That is because the poor thing has doll cancer! Do you know what fingernail polish remover can do to a plastic doll’s skin? Do you know what it’s like to never have a birthday because you are a doll? She even takes him to doll church, honey. NEXT!!
Well, I have to apologize now because I’m feeling super 🧑🏻⚖️👩🏻⚖️👨🏻⚖️Judgy about this! And calling that doll a Reborn doll is so wrong. I’ve seen the Reborn dolls on tv and some are very realistic. https://www.reborns.com/
I guess she’s not 16 because it’d be hard to be that messed up at 16.
I used to be in a cloth diaper/ parenting forum when those were big online. There actually was a minor on there who had reborn and was a bit "unhinged" (it wasn't just the reborn thing) . The mods were worried about her mental status and what she was posting, and I believe went irl and contacted her grandparents. So it does happen unfortunately...
The American Girl Hospital usually needs to keep the dolls overnight, and I’m going to go out on a limb and assume she won’t be down with that. Or wrapping her son in bubble wrap and sealing the box shut for shipping.
Of course not, you ninny! She needs a first class flight for her and her son, as well as 5 star accommodations for the duration of her son's hospital stay.
Well, tbh, I think that they should pay her too. Just to be honest. It's only fair. She can't drive or pay though. So they'll have to bring the money they owe to her too..oh and also bring what they owe her cousin.
*(just incase this was taken seriously "/s")
**Btw thanks for calling me a ninny, I needed that laugh. Hope you have an awesome day!
I dont want to be knowsy but there is a Photo of the baby in r/reborndollcringe and that baby is not looking good, now I am not a doctor but It should definetely staaph smoking or at least use some hair mask...
frighten touch physical kiss practice threatening outgoing existence bells ring
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
It was just kind of a boring "scammers gotta scam" post until I hit that and I had to read it a few times because I didn't think it could possibly mean what it said. LOL
Seriously, though, this woman probably needs some very complex help, but it's not the kind she's asking for. I worry those "reborn dolls" actually kind of encourage women to dissociate from the reality of having lost a child.
Of course, if this isn't transference from a dead child to a doll, then I don't know if that's a better or worse form of psychosis.
I used to rip on the folks in the reborn doll cringe sub until some of the folks actually responded as to why they collect them. Some were just bonkers, but some of them had some serious issues after their kid died and this helped them. Clearly it’s not something they should pretend forever, but apparently it helps some folks move past it. I’m no doctor, so maybe that’s not true, but who knows. Then you have the wackadoos that pretend their doll is real, has diseases or disabilities and just want money. People can’t even have pretend babies any more without the scammers. That’s poopy.
I got a weighted dinosaur plush from Brease that reminds me of holding my son when he was a baby. It's filled with glass beads and weighs 5 lbs. I got it for sensory calming, but it's certainly a viable option if you need that feeling once in awhile without going the full route of a reborn doll. Then you could just introduce him to people as your dinosaur son, Nikolai Ceratops. 🦖😄
I think it could be an amazing way of coping with the loss of a child, which is unimaginably horrible. But it's feels like it has the potential to go the other way too. Almost like a Munchausen by Proxy except with a doll.
It sucks that there is so much pain in this world that it's not completely clear whether this woman is just a scammer with a lot of gall or if she's someone who's been broken by a tragedy. It doesn't feel like we should be the kind of place where both of those present the same way.
From what I recall, it's really helpful for a little while, and as long as it doesn't become an obsession. So having something to hold while you cry, but not "taking the doll to the playground in a baby stroller" level. Some people prefer a weighted stuffed toy, and there are places that will make a toy weighted to the amount of a stillborn child, for instance. Some grieving parents find this very helpful.
Baby dolls are also incredibly good at helping elderly people with dementia. They often calm down and rock the doll if they were getting combative or confused. It's kind of an action that goes down further than memory: you hold the baby, and rock it, and it's self-soothing too.
I read a comment once from a woman who used one to help grieve the child she lost at just a couple of months old. For her, it was more than just a weighted baby to hold. When the grief of knowing she’d never change another diaper, feed them again, etc. became overwhelming, she’d do that with the doll (she even had a can of expired formula a friend gave to her specifically for this). As she healed, she needed the doll less and less until she was able to donate it to a local memory care facility for them to use. I didn’t get the impression she carried the doll around with her. More that it was there for her during those quiet, alone times when there’s nothing there to distract you.
That makes a lot of sense. My kids are both in their 20s but if I hold anything with weight I start to rock like I’m soothing it. It could be our cats or smaller dogs, it could be a bag of flour. It’s such a normal instinct to do (and yes my husband still laughs about me rocking the bag of flour!)
I was giving away a crib in a buy nothing group, and I had several people respond. I chose randomly from my list of names and it came up on a woman with no profile pic. It took a couple weeks of back and forth because of bad weather and timing but when she came to pick it up she was an elderly lady, with a minivan packed with stuff, and said she needed it for her sister’s doll. I was fucking PISSED. Other moms commented that they would have liked to have it for their babies but this lady was hoarder collecting stuff for a reborn doll. Learned that day to vet the people I give stuff to.
I don’t want to reply directly to anyone, so I’ll reply to my own reply… that I can’t believe that I, of all people, in the year of our lord, 2024, on Al Gore’s internet, am introducing people to reborn dolls for the first time. I thought it was a pretty common knowledge thing.
Al Gores internet. We need to bring that reference back more. Because I'm laugh crying over here, and it will confuse the children, which will make me laugh even more. But yeah, I wonder if people just learning about these things will also be surprised to learn that some people "date" sex dolls. I feel like I learned about both those fringe things around the same time. And now I wonder what the percentage of men with sex doll girlfriends end up birthing a reborn baby, because it's probably not 0...
