Ever since I was pregnant with my son in 2010, my then two year old daughter has insisted that she had a baby in her belly as well. As a result, we’ve talked a whole lot about newborns. Then, when my sister was pregnant and recently had my newborn nephew, it became a very hot topic at our house again.
Throughout the months my daughter has “had” more babies than I’ve kept track of, to the point that we cut her off and told her she absolutely could not, should not have any more babies. While I have no doubt that she would love a real baby in the house again, it’s not in the cards for right now even if our four year old would really, really like it.
So, with the help of JC Toys, we did the next best thing and let her have one last “baby”. For days we talked about what it was like having a baby in your belly, feeling it kick and move while watching your belly grow. We also talked about what she wanted to name her baby, we set up a “nursery”, and we prepped as if a real baby were coming to stay with us. And a few days later, we were ready for her baby, Amy, from the JC Toys 14" La Newborn line to arrive.
Seeing as how my daughter thought we were just playing one of our many games of make believe, it’s really no surprise that she was beyond excited when she realized she was getting a “real” baby, complete with knitted outfit, booties, and birth certificate. She didn’t mind at all that Amy was only a doll; from the moment she laid eyes on her she has acted as a real mother with a newborn baby.
Maybe that’s because Amy isn’t just a doll, she’s about as close to a real newborn as you can possibly get. Really, just look at the detail in her face alone.
But, not only does she look remarkably like a real baby, her all-vinyl body also weighs and feels incredibly life-like. Maybe that’s why we spend our days swaddling her, diapering her, singing to her, and rocking her as if she was a real baby. Honestly, there are times I look at my daughter with her and wonder if she doesn’t partially believe that she is real.
For instance, my daughter never, ever sets her in a toy box or even on the shelf with the other dolls when she sleeps, Amy is a co-sleeping baby. When my daughter is awake, Amy is either in her arms or she is in the bouncy chair, her backpack carrier, her canopied cradle, or the high chair – just like a real baby.
As cute as it is to watch my daughter do the “baby bounce” that every parent knows so well, what’s even cuter is overhearing the adorably precious things she says to her while rocking, bouncing, or snuggling. Things like “I’m so glad you’re my special baby” or “I love you more than you will ever know.”
Yep, I’m a proud grandma.
Since Amy has arrived, we’ve had so many great discussions about how to care for babies, nurture them, and to help them learn and grow, and I really think she’s taking it all to heart. I’ve noticed that she’s been so much more nurturing in general, which I love. Whether it’s with her little cousin or her brother {who can sometimes be an adorable little pest}, she seems to understand better about caring for others and empathy.
If you have a little doll fanatic like I do, this is the perfect time to surprise her with her own brand new baby from JC Toys. Because their La Newborn dolls are all vinyl, there is virtually nowhere you can’t take them this summer. Case in point: our little Amy has been on vacation with us, in the water with the kids, and over and over again she has proven to be a great road trip partner because she’s hours of interactive fun for the little ones.
With so many adorable babies to choose from in the JC Toys doll line, you are bound to find that special baby for your little one, too. You can start by choosing your style of doll you’re looking for {which ranges from cutesy to classic} and whether you would like an anatomically correct boy doll or a girl doll, and then from there you can even choose your expression, your accessories, and more so you can bring home the perfect baby.
We spent hours {and hours} looking at all the JC Toys dolls adorable little faces online and finally decided on one that resembled my daughter as an infant and seemed to match her personality. And now because Amy has been such a huge hit, we also have plans to do the same for my son so he can have his own special baby to care for all summer long. I foresee a whole lot of fun with JC Toys in our future!
One lucky Rave and Review reader will win their choice of one of the following dolls from JC Toys:
Mini La Newborn {boy, girl, Asian, or African American}, La Newborn baby girl, La Newborn baby boy, Lil' Cutesies play theme {3 expressions}, Lil' Hugs doll {3 colors}, Lil’ Cutesies twins in stroller, Lil' Cutesies twins in bathtub, or 20" Lots to Cuddle baby {two color choices}
To Enter: Visit JC Toys and tell me something you learned or a product you love
And, as always, there are extra entries available! {Please leave a separate comment for each completed}
2 Extra Entries - Post on your Facebook wall about this amazing giveaway {JC Toys dolls giveaway http://t.co/lcGnA0dZ} and tag JC Toys and Rave & Review
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1 Extra Entry {daily} - Twitter. Retweet this tweet after following @JCtoys and @RaveAndReview
3 Extra Entries - Blogger Bonus. Blog about this giveaway linking back to this post and leave an address where I can find your writeup
1 Extra Entry - Comment love. Enter any of my other Giveaways and/or comment on any non-giveaway post!
1 Extra Entry - Pin or Like this post {use the buttons at the bottom of post to make it super easy! Can be done once per article}
On July 19th at 11:59pm PST a winner will be drawn, announced here and notified via email. Winner will have 48 hours to contact me or a new winner will be chosen. Open to US addresses only.
Winner, winner! This giveaway is now closed. Thank you to all who entered and congrats to: #227 Brooke R. said... My kiddo would love the Mini La Newborn 9.5" (Real Boy!)
A big thank you to JC Toys for sending a baby for the purposes of this review as well as offering a giveaway to our fabulous readers. All opinions are 100% ours and no form of monetary compensation was received in exchange for this Rave Review.
