In order to maintain the utmost realism and beauty for years to come, it is important that your new baby is properly cared for. Below, I have included some of the most important rules for proper silicone care. Don’t be afraid to own and handle a silicone baby, they will be fine. Good caretaking will contribute to that.
- Your new baby is a true piece of art. Treat it as though it is the Mona Lisa. You wouldn’t scrub or bathe the Mona Lisa painting, would you? I know it is tempting and silicone can definitely handle some water, but try to not bathe your baby too often.
- If you choose to bathe, use a simple dish soap like Dawn, not too much and not directly on the baby. A bath sling is a good idea…a rinse is better, do not rub hard or you can damage the paint. Dry your baby carefully by patting it dry, then leave on the towel and air dry fully, using a cotton bud make sure all the water is out of the ears, behind the ears and around the eyes and nose, for open mouth babies make sure the inside of the mouth is dry you use cotton bud and leave sitting in the mouth for around 10 min to absorb any moisture. When 100% dry you can optionally powder and dress your baby.
- Never put chemicals, cleaners, or oils on your baby. These can interact with the paint or matting layer, and mohair- if rooted. This includes, but is not limited to, baby lotion, baby oil, perfume, human hair products and much, much more. When in doubt, contact our nursery to see if it’s okay.
- Outfit changes can add to the fun and excitement of loving your silicone baby. Every time you change the outfit, you must be careful not to create excessive friction against the painted silicone, as this will cause unwanted wear and tear over time. It is recommended that your baby is not redressed more often than once a week.
- Your baby is not recommended to be played with by children, as the baby is a fragile work of art. Adult care and supervision is recommended at all times.
- A good rule of thumb, for silicone baby handling, is to always handle your baby as if it were a real newborn. Evenly support the weight, especially the little head.
- Do not force your silicones arms or legs into a position they will not comfortably go, this can cause tearing under the arms, armpits and knees
- At this moment there hasn’t been done testing on long term effects of the chemicals used in nappy’s to the silicone baby’s. We recommend to not leave a disposable nappy on for any long period of time (i.e. a couple of weeks). We included a cloth diaper in the box opening, this should be safer on your baby’s bum
- Nearly all silicones will eventually attract dust and fluff and you can use a good quality make up brush to dust off your baby and to brush over a fresh fine layer of matting powder. I recommend to only use SAMS powder or Just Matte for this, both can be found online.
- Just like you would with a real newborn, we recommend to wash your hands before handling your silicone baby. Not only for microscopic dirt, but mostly because the natural oils on human skin can damage the paint over time. Best is to use plain hand sanitizer, without perfumes.
- If your baby is rooted, please realize that this hair is delicate and fragile. The hair on your baby is not sealed or glued and can be pulled out easily without any resistance. It shouldn’t be pulled, brushed often, heated, or pulled into tight hairstyles (such as braids or pigtails). Only use a very small amount of water or and gently brushing with a real baby brush. Brushing your baby’s hair should only be done when absolutely necessary, and must be done as gently as possible.
- Avoid to have your baby in very cold or hot environments for extended periods of time. Also try to avoid direct sunlight. As with almost anything else, sunlight can, and will, fade paint over time. Brief exposure is not a problem.
- All Silicones have slight imperfections this is normal and is part of the mold making, casting and pouring and putting your baby together.
- When using a dummy/pacifier in your open mouth silicone, only use a silicone nipple/teat, do not use a nipple/teat that is too large for your silicones mouth as it will stretch it. Be careful with the corners of the mouth as it tends to rip easily. If it does, no need to panic. You can glue it back with Sil-Poxy. Please contact us for guidance before doing so.
- To prevent friction on the lips due to the use of a pacifier, we recommend to powder it with special silicone matting powders before using it.
- Make sure all dark and bright dyed clothing has been prewashed to prevent staining on your silicone.
- Latex products interact with silicone, try to avoid contact between your baby and latex products.