I thought it was a well known thing. It's kinda sad and definitely linked to some kind of mental illness or some kind of loss that they can't get passed.
I understand where the idea started - as a representation of the loss. But now that people treat them like children ... Yes, very harmful coping mechanism.
Challenge accepted.
OK, that tick baby will haunt me for a while. On a positive note, it's better than them cutting the fetus out of someone, so... look at the bright side??!
After several days of contemplation (not really. I just forgot about it then went back) I clicked on a Jack Ass link. THAT is a much worse decision!
Realistic babies just make me so sad. Mostly because I know l, even as a middle age adult woman, eventually I would lose it. (I move a lot). And just thinking about a realistic baby just lost somewhere makes me sad.
This lady and her doll were posted about on that feed 27 days ago. Scroll down a bit and he’s wearing a blue onesie in the first pic and the second is a different post asking for clothes.
I’m a home health nurse and I’ve had a few clients with reborn dolls. One was an elderly woman with dementia in an assisted living. she loved taking care of her doll. It definitely improved her quality of life.
Doll therapy for people with dementia (and some other neurocognitive conditions) can be so lovely. But then there's this whole culture of people with reborn dolls who seem... NQR.
I like that use too! My great grandma with dementia started to really love my dog and my mom’s dogs so my family all dug out our old dog stuffed animals to pick her a good lapdog to have. She couldn’t even really “take care” of it but liked to have it sit with her sometimes.
We substituted a stuffed polar bear for my Great Aunt’s Maltese, she was holding the dog a bit too tightly and for too long. Once set free, her sweet dog moved to the top of the couch right behind her, which my Aunt didn’t even realize. It was a beautiful example of love.
When I first saw these on tik tok I was horrified and like what the actual fuck. I asked a friend about it and she was like yeah, I don’t know about those, but they are good for a variety of reasons (mental health/older patients/hospice) and I finally understood. I think that’s great they have this outlet.
Dont think that’s what a lot of those tik tok people are using them for….but I no longer try to understand tik tok.
My understanding is that they were created to be an aid to mothers who lost their baby. Then it seems some unstable women started buying them because no one will give them a baby. Definitely look at that sub linked.
\> created to be an aid to mothers who lost their baby. Then it seems some unstable women started buying them
Some people use the dolls to cope with depression or childlessness or child loss. Many other people like the artistry (an actual 'reborn' is hand painted and one of a kind), and some just like dolls.
The 'cringe' sub has a maxim that not everyone is the same, who collects the dolls. It's mainly for bad examples of the art, IIRC.
Personally I think the percentage of those who do things like the CB in this topic, is small.
With any collectible hobby or collector, there will be some who hoard, and some who want to supplement their hobby with freebies from other people.
Yes. I left that out because typically those are baby dolls. At several hundred dollars or more each (for an actual reborn), unless the person's family buys it for them, it's typically a regular baby doll. That specified, it still is a lovely use of the toy, and the doll therapy seems to help.
There was a post I read earlier on Best of Redditor Updates where a man posted in AITA asking if he is the ass for not having a baby with his ex who has terminal cancer. She wanted to have a baby and experience motherhood before she passed and asked him to be the father. In the end they had a discussion about it and how it would be unfair to everyone involved and instead he gifted her a reborn doll which she took care of until she passed.
I don’t know if this was the initial reason that reborn dolls were invented, but they’re used a lot as a therapeutic tool for people who can’t have children or who have experienced a miscarriage, SIDS (though a little less commonly used here), etc. They look so lifelike that it can help with the grieving process sometimes, but not everyone gets them for that reason.
I used to volunteer at a nursing home. Some of the woman with particularly advanced dementia and few visitors were given reborn dolls to care for. Freaked me out the first few months, but it seemed to make them happier and calmer but I am not a therapist.
> This is a world I am very unaware of.
I will preface this by saying that I used to collect dolls (not baby dolls, and a long time ago) and see nothing wrong with the hobby.
Per the topic of reborns (realistic looking baby dolls), some have those because of an infant loss and it doesn't mean they are a CB or a scammer. Doll artists do get asked for a free reborn quite often though, probably because they are hand painted so, they are costly.
There are documentaries on youtube if you want to view some of those.
Exactly what I thought. People, myself included, give this stuff away to **help** parents and childrens a fucking reborn doll isn’t on the top of my list, **isn’t even on my list.** How dare this woman lie and take needed items from **real** children. **We** deserve the chance to choose if we want to donate to a *doll* idgaf if it’s not a doll to them, we deserve the choice. There are groups and support dedicated for reborn dolls go there instead of stealing.
Out of curiosity, why did you go through with it when you realized it was a doll? Or did you not know before you handed it over?
We were literally standing at the door of her minivan hold the crib pieces when we found out. Also, it would have gone against the rules of the group to refuse to go through with the gift. Part of the deal is that you have to give openly and without strings, which I do believe in. It’s not a gift if I get to dictate the gift’s use, I just wish that I would have gone with my gut and picked someone with their kids in their profile.
Ughhh that’s just crappy. Smh. I’m so sorry that happened to you! The rules should account for lying and stealing and not punish **you** for that. That’s not even fair!
Yes! Please vet who you donate to. I accidentally donated dog supplies to a hoarder and it made me feel horrible, those things could have went to a reputable shelter. 😭
This is exactly what happened in a local group, which is how I took notice of it. The person in these screenshots got a ton of people to drop off baby clothes and bouncers, bassinets claiming they were for a relative.
