I have just been commissioned to make 4 therapy dolls for a long term care centre! I donated 3 dolls a few months ago to the dementia programme at the hospital I work in and they were a big hit .What would be the best BB dolls for them? I already have a Gabriel, Avery and Cozy kit I can use.
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I am doing a cuddle doll now from Precious…the head. I am using 1/4 limbs so that I can use a full cloth body to make him cuddly.
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Anyone done Sera? She is on sale now and looks cute
I’d go with a closed eyes doll, if you want them to use a pacifier an open mouth could be nice. Then you can just use a modified pacifier.
Otherwise I’d got for a closed mouth, since less dirt can get in. Same with deep wrinkles and stuff.
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Secrist still has them, they sell the limbs separately.
I’ve used them on a reborn. Not very detailed and am not a fan of the bodies, but it works.
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A sleeping baby so they wont feel like the baby is awake all of the time thus keeping them from resting. However if the babies are only “visiting” the residents for a short period of time awake babies would be fine.
No magnet as many older people have pacemakers.
Preemie or small newborn because they are easier to manage especially for residents who have limited mobility. Also if they think the babies are real, they would expect the bigger babies to communicate with them.
And DeeDee makes a good point about the dirt getting into an open mouth or deep creases.
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I am on the fence about weighting. I have read that you should use clean play sand to weight babies for therapy dolls. The reason being a patient with dementia or Alzheimers would recognize sand but they would not recognize glass beads and may put them in their mouths. Of course that is if something should happen that the doll be opened. I guess my hesitation about sand comes from the horror stories of people using actual dirt to weight babies. 
Thanks for all the advice, ladies!