Infant / baby massage doll - weighted or not?

[Pinky1976]

Hi all,

I'm going to do an infant massage course soon, for which I need to buy a suitable doll.

I've been looking at the Touch-Needs ones, they seem to be really good.

However they offer a standard version, and a weighted version, which is £15 more.

Is it worth buying the weighted version? (How heavy is it?)

Or would the standard version be just fine?

Thanks!

[saffron]

Hi

I would have thought that a weighted on would be easier to learn with and therefore well worth the fairly measly £15 - unless of course money is a real issue...

Logically, I would have thought that It would be like trying to learn massage on a blow up doll rather than a real person! I would imagine that one would have to stabilise it with ones outer fingers and hence learn to slightly squeeze the doll on either side thereby applying too much pressure to a real baby...

Having said all that, there will be others here with more specific experience than I. So see what everyone else says.

Kind regards
Saffron

[poppyfields]

the touch needs dolls are slightly bigger than toy dolls, I wouldn't pay an extra £15 to be quite honest.

I personally use a doll that I bought from Argos for £9.99 and recommend students to buy one from there too.

[Pinky1976]

Thanks for your replies!

Guru is it this one: http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...ext%3EDOLL.htm ?

[Binah]

We were asked to bring a Teddy Bear (cute) when I did my baby massage course. I suppose anything with a head body two arms and legs would suffice.

Love Binah
xXx

[Bodywork]

On our course we were asked to bring a Teddy or large doll. I couldn't quite bring myself to take my grandsons teddy so I bought a doll. Other people on the course had Teddys and dolls of various sizes. As Binah says, anything with a head, two arms and two legs will do. We had two mums bring their babies along so that we could teach them the massage. Demonstrating on a doll was the easy bit. The poor mums had to try and copy what we were showing them on two very lively 8 month olds.

[poppyfields]

Originally Posted by Pinky1976

Thanks for your replies!

Guru is it this one: http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...ext%3EDOLL.htm ?

I think that one is too small to be honet. I bought mine in 1999 and it was called Betty or something like that and came with pink clothes and a elasticated hairband on it.
the body must be soft, so when you undress it you will see white material as its body and part legs and arms.

[Pinky1976]

I have just come back to this, after leaving it for a few weeks, and have decided to go for the weighted touch needs baby after all.

Having not had a baby myself (or not yet anyway), I reckon it might be better if it's as realistic as possible.

Thank you for all your replies!