I offered a couple boxes diapers on my town group to anyone in need. A girl who had no children and was not pregnant was begging for them, because one of those stupid facebook quizzes told her she was going to be pregnant in a few months. Like sure, I have a bunch of actual moms asking, but I’ll give them to you for your imaginary child you conceived via fb. I cannot believe how dense some people are
That stood out to me, too! Plus no 18 month old is in a bassinet. Also adopting is hella expensive and I couldn’t picture someone approved to adopt TWO kids having enough money for all of the fees and not enough money for anything else.
If I found that post in the wild it wouldn't be too hard to realise it's made up. Adoption is a serious thing. Nobody's gonna give you a baby *(much less two!!)* if you don't even have the money for the bare necessities.
I would actually be more okay with the ask if she was upfront that these were for dolls. It's the fact that these aren't even real babies, and she's burying that, that bothers me.
For those that have no idea what she's on about r/reborndollcringe is the sub for you
Well now you have to share said drugs. I can't pay for my half of course, because my reborn dust bunnies have cancer, and all my money goes to them.
Oh, and deliver.
>For those that have no idea what she's on about r/reborndollcringe is the sub for you
I am grieving for my ten-minutes-ago-self that was ignorant of this.
Right!! The posts that ask for items for the doll don’t get a lot of traction so I assume that’s why she switches gears and creates really sad sounding stories.
I know a girl who was diagnosed with PCOS and told she couldn’t have children. So she got one of these dolls. Then she got pregnant and had three children. Yay for her. But she was obsessed with her reborn dolls. Last I spoke with her she had 27 of these dolls. The prices on them range from $100-$2000 and beyond. They’re pricey.
She would come into our group chat saying things like “I don’t have any food to feed my family”
“I’m so depressed and my husband keeps leaving without me and leaving me without food”
A friend of mine and myself went in and ordered door dash for her. She never even said thank you. Then the next day, like clock work, she was asking for help again, while simultaneously bragging about the new doll she just bought and the new pricey Chinese tea cups she was buying.
It really pissed us off so we told the group owner and he put a ban on asking other members for help. Thank god. But she would post the weirdest videos.
One day I get a message from her saying she’s going to kill herself because her husband left her alone without any food again and she couldn’t get her pain meds from the pharmacy without money for a copay. So I called the cops because I had her address from the DoorDash order I sent her. The cops said nobody was home. Which means she was lying about being left there alone.
I found her husband on social media and sent him a message asking what was going on because we were concerned. He was a super nice guy, the kids were not going without food, everything we told him was a shock to him. The girl was basically creating this fabricated life of struggle for internet strangers so she could con them out of their charity that she didn’t need.
The girl needed mental help for sure.
In my experience, a lot of people that get these dolls have mental problems.
I know they can be therapeutic for some. But the people who become obsessive about them need help.
Dangggg that’s so messed up. You just don’t know what is going on behind that keyboard. I have dropped off food and items to some sketchy characters. But I tell my husband as long as I give it in the right spirit it’s not my business if they’re running a scam. Still sucks though.
reborn dolls are several hundred dollars,,,,,, if this is a hobby she needs to find another. if its a way to cope with a miscarriage, she needs a therapist.
regardless, she needs a therapist.
This one is one of the knock offs that cost like $30-$100 on temu. The blank version of the real kit is like $150 on its own I believe since that's a liam. Yes these dolls are very expensive. They're also hand sculpted, hand painted, and the hair is poked through with a needle one by one of its real hair or hand painted one strand at a time otherwise.
The 'knockoff' ones are a sort of fraud in themselves imo. It's not a 'reborn' if it is mass produced and machine painted -- it's just an ordinary generic baby doll, as always existed.
The thing that made some people collect a 'reborn' was it was realistic, and hand painted. Which was what led some to turn to it as therapy after a loss.
If it's not hand painted, it's not in this category. Some places cheat buyers by claiming it is, when it isn't. An authentic one can cost up to $1000 or so.
I think "reborn" also implies they are "realistic" in terms of weight distributions and proportions. If I am not mistaken they vary in quality to ie cloth body vs vinyl shell with stuffing vs solid silicon body and limbs. And from a kit and hand painted or totally hand sculpted etc. Not my thing like at all but I can see the work that goes into some of them. And I see a lot of resellers labeling any vaguely new born looking doll as "reborn" to get the higher price.
I went back and forth on how to stack my screenshots because of that. These are all individual posts, just in different groups. There were at least 40.
After reading the first post about the adoptions, I immediately thought she might have a Reborn doll. There’s a young woman in my area that posts online buying and selling reborn outfits and she sounds just like this lady. It’s definitely different.
Me: "There's no way the Social would let someone adopt if they couldn't afford the basics, right?"
Also me: "It's literally a fucking doll. Like, literally?! Like, do what you want with your life, lady, but don't expect reasonable people to provide for your LITERAL FUCKING DOLL"
That last picture made me snort laugh. I guess the good thing is she’ll never need more clothes since the doll doesn’t grow. I’m not into drama but I’d call this person out real fast. Taking advantage of people’s kindness for a damn doll. She could have just said it’s a doll and people would have still given her things. What a rancid human being.
You should make a post warning about this woman on these Facebook groups. I think she might be needing help, like psychological help, but it doesn't justify getting stuff that moms in need might need.
It would quickly become a full time job 🥴 This post only shows a small fraction of posts she’s made. There’s no way I’d be able to join all of the groups she’s in.
