Dressing a toddler reborn: sizing, fabrics and joints

Toddler sculpts are longer and heavier than newborns, so real baby clothing is the easiest fit. As a rule, a 24 in toddler wears 9–12 month sizes and a 22 in sculpt wears 6–9 months, with a little room in the shoulders.

Choose cotton, bamboo and linen. Deeply dyed synthetics, especially reds and indigos, can migrate into pale silicone over long contact and the resulting stain is permanent.

Dress the arms first, supporting each limb at the joint rather than pulling from the hand. Gather the sleeve over your own fingers and feed the arm through, exactly as you would with a real baby.

Avoid tight elastic at the wrists, thighs and neck. Left in place for months, elastic will emboss a visible groove into softer silicone limbs.

Rotate outfits every few months. It keeps the piece looking cared for and prevents a single seam line from pressing into the same spot indefinitely.