The responsibility of caring for your reborn dolls comes with owning it. Reborns are more than your average doll and as such, they should be treated differently. Remember, a reborn doll is essentially a piece of art that someone spent plenty of time and energy adding layers of paint, rooting hairs, and finishing to make it your perfect doll baby; therefore, it should be treated as such.

Besides, taking well care of your reborn will ensure that it withstands the hands of time and remains as beautiful and flawless as it did when you first got it. Treating your reborn carelessly or being too “rough” with it will increase the chance of it becoming damaged or otherwise broken. In this article, we have listed the instructions on how to care for reborn dolls for you.

Always handle your reborn with the utmost of care. Try to think of your reborn as more of a collectible and less as an everyday toy. Collectibles are meant to last and should be handled with caution. Be mindful of your baby’s fragile eye lashes when pulling clothing over her head. Don’t toss your reborn around pull on their limbs or head, or be too rough with them in general. Failing to properly handle your reborn could result in damage that’s both costly and difficult to fix. If you take your reborn out to dress up or play with, make sure you put it back in a safe storage area before leaving the house.

Keep out of reach of pets and children. A family dog can easily mistake a reborn doll sitting on the couch for one of their toys. Once they get it in their mouth and start chewing on it, even the most well-made reborn doll will slowly begin to come apart. Most pets won’t mess with dolls, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry. Small children can be another concern for a reborn doll. If you want your reborn to remain in the same pristine condition as the day your first got it, you’ll want to store it in a place that’s out of your child’s sight and reach. Small children are likely to be rough with dolls. This doesn’t mean you can’t ever let them see it, but you have to instruct them about the proper care and handling of the doll, and once they have developed an appreciation for it, you can let them hold or even play with your reborn as long as you’re around to supervise.

Avoid direct sunlight and extreme heat. A reborn is typically made from vinyl, which is susceptible to age and fatigue when exposed to the harmful UV rays of the sun or an excessively high heat. The sun can cause the vinyl to become discolored or to break down. Other heat sources, such as a kitchen stove or a hot car, can cause the vinyl to warp and deteriorate. Finding them a spot in the house that is removed from excessive heat sources and direct sunlight will prolong the life of your reborn doll. Also, never leave your reborn in a car in any weather, for a car can heat up quickly.

Clean your reborn occasionally. Small amounts of dust probably isn’t going to cause any serious concern, but thick layers can slowly damage the paint and integrity of your doll. Thankfully, the occasional cleaning will help prevent buildups of dirt, keeping your reborn looking its best; here’s how you do it:

If your reborn is just dusty, take a feather duster or lint-free dusting cloth and give it light but thorough wiping down. We don’t recommend using any cleaning product, as some of them contain harmful chemicals that may stain or even strip the paint off of your reborn.

If your reborn is dirty to the point where a duster isn’t doing the job, you may need to be a little bit more creative in your cleaning. Start by removing all of your reborn’s clothes so they are in their birthday suit. Take a small hand towel, run it under luke-warm water, and gently wipe down your reborn from head to toe. You may need to add a drop of non-toxic soap to your towel if it’s still not getting your reborn clean. Once your reborn is clean, wipe it down with a dry towel and put their clothes back on.

Keep magnetic parts away from individuals with hearing aids, pacemakers, or metal implants. These magnets can interfere with their electronic devices. You will also want to avoid getting the magnets near cell phones, tablets, computers, and hard drives to avoid damage. Some reborn dolls come with magnets already inserted into the head, so check with the artist or manufacturer to see if these magnets will be an issue.

Part of caring for your reborn is maintaining their hair, keeping it clean and tangle-free. Whether your reborn doll has mohair from the Angora goat or any other type of doll hair, you’ll need to occasionally brush it. In order to do so, you’ll need to get a baby brush or comb, both of which can be found at most infant stores.

You may be tempted to brush your reborn’s hair on the very first day you got it. However, it is likely that its wig has been freshly glued and may need a few extra days in room temperature to fully bond with the vinyl. This is especially true in hot and humid weather. Until the glue has cured properly, the hair may pull loose when tugging on the wig. If you do notice some places where the edges have pulled loose, it can easily be glued back using Aleene’s Tacky glue, which is available in all craft stores or Walmart’s craft section.

You should be gentle when brushing your reborn’s hair. If it gets stuck at a knot or tangle, don’t force it, as excessive pulling may cause the wig to pull loose from the head. Just remove the brush and try again. For some of the more stubborn knots, you may need to hold the hair with your free hands while slowly working it out using the brush in your other hand. Keep doing this until their hair is tangle-free and there are no visible clumps.