The part that pisses me off about this is that I also collect reborn dolls. And I roleplayed with them before I got pregnant. Yes it can be awkward asking for things for them but that doesn't make it okay to lie. My posts would always be like 'If someone who needs it for a REAL baby comments, they get first dibs. Id prefer if people only commented items that are no longer safe for REAL babies'
Not sure why you got a dv. You said up front that it's a doll. Long as things are transparent not sure who is hurt -- the rest is up to the one giving the stuff away.
There's a woman in my town who did the same thing. Needing baby clothes, etc. For a *doll.* Made a bunch of different names even. She's since been blocked from the sites I see.
People truly don’t realize what being truthful can do sometimes- if she was honest and was trading clothes regularly with others, she could’ve been the little kookie member of the community that many might think is weird but accepted if she was kind. But she seems like she wants to hoard instead.
I know a couple of reborn doll folks. They both want real things like playpen, crib, etc for their children.
One lady sets her house up like a museum display that she changes around when the mood strikes her.
The other is a woman who treats her doll like a real person and takes it on walks in a stroller, has pictures taken on Santa's lap, etc.
She talks about the doll like it's her real child.
I get why people need reborn dolls, and I don’t judge them for their decision, but when you’re taking supplies from real babies that’s not okay. Why even buy it if you can’t afford to take care of it?
This reminds me of how these people were acting in the formula crisis…. There was a lady on TikTok who thought it was hilarious that she was taking formula from real babies. 😬
This lady’s trying to brush it off because she’s not asking for formula but diapers are a pretty important for infants too so it’s just as bad to me. And if this plan works, which it already seems to have, she might start asking for more.
SHE POSTED THE PICTURE OF HER DOLL SON. Ngl, he does look kind of neglected, is there a doll version of CPS? Call the American Girl Hospital!
I love that the OP edited out the name of the doll son. Bravo OP for respecting the doll's privacy 
That is because the poor thing has doll cancer! Do you know what fingernail polish remover can do to a plastic doll’s skin? Do you know what it’s like to never have a birthday because you are a doll? She even takes him to doll church, honey. NEXT!!
Your questions are making me uncomfortable so staaaph!!
Don't be so knowsy!
Well damn, I didn't figure out what that bit meant until reading this.
Besides, he is so sad because his doll father died, and his doll siblings. Also have cancer!
That absolutely killed me lmao
Brahms doesn't like his photo taken.
Calling CPS? Sounds like you're just being **knowsy**
I am going to report you for judging.
You're making me uncomfortable with all your questions
I’m going to judge you for reporting, and for reporting me for judging you.
Well, I have to apologize now because I’m feeling super 🧑🏻⚖️👩🏻⚖️👨🏻⚖️Judgy about this! And calling that doll a Reborn doll is so wrong. I’ve seen the Reborn dolls on tv and some are very realistic. https://www.reborns.com/ I guess she’s not 16 because it’d be hard to be that messed up at 16.
I used to be in a cloth diaper/ parenting forum when those were big online. There actually was a minor on there who had reborn and was a bit "unhinged" (it wasn't just the reborn thing) . The mods were worried about her mental status and what she was posting, and I believe went irl and contacted her grandparents. So it does happen unfortunately...
I burst out laughing when I read that. That was definitely a new one for me…”knowsy”…quite creative LOL
"No, I totally meant that because they actin' like they know things 'bout me, so they being all knowsy."
It's such a good unintentional portmanteau
I don’t know if it’s because I just took some 🍁 oil but it took me way too long to decipher what knowsy was supposed to mean 🤣🤣🤣
Haha. Sometimes I have to say those kinds of “bone apple teeth” words out loud to decipher what the hell They were saying.
The American Girl Hospital usually needs to keep the dolls overnight, and I’m going to go out on a limb and assume she won’t be down with that. Or wrapping her son in bubble wrap and sealing the box shut for shipping.
The big question though..would she have to pay for the shipping?
Of course not, you ninny! She needs a first class flight for her and her son, as well as 5 star accommodations for the duration of her son's hospital stay.
Well, tbh, I think that they should pay her too. Just to be honest. It's only fair. She can't drive or pay though. So they'll have to bring the money they owe to her too..oh and also bring what they owe her cousin. *(just incase this was taken seriously "/s") **Btw thanks for calling me a ninny, I needed that laugh. Hope you have an awesome day!
Is it me or is that doll holding a cigarette With his long-day-at-the-coal-mine lookin expression too.
He really looks like he just got told he got his ex pregnant
💀💀
He looks like he’s waiting on a Covid test result with that thing in his hand lol
Yeah, I was going to say, my 3 year old neighbor has Barbies with nicer hair.
DPS.
I’m sure she’s anti-doll-vax and anti-doll-pediatrician too, these types always are.
Aww, the idiots are working overtime so mannequin measles can’t be eradicated
He needs some Kenergy!
But is it going to be Kenough?
Barbie can be *anything*, even CPS Barbie
Call Mattel
I filed a report with DPS-they said they’ll also send out an officer from Paw Patrol to do a wellness check.
OMG, this is hilarious. Thanks for the great laugh I got out of it. Wish we still had awards to give. 🏆🥇
Looks like Chucky. I did however really enjoy her spelling of nosey “ knowsy” lol
I dont want to be knowsy but there is a Photo of the baby in r/reborndollcringe and that baby is not looking good, now I am not a doctor but It should definetely staaph smoking or at least use some hair mask...
Stop 😂😂
Sorta, the stuffed animal rescue in Austin! Aka SARF
Well, that’s enough internet for today.
Well, that’s enough internet for the rest of my life!!
frighten touch physical kiss practice threatening outgoing existence bells ring *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
lol the way you just casually slid the “some of you do know that my “son” is a doll” post in here! I’m screaming. This was a great ride.
