So you've just brought home your precious little bundle...a reborn baby doll. Now what??
Caring for your reborn doll is easier than you think. In the first several months, your doll should not need any extra care other than keeping it out of direct sunlight for hours on end, styling the hair and making sure that he is kept out of the reach of the young and elderly as they may not be able to handle the doll in a caring way. Supervision of these precious peopled should be exercised.
At first, your delight will be in changing your doll and posing him. Change your doll's clothes much in the way that you would a real baby. Not because he IS real but because you do not want to cause damage to the joints in the body or by tearing the cloth by yanking an arm or leg. Be careful that the clothing does not grab the doll's lashes as you bring the item over the head.
To pose your doll, gently move the limbs into position allowing the joints in the body to move freely. If they are a little tight, support the jointed area of the body with one hand while you move the limb with the other. If the body is not jointed and the limbs are full, support the socket of the body in the same manner and move the limb into position. Turn the head to either side by either turning it if it's loose enough or by supporting the neck area of the body with one hand and turning the head with the other. Tuck the chin of the doll into the chest by squishing the filling inside the body down allowing extra room for the chin to rest. (If your doll seems too stiff to pose, he is probably overstuffed. Contact your artist and see if she can restuff the doll to be more natural.)
If you are like me, you will want to play with the hair on your new reborn baby. Feel free! The best way to style mohair is by spraying it with PLAIN water. Good mohair does not need a lot of additives and plain water works really well. But it combs and styles best when it is wet. Some straight hair does not needed to be wetted much but this is pretty rare. So spray the hair until it is good and damp then comb it with a small child's toothbrush. Yes, these work amazingly well! You can use a baby comb or brush as well. Depending on the curl of your doll's hair, you can use a hair pick to lift up the curls for adorable styles. If you like your doll's hair to be combed down flat, do that. If you like a little curly-Q on the top of the head, do that. Let your imagination run wild. Refer back to the artist pictures if you are at a loss of how to style the hair. And do comb your dolls hair at least weekly if you are spending a lot of time cuddling it, changing it and putting hats on it. Mohair will matte up when the doll is loved on a lot. Maintenance is key to keeping the hair in tip top condition. Do not be afraid to comb your dolls hair.
Cleaning your baby:
If you live in a dusty area, you will need to clean your baby more often. Start with dusting the eyes. Use a soft, clean pastry brush or make up brush to sweep out the dust. Use this for the creases of the doll and between the fingers and toes. If the vinyl is soiled, use a cloth dampened with PLAIN water. I cannot stress enough to not use a lot of products on your dolls vinyl or hair. The reborn process is a mixture of all kinds of chemicals. If other chemicals are used (such as soaps and shampoos) they could react with the chemicals used to create the doll. Plain water is always best. If something is stuck on the doll, use a mild soap, such as Ivory, and very little of it, to see if you can remove the soil.
If there is soil on the body, use a cloth dampened with water first to remove the spot. If the water does not work, use a mild laundry detergent on the cloth in a small amount. You will have to rinse this area off with a clean cloth dampened with water. You will have to repeat this until you feel the soap is gone. Be sure not to saturate your dolls body as there are soft fillings inside which could mold if wetted too much.
Washing baby's hair:
You will only need to shampoo your dolls hair 1-2 times per year and certainly not immediately after you receive it as the artist would have sent him to you fresh and clean.
When you do wash the hair, take the doll to the sink, preferably with no shirt or onsie on. Hold the doll football style in your arm with the head in your hand and facing up. Place the head under running luke-warm water (not hot). Get the hair all wet then apply a good conditioning shampoo or Woolite laundry soap. (Mohair is fiber not hair so human hair products do not work all that well on it.) Apply a moderate amount of product coating all of the hair. Use a hair pick while the soap is on and comb the hair back and out towards the faucet of the sink (you still are holding the doll in the football position during this). Once you have all the snarls combed out, rinse the hair in luke-warm water. Then dip the head in a small bowl of Downy fabric softener. Yes, Downy! It works amazingly well on mohair. Run the pick through the hair and allow it to set for a few minutes and then give it a quick rinse. Pat the hair with a small cloth to remove excess water and style as desired. If it's not styling well and seems dry, apply a little purchased conditioning spray made for reborn dolls and style. In all of this, protect your doll from water, soap and spray running down his face.
The best spray that I have found for purchase is the spray from Angel's Touch Nursery:
~Order spray here~Many others have stained clothing and bodies (of course with any spray you want to protect the clothing and bodies of your dolls) but I have not found that to be true with the spray I recommend. I don't know what is in that spray but it is wonderful!
Again I want to stress that you do not use other products on your dolls hair. Human hair products are not recommended and it is unknown how they will react to the dyes used to color the hair. Which brings to note: Many times products used on colored/dyed mohair will cause leaching of the color. Be sure that as your dolls hair dries it does not come into contact with the body, the clothing or whatever you lay the doll on while the hair is wet. I think mohair processors really try to make sure the hair will not leach but sometimes there are just flukes to the batch of dye and other things that influence leaching. Once the hair is dry, it won't stain anything.
I am sure I have forgotten things in this post. Please send a comment if you think of something that I missed :)
Enjoy the day and be sure to hug a Veteran. I have three in my life to hug on!
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