I will be the first to admit that I am not a “baby doll” person. There are plenty of little girls who adore their baby dolls and plenty of grown ups who collect only baby dolls, but I am not one of them. So it takes a very special baby doll to get my attention. In the spring when I was at Toy Fair I visited the Playmates Toys showroom so I could check out the new Hearts for Hearts Girls. While I was in there I was introduced to the WaterBabies line of baby dolls for little girls ages 3 and up. All it took was 30 seconds of this little 13″ snuggle bug in my arms and I was captivated! Think comforting hot water bottle meets adorable cuddly baby doll.
Some of you may remember Waterbabies from the early 1990s – well, they have been re-introduced so a whole new generation of girls can enjoy them. The one thing that really sets this baby doll apart from others in the category is that you can fill Waterbabies with warm water and they feel like a real baby. It sounds crazy but it is so neat.
Bravo for packaging that is not maddening! The Waterbabies dolls are held in place in their box by a few pieces of string that you can easily untie in the back of the box. No plastic zip ties to cut, just lift a piece of tape and untie the string.
Safely fill Waterbabies with lukewarm water and you don’t have to worry about leaks or the water getting gross thanks to the special anti-bacterial, mold resistant ingredient in their plastic (although the manufacturer recommends changing the water once a week).
Cuteness!
The Waterbabies dolls come with a special funnel that snaps into her back so you can easily fill her with water. From time to time during the fill process you have to give your Waterbaby a little burp to get the air bubbles out.
Waterbabies Giggly Wiggly is a little different than the other dolls in the Waterbabies series – she giggles when you press her tummy! She also comes with a bottle and a pacifier. If she has her bottle or paci in her mouth when you give her tummy a squeeze it appears that she is sucking. It really adds another dimension to the doll – because little girls love to play Mommy and feed their little babies. 
She is really is amazingly soft and the perfect size to take anywhere. For comparisons’s sake, I took a few pictures of Giggly Wiggly next to American Girl’s Bitty Baby.
Natalie’s Bitty Baby is very well loved and has always had priority on the bed – but now she has to share. As you can see from the photo the Waterbabies doll is shorter by a few inches than Bitty Baby but her head is actually a little bigger. Waterbabies do not have sleep eyes that close when the doll lies flat – they are painted eyes. Both dolls are extremely huggable and both dolls are perfect for little girls (and big girls too).
You can see that Giggly Wiggly fits nicely in my hand, making her the perfect size for little girls to love. I challenge you to fill up one of these little cuties and not pick her up. You can’t do it. They just want to be held!
The next time I have to buy a gift for a little girl, one of the Waterbabies is going to be my first choice! Apart from the fact that the dolls are adorable, well-made, and comforting, they are being sold at a price that is very reasonable – Giggly Wiggly is the most expensive because she giggles and comes with the bottle and pacifier and she is only $19.99.
Follow Waterbabies on Facebook and find a coupon for their online shopping site. You can also find Waterbabies at Amazon, Toys R Us, Target and other major retailers.
Disclosure: I received this doll because I actually won her – I was not required to do a review of her at all. However, I really like this doll and would recommend it to anyone looking for a doll in this category, so I chose to share my insights and photos.
Great review. The ones we have are all water filled. Mine is from the 90′s but my girls have ones that are from the early 2000′s. Mine is a larger 13″ doll but theirs is an adorable 10″, so very cute! I am glad they were reintroduced for little girls, although I may get me another one! And, I am not a little girl, just an avid doll collector.
Yeah, I remember these dolls…a few did have a tendency to leak a bit. I’m glad they’ve improved on that. I guess they have a watertight seal around the giggly mechanism. She does look awfully cute. Where did you win her from, Char?
Secondie! Aw, so cute
Sharry – Waterbabies was doing a promotion on their Facebook page and I was one of three winners. Natalie was thrilled, to say the least, because she loves her Bitty Baby. Giggly Wiggly is now on the bed right next to Bitty and gets just as many cuddles at night.
ADORABLE!!! I’m so gonna have to get one!!!
Cool! I was wondering if they are squishy when they have water because i really like hard plasic dolls (:
Aubrey – they are squishy and that is part of what makes them so hard to put down.
O cool i think i will save up for her those eyes just melt in my hands!!!! (:
I never liked playing mommy. And when I was little I hated baby dolls. Because I didn’t like that they would just sit there staring at me LOL! I’m over it now…Maybe….(LOL I’m so weird)!
Do they have any boy ones? My brother has a blonde boy Bitty Twin from AG and he LOVES him!
Caroline – it looks like they have a set of twins coming out soon that has one girl and one boy in it.
I LOVE baby dolls. I had so many, and I still have them all! I used to play Mommy all day long. My most prized (she’s not a bitty baby, she’s something else, I forgot
) still lays on my bed today! I think I may check these out… they are really adorable. 
Hey Char, I’ll send in the candle tutorial in the next few days. I’m uber busy!!!
That’s fine Amanda!
We had one in the early 2000′s. I think it came dressed up like Winnie the Pooh. My kids loved it. It is fun to see they are back and improved a bit. It would make a great gift! Thanks for highlighting this cute doll!
-Anna
Cool! Maybe I can get him one for Christmas or, if it doesn’t come out by then,maybe for his birthday in May!
Me and my sister had them when we were little. Hers was dressed like Dumbo the elephant and mine was dressed like a Carebear!
cute but i like lil cutesies babies better
Now bitty has a friend! But I have to say I still prefer bitty baby.
They’re really cute!!! Char, what do you recommend for taking care of curly/wavy hair such as Caroline?
Claire – I recommend using a little bit of Downy fabric softener mixed in a spray bottle of water. Spritz her hair and comb gently, then reform the curls.
Hey Char can I send in a tutorial on how to make a rug? Please reply back. Thanks!
Also I have one that’s dressed like . It’s so adorable!
She is so cute! I’ve never heard of Waterbabies before but I think it’s a neat topic to have a doll filled with water!
Do you know if they will fit in to bitty babys clothes?
Bitty Baby’s clothes will be a little big on Waterbabies, but some of the outfits will still work and look adorable.
Awesome thanks char!
How cute. My sister has not noticed I borrowed her bitty baby and Ive had her for a week.
I have one of them from when I was little! Considering I’m only 11, I guess that wasn’t too long ago
Great review!
Dear Char,
Can I do a tutorial on how to make a skirt for 18 inch dolls?
super sweet!
Claire-I would not recommend using downy softner in Caroline’s hair as it will deteriorate it over time. Yes it will make it softer, but it is ultimately damaging. I worked at an American Girl doll hair salon over the summer and all you need is water. We have dolls we literally brush hundreds of times because we practice on them, and their hair still looks perfect because we use water every time. You just need to use water and make sure you use a proper wire wig brush. Their hair is made of plastic, so it frizzes and breaks because of friction when the hair is brushed without water. I personally transformed dolls that looked like poodles using just water. Don’t be afraid to use a lot, it can be dripping wet. You just don’t want to get her eyes or soft body wet as this will ruin them.
Caitlin, thanks for the tip! I was about to use the Downy Spritz for my 55′s hair but now I don’t know if I should. She is definitely one of my favorite dolls and I wouldn’t want her hair ruined.
so cute!!!
I may get one of these, just to have an emergency warm cuddly thing. You never know when you’re going to need it.
Thanks Char!!!
Oh my gosh i used to have a doll like that when i was little!
My friend just said she would love a baby doll for christmas tthis would be perfect for her