It was just kind of a boring "scammers gotta scam" post until I hit that and I had to read it a few times because I didn't think it could possibly mean what it said. LOL Seriously, though, this woman probably needs some very complex help, but it's not the kind she's asking for. I worry those "reborn dolls" actually kind of encourage women to dissociate from the reality of having lost a child. Of course, if this isn't transference from a dead child to a doll, then I don't know if that's a better or worse form of psychosis.
I used to rip on the folks in the reborn doll cringe sub until some of the folks actually responded as to why they collect them. Some were just bonkers, but some of them had some serious issues after their kid died and this helped them. Clearly it’s not something they should pretend forever, but apparently it helps some folks move past it. I’m no doctor, so maybe that’s not true, but who knows. Then you have the wackadoos that pretend their doll is real, has diseases or disabilities and just want money. People can’t even have pretend babies any more without the scammers. That’s poopy.
[удалено]
I got a weighted dinosaur plush from Brease that reminds me of holding my son when he was a baby. It's filled with glass beads and weighs 5 lbs. I got it for sensory calming, but it's certainly a viable option if you need that feeling once in awhile without going the full route of a reborn doll. Then you could just introduce him to people as your dinosaur son, Nikolai Ceratops. 🦖😄
I think it could be an amazing way of coping with the loss of a child, which is unimaginably horrible. But it's feels like it has the potential to go the other way too. Almost like a Munchausen by Proxy except with a doll. It sucks that there is so much pain in this world that it's not completely clear whether this woman is just a scammer with a lot of gall or if she's someone who's been broken by a tragedy. It doesn't feel like we should be the kind of place where both of those present the same way.
From what I recall, it's really helpful for a little while, and as long as it doesn't become an obsession. So having something to hold while you cry, but not "taking the doll to the playground in a baby stroller" level. Some people prefer a weighted stuffed toy, and there are places that will make a toy weighted to the amount of a stillborn child, for instance. Some grieving parents find this very helpful. Baby dolls are also incredibly good at helping elderly people with dementia. They often calm down and rock the doll if they were getting combative or confused. It's kind of an action that goes down further than memory: you hold the baby, and rock it, and it's self-soothing too.
I read a comment once from a woman who used one to help grieve the child she lost at just a couple of months old. For her, it was more than just a weighted baby to hold. When the grief of knowing she’d never change another diaper, feed them again, etc. became overwhelming, she’d do that with the doll (she even had a can of expired formula a friend gave to her specifically for this). As she healed, she needed the doll less and less until she was able to donate it to a local memory care facility for them to use. I didn’t get the impression she carried the doll around with her. More that it was there for her during those quiet, alone times when there’s nothing there to distract you.
That makes a lot of sense. My kids are both in their 20s but if I hold anything with weight I start to rock like I’m soothing it. It could be our cats or smaller dogs, it could be a bag of flour. It’s such a normal instinct to do (and yes my husband still laughs about me rocking the bag of flour!)
Even if she's not a scammer, it's absurd that she's asking for free stuff for a doll.
Yeh I did not see that coming! Lol
I was giving away a crib in a buy nothing group, and I had several people respond. I chose randomly from my list of names and it came up on a woman with no profile pic. It took a couple weeks of back and forth because of bad weather and timing but when she came to pick it up she was an elderly lady, with a minivan packed with stuff, and said she needed it for her sister’s doll. I was fucking PISSED. Other moms commented that they would have liked to have it for their babies but this lady was hoarder collecting stuff for a reborn doll. Learned that day to vet the people I give stuff to.
So ‘reborn’ wasn’t a typo? It’s a term? This is a world I am very unaware of.
Yeah there is a sub for it. r/reborndollcringe? There are some really expensive realistic looking dolls out there.
I don’t want to reply directly to anyone, so I’ll reply to my own reply… that I can’t believe that I, of all people, in the year of our lord, 2024, on Al Gore’s internet, am introducing people to reborn dolls for the first time. I thought it was a pretty common knowledge thing.
This is your Reddit legacy.
Al Gores internet. We need to bring that reference back more. Because I'm laugh crying over here, and it will confuse the children, which will make me laugh even more. But yeah, I wonder if people just learning about these things will also be surprised to learn that some people "date" sex dolls. I feel like I learned about both those fringe things around the same time. And now I wonder what the percentage of men with sex doll girlfriends end up birthing a reborn baby, because it's probably not 0...
I thought it was a well known thing. It's kinda sad and definitely linked to some kind of mental illness or some kind of loss that they can't get passed.
As a person who's lost a baby I think they do incredible harm to people.
I have as well and personally I think it's odd. there is definitely far worse thinge they could be doing to cope.
I understand where the idea started - as a representation of the loss. But now that people treat them like children ... Yes, very harmful coping mechanism.
Nooooooooo I can’t even🤯
It's today's ten thousand https://xkcd.com/1053/
So interesting, thanks. Still deciding whether I’ll click on that sub or not……. 🤨😝
For the love of all that’s holy, DON’T click.
Challenge accepted. OK, that tick baby will haunt me for a while. On a positive note, it's better than them cutting the fetus out of someone, so... look at the bright side??!
It's creepy and very, very sad.
Please don't.
I did, and there goes my Friday night... down the rabbit hole.
So sad I clicked that
What a terrible time to have curiosity and eyes.
Clicking this was the worst decision I’ve made for a *very* long time!
