The practical bits, in plain English

Handle her with clean, dry hands and support her head and bottom the way you would a real newborn — the neck join and the limb joints are the parts that take the strain. Vinyl and silicone both pick up colour from dark or new dyes, so wash bright outfits before you dress her, and keep her off untreated wood, newsprint and dark bedding.

To clean her, wipe gently with a barely damp cloth and no detergent, then pat dry. Full body silicone babies can be bathed in lukewarm water with a drop of mild baby wash; vinyl bodies with cloth torsos should never be submerged, as the filling holds water. Never use wipes containing alcohol, nail varnish remover, or any abrasive — the paint layers are thin and will lift.

Rooted hair is best left alone. If it needs tidying, mist it with plain water, comb it through with a soft baby brush from the ends upwards, and let it dry naturally. No heat, ever.

Store her lying down, out of direct sunlight, somewhere that does not get hot. A cupboard shelf lined with a cotton sheet is ideal; a windowsill or a loft is not. Sunlight fades hand-painted colour faster than anything else.

Babies with a heartbeat or breathing unit take batteries. Take them out if she is going into storage for more than a month or two, and never let her get wet around the battery pocket.

We carry 12" up to 20". A 20 inch baby is about the size of a real newborn and is what most collectors choose; 12 to 16 inch babies are lighter, cheaper to post and much easier for a child to carry about; 22 inch babies fill a moses basket properly and look best on display.

Some sculpts are offered across a range of sizes, which is why you will see labels like 12"/16"/20". Choose the size you want at checkout, and if the listing is not clear, ask us before you order and we will confirm.

Clothing is sized to match, so a 20 inch baby wears 20 inch outfits. If you are between sizes, go up — a slightly roomy romper goes on far more easily over weighted arms than a tight one.

Everything we sell is a collectible doll, suitable for ages 3 and over with adult supervision. Small accessories — dummies, bottles, shoes, hair bows — are not suitable for children under 3, so keep those for older hands.

For a child who will actually play, look at the soft-bodied vinyl babies and the drink-and-wet babies: they are lighter, more forgiving and cheaper to replace a lost dummy for. Full body silicone babies are beautiful and bathable but they are heavier, more expensive and mark more easily, so they suit a collector or an older child who will be careful.

A reborn doll is not a toy for a baby or a toddler. Painted surfaces, rooted hair and small parts all make that a bad idea, however sturdy the doll looks.

Choose Revolut or bank transfer at checkout. We email you a Revolut payment request for the exact order total. We email you our UK bank details and your payment reference. Nothing is charged automatically and no card or account details are entered on this website.

Prices include VAT and are in pounds sterling. Delivery is shown before you pay: £4.95 per order, free once your basket reaches £75.00. There is nothing added afterwards.

Your order is confirmed once your payment clears, and we post within the usual handling time from that point rather than from when the order was placed.

Every baby arrives dressed, wrapped in tissue and boxed, so she is presentable straight out of the parcel with no extra charge. If you would like the invoice left out, say so in the delivery notes at checkout and we will leave it out.

Not sure which one? Message us with a budget and a little about who it is for, and we will send back two or three suggestions with photographs. We would far rather do that than have you guess.

If it is not right when it is opened, our 30-day window gives plenty of room — and there is no restocking fee, so a change of mind costs the return postage and nothing else.