I have been doing some research on the benefits of our babies for Alzheimer’s and dementia patients. I actually found some good articles here on the forum! The nursing home in my home town has been so good to my family… I worked there, my brother has worked there for 20 yrs, my grandmother lived there for 15 yrs and my mom recently passed there. It’s a small facility run by friends and family and has since the early 1900s. I am donating one of my babies to this wonderful center soon. I’m so excited to see the expressions when they hold it for the first time! I’m passing this along hoping to urge others to donate a baby for this very worthy cause. It would be lovely to share pics of our babies with their new “caregivers”!
That is wonderful You will make some days brighter for someone. I am donating one in August to our EMS society for a silent auction. We raise money every year to be able to help those who need it, fire, death, natural disaster or medical bills.
That Is so wonderful I am sure it makes someone very happy
You will really enjoy doing this. It gives you a wonderful feeling to see these dolls so well loved.
I can tell you a few things I learned along the way that you might want to know.
#1 Don’t weight the doll more than about 3 lbs. I have made heavier ones for the Alzheimer’s center and been asked by the staff to remove some of the weighting because to the elderly they feel so heavy they wouldn’t hold them long. I found 3- 3 1/2 lbs to be perfect for them.
#2 It is best to used open eyed babies. Occasionally someone will request a sleeping baby in a private sale for the elderly. For the most part I am told open eyed are better because sometimes dementia patients will get very upset when their baby won’t wake up and then they think it is dead so any donations I do are open eyed.
#3 I found out they really like the 1/4 limbed dolls. They like the cuddliness of the 1/4 limbed babies. This surprised me because to me the 3/4 limbs are more realistic and have more dressing options but it seems the elderly want them all bundled up anyways so long sleeves and sleeper work well for them. I have donated both types of limbs so they have options to choose which one to hold. They also insist on having socks on their feet and prefer a crib cap or bonnet which is why I find painted hair works well.
Two years ago we did a “spiritual adoption” in our church where we chose names of babies and prayed for 9 months that they would be brought to full tern and not be aborted. At the end of 9 months we had a baby shower and collected all sorts of baby items to be donated to Birthright and Good Counsel. I made twins (Avery and Aubrey) as a boy and girl and we held a raffle for 4 weeks. We raised an additional $1800 that we were able to donate as well.
So - Yes it is very rewarding to donate as well as raffle for such worthy causes. It makes your heart feel good.
Judy
The in formation bout the weight ans arms and legs is nice to know. I have some extra 1/4 arms and legs if you need them and follow her advise. Just pm me and I will gladly send you a set.I have to go to the post office in the morning anyway. I hope I can, I have to work 48 hours starting 0800 Monday and sometimes I do not even have time to eat.
I have been hoping to donate one once I get the hang of this. Good to know about the eyes and the 1/4 limbs…I’d have never thought about the limbs. As for painting the hair…uhh…not there yet! The llama hair would have been perfect because it doesn’t tangle like the mohair does…must be slightly coarser. Wonder if human hair would work or not. Probably not if it breaks off. Or a wig might be a better choice. I’ll have to see if I can ever find a baby with 1/4 limbs. Probably could even reborn a doll from the thrift store since they tend to have the shorter limbs. Add paint, some weight, some type of hair, a sleeper and a cap and a blankie.
Good luck with yours.
Bald is Beautiful…
You can get some cute beruneguer babies at wal mart for 20 or so and they can be reborn. A lot of those have 1/4 limbs. You can also get heads cheap sometimes off of ebay.
That’s all great information Angie…I have a few sets of Berenguer limbs that I am holding onto for just this purpose.
All the ones I have made and donated to nursing homes or alzheimer’s centers have been either left bald or painted hair.
These 2 baldies were big hits:
http://lildumplins.webs.com/Parker%2001.jpghttp://lildumplins.webs.com/Austin%201.jpg
The last one is a BB Aubrey head matched with Berenguer 1/4 limbs.
Oh and with that first baby above I learned about taking a baby in with no socks or shoes! They immediately wanted something put on his feet, LOL!
This one is a 20" Berenguer La baby with 1/4 limbs. I stripped the painted hair off and then painted back strands of hair using the hair line grooves as a guide. That was pretty easy to do.
Thank you everyone for all your tips for reborn donation dolls! You are a great group of people!!