Comments on: In Search of PVC-Free Baby Dolls

By: safbaby

safbaby — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:00:53 +0000

We are just offering the facts here. What ever intentions YOU have behind your actions is strictly UP TO YOU.
If you are NOT stingy or neurotic, than you very well may take the time to find a doll for a child you love that is healthy and safe for them and the planet (their future).

By: teresa

teresa — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:32:51 +0000

Thank you for taking the fun of giving a child a doll. Plastic dolls have been around for more than 60 years. Now is when you find that they are dangerous and of course this will relieve the guilt of parents who look for any type of reason not to buy a child a doll either because they are too stingy or neurotic.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 03:15:26 +0000

I think it’s worth mentioning in reference to dolls with wool components that sheep are absolutely loaded with insecticides (which often contain phthalates) prior to shearing, including things like malathion. It would be worth looking into what kind of wool is used in say, a Kathe Kruse waldorf doll, and asking about residual pesticides before shelling out a heap of money for a doll that may contain hazardous chemicals.

Also, in reference to PVC, not all vinyl is created equal. The softer the vinyl, the more plasticizers (generally recognized as the more dangerous component of vinyl, to my understanding). The Kathe Kruse dolls with vinyl components actually use the (comparatively) safest vinyl available. It’s called Hexamoll Dinch, is German-manufactured, and that which is used in the dolls is extremely hard. Corolle, on the other hand, uses extremely soft, pliable vinyl. We’ve owned one of each, and our Kathe Kruse doll strikes me as being made of a much safer material. We’ve actually given our Corolle doll away because something about the plastic seemed intuitively icky.

By: Dana

Dana — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:15:22 +0000

Thanks for this great article!

Reply to Rachel: It says plainly at the end of the article that even cloth dolls can be stuffed with vinyl pellets. A couple of U.S. states (including mine) require that the tag on a cloth doll or plush animal states what materials were used in its manufacture. So just read the tag and it’ll tell you whether the pellets are PE or PVC. You want PE.

By: Kathy

Kathy — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 14:13:47 +0000

This is such a great article…. thanks for sharing it!

By: safbaby2

safbaby2 — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 03:25:27 +0000

Manhattan Toy’s Baby Stella is stuffed with PVC pellets.

By: safbaby

safbaby — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 00:39:41 +0000

I am sure there are numerous safe soft baby dolls out there, so I would suggest contacting the manufacturer regarding materials used and safety testings done. Also ask manufacturer if they use safe non-toxic colorings and if soft dolls are free of heavy metals and fire retardants.

Best,

Sandra

By: Trisha

Trisha — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 18:42:30 +0000

Oh and what about Madame Alexander’s cloth dolls or Manhattan Toy’s Baby Stella?

Thanks

By: Trisha

Trisha — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 18:01:47 +0000

What about the Sweet Dolly by Baby Gund? She’s machine washable and a soft baby. Your comment about being sprayed with flame retardants is very concerning. I can’t believe those would be sprayed on children’s items, but I guess they are.

Thanks

Trisha

By: safbaby

safbaby — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 05:08:25 +0000

Dear Rachel

Thanks for telling us about these Pottery Barns dolls. We like that they exceed the safety standards but dislike that you can only spot clean them. A doll is likely to get dirty on a weekly basis and it’s so important to be able to machine or hand wash it. High quality dolls should be washable, so I would not buy or recommend these dolls.

Best,

Sandra