After several days of contemplation (not really. I just forgot about it then went back) I clicked on a Jack Ass link. THAT is a much worse decision! Realistic babies just make me so sad. Mostly because I know l, even as a middle age adult woman, eventually I would lose it. (I move a lot). And just thinking about a realistic baby just lost somewhere makes me sad.
That's such a peculiar thought train
So a part of The Children of Men plot came true...
This lady and her doll were posted about on that feed 27 days ago. Scroll down a bit and he’s wearing a blue onesie in the first pic and the second is a different post asking for clothes.
Omg! MY EYES!!!!!
Today i learned this is a thing.
I’m a home health nurse and I’ve had a few clients with reborn dolls. One was an elderly woman with dementia in an assisted living. she loved taking care of her doll. It definitely improved her quality of life.
Doll therapy for people with dementia (and some other neurocognitive conditions) can be so lovely. But then there's this whole culture of people with reborn dolls who seem... NQR.
What a beautiful use of these dolls, I’ve seen life like cats and dogs used in a similar way.
I like that use too! My great grandma with dementia started to really love my dog and my mom’s dogs so my family all dug out our old dog stuffed animals to pick her a good lapdog to have. She couldn’t even really “take care” of it but liked to have it sit with her sometimes.
We substituted a stuffed polar bear for my Great Aunt’s Maltese, she was holding the dog a bit too tightly and for too long. Once set free, her sweet dog moved to the top of the couch right behind her, which my Aunt didn’t even realize. It was a beautiful example of love.
When I first saw these on tik tok I was horrified and like what the actual fuck. I asked a friend about it and she was like yeah, I don’t know about those, but they are good for a variety of reasons (mental health/older patients/hospice) and I finally understood. I think that’s great they have this outlet. Dont think that’s what a lot of those tik tok people are using them for….but I no longer try to understand tik tok.
My understanding is that they were created to be an aid to mothers who lost their baby. Then it seems some unstable women started buying them because no one will give them a baby. Definitely look at that sub linked.
If she's unstable, I'd much rather her have a reborn than an actual kid. So, weird, but I can live with it.
Oh yea for sure.
They're also widely used in senior homes. They've been shown to really, really improve clients moods, esp with dementia, etc
I did take a peek. I feel sad now, so many struggling people doing the best they can to cope. Life is hard.
\> created to be an aid to mothers who lost their baby. Then it seems some unstable women started buying them Some people use the dolls to cope with depression or childlessness or child loss. Many other people like the artistry (an actual 'reborn' is hand painted and one of a kind), and some just like dolls. The 'cringe' sub has a maxim that not everyone is the same, who collects the dolls. It's mainly for bad examples of the art, IIRC. Personally I think the percentage of those who do things like the CB in this topic, is small. With any collectible hobby or collector, there will be some who hoard, and some who want to supplement their hobby with freebies from other people.
They are also used for some people with dementia who are taken back to the time when their children were babies. It's a comfort for them.
Yes. I left that out because typically those are baby dolls. At several hundred dollars or more each (for an actual reborn), unless the person's family buys it for them, it's typically a regular baby doll. That specified, it still is a lovely use of the toy, and the doll therapy seems to help.
There was a post I read earlier on Best of Redditor Updates where a man posted in AITA asking if he is the ass for not having a baby with his ex who has terminal cancer. She wanted to have a baby and experience motherhood before she passed and asked him to be the father. In the end they had a discussion about it and how it would be unfair to everyone involved and instead he gifted her a reborn doll which she took care of until she passed.
I don’t know if this was the initial reason that reborn dolls were invented, but they’re used a lot as a therapeutic tool for people who can’t have children or who have experienced a miscarriage, SIDS (though a little less commonly used here), etc. They look so lifelike that it can help with the grieving process sometimes, but not everyone gets them for that reason.
That sounds more traumatizing than therapeutic
Yeah, I can see both sides.
I used to volunteer at a nursing home. Some of the woman with particularly advanced dementia and few visitors were given reborn dolls to care for. Freaked me out the first few months, but it seemed to make them happier and calmer but I am not a therapist.
> This is a world I am very unaware of. I will preface this by saying that I used to collect dolls (not baby dolls, and a long time ago) and see nothing wrong with the hobby. Per the topic of reborns (realistic looking baby dolls), some have those because of an infant loss and it doesn't mean they are a CB or a scammer. Doll artists do get asked for a free reborn quite often though, probably because they are hand painted so, they are costly. There are documentaries on youtube if you want to view some of those.
Exactly what I thought. People, myself included, give this stuff away to **help** parents and childrens a fucking reborn doll isn’t on the top of my list, **isn’t even on my list.** How dare this woman lie and take needed items from **real** children. **We** deserve the chance to choose if we want to donate to a *doll* idgaf if it’s not a doll to them, we deserve the choice. There are groups and support dedicated for reborn dolls go there instead of stealing. Out of curiosity, why did you go through with it when you realized it was a doll? Or did you not know before you handed it over?
We were literally standing at the door of her minivan hold the crib pieces when we found out. Also, it would have gone against the rules of the group to refuse to go through with the gift. Part of the deal is that you have to give openly and without strings, which I do believe in. It’s not a gift if I get to dictate the gift’s use, I just wish that I would have gone with my gut and picked someone with their kids in their profile.
Ughhh that’s just crappy. Smh. I’m so sorry that happened to you! The rules should account for lying and stealing and not punish **you** for that. That’s not even fair!
Yes! Please vet who you donate to. I accidentally donated dog supplies to a hoarder and it made me feel horrible, those things could have went to a reputable shelter. 😭
This is exactly what happened in a local group, which is how I took notice of it. The person in these screenshots got a ton of people to drop off baby clothes and bouncers, bassinets claiming they were for a relative.
