An American mother makes lifelike ‘reborn’ replica baby dolls for women who have lost their own to help them cope, some of which come with real human hair and are scented to smell like a real baby. Karen Elliott, 46, has donated reborns to children’s hospitals and care homes in the US to remind patients with dementia of their children.
Karen’s grandchildren live in America, so she has reborns as a comforting replacement for them and has even made some for her eldest daughter, Rachel, 27, and her grandchildren, Caleb, six, Emily, five, and Hadleigh, three months, which they treat as real babies. Karen has two reborns – Roxy, a newborn, and Jupiter, a 10-month-old, who is made with real human hair and smells like a real baby.
Karen, from Tennessee but now living in Morecambe, Lancashire, claims reborns act as a comfort for many people who have lost babies, with her most memorable creation being for a friend who lost twin girls. She explained: “One died after three days, and the other one was four days old when she passed away.
“I’d seen a picture of them, so I made her a set of twins and surprised her with them. She just cried and cried, and said thank you when I gave them to her.
“She still has them, and that was eleven years ago.” Karen realises that some may think reborns are a strange coping tool, saying: “It might be strange to some people, but if you put yourself in someone else’s situation, who has been through a traumatic experience, it isn’t weird to them.
“So, before people judge, think about what they’ve been through.” Karen, who began her reborn business Karen’s Little Angels in 2012, said: “I was on my work break, I was working at a school at the time, being a teacher’s aide, and I was looking through pictures on the internet.
“I came across babies that were being reborn, and I had never heard of it, so I just researched it. That was when I bought my first kit and challenged myself to paint one, and I just fell in love with it and started doing it full-time.”
Karen buys blank babies made from clay, and once painted, she sells them for around £150, but some can cost thousands. She said: “I know not everyone has the funds, but they need that baby to fulfil something.
“I’ve painted many memorial babies for someone who has had a miscarriage. A lot of people want babies like their baby, so I do a lot of portrait babies, and I make them look like the baby they have lost.
“Memorial babies make me proud because it’s sad, but it makes me happy that I’m doing it. It is sad to look at the picture, though.”
Karen has two reborns, Roxy, a newborn, a sleeping baby with painted hair, and Jupiter, a 10-month-old, made to look awake, with real rooted hair and real baby scent. She explained why she has reborns: “I love children, and I’ve got three grandbabies, and I don’t see them often because they’re in America. So I have reborns instead.
“When I’m purchasing outfits for my grandchildren, I’ll add an extra one for the reborns.” Karen has her reborns on display in her living room.
“It’s kind of funny because on Halloween, I had one sitting in the window looking out, and people could see her.” I also love dressing them up for Christmas.”
Karen takes Jupiter and Roxy on errands. “I’ve taken them to the grocery store, and I’ve taken them to appointments at the doctor’s,” she said.
“I’ve not had any rude people; unfortunately, some people probably have. But, when I take them out, people are amazed and shocked about how real they look and want to hold them.” Her family share her love for reborns, and her granddaughter Emily has one.
Karen said: “She has diaper bags with her all the time, and she takes them in a stroller and has had hers since she was two years old.” Karen’s husband, Ian Elliott, 68, a self-employed quarry worker, embraces Karen’s fascination with reborns.
She said: “He loves them, he thinks I’m a bit mad, but he thinks they’re cute.” Karen would recommend reborns to anyone, saying: “I recommend it to everyone, whatever their age. My five-year-old granddaughter loves hers, and I’ve seen elderly people love them too.”
When Karen lived in America, she donated reborns to nursing homes. “Elderly people, especially those with dementia, love children,” she said.
“Having reborns can remind them of their baby, and when I donated some, they were carrying them around and treating them as if they were real.” Karen also donates them to children’s hospitals.
“When my son was 18, he had appendicitis and had his appendix removed. We were in the hospital for eight days, and they really did take good care of him. And while we’re in there, the nurses had a blue plastic doll to practice inserting IV drips and the style was hideous.
“I felt so bad, and I made them dolls to thank them for caring for my son. Now, the hospital uses the dolls to train new parents on how to take care of their kids.
Karen plans to introduce reborns to her local care homes and hospitals in Lancashire. A lot of people think they’re weird, but reborns can help so many people and bring comfort,” she added.
