I thought we had Christmas all organised a good two weeks in advance but contentment soon turned to anxiety. The Christmas lists for my two darlings had been written and sent to Father Christmas, I had been advised by the elfs that everything on the list had been bought and wrapped, and all that was left to do was the food shopping. That was until ten days before Christmas when we paid a visit to see Father Christmas at our local Garden Centre and my daughter out of the blue promptly told him that she wanted a Baby Alive doll and could not then understand how he gave her a Fifi Storybook instead of the aforementioned doll at our visit. I mean how do you explain that one to a four year old ?
However, after convincing her that until thirty seconds ago Father Christmas didn't know she wanted a Baby Alive, and more to the point neither did I !!!, he couldn't possibly have brought one with him ten days before Christmas but if she was a good girl and if she was lucky she may get one on the day itself.
So never having heard of Baby Alive I thought I had better do some research on the Internet.
So what is / who is baby alive?
According to the manufacturers description 'Baby Alive is an adorable 16" interactive doll with unique stylisation. Speech prompts her to be played with in a certain way, and incorporates eating and nappy changing play. Baby Alive comes with accessories including a re-usable nappy and a bottle'.
Based on that description Baby Alive seemed ideal for my four year old daughter.
Further research advised that 'Playing mummy is more fun than ever with Baby Alive the doll that 'eats' and 'poops' just like a real baby. Feed her or give her a bottle, and then get ready to change her nappy. She's ready to play, laugh and talk with you and you will love taking care of her. When Baby Alive is hungry you can mix up some of her special doll food. Baby Alive really eats and tells you how she likes it with more than 20 fun phrases like, 'Mmm - good!'. She'll even tell you it's time to change her nappy when she says, 'Uh-oh, I made a stinky!'. When your Baby Alive doll is tired, she gets drowsy and falls asleep. Baby Alive is a wonderful baby doll for little girls. A great way to encourage role play.'
Although I was somewhat put off by the Americanisation of the phrases, the doll, on the face of it, seemed ideal for what my daughter wanted, and indeed this was specifically what she had requested.
However, there still remained one major issue regarding the doll which had nothing at all to do with the price .....
Baby Alive is the absolute double of Chucky from Child's Play. How could I possibly buy my daughter a doll that resembled the star of a horror movie !!!!
Don't be silly I told myself but the more I looked at the picture of Chucky, sorry Baby Alive, the more I was convinced.
However, this was the doll that my daughter wanted from Father Christmas so I had to put aside personal bias for one moment.
So apart from the appearance, were there any other horrors lurking ?
Having undertaken a little bit of research as to what the doll was and did, and also what it looked like, I suppose the next factor to identify was cost and this shocked me almost as much as the appearance. A quick google of Baby Alive highlighted three main sources:
Baby Alive Learns to Potty at Tesco.com for £25
Baby Alive Original Doll at Tesco.com for £59.99
Original Baby Alive at Argos for £49.99.
Me being the skinflint that I am was instantly drawn to the Baby Alive Learns to Potty variant but unfortunately when I went on the Tesco.Com website this had been discontinued. A link on the Martin Lewis website also showed the Original doll to be available for £25 from Boots but unfortunately the offer had expired twelve months previously, and a review of Woolworths, Littlewoods and Amazon websites could not beat the £49.99 offered by Argos.
Under no circumstances could I justify spending £50 on a doll, particularly as this would also mean finding something additional for her brother at such short notice which I was not prepared to do. That was it, we had no alternative other than to tell her that Father Christmas hadn't got her the one thing she had asked for and destroy her fantasy in one foul swoop.How could I do it? How could I be such a horrible father? My daughter would hate me for ever and Christmas would never be the same again. Not only were these thoughts going on in my head, but my wife kept making the guilt increase ten fold every time she repeated my exact thoughts. That was it, I couldn't take anymore and so when I was back in work on the Tuesday (16th December) I checked one last time to see if I could find it any cheaper before having to part with £50 of my hard earned cash and I'm glad that I did because there it was on the Argos site for a brilliant £24.99. All I had to do now was reserve it for store pick up and that was my daughters Christmas sorted at a price that I could justify. However, my nearest store to work had none in stock until two days before Christmas and I didn't much fancy having to come into town when I didn't need to. Luckily there is another store which is about a twenty minute walk away from work which had two in stock which could be collected before close of business on the following day. So I promptly reserved the said item and even though I have to virtually pass the store on the way home from work I couldn't wait and went to collect the doll in my lunch hour.
