9/01/2019

Getting Eric Ready Big Brother Ready* | Just Add Ginger


AD // Gifted

When I was pregnant one of my biggest concerns was that Eric didn't really understand what was going on. He didn't really start speaking until after his second birthday (which was causing me a lot of stress in itself) and could only say singular words at a time. And as much as we would encourage him to touch my bump and would talk about the fact that he was going to be a big brother all he would really do would be to pull my top down and want to go and play with his toys. 

It wasn't until he met Little Alexander that we started to notice a shift. Although a little back we had been gifted the Baby Annabel Learns To Walk (find out more about her in this post) I think that because she was a doll that actually did something the concept of role play was lost on Eric. However he really started to take an active interest in Alexander and it was through play that things started to click.

image shows a young boy playing with a baby doll.

Okay so he still didn't understand that there was going to be a new baby coming to live with us or that he was going to take on a new role and that the family dynamic was changing but what did happen was that his nurturing side really came out. He started to care for Alexander and act out how to look after a baby on him. The doll comes with detachable clothes and a plastic bottle and he would pretend to feed his baby and take an interest in changing his nappy (we did this using one of Ezra's) and wanting to dress him in other clothes (again some of Ezra's were borrowed for this).  

With a soft body and plastic head, hands and legs Little Alexander makes the ideal baby doll for our sometimes heavy handed Eric too. Because even though Ezra is now here, Eric is still showing a lot of interest in his dolls. And whereas some I am nervous for him to play with around a newborn (you just don't know where a toy will land if it gets thrown) I'll happily keep Alexander out all the time.

I think having a doll has given Eric an increased sense of importance. If either Ryan or I need to feed Ezra, wind him or show him a bit of attention then Eric will often replicate that behaviour through his play. He also likes to direct his baby to do other things like sitting him up in a chair to watch TV, offering him different foods or finding him somewhere to sleep. And it's been amazing to watch this loving and caring side towards others flourish

Whether your child is about to get a new sibling or not I absolutely recommend Little Alexander. He makes the ideal doll for tiny hands and helps enhance role play. He just comes with the bottle at the 36cm size but if you want to there are accessory sets available (although from what I have seen no extra outfits which is a shame). Even though we were gifted the doll with the amount Eric has played with it I wouldn't think twice about purchasing it. It's helping him learn about caring for babies, teaching him how to use his 'gentle hands' and above all he absolutes loves it...and that's enough for me!


*I was very kindly gifted a Little Alexander doll to review. This does not affect my opinions. They are always 100% honest and guided by my own personal experiences.