Reborn baby dolls started to show up around the world in the 1990’s, with doll artists wanting a more realistic looking baby doll.
A Reborn Doll is a vinyl baby doll kit that has been enhanced using paints and real hair fibers to resemble a human baby.
The process of creating a reborn doll is referred to as Reborning, and the doll artists are referred to as Reborners.
They are painted with exceptional details, weighted to feel like your holding a newborn baby and even have real Mohair, Alpaca or Remy Human hair. Reborn Baby Dolls are fast becoming the next sort after Baby Dolls for Collectors worldwide.
These baby dolls are so realistic that, at a glance, they truly look like a real baby!
Basic reborning methods of a Doll Kit.
The technique of reborning a specially made doll kit typically involves the following processes:
- Reborn doll kits are made from very soft vinyl / silicone-vinyl and consist of a head, arms and legs.
- The exterior is painted using various techniques to add to the appearance of translucent skin tones, with effects such as veins, blotching, and “milk-spots” to resemble the skin of a newborn baby.
- Hair and eyelashes, usually fine Mohair, Alpaca or Remy Human hair, are applied using a special hand rooting tool and felting needles (Regular barbs or ultra micro barbs – German barbs or forked) strand by strand, which can take up to 30+ hours per head.
- A nice doe sued or calico cloth body is used, which is stuffed and weighted to feel like you are holding a real newborn baby.
- A magnet may be attached inside the mouth for attaching a pacifier/dummy or inside the head for a magnetic hair bow.
- There are many more details you can add to a reborn and you can customize a reborn doll to your exact liking, on the custom ordering forms.
During the “Reborning” process:
All the kit parts are carefully washed to remove all residue and left to thoroughly dry.
The doll parts are then painted using Real Effects Air Dry Paints these paints have been specifically designed in Germany, to be used on specifically on reborn dolls.
Skin tones are achieved by applying many thin layers upon layer of Real Effects Air Dry Paints and dried between every layer.
Finer details like veining and milk pimples, beating hearts, can be added to bring realism to the Reborn Baby Doll.
Hand rooted hair:
The hair can be soft kid Mohair, Alpaca or Remy human hair, hand-rooted into the scalp using felting needles which takes only a few hairs at a time.
So the finished look is that of a real babies head, it’s growing out from the inside.
It is styled and cut to suit each Reborn Baby Doll, to make each one special in their own way. No 2 are ever the exactly the same.
Once the hair is completed, the inside of the Dolls head is sealed with glue to stop the hair from falling out, this enables it to be lightly dampened, conditioned and gently brush and styled.
Painted on hair examples:
Eyebrows – Reborners paint on their eyebrows with paints using a very fine brush, a specialy designed eyebrow pencil can also be used.
Lips – Are painted to a realistic colour with different shading, then sealed to prevent chipping and to add a slight wet look.
Eyelashes – Reborners hand-root them for the sleeping babies and glue them on, for open-eyed babies. Some open eyed babies, have had them hand rooted using hair.
Eyes – They come in a wide range of realistic life like colours.
Nails – Every baby should have a full manicure and pedicure with Reborners adding in tiny moons. They are sealed with gloss varnish to add shine and protection.
Limbs – They are filled with tiny glass beads for extra weight or plastic pellets. This achieves a realistic baby weight. Each limb is sealed to prevent leakage.
Cloth Body – Reborners use bodies made of Doe Suede fabric or calico. Which are then filled with glass beads, plastic poly pellets and soft fillings.
Body Plate / Torso – Some kits have the option of a body plate or half / full torso, with some being anatomically correct.
Extra thing that can be added to a reborn doll:
To add extra realism some babies have:
Beating hearts, Magnetic Pacifier / Dummy, Magnetic hair bows, bottom plates, smelly wafers, birthmarks, clothing and more….
How to purchase a doll from Nikki Holland
Nikki has different types of doll ordering, depending on your needs.
You can order her already completed reborn dolls that are ready to post.
Custom order reborn dolls are also available, in which you can keep the dolls prices within your budget and select exactly what you want your doll to have.