So all in all this was one of my more productive lunch hours. Not only had I managed to secure the exact present that my daughter wanted, and therefore she wouldn't hate me or Father Christmas for the rest of her life, but I had also saved myself the small matter of £25 to boot !!
Please note that since I purchased the doll the offer at Argos has now expired but is still available for the very reasonable £33.32.
So what do you get for your money
As I say you get a doll which very much resembles Chucky in a large box with various accessories. The doll itself measures 40cm in height which is a fair old height for a baby doll, is 32.
5cm wide and has a depth of 16.5cm. All in the unopenned box weighs 2kg of which the doll makes up the bulk so as I say it is a fairly sizeable doll. The doll came wearing a pink dress which barely covers her nappy when she is sat down which would be a little bit of a minor gripe. However, this certainly helps if you are sitting her on her potty to do her 'business' as then there is less risk of having to wash her clothes unnecessarily !!.
The doll also comes with feeding accessories which includes a small bottle for feeding her water which has a screw top and a further lid on top of this which is particularly useful when your daughter forgets she has left it on the settee !! The bottle also has a magnet attached to it which is used to activate the controls on the doll when you are giving her a drink. To accompany the feeding bottle is a circular pink bowl for serving Baby Alive her food and a pink spoon which once again has a magnet attached which once again activates the eating mechanism on the doll.
Baby Alive also comes wearing a disposable nappy and there is another one in the box. The information on the Argos website indicated that these were reusable so based on that 2 nappies should last for a while, or so I thought !! I will go into this in more detail when I review the actual operation of the doll, but suffice to say that once Baby Alive has had either a number 1 or number 2 in her nappy then it must be disposed of, so the reality is two nappies didn't even last until Boxing Day.
One last item in the box was four packets of Baby food which you need to mix with water before feeding your baby. The packets make far more food than your doll can reasonadly digest, and because you can't reuse the food once it has been made up, a certain amount of waste is inevitable.
On seing the contents of the box my only gripe I suppose is the lack of nappies, and the recommended ones for the doll are comparatively expensive. I would therefore recommend purchasing some cheap nappies for premature babies if you decide to purchase this particular doll.
Ease of Operation
We obviously didn't know how easy Baby Alive was going to be to operate until after my daughter had openned her presents on Christmas morning but what I liked about the doll was that there was a feature to enable to to test the doll by presing on her bracelet without having to open the box. Pressing the button on the bracelet changes the mode of play ie eat, play, change etc and the button was easy to operate so I guessed it wouldn't be too difficult for my 4 year old. However, one of the side effects of having a try me function is that anvariably the rest of the world has tried it before you purchased it and you find the batteries have run out while in the middle of filling her nappy. However, because we purchased the doll from Argos the Try me function had not been used extensively and as I write this review the original batteries are still working well and my daughter has played with this almost constantly since Christmas.
Getting Started
You are advised to first make sure that the doll's ON/ OFF / TRY ME switch is set to 'ON' from the TRY ME position but this is easier said than done. Firstly the switch is concealed just below the back of babies head, and then it isn't a straight forward switch where you can see where it is set. The switch itself is covered in transparrent rubber but because of its positioning you don't know what the starting position is and quite often when you think you have switched it off to save batteries you have moved it to the Try Me mode and you get the shock of your life when this American baby starts speaking to you. We've now learnt that once you have switched to your required mode you press on the bracelet to see if you get the expected response. My four year old daughter is unable to do this unaided and therefore she has to ask for assistance which is rather annoying (not my daughter asking for help !! but the fact that she is unable to turn Baby Alive off by herself.
Bracelet Functionality
The different functions of the Baby Alive are activated via the bracelet on her left wrist which is easy enough for my 4 year old to operate. She may not necessarily know the order in which to pres them but just like all Baby's they never do things as you would want or expect either !!. Firstly press the button on Baby Alive's bracelet and she wakes up. To change from one mode of play (eat - play - change - play - sleep) to another, simply press the button on the doll'd bracelet. After about 30 seconds of non-activation, Baby Alive closes her eyes and goes to sleep. If you want or need to wake her up simply press the buton again.
Food
Baby Alive comes with four packets of food which is non toxic and made of food-grade ingredients, but it is not intended for human consumption. If accidentally ingested, however, it is not harmful although having seen it once made up I wouldn;t recommend it. The instructions advise that before you feed your doll that you put on her bib and make sure her diaper is securely fastened (That's nappy for anybody reading in the UK). As I say though Baby Alive only comes supplied with two nappies and therefore we've taken to sitting Baby Alive on a dolls potty which my daughter already had.
