The Delightful La Newborn Dolls from JC Toys Will Make You Smile

Our 5 year old daughter has several baby dolls and she plays with them all.  However, none of them has made her smile as wide as this La Newborn 14" Real Boy Doll from JC Toys' Berenguer Boutique Collection.  The magic behind this doll is its sweet facial expression that is characteristic of a happy (and perhaps a little bit curious) baby.  This doll not only makes "expressions" with his face, but also with the tilt of his head and the gestures of his hands created by the Berenguer doll designers.

Suitable for ages 2 and up, this all-vinyl doll would be perfect for a young doll collector.  The La Newborn dolls are currently available in 14", 15", and 17" sizes and range in price from approximately $20.99 to $69.99.  This particular doll that my daughter chose retails for $59.99.

(Click any photo to enlarge)

Each La Newborn doll has a different facial expression.  Some of the newer dolls from this collection that are just becoming available this summer have some of the most darling smiles I have ever seen on a doll.

I have always found babies' feet to be irresistible and am amazed at how realistic the doll designers have made this vinyl doll's hands and feet.  If you click on the photos to enlarge them, you will see the details right down to the smallest creases.

One thing you should know is that the "Real Baby" boy and girl dolls by JC Toys are anatomically correct.  This was not a concern to me because our daughter has a twin brother and she has seen his boy parts here and there throughout their 5 years together.  I would not think twice to allow her to see a real life baby boy without his diaper on, so this doll is perfectly appropriate in my opinion.  Of course, you will need to consider each parent's feelings individually when selecting a "Real Baby" doll for a gift.

To add to its realism, this doll is jointed at the neck, shoulders, and hips, so he can turn his head, reach for you, and sit up.  The only thing that could be improved is the fleece footed overalls.  It is adorable and fits the doll perfectly, but the fabric does not stretch, so it was difficult for my daughter to both take the overalls off and to put them back on.  She was perfectly happy to leave them off and to put a preemie size diaper on her doll instead.

To learn more about the Berenguer baby dolls from JC Toys, visit www.JCToys.com and JC Toys on Facebook.


Thank you to JC Toys for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon and for providing a second product for our contest prize.


Our contest winner will be able to choose one doll from the following list (subject to availability):

Lil' Hugs # 48000 (available in pink, peach or purple)
Lil' Cutesies Play theme #16936 ( 3 expressions to choose form)

Mini La Newborn (real girls or boys – anatomically correct) . . .

• Real Boy (anatomically correct)
• Real Girl (anatomically correct)
• Asian
• African American

La Newborn (real girls or boys – anatomically correct) . . .

• Real Girl (anatomically correct)
• Real Boy (anatomically correct)

Lil’ Cutesies . . .

• Twins in Stroller
• Twins in Bathtub

Lots to Cuddle (20” doll, choose from 2 colors)


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Silly Monkey Story: Say What?

Earlier this year, our daughter got a new baby doll that she just adored.  That Monday, when she returned to school, she could not wait to tell her teacher all about it.  When I went to pick the twins up that day, their teacher told me that Makenzie had told her all about her doll, but when she asked her what the doll's name was, she just could not understand what Makenzie said, even after she repeated it several times.

You see, I think our daughter is the only Bostonian whose accent is so strong that other Bostonians cannot always understand her.  I have no idea where she picked up such a strong accent, since my husband's and mine are only detectable when we say certain words.

Anyways, before I left with the twins, the teacher asked Makenzie one more time what she had named her doll so that I could hear it and try to decipher it for her.  I listened carefully and after a minute, I realized she was saying "Junior."  I had forgotten that she had mentioned to me that she named her doll that even though she had decided the doll was definitely a girl.  I remember thinking that I would never be able to explain to her why Junior was not a good name for a girl, so I let it go.  I just never dreamed she would be having a conversation about that very topic with some other poor unsuspecting person.

Click here to read all my Silly Monkey Stories

New Battery-Free Baby Alive "Beautiful Now" Baby Doll by Hasbro

Our 5 year old daughter had asked Santa for a hairdresser's chair for Christmas this past December.  That is why I thought the new Baby Alive Beautiful Now Baby Doll was the perfect first Baby Alive doll for her.  Although our daughter likes playing with fashion dolls, as well as 18" dolls, her interest in baby dolls has been renewed over the past several months.  Perhaps it is because she has reached the age when pretend play is most fun and she enjoys pretending to be the mommy?

