Reborn dolls are hyper-realistic mannequins that many treat like real children, and some even have a heartbeat.
However, they have a deeper purpose and are used as therapeutic aids to help women overcome infertility, miscarriage and loss of children, as well as anxiety and depression.
Rebornarts silicone baby doll was originally designed for grieving parents to give them a reborn baby so lifelike, with custom paint to look like their lost child, that they can actually take care of the doll and relieve the broken emptiness that comes with it.
This practice has evolved and changed. Dolls are now a work of art, people buy or create these dolls to be as realistic as possible, and some sell them as works of art rather than toys.
You can always customize them to look like your own child or a lost child, but it will cost you hundreds of dollars.
Rebornarts' clients have many realistic baby dolls. A few years ago, she was diagnosed with an infertility disease. Having such a lifelike doll helps ease her desire for her own baby, and taking care of her doll helps reduce her overall stress level, which is not just an art form, for some, it is source of liberation.