Why Are Grown Women Caring For FAKE Babies?!

Let's talk about a new trend I've seen on TikTok... Adult women play with hyper-realistic baby dolls, often called Reborn Dolls.

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[janetsutton]

I went to see my mom in the nursing home, there was an elderly lady, rocking one of these reborn babies, talking to it, cradling it gently. It's apparently very beneficial for elderly dementia patients. I can see how valuable it can be in these circumstances.

[rodeoswag]

Former CNA here. These dolls actually really help people like the elderly, disabled, mothers who lost babies, etc. Don't let the weirdos freak you out. These dolls have a purpose for any who need them.

[WelcomeToJ]

*Y'all, there is a difference between therapy dolls (or just collecting them as a hobby) and then treating these dolls like they're actually real (taking them out in public, buying them formula etc.). There's healthy, and there's unhealthy. There's sane, and there's insane. This isn't hard.*

[Aviescquien]

Adults have always been obsessed with dolls. We all had aunts in our childhoods who collected porcelain dolls. Nothing new.

[cgb]

I know a woman who is disabled and is not mentally able to care for a child who carries a baby doll and I think these are really a blessing to people like her. Maybe a little weird for people with no mental issues though.

[patriciacullen]

Well Brett, people collect all sorts of things. They do it because it makes them happy. I'm 70 years old and have an extensive doll collection. Because I like them!! I don't take them out or feed them; I enjoy looking at them. I have several reborn baby dolls. They're all from different molds and their creators spend countless hours creating them. They truly are works of art. Hold your judgement for things that truly matter. These people who take their dolls out and "Mother" them are getting something from that experience. They aren't hurting anyone or causing problems. Live and let live, dear Brett.❤

[DayanaraDays]

My mother had a medically necessary hysterectomy due to cancer when she was 38. I was in the single digits at the time, and she didn't expect me to be her last baby. She got a reborn doll shortly after the procedure.

I asked her about it recently (twenty years after the fact) and she said that sometimes it was just cathartic to hold it while she cried. "Like saying goodbye to something you can't have anymore."

I don't think it's weird.

[greenhillangel]

I have a friend who lost their child in the womb. She bought a reborn doll, the artist took pictures of her and her boyfriend to make the baby look like her own child. It helps her a lot with grieving, she used to take it in public with her but since she has healed a bit more she does most of the activities with the doll in “safe places”

[mama_abudance]

I went through TSA a few months back with my daughter in her stroller and the officer asked me to lift the shade up so he could make sure it was a real baby. I looked at him with a strange face he laughed and said “you’d be surprised.” Now that I know people are taking dolls through TSA this makes more sense.

[kaybunny]

My grandmother is a doll maker. It was wired seeing dolls half finished on her shelves but she didn’t treat them as if they were real.

[Oohkamitama]

I understand what Brett means but there is a difference between refusing to grow up and just enjoying what you liked as a child as an adult with money. I think taking their hobbies or whatever it’s called out into public is where I draw the line and find it mentally unwell 😅

[lexTS]

I'm seventeen as have always loved dolls, I still do, and probably will as an adult too.
I think as long as you remember that it is a doll it's not harming anyone.

[yvonnesolomon]

Idk what’s worse- treating a lifelike doll like it’s real or having a real baby but treating them like a prop for social media

[alannatabor]

I lost a baby and had a reborn to help with my anxiety in the past which helped alot. I'm currently pregnant at 10 weeks which feels like a miracle because I was told I wouldn't be able to get pregnant again.

Edit: Just so people understand a little better, I was a 16 year old girl suffering the loss of my baby and I was undergoing therapy. I only used the doll to hold when I missed my baby who passed on and the doll could never replace them. Never took it out in public, never really told other people till now. I donated the doll to a elderly home after I was able to move on. Please be respectful and I thank everyone for their love and best wishes in the replies ❤️

[cj]

I had a coworker that liked & owned several reborn babies, but she didn't take them out or treat them like they were real-I think she just appreciated the workmanship & it was like collecting any doll to her.

