9 Best Reborn Baby Dolls That Look Real | Lifelike, Realistic Baby Dolls For Everyone - The Confused Millennial (2024)

Whether you're looking for a reborn baby doll for yourself or a realistic baby doll for your child there is no denying lifelike baby dolls provide a certain level of comfort.

How To Select the Best Realistic Baby Dolls

When selecting a lifelike baby doll, think about what matters most to you. Is it the feel and weight? Ease of cleaning and durability? Or just the most beautiful realistic face?

Most important thing to understand: Materials

The most realistic baby dolls feature a full silicone body for a lifelike, squishy weighted feel.

However this material is also the most likely to tear and hardest to clean.

Some lifelike baby doll feature a fully vinyl material – which is harder than silicone, but easier to clean. It also offers more poseability and is easier to put clothes on/off of. I find these to be the most durable.

The third type of realistic baby doll you'll find features a silicone and/or vinyl head and limbs, with a cloth body. These are typically soft, but not as wiggly/squishy as silicone dolls. Cleaning them is somewhere in the middle of the previous two picks. The cloth body is often weighted, making it a great pick still for kids or adults with anxiety or depression.

Lastly, you an get a fully plastic doll. These are hard and not very realistic, but they can offer more realistic features like eating, peeing, and pooping.

More to consider the following:

• Features: Silicone doll just feel like a baby, but dolls made from other materials can have additional features like a voice box, breathing, a heartbeat, the ability to eat, drink, pee, and poop, and more! Some have open mouths to fit a pacifier and bottle, while others don't. Most eyes are either fixed open or closed.
• Weight: For anxiety or depression a heavier weight can be nice. For kids, a lighter weight may be easier to handle while they dress, change, and care for the baby
• Customization: Some may want a doll that looks like them or their child. Finding a doll with the right skin tone, hair, and painted on features can be key
• Cost / price for quality: Cheaper dolls may tear, break, have eyes pop out, or hair fall off

For kids, you'll want to think about your child’s age, motor skills, and interests.Most reborn baby dolls are not suitable for children under 3. With that said, dolls can be a great way to teach life skills such as caring for others or even sharing with friends.

And if you’re focused on representation, a doll that can be customized is important.

Watch Reborn Babies Info Video

Most Lifelike Baby Dolls

Best Lifelike Baby Doll With Heartbeat + Breathing: Babeside Leen

If you’re shopping for a realistic looking baby doll that is also durable enough that you could give to your child, the Babeside Leen is a smart choice.

This 20-inch doll has posable limbs a huggably soft cotton body that's weighted to about 3 lbs.

You’ll love the detail in her hand-applied lashes, acrylic eyes, and even hand-painted limbs. We like that this Reborn doll comes with a seven-piece set of clothing, rattles, a diaper, bottle, and pacifier. But you can also dress her in other newborn clothes.

We give this “best overall” because of it's moderate price point, customization, and durability. However it does not feature a full silicone body/anatomical correctness making it a better option for kids than adults looking for a true reborn doll experience.

Best Boy Baby Dolls That FEELS Real (with Pee option!): Aisite

Aisite's Reborn doll is easily one of the most realistic feeling we tested out and my personal favorite. Measuring in at 18 inches, it weighs a whopping 5 lbs and truly felt like I was carrying around a newborn.

It comes in a few different styles from painted, unpainted, larger sizing, clothing options, and one that even drinks and pees!

This lifelike fully silicone baby doll is free of BPA, soft, flexible, and durable. You can easily dress it in newborn clothes.

The mouth of each doll is cut open to actually fit and hold a pacifier or bottle.

Cutest Baby Dolls That LOOKS Real: Aori

Aori makes some awesome lifelike baby dolls that typically measure about 22 inches long and weigh around 4 lbs. These typically come with an adorable outfit and lovey.

They are a mix of vinyl on the head and limbs and a cloth weighted body – ensuring durability for kids – but a less “lifelike” feel than others on this list.

The baby's limbs are poseable and painted with hand set eyes and eyelashes giving it a realistic feel.

