Customer Reviews

Baby Born MGA Mommy Make Me Better Doll AA

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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.