[Gifted] At playgroup one of the most popular areas each week is the home corner. The children love the little role play area and even in the rest of the hall there is the risk of being run into as a toddler takes a baby for a walk in their pushchair. Dolls have near universal appeal and Baby Annabell have a range of dolls suitable for newborns upwards. To show they have a doll for every stage of childhood Baby Annabell kindly sent us two to review and test out: Baby Annabell suitable for age 3 plus and Baby Annabell Sweetie for babies.

Edit: Read a review of the latest Baby Annabell doll here

I spend a lot of time at the moment looking after Baby Boy. He needs feeding, his nappy needs changing (a lot) and he needs cuddling to sleep. It is hard on Little (my youngest daughter) because she has gone from having all my attention during the day to not getting as much, but now she has her own baby to look after. Baby Annabell needs love and attention just like a real baby. She babbles happily and she cries actual tears. She can be comforted by being given her dummy, stroking her face or giving her a bottle. After her bottle she needs to be burped or she’ll cry. She can also be rocked to sleep and wee on the potty or in her nappy. 

Toddlers and preschoolers love to pretend to be parents and my daughters are no different. I love to see Little role playing, carrying her baby around, comforting her and reading her stories. I did get a little worried when Baby Annabell got chucked down on the sofa and it was good reminder of why she isn’t allowed to pick up her baby brother.  Baby Annabell isn’t as fragile as a real baby though and she is unlikely to be harmed by the rough handling of a toddler. Her head, arms and legs are made of soft plastic while her body is fabric.

The noises Baby Annabell makes are fortunately quieter than a real baby, but they are real enough that I have done double takes on a few occasions to check it wasn't Baby Boy making the noise. While Baby Annabell isn't the most technically advanced doll we've reviewed, she is more playable for it. The noises and actions add to the play, but don't take over and she is still a cuddly, relatively light doll that I can leave my daughter playing with and not worrying she will break it.

Baby Boy received a doll too. He’s only just starting to show an interest in toys so it will be interesting to see how he starts to interact with it more as he gets older. He received the 30cm Sweetie which is safe from birth. She has a vinyl head and a soft body with a weighted bottom. Sweetie makes a rattling noise and comes wearing a hat with ears that are perfect for little hands to grab.

The interactive Baby Annabell comes dressed in a sleepsuit and hat. There are 5 accessories that come in the box: a bottle, nappy, dummy, bib and a sheep pendant. You can buy additional accessories including a potty and extra nappies.

The 43cm doll by Zapf Creations requires 3 AA batteries (not included) which enable her to make sucking movements when the dummy or bottle is inserted, cry, burp, laugh, babble and make sleeping noises. If you would prefer a doll without batteries then take a look at BABY Born dolls also by Zapf Creations.

To make Baby Annabel interactive 3 AA batteries need to be put in the screwed shut battery compartment in Annabell's back. To access this open the velcro on both her sleepsuit and her back. Once the batteries are inserted she needs to be switched on and the velcro carefully closed.

To feed Baby Annabell fill her bottle with water and insert the spout fully into her mouth before squeezing it so the water goes in (she isn’t able to suck it out herself). She will move her mouth in a sucking motion and open and close her eyes. After drinking Baby Annabell needs to be burped or she will start to cry. To make her burp you need to pat her back. Once she has had a feed she will shed actual tears when she cries and she can be made to wee.

To make her wee after having a drink of water sit her on the potty and press the heart symbol belly button. She needs drying carefully after weeing. You can also make her wee in her nappy, but this should be changed straight away so she doesn't stay damp.

When Baby Annabel is given the dummy she makes a sucking motion and opens and closes her mouth, if you remove the dummy she will start babbling.

When she starts to cry she can be calmed down by giving her a drink, the dummy or stroking her cheek (in an upright position).

To get her to sleep she needs to be lying flat e.g. she can be rocked in your child’s arms then she will sigh and yawn before going to sleep. She can be woken up again by moving her upright.

If Baby Annabell is left for a while without interaction she will go into deep sleep mode and she won’t respond to any movement. She can be woken up by being given her dummy or the bottle. Alternatively you can move the switch on her back to off then on again. If she isn't going to be played with for a while turning her off at the switch will extend battery life.

***Disclosure: we were sent Baby Annabell Interactive and Sweetie for honest review***