Reborn: Sweet or Scary?

Wanna be a parent without having to deal with feedings, diaper changing, screaming, crying, spit-up, day-care costs… well, pretty much all the stuff people associate with being a hassle? Still want the cute, cuddly, bundle of joy? How about that awesome baby smell and soft skin? The feeling of the little one in your arms?

You can have all the good stuff with none of the hassle if you adopt a reborn “baby” (doll)!

Each one of these little guys/gals takes up to 60 hours to make. They’re specially formed to feel, smell, and look like a real newborn infant. Smell, you say? Yep! Some makers repeatedly wash the babies in baby shampoo until the vinyl smell is replaced by newly-bathed baby smell. Other makers include a milk and baby-powder smell. To help create an authentic blotchy-baby-skin look, most dolls have 30+ layers of paint. When holding a reborn baby, a “parent” will notice how it actually feels like a real baby… even with weak neck muscles in need of support. The bodies are filled with sand or silicone.

If you want an even more realistic baby, you can get one that simulates breathing and a heartbeat. Some also have heat packs so a “parent” can feel the warmth of the baby.

These babies can be custom-made for whatever new parents he/she will come home to. Buyers (*ahem* sorry, adoptive parents) can send in their own hair to be sewn to the little scalps, or pictures of whoever they want the baby to look like.

You can even choose a preemie baby, which comes with an incubator!

All these little tykes cost anywhere from $250 to $10,000. Wow.

So… is this cool or creepy? On the one hand, these dolls have been very therapeutic to people who are unable to have children themselves. Mothers of these “babies” can bring them wherever and, reportedly, they’re almost always mistaken for real babies. Being able to cradle, rock, and cuddle these little things have helped fill a void in the lives of some people.

On the other hand, some people are disturbed by these babies. For example, one husband of a women who adopted a reborn baby said he’s creeped out because it looks like a dead baby. Some others have reported they don’t even want to be in the same room as one of the dolls because it’s disturbing.

I’m glad that some people seem to be helped by the dolls. However, I’m worried that some people might get too emotionally attached to something that’s…well, that’s a doll. I find it all a bit creepy. But who am I to judge the object of some peoples’ comfort?