Some thoughts on Toy Dolls.

As I was working the other day, I had the opportunity to visit staff in the toddler and 3-5 rooms.  I was busy snapping pictures of things I saw.  Things in the room that are set up for children with care and thought.  Things for children to play with and learn from and get excited about.  I noticed that each room has baby dolls in it right now. And it made me think about dolls and what kind of dolls I like.  If  I had all the money in the world I might buy some like this.

Because I work in the infant room, I think our infants might like one of these.  Or I might.....

I also like this dolly.  I found her in an Etsy shop.  She has clothes that come on and off and she has a soft body.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/germandolls

This is the little doll that is currently available to play with in the infant room.  I like it because it is small and the children can hold it easily and wrap it up and unwrap it.  And I like it's brown skin, and sweet face.

The toddlers are playing with Cabbage Patch Dolls right now.

The Real Story Behind the Cabbage Patch Dolls

The real history of Cabbage Patch Kids dolls had little to do with Bunnybees; instead, the real story began with 21-year-old Xavier Roberts, who, when he was an art student, came up with the beginning doll idea in 1976.

By 1978, Roberts joined up with five of his school friends and started a company called the Original Appalachian Artworks, Inc., which sold the entirely plush, hand-made Little People dolls (the name was to change later). Roberts would travel to arts and craft shows to sell his dolls, which already had the signature adoption aspect to them.

The dolls were a hit even with the first buyers and soon orders started to pour in. By 1981, Roberts and his dolls were being written about in many magazines, even appearing on the cover of Atlantic Weekly.

In 1982, Roberts and his friends were unable to keep up with the orders and thus signed a contract with Coleco, a toy manufacturer, who could mass produce the dolls, which were now to have plastic heads and be called Cabbage Patch Kids.

By the following year, Coleco couldn't keep up either. Kids were demanding the doll, causing a buying frenzy at the end of 1983

I wonder if Xavier played with dolls when he was young.

Hello, baby boy Cabbage Patch doll.

I like that these dolls have soft bodies as well.  They are kind of big for an infant to carry around but the toddlers do well with them.

We have also had Groovy Girl Dolls in the toddler room.  They aren't the best for the toddlers to get the clothes on and off of but I like that they are soft, have sweet faces and lots of hair and are small.

These are the dollies I saw in the 3-5 room.

This one's hair has seen better days, but she does have a nice face.  She's probably gone through a lot of generations of children loving her to death!

I would sure like to know the story of this dear dolly.  His leg has been in a cast for a LONG time.  "Pick me up, pick me up," he seems to be saying!

They 3-5's have a nice wooden bunk bed for their dolls to sleep in.

This is my grand-daughter reading to one of her babies.  

                                         

Sometimes she uses her white bandage and it becomes a car and a seat belt for her dollies to go to the city. 

         

                                     

She is non-discriminating of her dolls.  She has quite an assortment and she likes them all.  Sometimes she gives them names and then sometimes she changes their names.  Sometimes she plays doctor with her dolls.

I think that children should just have the opportunity to play with dolls.  Girls and boys alike.  I recently read a great blog post that was written by three moms who are also professionals.  One is a pediatric Occupational Therapist, another is a speech/language pathologist and the third is a clinical psychologist specializing in children and play therapy.  It's worth a read.  They give some really great reasons why all children should play with dolls.  You can find it HERE.

In the end, I think that the best doll of all, is a well loved doll.