Waldorf Blanket Dolls are a special kind of doll for little ones to begin playing with as infants. These dolls are designed to develop the senses and to encourage imaginative play while developing fine motor skills, sensory development, and the independence needed when learning to use a handkerchief. This towel doll is perfect for babies up to 24 months old.

Introduce your baby to the world of dolls as early as 6-9 months with a Waldorf Blanket Doll. Made of soft, high quality cotton terry, this doll is just perfect for little ones up to the age of two. It can be used as a nursing blanket or a play toy and is designed to encourage tactile exploration.

A Waldorf Blanket Doll is the perfect introduction to playing with dolls for children aged six months and up. Babies can begin to form relationships with others by exploring their own bodies while they are learning to communicate with those around them. This traditional toy creates opportunities for learning through play and can be used as a soothing companion in times of stress or discomfort.

This sweet Waldorf-inspired baby blanket doll is the perfect first doll for little ones. They can begin to play, nurture and bond with this simple and beautiful toy from birth until 2 years old or even longer, depending on the child’s interest in dolls and other toys. The 12″ towel doll includes embroidered facial features and a loop so it can be hung in cribs and beds for easy reach by the child. This makes the towel doll ideal for taking along on trips too!

Waldorf Dolls With Clothes

Waldorf Dolls are used in Waldorf classrooms and made using traditional European doll-making techniques. They are often handmade of natural fibers like cotton and wool that are comforting to hold and touch. The facial features of a Waldorf doll are left intentionally simple. Features usually consist of two eyes and a hint of a mouth. Some Waldorf dolls may have no features at all! This allows a child to use his or her imagination to imagine the doll’s expression. Bella Luna Toys offers a wide variety of Waldorf dolls from organic baby dolls, to classic Waldorf dress-up dolls, and our exclusive “Heavy Baby” doll that has the weight and feel of a real newborn baby.

Dolls can be an excellent tool for children. They help help little ones, who are just learning about relationships, to develop a sense of empathy. The Waldorf blanket doll is made from soft fabric and stuffed with cotton, unlike most traditional dolls which are made of hard plastic. The Waldorf Blanket Doll comes in a range of beautiful colors that allow your child to create the story they imagine and nurture their imagination early on in life.”

A Waldorf Blanket Doll is a great way to introduce play at an early age. Made of soft cotton, these dolls help give babies security and comfort while working on fine motor skill development. The baby will love to play with their favorite toy!

Before I had this blog, I had an Etsy store, and associated with it was a little craft blog. I haven’t kept up on that craft blog but I wanted to move some of my favorite posts over here. Healthy living easily extends to the activities we do with our children and what they play with. This Waldorf doll is a perfect gift to make and give someone you love. You can make a Waldorf doll in an afternoon, and it will provide years of love.

The body and hat are made of soft cotton velour and the head and body is stuffed with 100% sheep’s wool, which smells so sweet and retains warmth when your child holds it. The hair is natural mohair.

The body and hat are floppy to enable the youngest baby to be able to pick it up. I designed this doll for my daughter when she was 2 months old.

A 2-month-old baby will be delighted to see the simple facial features. Once the baby is a little older, the doll is lightweight and easy for them to grasp, making it one of the first toys that they are able to grab on their own. When teething starts, the soft velour tip of the hat is just the right texture for little mouths to gnaw on. This doll then becomes a favorite lovey that can be toted around once the child is older. We especially like it as a ‘nursing lovey’ because it can be held and touched by a nursing babe or child without being too bulky.

♥ Care: We wash and dry our dolls in the washer and dryer. This will cause the head to compact a bit as the wool compacts, but the dolls are still fine. We put ours in a pillow case, tie it shut, and then toss in the wash with our clothing.

I learned to sew Waldorf dolls while working in a Waldorf preschool, where I worked during the summers while going to school.

Supplies to make a Waldorf doll for infants

Wool batting (you want the puffy kind)
Pins
5-inch doll making needle
Cotton string to make the eye indents and shape the head
Embroidery floss in eye and lip color
Velour or flannel for the body and cap.
Matching thread for the skin color and body color.
Gauze stockingette to form the head (we use medical gauze, you need about 12″ for the doll)
Skin-colored interlock fabric for the face

Shaped head for a waldorf-style doll

Your wool batting comes in sheets and has a definite grain to it. Open up the sheet and pull off a strip.
Separate this into two pieces, a narrow piece that will be rolled tightly into a firm ball, and another piece,which will be torn in half making 2 shorter pieces.

Roll your long piece into a ball, using pressure and making it as firm as you can. This will give the doll head structure.
The finished ball, the inside of the head.

Using one of the smaller pieces of batting that you pulled off, cover the ball with them and bring it around to gather at the bottom, kind of like you would put on a mitten. This will become the neck and keep the doll’s head from flopping backwards.

Repeat with the other piece of batting. This isn’t done as firmly as the ball for the inner part of the head.

Using about 18 inches of stockingette (I think I used 1-1/4 inch for these dolls), twist in the middle of it and then slip one end over the other, so it creates a closing at the end. This can also be done by knotting the end, but that makes a lump on the top of the doll’s head so I prefer to do it this way.

