Baby Born MGA Mommy Make Me Better Doll AA

by Zapf Creation

Product Features

• Press her tummy to hear her laugh
• Her heart beat can be heard by using the provided stethoscope
• Press her back to hear her cry
• She stops crying when you put the pacifier or thermometer in her mouth
• Her red cheeks disappear when she is fed with medicine spoon

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 15 x 14 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B0013HD9AM
• Item model number: 902260
• Manufacturer recommended age: 36 months - 7 years
• Batteries: 3 AA batteries required.
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #232,844 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Hands-On Review

Zapf Creations lets little girls take pretend play to a whole new level with the Chou Chou Mommy, Make Me Better! doll. When this lifelike baby doll "cries" because she doesn't feel well, your child can soothe and take care of her with the included accessories, and she'll quickly get better and "laugh" to show it. This doll provides an outlet for creative, imaginative play for children ages 3 and older.

Chou Chou laughs when you press her tummy. View larger.

Children will love playing mommy and feeding the Chou Chou doll. View larger.

What We Think Fun Factor: Durability: (what this means) The Good: Doll makes realistic sounds and offers plenty of unique features. The Bad: Some accessories might be cumbersome for younger children. In a Nutshell: A realistic, interactive doll that offers unique, fun features for imaginative fun. At a Glance Ages: 3 to 6 years Requires: 3 AA batteries (included)

The doll's cheeks glow red when she has a fever.

Making Baby Feel Better
Chou Chou only requires 3 AA batteries to get started. A Phillips screwdriver -- and a little bit of patience -- is needed to install the batteries in the doll's rather snug back compartment. Press the button on Chou Chou's back, and she'll start crying. Her cheeks will become red, showing she has a fever. Now, it's your child's job to make her feel better using one of many accessories.

Put the pacifier in the doll's mouth, and she'll stop crying; the same goes with the thermometer, which also shows the doll's "temperature." Her fever will persist, however, until your child gives Chou Chou her medicine. Hold the medicine spoon to her mouth, and she'll make drinking sounds. Eventually, her fever will go away, and she will even laugh to show it. Chou Chou also laughs if you press her tummy.

Chou Chou also has a "boo boo" on her arm (it's a red, heart-shaped decal). Your child can make the boo boo feel better with one of the three reusable, Velcro bandages. Or, if she holds the boo-boo in her hand for a while, it will fade.

Chou Chou also comes with a stethoscope. If your child holds it to Chou Chou's chest, she can hear her heart beating. Your child can also give Chou Chou a "shot" with the play vaccination needle. (This might be an especially beneficial pretend-play opportunity for children who are afraid of going to the doctor.)

Life-like Doll Makes For Versatile Pretend Play
We enjoyed Chou Chou's life-like qualities, especially her authentic cry and giggle. And even though Chou Chou is somewhat of a "high-tech" doll, we are delighted with her traditional baby-doll touches: long-lashed eyelids that open and close; a soft body with firm rubber hands, feet, and head; and cute, removable pajamas. These touches offer fun, versatile, imaginative play on their own, keeping her from being limited to the "take-care-of-me" functions.

Our child tester took to the doll -- and to her accessories -- right away. The "take-car-of-me" functions themselves were simple and straightforward to use -- it just took a little bit of prodding to activate the doll's cry. According to the instructions, the "boo boo" is supposed to disappear after only a few minutes, but we found that after more than five minutes our doll's boo-boo did fade, but not completely. Nevertheless, it didn't take away from our child's creative, imaginative experience with the Chou Chou.

What's in the Box
Chou Chou Mommy, Make Me Better! doll with one-piece outfit and hat; 1 pacifier; 1 toy teddy bear; medical supplies including 3 bandages, 1 stethoscope, 1 thermometer, 1 medicine bottle and spoon, and 1 play vaccination needle.

From the Manufacturer

MGA Zapf Chou Chou Mommy Make Me Better Doll includes an 18” doll, one outfit, one pacifier or thermometer, one baby medicine bottle, one special medicine spoon, one heart-shaped stethoscope, one hypodermic shot, soft, cuddly, stuffed bear, and three bandages. When you press her tummy you can hear her laugh. Her heart beat could be heard by using the provided stethoscope. Press her back to hear her cry and when she cries her cheeks turn red. She stops crying when you put the pacifier or the thermometer in her mouth. She makes drinking sounds when you give her a spoonful of “medicine.” She giggles when you take the medicine spoon away.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A Serious Safety Issue: Be Aware (Beware) of Small Magnets, March 12, 2010

By 

NightOwlBookstore "Mantis" (South Carolina) - See all my reviews

= Durability:1.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:1.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Baby Born MGA Mommy Make Me Better Doll AA (Toy)

First, let me say that I love the concept of this doll -- she appeals to the nurturing spirit in young children. But she has small magnets. Magnets! Magnets in the pacifier, thermometer and medicine spoon -- none of which are so sturdily-made that I'd trust my granddaughter's life to the chance these accessories won't break.

For the life of me, I don't understand why toy manufacturers (and, while I'm at it, crib manufacturers) keep re-inventing the same flawed wheel. You'd think that toy manufacturers would take seriously the heartbreak of those parents who have learned the hard way about this danger after their children suffered serious injuries or death from swallowing or aspirating small magnets from toys.

Parents would do well to read the Consumer Reports 2009 Guide, "How to buy safe toys for babies and children," which recommends "Beware of any toy that has small magnetic pieces. If two or more magnets get swallowed, they can damage a child's intestines. Magnet toys can be harmful for pets, too, and they made up a lot of the recalled toys list in 2008." Consumer Reports also advises: "regardless of your child's age, don't buy toys with small magnets, even if the magnets seem safely contained within the toy."

Reading the manual that comes with this Zapf Creations doll, I have to wonder whose protection is best served by this warning: "Please take care that the magnets are not swallowed or drawn in while breathing. This can happen if one or more of the magnets should get dislodged from the article or come off due to breaking of the article. The clamping together of magnets in the human body can lead to serious injuries and require immediate medical care."

(Doesn't this seem a terrible irony in a doll called, "Mommy Make Me Better," which is designed for doctor & nurse role-playing?)

The Zaph Creations website further advises parents to: "Take safety tips and warnings seriously," and to "Regularly check toys for damage," and to "Supervise children, especially when they are playing with new toys."

All good advice. But when it comes to a danger as serious as small magnets, there is no amount of risk that I could consider to be "safe." The fact that this doll is made in China only adds to my concern. As Consumer Reports also advises in their toy-buying guide: "... note that toys made in the U.S. have a better track record than many imports. Be especially wary of the "made in China" label; many toys recalled in recent years came from China."

To their credit, Zapf Creations uses only Hexamoll DINCH (a phthalate-free plasticizer) to make their dolls, which is currently accepted as one of the safest materials for making doll bodies. I look forward to the day when their dolls also pass the test of commonsense knowledge: children and small magnets are a dangerous combination. Surely, with a little imagination, Zapf could devise another method than magnets for interacting with the circuitry in this doll!

I cannot in good conscience allow my 4-year old granddaughter to play with this doll and would urge parents who buy this doll to -- at the very least -- observe the safety advice and the age-appropriate guidelines (36 months and older) that Zapf Creations recommends for this doll.