A mother who hasn’t seen her child in 22 years claims the reborn doll helps her mental health

A mother who says she hasn’t seen her child in 22 years claims her collection of realistic reborn dolls has helped her mental health.

Patrizia Bartolomei, 67, spent almost A$50,000 (£26,000) on the dolls – and says owning them has helped fill the void caused by being separated from her children. The mother of three from Fremantle, Western Australia, said buying her first newborn seemed like the only natural therapy option that helped improve her mental health and satisfy her childcare needs. hers.

She has now built up a collection of dolls and takes them with her to therapy-style playdates to meet about 20 other doll owners every three weeks. Patrizia’s collection includes three boys and four girls: Pia, Faith, Harmony, Anjela Rose, Steven, Daniel and her own baby Elvis.

The dolls are specially made and cost from $500 (£260), with her latest version, Daniel, costing around $8,000 (£4,150). She said: “When I discovered these dolls, I found one locally and went to see it. The moment that little girl was placed in my arms, I felt the relief of nurturing for her child is what a mother needs.

“So I gave birth to this baby girl and I noticed I was starting to feel less stressed, the doctor and the psychologist both noticed a difference in me so I decided if it would help me a lot or not.” If not, it might help other people too so that’s when I started my therapy Facebook page. Maybe we’d just meet at a friend’s house for a craft day, we’d bring Grab something for lunch and be with people who understand what you’re going through and what love is.

“I can’t have any more children and I’ve always loved dolls, I’ve never felt ashamed of it because it’s my sanity, if you want to judge then judge. I bring them out outside and I have a stroller for them.” them.” Patrizia moved to Europe to be with her husband, where she also had children but became estranged when she left the marriage.

“It has been 22 years since I returned to my hometown, I don’t know anything about my children, my spirit is broken, I keep crying. The dolls just help the nurturing side of me come back and remember my old days. The children are young and have returned to a happy place and I think it’s very important to be able to erase the terrible memories and only remember the good things.”

Reborn baby dolls are lifelike babies created by professional designers. They are also used as therapy dolls for people with behavioral problems and can help people with sensory processing disorders.

Earlier this month, a woman from Florida, USA, said she started accumulating reborn dolls after her daughter asked Santa Claus to give her dolls for Christmas 2020. When searching on Google, Kam said she was attracted to the fake babies and has since spent $20,000 (£16,177) on 18 dolls.

“I became enamored with them, from start to finish, each reincarnation is truly a work of art,” says Kam. “They are a form of art that brings me joy, just as artwork does for many people. Collecting high-end art dolls is no different than collecting paintings or sculptures to display in your home.

“Even though I don’t display my dolls this way, I do enjoy posing and photographing them. Another reason I like them so much is because I can share this hobby with my daughters.

“They love the dolls as much as I do, and my youngest, who is three, likes me to take pictures of her holding them. It’s another way for us all to bond. I love hobbies hey because I met some of the most amazing people.” in my nearly three years of collecting. These are people most of whom I have not met in person, but who have proven to be truly wonderful, thoughtful, caring and selfless people.”