This makes a great gift for both collectors and kids! I know my toddler LOVES the magnetic pacifier feature (though it's not the strongest hold and not all of their babies come with this feature)!

Best Realistic Baby Doll That Can Cry and Poop and Eat:Baby Alive

Pretend play just got a lot more interesting with this Baby Alive Happy Hungry Baby Doll. While it’s not as realistic as a Reborn doll, it’s an interactive pick that will help you extend pretend play with your children. But we also like that this is an ideal choice for children as young as three.

Available in over 10 different styles, including both black and white skin tones and everything in between, the Happy Hungry Baby can eat, cry, talk, move, and even poop. Children can learn how to both feed and diaper a baby. She comes with a spoon, bowl, bib, doll food, a feeding tray, sippy cup, and two diapers so little ones can change her after she’s gone potty.

Best Budget Full Silicone Reborn Doll Baby: Babeside 8″ Mini's

If you love the idea of a fully silicone baby doll that squishy and cuddly like a real baby, but don't love the pricetag then BABESIDE's fully silicone mini baby doll's are a great pick.

These weigh about one pound and come with an adorable outfit.

Their painted to create a realistic effect. I will say, I wouldn't go smaller than the 8 inch dolls as they are tiny! And while they are safety rated for 3 year olds and up, I'd say be prepared for young kids to stretch, toss, and pull the limbs.

Best That Looks Like Your Child:American Girl’s One of a Kind Doll

Hands down, American Girl’s One of a Kind Doll is a fan favorite with parents and children because you can customize these to look exactly like your child. Each doll measures 18 inches tall and features a vinyl head and limbs with a soft cloth body.

We like that the customizations allow you to create a mind-boggling 2.4 million possible combinations that incorporate nose face and eye shape, skin tone, hair texture, color, and length, and eye color. Plus you can customize their accessory set and create your doll tee.

Popular Pick under $50: Kaydora

While Reborn baby dolls are adorable, they can also be expensive. But if you’re shopping on a budget, the Kaydora Reborn Baby Doll is a great option that still offers plenty of adorable features. This cute little girl measures 18 inches tall and is made with a poseable silicone head and limbs.

We love the cute giraffe theme which includes a full matching outfit, a plush giraffe toy, and a pacifier with a matching baby bottle. This Reborn doll is also designed to fit newborn clothing and weighs just 2.5 pounds.

Popular Newborn Baby Doll: ji*zhi

Newborn baby dolls are so adorable, but also incredibly delicate. And that’s captured in the ji*zhi Lifelike Reborn Baby Doll. You’ll do a double-take when you see this sleeping beauty that measures just 17 inches tall and weighs about 3 lbs.

This doll is made with a full vinyl body and posable limbs. The vinyl body does feel “harder” than an all silicone body for a less lifelike feel, but is easier to clean.

What makes her so believable is the fact that she has the stereotypical wrinkles throughout her body which you usually see in newborns. She comes with a birth certificate, a set of clothes, a headband, a pacifier, and a baby bottle.

Reborn Dolls FAQs:

Where can I find a reborn doll?

There are a variety of brands that make reborn dolls. Many brands have proprietary online stores while others also sell through major online and physical retailers such as Amazon and Walmart. We've found great one's from:

• Babeside: online boutique with one of the largest selections of materials and skin tones. CE/CPC certified and free from harmful chemicals such as BPA and phthalate sand. / With that said, we tested multiple dolls from them and one did have a funny odor. We still think they win though overall as a brand with tons of accessories, skintones, and even a heartbeat and breathing options!
• Realistic feel: Aisite – heavy, fully silicone options that even drink and pee!
• Budget Friendly + Durable: Aori has primarily vinyl heads and limbs with weight cloth bodies

What makes a reborn baby doll realistic?

The unique production process used to make reborn dolls adds to their realistic look. Often an artist must apply multiple hand-painted layers to the silicone or vinyl baby doll pieces to make them look more believable. Additionally, multiple internal modifications may be required to help make the baby doll look more lifelike.

Why are reborn dolls so popular?

