing that reborn fans like to be among themselves and are suspicious of strangers. Don’t be swayed or intimidated, even by intolerant relatives or friends. You alone know what is good for you and what gives you comfort and confidence. If you are still worried about whether your behavior is “normal,” contact your family doctor, your gynecologist or a midwife. The experts will certainly allay your fears.
Are There Also Reborn Papas?
Doll fathers and male doll collectors are rare. A practical man can tolerate the need of his beloved partner. Nevertheless, not every star child dad wants to walk in public with the artificial surrogate child.
You should accept that, every person grieves differently. At home you can fully concentrate on the love for your Reborn Baby. For as long as you like or until you feel better again. Maybe a real sibling will be announced soon.
Sources
https://www.t-online.de/leben/familie/baby/id_46936636/reborn-babys-neuer-trend-fuer-muetter.html
