Disclaimer: We were sent this Luvabella Newborn interactive baby doll to review free of charge, but words and pictures are mine. This post contains affiliate links, see more information here.
Spin Master’s original interactive doll, Luvabella, was a huge Christmas hit two years ago (you can see our review here).
This year, there is a new Luvabella doll – a newborn version.
The original Luvabella was and still is a brilliant and much-loved toy, but it was very large and heavy, and came with a hefty £99 price tag.
The new Luvabella Newborn is much smaller and around half of the weight of the original doll once the batteries are inside. It also has a lower RRP of £59.99. It comes with a dummy and a bottle, but no toy or spoon accessory.
Compared to the larger doll which has arms which move up and down, on the Luvabella Newborn only her face and tummy move; her limbs are hollow and she is soft bodied so is much more suitable for a younger child (she is recommended for children aged 4+), and much easier to cuddle and care for.
She’s got large blue eyes and a range of cute facial expressions.
Whereas the larger doll requires 4 large C batteries, Luvabella Newborn requires 4xAA batteries which go into a compartment on her back. These are not included so stock up in advance!
What does Luvabella Newborn do?
Switch Luvabella on via the switch on her back; there are two levels of volume you can choose from. When she first ‘wakes up’ she will make sleepy sounds, her eyes will open and close, her face will move as she snores and her tummy will rise and fall as she breathes in. If you put your hand to her chest, you’ll hear her heartbeat.
If left she will quickly doze off into ‘sleep’ mode and go still and quiet. To play with her, pick her up and press the button on her back between her shoulders, holding her upright.
She also has a touch sensor on her tummy and mouth. Pick her up, tickle her and touch her on her tummy and back and she’ll laugh and babble away.
She will let you know if she’s hungry or upset by getting fussy and complaining, just like a real baby (although it’s fairly easily sorted, unlike one…).
If she starts fussing then there are a few ways to soothe her; try her bottle to feed her, or her dummy to soothe her. These are magnetic and work by holding them close to her mouth until she says ‘aaaah’.
Once you put the accessory in her mouth, you’ll hear her drinking or sucking; once she’s finished her bottle she may need to be winded by tapping her back until she burps. When she’s done with her soother she’ll yawn and if laid down, will fall to sleep.
You can also rub her back in a circular motion to soothe her, or rock her in your arms until she falls to sleep.
What did we think?
We love the new Luvabella newborn! She’s much more portable than her predecessor, and with fewer pieces to lose. Although there is a less complex range of interactive actions (for example, you cannot teach this Luvabella to talk or feed her, because she’s too young!) for a young child Luvabella does more than enough to see her firmly placed as their favourite baby doll.
Our Luvabella Newborn worked consistently and as expected, once we had learned the angle at which the bottle and dummy need to be held to be accepted.
There were a few times when waking Luvabella Newborn up from sleeping that she seemed to get ‘stuck’ and although making sounds did not move with them; this was easily fixed by turning her off and on again via the switch at the back.
She is super cute and cuddly, very realistic, and children will love how interactive she is. Price-wise, she is currently available for around £50 online, which is not that much more expensive than a good quality soft bodied baby doll.
I love the fact that unlike many other expensive interactive toys, the Luvabella Newborn baby doll can be played with whether she is switched on or off; the interactive element will enhance a child’s imaginary play rather than being picked up and played with for ten minutes here or there. I think she’s a lovely toy.
How much and where to buy
The Luvabella Newborn has an RRP of £59.99 and is suitable for children aged 4 and over, although I think my daughter would have loved her (supervised!) at two or three years old because of how light she is.
She is available with blonde or dark brown hair and can be purchased from large toy shops or online from Amazon using the link below.
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