• Gifts for budding hairdressers

    At around the age of 8 my daughter really started to enjoy styling her dolls’s hair. Before this she had brushed their hair and put it into pony tails, but at around 8 she wanted to do something a little more creative. As a result of this, and watching YouTube videos, at the age of 11 she has taught me…

  • Best doll for a girl age 5 and over

    For this age group, the most popular dolls by far fit into the size range between 45 to 50cm. As a result of their popularity, manufacturers also create lots of different sets of dolls clothes and other accessories which all add to the play experience. The dolls that we concentrate on here are the dolls in this size range that…

  • What to consider when buying dolls for age 5+

    Your little girl is wanting a more grown up doll, but which would be the best one to buy for her? The purpose of this article is to help you decide what are the most important features when buying a doll for your little girl. It’s the theory behind all of Petalina’s recommendations for this age group. The second article…

  • Best doll for a 3 or 4 year old child

    At the age of 3 and 4 children tend to use their dolls for role play, especially being a little mum or dad, or acting out life experiences such as going to nursery school or playing in the park. I love seeing little girls out doing the shopping with their favourite doll in a pram or pushchair pretending to be…

  • The best doll for an 18 month to 2 year old child

    At 18 months old the real dolly fun can start because so many more products have been tested and are considered safe for children from this age. There will be lots of role playing happening by now as children begin to copy their carers, so a baby doll that will allow him or her to pretend to be a mummy…

  • 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…

  • The best doll for a new baby

    Young babies will use a doll to cuddle, to love and find comfort in, much as so many do with soft toys. They will probably suck and chew on it too and therefore the doll must to be well made and safe. At Petalina we have a small range of what we would call comforters, which are like blanket squares…

  • Gifts for Horse Loving Girls

    Gotz have a really good range of products for those girls who would like their dolls to ride ponies: Hannah, pictured below, is a beautiful all vinyl 50cm doll with brown fixed eyes and long brown hair which is suitable for girls from age 5. She arrives dressed in a T shirt and jodphurs with a fleece jacket, as well…