This Baby Alive is battery-free.  My daughter interacts with her the old-fashioned way by using her imagination.  She comes with everything a child needs to get started with hair styling, including a pair of pretend scissors, a toy spray bottle, a plastic comb, and 3 chunky hair clips in the shapes of a butterfly, a flower, and a bow.

(Click any photo to enlarge)

Since our daughter already enjoys playing hairdresser, this new Baby Alive doll added a new element to her pretend play by giving her a customer that is a baby.  The scissors are extremely safe and are made of flexible plastic.

Putting on the hair clips took some trial and error.  Our daughter found that it was easiest to attach the hair clips onto the longer part of the hair in the back rather than trying to clip them onto the top or sides.  I think she would have liked some additional hair accessories, perhaps something made to go on the two pigtails?  Since I had just started gathering all my daughter's infant/toddler hair clips to put away, I just ended up donating those to her pretend hair salon.

The Baby Alive Beautiful Now Doll retails for approximately $19.99.  You can find her in Blonde, Brunette, and African-American versions on HasbroToyShop.com, Amazon.com, at Toys "R" Us, Target, Walmart, and other major toy retailers.


Thank you to Hasbro for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon.

Giveaway & Review: CP Toys Baby Tender Touch 12" Doll (ARV $40)

Since our daughter was a toddler, she has owned several baby dolls.  Although she played with them occasionally, she never did play with them regularly.  Perhaps it was because she has two brothers who always wanted to play something else?  Well, now that our daughter is turning 5, her instincts to nurture seemed to have finally kicked in.  Aside from the times when she is attending preschool, this Baby Tender Touch Doll from CP Toys has not left her side.

This doll is a CP Toys Exclusive and is available in four different ethnicities . . . Caucasian, African, Latino, and Asian.  Since our daughter is half Chinese, we chose the Asian baby doll.  She had yet to own an Asian-American doll and I thought she should have at least one.  This 12" doll has soft satiny skin and is safe for children as young as a newborn to play with.  The doll comes with a double-sided blankie and four footed sleepers . . . two short-sleeved and two long-sleeved.  The sleepers are not packaged in the box with the doll, but rather come in a separate plastic bag.  They were very child-friendly.  All the sleepers have a Velcro closure on the back and are not tight-fitting, so our daughter was able to learn how to put them on the doll fairly easily.

Depending on the doll you choose, the face will vary slightly.  This doll has the sweet face of an alert and content infant.  Our daughter loves to play with the doll's soft feeling pudgy hands and feet.

We have owned dolls in a variety of sizes and this 12" doll seems to be the perfect size for a preschooler.  It is the right size for her to carry, whether cradled in her arms or propped against her chest and shoulder.

The blankie is a good size for a security blanket, but I ended up giving my daughter a real receiving blanket to use for swaddling her doll.  I think our daughter would have liked for the doll's eyes to close when laid on her back.  Other than that, this doll is perfect for her.  They have been inseparable since we opened the box.

To learn more about the Baby Tender Touch doll and their vast selection of kids' toys, including educational toys, visit www.CPToy.com.


Thank you to CP Toys for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon and for providing a second product for our contest prize.


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My Photos (W/E 12-11-10)

You probably already know that I take an abundance of photos of my children. I have since they were born. So it is no wonder why I sometimes think I have created three hams. Out of the three, my daughter is the only one who comes to me once in awhile and says, "Take a picture of me!" You would think she has her fill of staring at the business end of my camera lens.

"Go Ahead . . . Tell Us How Cute We Are!"

Thank you for taking the time to view my photos this week! If you'd like to play along or see more great photos, stop by to see Lotus a.k.a. Sarcastic Mom.

Giveaway & Review: Goldberger "Mommy's Baby" Interactive Doll [CLOSED]

For Christmas this year, one of the gifts our nearly 3yr old daughter is going to receive Christmas morning is this interactive baby doll created by The Goldberger Co. This 19" doll responds 10 different ways to things your child can do to interact with her.

There are many choices out there as far as dolls go. So let me tell you why this particular doll appealed to me so much that I wanted to write a product review about it.




What I thought about the Goldberger "Mommy's Baby" Doll:

1) This doll is going to bring pretend play to the next level for my daughter. She already shows nurturing tendencies towards her dolls now, so to have a doll that will respond to her actions will be new and exciting for her.