[Rowan.F]

0:20 there ain’t nothing wrong with buying Lego as an adult, when you’re a kid you can’t afford it but once your an adult you get criticised for being childish.

[BakenekoYuJi]

As a reborn artist, I'll say: a lot of these go to homes where families have dementia or Alzheimer's. Some of the most heart-breaking requests are from miscarriages or grandparents that really miss their grandbabies but can't get out to see them due to health issues / SUPER long distances. Few artists make any money from doing this; we usually lose money making these. We do it because there's a specific crowd for this and a therapeutic reason for it.

Some of us artists do it because we can't have kids of our own naturally; biology just slaps a big nope on us. Some artists are just beyond child-bearing years. Reborns are very expensive if they're high-end and hyper-realistic. Blank kits can be well over $100 for simple vinyl. Adults who buy them literally have to be adulting to be able to afford them. While people say: "Why don't they adopt and pour all of that money onto a needy kid?" A lot of times these are individuals who have significant barriers to adopting an actual child.

These aren't the kind you generally play with a lot. Most of these are for passive holding and looking at. They are weighted and sometimes heated with the hope that, at least in dementia or depression patients, the physical stimulation, smell (we implant scent packets), or warmth of the little doll will trigger important memories they wouldn't otherwise be able to access. The painting process takes time on most hyper-realistic ones the paint is fragile and difficult to properly seal. The hair is also difficult to seal as some of it is painted-on and the majority of it is rooted in by hand, so it isn't as though someone can "play" with them a lot without completely destroying them. When you're paying 1K+ (and sometimes 10K or more) for these, you definitely do not child-play with them. Not every reborn is of this quality, and I'm certain with the market being flooded with artists, they might even come closer to $150. It's not an art that's going to make ya money; you'll be losing it to help others. Making these is truly an act of love. The rooting alone can take days or even weeks and is done by hand, fiber by fiber.

Some of these dolls are made from 3D scans (with the blessing of the parents, of course!) of real infants and others are hand-sculpted by amazing artists. The majority of these dolls are made of vinyl, but some are made from exceptionally high-end silicone and are much more difficult to paint, clean, maintain, and make. There's more than meets the eye with reborns... which sort of makes this disappointing to see as dailywire content. If you want to report on this, look into the scam knock-offs of these; folks who shamelessly pirate this art and take advantage of this clientele. They offer a grieving mother a picture of someone else's art, say they'll deliver, and ship out a 200(ish) dollar nightmare-baby that makes Chucky look sweet. An artist can spend months sculpting a single figure, only produce a few of them for the sake of them being unique, and then have some Chinese black-market scammer get their hands on one and mass-distribute it after making a mold. For this reason, actual reborn artists are hard to approach and usually have a designated client list. (So please be careful if anyone watched this and suddenly wants one. You can get scammed VERY easily in this niche.)

Another reason these are made: movie sets. A lot of people don't want actual infants to have to suffer through filming and/or need an infant to look the same for... much longer than it should. You can ask some established artists and they can boast about what shows their sculpts / renditions show up in. The reasons are far less "creepy" than people think and usually have very tragic roots. It's really best not to judge this kind of thing. This really waxes as a buzzfeed clickbait video; it lacks only the, "DOCTORS HATE IT!" tag. Maybe it's satire, maybe it's not. Whatever it is, it's free speech, so power to ya. Just thought I'd provide some industry insider insight.

[eringillian]

These lifelike dolls are usually made for people who have suffered infant loss/trauma. Obviously, it's still strange, but I think it helps people get through their trauma

[Mia_Renee]

i have problems with it when it comes to them buying formula for a FAKE baby when people with real children need it. With formula shortages it’s ridiculous

[lexTS]

I'm seventeen and get major baby fever and have pretty bad anxiety.
I have reborns, buy them clothes, and one package of diapers and reuse them.
I hate the idea of buying food and formula for dolls. It's so unfair to ALIVE children.
I think most of your videos are incredible, but this video makes me feel like I'm weird or stupid.
I love my dolls, and am a normal functioning human.
They help me with my mental health, and help me get over my baby fever as a child who obviously isn't ready for a kid or husband.