Insert the head you made out of wool and bring the stockingette down to the bottom and tie off or sew off so that the wool is all encased in the stockingette (not shown).

Using the string (I have to double it up so it doesn’t break) first tie off where your neck will be, right below the ‘firm ball’ that was made with the batting. You want to do this firmly and may need help tying the knot. I do it by making the knot and holding the whole thing against the table as I make the second knot to ‘lock’ it in.

Repeat half way up for the eye line. I put that in bold because it is important to do it half way up and not any further to make the doll look accurate.

To make your Waldorf doll face

Cut a piece of skin fabric that can go around the head completely,with overlap. Magic Cabin’s patterns will tell you to sew a head shape out of skin fabric, but I prefer to do it this way, I think it looks better. Notice the stretch of the fabric is more in one direction than another- you want the stretch to be going across, not lengthwise. This will allow it to constrict where the eyes and neck are, showing detail.

Sew it up. This isn’t going to show, the cap will be covering it.

Using your floss and 5-inch doll making needle, and starting from the back of the head to anchor, stitch in the mouth and eyes. I like to do 2 lines for the mouth and 3 or 4 each for the eyes, but you can play around and see what you like. Tie the strings together in the back of the head to anchor.

My finished doll face.

Don’t stuff the body, simply insert the bottom part of the gauze-wrapped stuffing into the body.

To sew your doll all together

Sew the body and cap out of velour or flannel or even cotton jersey (t-shirt material) is nice. I prefer to use natural fibers because babies chew on these, and natural fibers are just nicer.

{I lost the pictures for these- and I don’t have my doll making stuff any more, if I make another I’ll update with more pictures- the head is the hardest to make anyway, and I do have those pictures 🙂 }

To make the body, you can just copy the general pattern that mine is, it isn’t anything really specific. When in doubt, make your hat a little big. If the fabric has stretch, make the hat stretchy around the face and around the neck.

Trim the excess away and turn right side out.
Position the head inside of the cap and body. I don’t stuff these, as the ‘floppiness’ makes them easier for little babies to grab and hold onto, and makes them thinner to be used as ‘nursing loveys’

To get the cap to stay where I want it, I generally tack the bottom corners with pins before I start sewing.

Sew around the whole thing, use a blanket stitch or a running stitch, or a whip stitch, whatever seems to work for you. I go around the neck twice for durability.

When attaching the cap, catch not only the skin fabric but also go into the wool a bit to add strength and anchor the whole thing together. I attach the corners of the hat at the chin with a pin and then sew.

Raw edges go to the inside.
Stitch the bottom of the cap (folded under) to the neck of the bodysuit.

Waldorf Baby Doll Pattern

Handmade after the Waldorf tradition of dollmaking, our dolls from Heidi Hilscher and Nanchen feature only the highest quality of workmanship. Every detail is lovingly attended to, from the dresses they wear to the delicate features that give each doll its unique and individual look. Their expressions are sweet but deliberately simple, encouraging the child’s imagination and fostering creative play. We know that these dolls will bring you and your child as much pleasure as we take in selling them.

We also include dwarves and gnomes that might have been lifted from a storybook! And the doll’s furniture by Norbert Verneuer is of an unmatched quality that will become family heirlooms.

We recommend that the child begin to play with dolls as infants by introducing a Waldorf Blanket Doll, also known as a towel doll, which is perfect for little ones up to two years. Children will not just find comfort in this piece, but also begin to practice their fine motor skills, social skills, creativity and sensory awareness.

Waldorf Blanket Dolls are a wonderful way for infants to begin to play with dolls. These simple and beautiful dolls are perfect for little ones up to the age of two or three. Their round shapes and big eyes give them a tender appearance that is just right for kids this age. The snuggly textures and cuddly nature of these dolls makes them ideal companions on car rides and trips out of the house.

Waldorf baby doll become your child’s best friend – she’s pleasant to hug and cuddle snuggle and your child will sleep tight holding her in bed.

Waldorf baby doll can help you create a special ritual for your child going to bed every night, and during the day Apalipalka will accompany your child in all kinds of games. First toy for children 6 months or older.

The first soft doll is 10” (26 cm) tall. The body is made of the softest velour and 100% cotton.

Her elf-like hat is made of natural Italian yarn and it is sewn directly to her head and cannot be removed.

We also include dwarves and gnomes that might have been lifted from a storybook! And the doll’s furniture by Norbert Verneuer is of an unmatched quality that will become family heirlooms.

The Waldorf Blanket Doll is the perfect first doll for babies. Made of 100% cotton and easy to clean, this small doll can be used with all types of embroidery and wool felt fabrics. This fantastic blanket will keep your baby cozy for years to come.

A soft and huggable friend for your little one, this Waldorf Blanket Doll is sure to be loved. Designed with a tail that can be tucked inside or out, it will grow with your child as the toy’s character evolves. Made from 100% organic cotton, it is a safe and sustainable choice for your child’s playtime companion.

Waldorf Doll For Baby