2) One of the main concerns I had about an interactive doll was about the fact that it might make too much noise should my daughter choose to have the doll sleep with her. This doll has a power switch right on her back under her clothes. If you switch the doll off, you are left with a quiet soft-bodied doll that would be the perfect companion to sleep with.

3) This doll's eyes close when your child lays her down and then she plays a lullaby before she falls asleep. Then you can hear her soft rhythmic breathing just as if she was a real baby. If your child picks her back up, then the doll coos as she does after each response is completed.

Please take a moment to watch this doll in action . . .

4) Although I like that the doll makes drinking noises and burps when the bottle is put in her mouth, I found this one response to be difficult to trigger. I had to put a lot of strength behind pushing the bottle against the doll's mouth before it would push the button to initiate the response. If I had a hard time with triggering the drinking sounds, then it is unlikely my young daughter would be able to do it at all.

5) I like that this doll comes with some very basic no nonsense accessories. There are no small parts to lose, which is great. I love that the bib does not need to go around the doll's neck. Instead, it Velcros right onto her cloths. One thing I would like to have seen is for the doll to be able to hold the rattle somehow.

6) I think my daughter will very much enjoy caring for this doll. She has pretended to feed her other dolls before, but she has never had the chance to respond to crying or to figure out how to make her other dolls giggle and be happy.

7) I also would like to point out how much attention was paid to making this doll look realistic. Beyond the life-like ears and the shape of the mouth, I am very impressed by the hands and the feet. The posed chubby little fingers and toes are too adorable.

This is the first time I've experienced the quality of Goldberger dolls. I have to say that I am extremely impressed. The feel and weight of the doll's body is perfect. The sound quality could be a little bit better, but it is more than good enough for a young child the way it is. Currently, this doll is on sale for $25 (regularly $32) in the Goldberger Online Store, which is an excellent buy considering Cabbage Patch Kids sell for that much and you are getting much more doll with this Goldberger.

The Goldberger 2009 Holiday Catalog is now available to view online. You are invited to take advantage of their 25% off Friends & Family discount by using Code: GTHOL09 at checkout. To keep up with the latest news about Goldberger dolls, visit GoldbergerToy on Twitter and Goldberger Toy Co. on Facebook.

Thank you to The Goldberger Co. for providing the product sample and the contest prize for this review and giveaway.

What you can win:
One lucky reader will receive a Goldberger "Mommy's Baby" Interactive Doll.


Limitations:
This giveaway is open to U.S. addresses only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. If you enter anonymously and do not include a valid email address in your comment entries, I will not be able to notify you should you win this random drawing.


How to Gain Entries:
Take a look at the other 7 dolls offered by Goldberger. Then leave a comment telling me what doll (other than the one reviewed here today) would you love to give to a child in your life. You MUST do this to be eligible to win this contest.

Extra Entries:

1) For 5 extra entries, leave a relevant comment on one of my non-giveaway posts. Then leave FIVE separate comments with the name of the post on which you commented. You will earn 5 extra entries for each different non-contest post you comment on.

2) For 5 extra entries, enter one of my other contests. Leave FIVE separate comments here telling me which contest you entered. You will earn 5 extra entries for each contest you enter.

3) For 10 extra entries, blog about this contest linking back to this post AND GoldbergerToy.com . Then come back here and leave TEN separate comments with the link to your blog post.

4) For 1 extra entry each, follow GoldbergerToy on Twitter and/or fan Goldberger Toy Co. on Facebook. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your Twitter or Facebook profile. You will earn one extra entry for each as long as you leave a separate comment for each entry.

5) For 2 extra entries, share the link to this contest post on Facebook. Then leave TWO separate comments with the link to your Facebook profile.

6) Follow me on Twitter. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your Twitter profile.

7) Tweet about this giveaway linking back to this post. Then come back here and leave the link to your tweet in a separate comment. You may do this once per day until the end of the contest.

8) Subscribe to this blog's feed. Or you can follow me through Blogger or subscribe via email (widget is on sidebar). Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so.

9) Add my button or blog link to your blog's sidebar. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your blog.

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(All entries will be verified prior to awarding this prize.)


Random Drawing:
This contest will be closed on Thursday, December 10th, 2009 at 11:59pm EST. A random number drawing will be held shortly after. The winner will be announced here and will be contact via email or through their blog. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new number will be drawn.

Good luck in the drawing!