Little Sister is having a difficult time with taking baths, so I thought it would be a good idea to get her a special bath time baby. Until I had to shop for an African American baby doll I had no idea that dark skinned baby dolls don't seem to exist.
This baby doll is the only African American version of the Water Babies brand, and it's maybe two shades darker than Lila...whitest child ever. Is it too much to ask for there to be baby dolls in the same shades as people? (By the way, what in the world is this baby wearing? It's supposed to be the "angel" baby, but I don't see why the baby has to be wearing a shear white negligee to portray that.)
This baby doll is the only African American version of the Water Babies brand, and it's maybe two shades darker than Lila...whitest child ever. Is it too much to ask for there to be baby dolls in the same shades as people? (By the way, what in the world is this baby wearing? It's supposed to be the "angel" baby, but I don't see why the baby has to be wearing a shear white negligee to portray that.)
I'm an instant fan after reading this post!! Dark skinned dolls are almost non-existent, and it saddens me. Many of my daughter's friends are scared of/don't like Black dolls (even the "new Black" ones) because it's different and not something they are used to. That actually breaks my heart. I love going to our Children's Museum (east side of Cleveland, which is either black or Jewish--we happen to be both, by the way!), and seeing all kids play with the babies there, which all happen to be black! It starts at this tender elementary age...an appreciation for the human race as a whole, sensitivity to others, respect for one another. The more we expose our children to experiences outside of their normal family dynamic, the more those experiences become woven into that family dynamic, which then rewrites what "normal" is and what culture and education can be.
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