WARNING - The doll food may stain some surfaces; wash promptly upon contact. For best results feed doll in an environment that's easily wiped clean, and away from surfaces such as carpeting or upholstery.
Making up the Food
To feed the doll, open a packet of the supplied food and pour into the feeding bowl. Add 15ml of water and stir well; food then thicken's as it's stirred. You are able to measure the water level accurately by using either the fill line on the food bowl, bottle cap or bottle. You are advised to feed Baby Alive immediately after you've made up her food but personally I think you could wait a few minutes. If, however, Baby Alive falls asleep while your preparing her food (as if that would happen in real life !!), either press the button on her bracelet to wake her up, or just start feeding her and she will wake up.
Look Mum She's Hungry
If you feed Baby Alive using the included spoon she really chews her food every time you place the spoon in her mouth. If you lean the doll back slightly she will digest her food quicker.
After every few spoonfuls of food, you are advised to give the doll a drink of water from her bottle to help break the food down and prevent it from clogging up the insides of Baby Alive. You are advised to give her a few sips at a time by gently squeezing the bottle, but you can keep the bottle in her mouth between sips. However, if you keep the bottle in for more than 30 seconds, she will get drowsy and fall asleep.
Nappy Time
As with all babies, once she's been fed and watered you will need to change her nappy and unlike a real babies nappy they don't smell !! As well as changing the nappy you need to clean your doll with either a soft, damp cloth or a paper totel. Don't use baby wipes as they take away some of the colouring.
Dirty nappies cannot be washed or reused so as I say this could prove rather expensive but I would recommend getting a packet of cheap newborn nappies for use with Baby Alive.
Is she always this good
Unfortunately not. Just like a real baby, Baby Alive can be extremely temperamental. If she gets upset or fussy simply give her her bottle, either with or without water, or pres the button on her bracelet and she'll soon start to feel better.
Batteries
As I say we are still using the Batteries which came with Baby Alive so I am unable to comment on how long typically the batteries will normally last. If you do require to change the batteries, Baby Alive takes 4 AA or LR6 size alkalline batteries.
Cleaning Baby Alive
To prevent clogging, it is esential to rinse Baby Alive immediately after each use. If food is left in the doll it can harden and become difficult to clean.
To clean the doll after feeding, give Baby Alive several bottles of water until any remaining food has been rinsed away and the water runs clear (it's best to do this over a sink). Tilt the bottle from side to side to make sure you've rinsed away any food build up in the corners of the dolls mouth. Use a soft cloth or paper towel to wipe away any remaining food. Allow doll to dry.
Clean doll's body by wiping gently with a soft, damp cloth. Do not rub.
Do not submerge doll in water, it is not intended for bath time play.
Do not wash doll's hair. If any food gets into her hair wipe it away with a soft damp cloth.
Baby Alive's cloths are machine washable (mild detergent, cold water, gentle cycle). They can also be spot cleaned with a cool damp cloth.
Hand wash the spoon, bowl and bottle with mild dish soap and water. They are not dishwasher safe.
Wash your face
Unfortunately, the Baby Alive food has stained her face around the lips area and despite following the recommended cleaning tips all I have successed in removing is her bottom lip !! You are advised to use a mild soap and work up a lather in your hands and then to gently massage into the dolls face before wiping away with a damp cloth or paper towel.
However, this does not get rid of food stains.
The Good
For less than £25 it must be said that this is a very good doll which has kept my daughter entertained fully since Christmas. She is able to roleplay and operate the doll easily and despite having a large number of American catchphrases I very rarely hear her as all she seems to do is feed, sleep or sit on her potty.
The Bad
The Doll itself is fine but my biggest gripe concerns the pitiful supply of food and nappies which accompany the doll. If you followed the manufacturers instructions you would be out of nappies before you had even started your Christmas dinner so it would have been nive to have had at least half a dozen included.
The other major issue which I have is that the food actually stains Baby Alive's lips which look unsightly. However, despite following the manufacturers cleaning instructions I have now managed to wash away half her lip whilst leaving the food stain behind.
The Ugly
You would have thought that the manufacturers could have come up with a design which was more feminine rather than a double of Chucky out of Child's Play. Please let me know if you share this opinion,
Overall Opinion
If I had paid the full RRP for this doll I wouldn't have been disappointed but I certainly wouldn't have been as enthusiastic as I currently am. Less than £25 for a doll that does all this despite the few flaws represents an excellent investment, and one which my daughter will play with for many months to come.
Thank you for reading.
Chucky comes Alive to save Christmas !! 
