Keepsake Premmie Doll

Information

There is a wait list for Keepsake Dolls. Once your order is paid in full you will be added to the end of the list, currently the wait time to complete your doll is APPROXIMATELY 12-14 WEEKS and this time may vary with demand. Please notify us at the time of ordering if you hope to have you doll for photos on a specific date (eg baby's due date or birthday), and we'll do our best to get it ready in time.

Our keepsake dolls are made to a fairly realistic pattern and we use only the best quality materials! The main 'skin' fabric is a beautifully soft 100% cotton that we import to New Zealand especially, and the doll's face has a unique shaped nose with hand embroidered features. The entire doll is fully lined (no lumpy, bumpy bits where you can see the filling!), finished with solid metal joints, and stuffed using a combination of plastic pellets, polyester fibre fill, with glass and metal weights as required.

All our premmie dolls come with:

A unique shaped nose and hand embroidered face, with Dark Blue or Brown Eye Colour, or Asleep (closed eyes).

A custom-made Cloth Nappy, and a Hat in Blue, Pink or White.

Individual Poseable Fingers/Mitts. In the smallest dolls (for babies under approx 450 grams or 22 weeks gestation) fingers can't be made as they're too tiny to sew, in which case it will have mitten fingers with thumbs.

Option of bent legs or slightly bent. Both are flexible but the 'bent legs' naturally sit in more of a tucked-up position.

Your choice of Skin Colour - Fair, Medium, Beige or Light Brown (see photos for detail).

Your Premmie Doll will be made to your baby's actual birth weight, please be aware that in most cases these dolls feel heavier than they look. It's just like picking up a sleeping child - they seem so much heavier than when they're awake! If you would like a doll made to a specific size but without accurate weighting we are happy to arrange this for you, this is perfect for larger dolls used for display or educational purposes.

Standard sizes are from 20 weeks up to 36 weeks gestation. To allow for the huge differences in growth at each gestation (eg IUGR babies) the cost of the doll increases based on baby's weight. We can make smaller or larger sizes, however there are some limits to this so please contact us to discuss your needs. If you order a doll that is above the maximum weight (2495grams), additional charges will apply and we may not be able to make the doll accurately to your baby's weight.

If you have any other special requirements for your doll please include it in the customisation form, or contact us prior to ordering. Occasionally size information is missing from baby's hospital notes (or the first measurements might not have been recorded at all), but don't panic! We can use any measurements you do have and work with you to get the best length or weight estimate for your doll.

IMPORTANT:

Sizing: Our dolls will be made as close as possible to your specifications, but as this is a hand-made product there may be a slight variation in the finished length. The weight may differ by a few grams depending on the scales used, we weigh them on our digital scales throughout the weighting process.

Care: Surface spot-clean only. Do not immerse in water, these dolls contain metal parts which may rust. Best stored in acid-free tissue paper with good air flow to protect the fabric from mould and mildew.

Caution: Keepsake premmie dolls are NOT A TOY. They are hand made, and contain small parts which pose a choking hazard to young children. Never leave children unsupervised with the doll, and make sure it is stored out of reach.

Shipping: To help reduce damage to the doll's joints in transit, your doll will be sent tightly bubble wrapped to avoid it from moving in the box. We are unable to send the dolls gift wrapped as they are too long for gift boxes. 

International orders: Dolls are always sent using tracked courier - yes it's more expensive than the standard post but delivery is faster and it's covered by insurance! As a guide, courier to Australia is approx $35-65 NZD depending on the weight of your doll. For other countries we need to calculate an accurate shipping cost, please send us your location, doll length and weight via email or our contact form and we'll be in touch shortly.

Special thanks to Sandy Eding and Judi Ward, for creating the original Preemie and Newborn Doll Patterns.