Soft Dolls - Doll Play - Natural Toys

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Doll Play

There’s not much like the feeling of watching a breastfed toddler pull up her shirt to nurse her baby doll. It’s the same feeling when she wraps a playsilk around it like a swaddle or a cloth diaper, or asks for help wrapping the baby onto her back. We know, in those moments, that the choices we have made as parents have made an impression.

Dolls are one of the most classic toys of childhood, whether a child uses a rock or a beautifully made Waldorf doll. Dolls give children the opportunity to mimic what they see around them and process the world in all its good and bad.

For small babies, dolls can be comforting soothers, giving them practice with their grasping reflex and providing sensory stimulation. Between 12 and 18 months, toddler begin the magical journey of make believe, which enhances all areas of development.

Preschool children use dolls to work out their roles in the world, to problem solve and resolve upsetting situations. You might see your preschool age child putting his doll in time out, threatening it with a monster, or sending it to get shots at the doctor. That’s normal; by working through these scary issues with a doll, he can work through their own fears.

Doll play is also wonderful for small children who have a new baby sibling. As mom and dad rock or change or feed or babywear the new baby, doll play gives the new sibling a way to process the changes.