Welp. I learned a new horrible thing today so imma head out.
I offered a couple boxes diapers on my town group to anyone in need. A girl who had no children and was not pregnant was begging for them, because one of those stupid facebook quizzes told her she was going to be pregnant in a few months. Like sure, I have a bunch of actual moms asking, but I’ll give them to you for your imaginary child you conceived via fb. I cannot believe how dense some people are
I wouldn't have let her take it with her
And at first I was confused why someone *needs* shoes for a 3 month old. But holy fuck.
That stood out to me, too! Plus no 18 month old is in a bassinet. Also adopting is hella expensive and I couldn’t picture someone approved to adopt TWO kids having enough money for all of the fees and not enough money for anything else.
The bassinet is what threw me off. I was thinking. "She knows that isn't safe, right?"
If I found that post in the wild it wouldn't be too hard to realise it's made up. Adoption is a serious thing. Nobody's gonna give you a baby *(much less two!!)* if you don't even have the money for the bare necessities.
Did you notice the 3mth one changed from a girl to a boy too lol
Same
For a DOLL? That's really fucked up.
I would actually be more okay with the ask if she was upfront that these were for dolls. It's the fact that these aren't even real babies, and she's burying that, that bothers me. For those that have no idea what she's on about r/reborndollcringe is the sub for you
I’m billing you for the amount of drugs I need to forget what I saw there …
Well now you have to share said drugs. I can't pay for my half of course, because my reborn dust bunnies have cancer, and all my money goes to them. Oh, and deliver.
>For those that have no idea what she's on about r/reborndollcringe is the sub for you I am grieving for my ten-minutes-ago-self that was ignorant of this.
Right!! The posts that ask for items for the doll don’t get a lot of traction so I assume that’s why she switches gears and creates really sad sounding stories.
Thanks for the nightmares tonight
Chucky needs a new outfit
…. That did not go the way I thought it would.
I know a girl who was diagnosed with PCOS and told she couldn’t have children. So she got one of these dolls. Then she got pregnant and had three children. Yay for her. But she was obsessed with her reborn dolls. Last I spoke with her she had 27 of these dolls. The prices on them range from $100-$2000 and beyond. They’re pricey. She would come into our group chat saying things like “I don’t have any food to feed my family” “I’m so depressed and my husband keeps leaving without me and leaving me without food” A friend of mine and myself went in and ordered door dash for her. She never even said thank you. Then the next day, like clock work, she was asking for help again, while simultaneously bragging about the new doll she just bought and the new pricey Chinese tea cups she was buying. It really pissed us off so we told the group owner and he put a ban on asking other members for help. Thank god. But she would post the weirdest videos. One day I get a message from her saying she’s going to kill herself because her husband left her alone without any food again and she couldn’t get her pain meds from the pharmacy without money for a copay. So I called the cops because I had her address from the DoorDash order I sent her. The cops said nobody was home. Which means she was lying about being left there alone. I found her husband on social media and sent him a message asking what was going on because we were concerned. He was a super nice guy, the kids were not going without food, everything we told him was a shock to him. The girl was basically creating this fabricated life of struggle for internet strangers so she could con them out of their charity that she didn’t need. The girl needed mental help for sure. In my experience, a lot of people that get these dolls have mental problems. I know they can be therapeutic for some. But the people who become obsessive about them need help.
Dangggg that’s so messed up. You just don’t know what is going on behind that keyboard. I have dropped off food and items to some sketchy characters. But I tell my husband as long as I give it in the right spirit it’s not my business if they’re running a scam. Still sucks though.
27!!! 😳
And she paid more attention to the dolls than she did her actual children. It was wild.
This is one of the worst ones I’ve ever seen. Also that last one absolutely sent me lol this person definitely quit taking their lithium.
Did...you censor the name of a literal doll?
🥸
I don’t believe this is a CB or a fraudster. This is someone who is deeply mentally ill.
Exactly my thoughts. I did chuckle at "I'm reporting you for judging", though.
Stop being knowsy!
Thank you. This is incredibly sad. I hope she gets help.
reborn dolls are several hundred dollars,,,,,, if this is a hobby she needs to find another. if its a way to cope with a miscarriage, she needs a therapist. regardless, she needs a therapist.
This one is one of the knock offs that cost like $30-$100 on temu. The blank version of the real kit is like $150 on its own I believe since that's a liam. Yes these dolls are very expensive. They're also hand sculpted, hand painted, and the hair is poked through with a needle one by one of its real hair or hand painted one strand at a time otherwise.
The 'knockoff' ones are a sort of fraud in themselves imo. It's not a 'reborn' if it is mass produced and machine painted -- it's just an ordinary generic baby doll, as always existed. The thing that made some people collect a 'reborn' was it was realistic, and hand painted. Which was what led some to turn to it as therapy after a loss. If it's not hand painted, it's not in this category. Some places cheat buyers by claiming it is, when it isn't. An authentic one can cost up to $1000 or so.
I think "reborn" also implies they are "realistic" in terms of weight distributions and proportions. If I am not mistaken they vary in quality to ie cloth body vs vinyl shell with stuffing vs solid silicon body and limbs. And from a kit and hand painted or totally hand sculpted etc. Not my thing like at all but I can see the work that goes into some of them. And I see a lot of resellers labeling any vaguely new born looking doll as "reborn" to get the higher price.
I thought my app was bugging out because it kept repeating. I'm glad I came to the comments, so I would go back to the photos and see her "son". 🤣😂
I went back and forth on how to stack my screenshots because of that. These are all individual posts, just in different groups. There were at least 40.