Along with being lifelike and the benefits for children, reborn babies are often a popular choice for parents working through grief after losing a child, struggling with anxiety or depression, and have even been known to held dementia patients with a sense of connection.

But in other cases, people simply like to collect them because, with the process used to create them, they are works of art.

FAQs about realistic baby dolls for toddlers:

Are baby dolls good for toddlers?

Yes! Children learn about the world around them through playing — especially when they’re younger. So, letting your toddler play with dolls helps them learn “soft skills” such as nurturing. But it also allows them to understand key life skills like getting dressed, feeding themselves, and how to play well with others.

Some parents like to introduce a realistic baby doll before a sibling arrives too. They reported it helped their child get used to taking care of another.

One reason we love them in our house is they make transitions so much easier! When my toddler vocally declines her nap, I’ll ask her to put her baby doll down for a nap and find it 1000x easier to get her to go to her room afterwards. I’ll usually say something like, “It’s nap time, can you put baby doll down for a nap? Then you’ll go down for a nap. Then mommy.”

Benefits of playing with realistic baby dolls for children

• Work fine motor skills
• Builds empathy
• Helps with transitions
• Gains a sense of order and understanding
• Encourages responsibility and self esteem
• Helps with social skills
• Practical life skills and care of self

Do baby dolls promote learning?

Yes, dolls do promote learning. And since toddlers learn through play, toddlers learn from playing with them too! They can provide an opportunity to share and care for something. Taking responsibility through role-playing as a caretaker for one can be a great way to teach life lessons, practical life skills, and social skills for interacting with others.

Ways for extending doll play:

One of the best ways to extend doll play is to engage in pretend real-life scenarios with your child and their playthings. For example, you can pretend to feed the doll with a spoon or bottle. Likewise, you can encourage your child to read to their doll, change their clothes, or brush their hair.

In addition, when I’ve been in a pinch with my toddler during tricky transitions (why won’t she put on her pajamas before bedtime?!) I’ll use her doll to help her get dressed when she doesn’t want mommy’s help.

Why do children enjoy playing with realistic baby dolls?

They look and feel believable! In many ways, playing with realistic baby dolls helps children learn about the world through role-playing and helps them gain life skills such as caring for others.

Parents can love them too since they are loosely rooted in the montessori concept of grounding the child in practical life skills AND real life. The Montessori Method uses mixed-aged classrooms so that as the child gets older they can solidify their learnings by teaching it to younger children. A realistic baby doll works similarly in the home if younger children aren’t around.

What age is a baby doll for?

Honestly, they are for anyone who likes them. Because you can find a variety of options from soft-bodied to porcelain, lifelike, and even customized versions that are made to look like you, there’s no age limit for when you can introduce one to a child.

Of course, keep in mind any features (does the doll require batteries? Or have any choking hazards) and your child’s age.A lot of reborn dolls are not rated safe for kids under 3.

Can baby dolls help toddlers prepare for a sibling?

Dolls are a great way to help toddlers mentally prepare for being an older brother or sister. Depending on the doll you pick, children can learn in real-time how to properly hold an infant, or how to do other tasks such as feeding or diapering a baby.

Are baby dolls a gender neutral toy?

Anyone can play with a doll. And the life skills gained such as learning how to responsibly care for babies, or how to tap into nurturing modes are beneficial for both boys and girls.

Final Thoughts:

If your goal is to find a realistic baby doll for your toddler or young child, then we love Babeside thanks to their expansive selection in styles, features, and materials, certifications, and lifelike designs. Or any of the budget friendly and durable Aori doll which come in a ton of styles with weighted cloth body and vinyl head/limbs for durability.

I found the Aisite full silicone body babies to have the most realisitic feel, and were my pesonal favorite.

Whichever you choose, always make sure that you pick a doll that’s compatible when taking age and dexterity into account. While younger children probably shouldn’t receive a Reborn doll, they can make fantastic gifts for older children or adults that want something more realistic for their collection.

Best Newborn Baby Dolls to Older Babies

Originally published 4/19/21; Updated 1/31/24