Buying Guides,  Finding the Right Doll

The best doll for a one year old

There are many more gorgeous dolls to choose from that are safe for children from a year old. Toddlers very much love and cuddle up to their dolls, using them primarily as comforters but you may also see the first signs of role play beginning to surface as they become more mobile and are able to copy what they see you doing for them.

Quite a few of the dolls mentioned in my first post about the best doll for a newborn are still suitable for a 1 year old. For example, the larger Corolle Mon Doudou dolls and the Kathe Kruse Puppa dolls are lovely and cuddly and larger in size. However, from 12 months old there are some other brands that I recommend. And then from 18 months old, baby doll fun starts in earnest because many more dolls are safety tested for 18 month old children and I will cover these in my next article.

Last year we added some new dolls by Petitcollin to our range, some cuddly soft bodied dolls called Petit Calin. These are 36cm babies with closing eyes and they have been safety tested and are OK from 10 months old. Petitcollin dolls are still made in France.

Petit Calin baby dolls by Petitcollin

In addition there are the Ecolo dolls we mentioned in an earlier guide. These are 25cm cuddly dolls made from organic fabrics and one is pictured below on the right. On the left is an Anibaby, also made by Petitcollin.

 

Moulin Roty is a gorgeous French toy brand renowned for their quirky styling using fabrics with interesting textures and beautiful prints and colours. Over recent years their range of soft dolls has grown considerably, and I’m not surprised. I just love them.

A few dolls from Les Parisiennes and Les Coquettes

Our newest range of rag dolls are the Bonikka dolls, a range of fairtrade rag dolls by Imajo. All are made in Sri Lanka in a factory with excellent working conditions, and the quality of the finish is impressive. The most popular dolls are Bonikka Katy, Fran and Peggy followed by the Powder Puff dolls, 46cm fabric dolls safe from birth.

 

A selection of the Imajo Bonikka range, all suitable for age 1+

When a child reaches one and a half there are many more options available, including lots of lovely baby dolls for hours of role playing fun. These will be covered in my next article.

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