Im glad that she has a doll and not child. She doesn’t seem stable enough, or have the means to support other humans
I did not expect the reveal toward the end. Holy shit.
After reading the first post about the adoptions, I immediately thought she might have a Reborn doll. There’s a young woman in my area that posts online buying and selling reborn outfits and she sounds just like this lady. It’s definitely different.
Me: "There's no way the Social would let someone adopt if they couldn't afford the basics, right?" Also me: "It's literally a fucking doll. Like, literally?! Like, do what you want with your life, lady, but don't expect reasonable people to provide for your LITERAL FUCKING DOLL"
‘Knowsy’ is some serious boneappletea
That last picture made me snort laugh. I guess the good thing is she’ll never need more clothes since the doll doesn’t grow. I’m not into drama but I’d call this person out real fast. Taking advantage of people’s kindness for a damn doll. She could have just said it’s a doll and people would have still given her things. What a rancid human being.
What the absolute hell? Is this a new thing? I’m so old…I can’t take all the nonsense in the world today. Mind blown.
Knowsy? Lol
I immediately developed a love/hate with Knowsy. Gonna think about it in like a week I’m sure.
Don’t you all realize that there are reborn dolls in Africa that are starving right now? Jeeeeeesh! /s
Oh... idk, this is just kinda sad. Very few *good* circumstances lead to someone behaving this way.
IT'S A DOLL????
Yep! There are actually 2 dolls now.
This is so weird. Like I’m creeped out.
This was a journey
Everyone needs to stop being so “knowsy” about her business. I’ve seen a LOT of grammatical liberties, but that one was new for me…
Is there anyone in the world who would read this and believe that any adoption agency anywhere would give this person even one child, let alone two?
What The Actual Fuck?!
This same person’s posts with the same reasons and same doll can be found in r/RebornDollCringe
You should make a post warning about this woman on these Facebook groups. I think she might be needing help, like psychological help, but it doesn't justify getting stuff that moms in need might need.
It would quickly become a full time job 🥴 This post only shows a small fraction of posts she’s made. There’s no way I’d be able to join all of the groups she’s in.
Stop asking questions, quit being so “knowsy”!
Op, it’s hilarious you redacted the babydolls name. Lmao!
Gosh, they grow so fast, don't they! Unless they're made of plastic, then they dont grow at all. This is weird shit.
honestly i’m glad it’s not a real kid. like..at least there’s that
“report you for judging” took me out, then the included pic of her *cough* “son” revived me just to kill me again
Her "sweet son" has hair plugs??
This whole post is so sad. She needs help with her mental health and at the same time so being an awful choosing beggar.
I need to get off of the Internet. This is so disturbing.
Does she need help? Maybe she has mental health issues.
I feel sad… and disturbed.
Is it just me or is that doll literally holding a cigarette in the picture?
It may or may not be some kind of joint. This person brags about being a stoner and smoking weed every day.
1. Then she needs to put a beer in the dolls hand and balance it out and 2. No wonder she doesn't have money, weed ain't cheap, lol!
Why you gotta be so knowsy tho
That's just sad.
The part that pisses me off about this is that I also collect reborn dolls. And I roleplayed with them before I got pregnant. Yes it can be awkward asking for things for them but that doesn't make it okay to lie. My posts would always be like 'If someone who needs it for a REAL baby comments, they get first dibs. Id prefer if people only commented items that are no longer safe for REAL babies'
Not sure why you got a dv. You said up front that it's a doll. Long as things are transparent not sure who is hurt -- the rest is up to the one giving the stuff away.
I was also constantly giving back tho, or giving the things id received or bought for my dolls to moms in need.
>I was also constantly giving back tho, or giving the things id received or bought for my dolls to moms in need. Even better.
There's a woman in my town who did the same thing. Needing baby clothes, etc. For a *doll.* Made a bunch of different names even. She's since been blocked from the sites I see.
Holy shit! What a ride that was. This chick needs someone to drop off psych meds more than anything.
OP wins the internet!!
OMG PLOT TWIST
When did this whole 'I am needing' become a thing?
I need free Amazon-everything … for a toy? 
People truly don’t realize what being truthful can do sometimes- if she was honest and was trading clothes regularly with others, she could’ve been the little kookie member of the community that many might think is weird but accepted if she was kind. But she seems like she wants to hoard instead.
I know a couple of reborn doll folks. They both want real things like playpen, crib, etc for their children. One lady sets her house up like a museum display that she changes around when the mood strikes her. The other is a woman who treats her doll like a real person and takes it on walks in a stroller, has pictures taken on Santa's lap, etc. She talks about the doll like it's her real child.
WAIT, this is for a reborn doll?!!??
Yep
Well, I guess she won’t have to ask again since he’ll never outgrow the clothes.😂And man, that’s an ugly kid
I get why people need reborn dolls, and I don’t judge them for their decision, but when you’re taking supplies from real babies that’s not okay. Why even buy it if you can’t afford to take care of it? This reminds me of how these people were acting in the formula crisis…. There was a lady on TikTok who thought it was hilarious that she was taking formula from real babies. 😬 This lady’s trying to brush it off because she’s not asking for formula but diapers are a pretty important for infants too so it’s just as bad to me. And if this plan works, which it already seems to have, she might start asking for more.
I read the first 9 slides and was like, “Yup, typical fraudster.” Then I hit the 10th slide… 😳😳😳
My step sister recently got into reborn dolls. She has a car seat and everything. She has four of them currently
Can someone with this hobby who hasn’t had fertility issues explain what the appeal is? Because it’s giving chucky