The Nenuco dolls of the world range consists of 4 dolls that all represent a different ethnicity; Caucasian, African, Latin American and Asian. Each doll is 35cm and arrives wearing a cute pink floral outfit. Layla was sent the African doll which she quickly named Jasmin, she has the most beautiful curly hair which Layla loves and keeps stroking and she has already taken pride of place on her bed.
The Nenuco dolls are aimed at children aged three and over. They are quite chunky and sturdy, so great for little hands. The arms and legs can both be moved making it easy for your child to carry out their role play ideas such as making them walk, sitting them up for a tea party and lying them down again when they need a nap. Their outfits can also be removed and if you have more than one Nenuco doll you will find that their outfits are actually interchangeable and the velcro straps make it is easy enough for your little one to change them with little to no help and, once undressed, the dolls can even go in water, offering up even more role play ideas for your child.
Role play and imaginative play are both vital for a child’s development as it allows them to recreate scenarios they have seen, heard, or imagined and make sense of them in the real world in a safe environment, having dolls that are flexible and easy to manipulate certainly makes that easier for younger children.
As well as being good for encouraging role play I find that when Layla plays with her dolls it also allows her to demonstrate her nurturing, caring and empathetic side too. She often becomes calmer; cuddling them, trying o get them to sleep and telling me that they are poorly or crying and then finding different ways to soothe them, which again is very important for development and also beautiful to watch.
Layla loves Jasmin, her Nenuco doll, and has had a great time introducing her to her other babies, taking her for a walk in her little pram and having a tea party with her. At three she is probably oblivious to the fact that Jasmin represents a different ethnicity to her, or the importance of what that represents, but for me, as a parent, I love that dolls like this exist.
I feel that being able to have dolls, toys, or characters on cartoons, that look like them is important for a child but I also believe it is important for children to be able to play with dolls that don’t look like them but might look more like some of their friends or even people they are yet to meet as it help builds that acceptance and understanding that everybody is different but equal at the same time and I think the Nenuco dolls really help with this and believe they will make a great addition to any child’s toy box.
The Nenuco dolls are available now from Amazon and you can also purchase additional outfits and accessories too.