The 10 Best Baby Alive Dolls

Kids who want the whole routine of feeding, a bottle and a messy diaper get it all with the Baby Alive Magical Mixer. A push-button toy blender turns food powder and water into a shake, and the doll eats it from a spoon, drinks, wets and poops. Hasbro's manual says to flush her with a few bottles of water after every meal, or food can stick inside. The powder can stain fabric, so keep play at the table.

The Baby Alive Lil Snacks doll is pint-size, so a preschooler can tote her around and pose her crawling or sitting up. Her food is a soft, reusable dough that kids press into a snack-box mold and feed with a fork. It comes back out through a hard plastic diaper flap that pops open, which means no soggy diapers to change. One small tub of dough comes in the box, and it dries out if the lid stays off.

Summer bath and pool play is where the Baby Alive Sunshine Snacks doll stands apart: she was the first in the line to both eat and go in the water. Kids press dough into an ice-pop mold, feed her, then pop open her plastic diaper flap to empty it. A swimsuit top, sarong, sunglasses and sandals come along. Every crumb of dough has to come out before she gets wet, and the tiny sandals are easy to lose.

For a child who would rather raise a baby than feed one, the Baby Alive Baby Grows Up doll stretches from newborn to toddler in three stages as kids rock, feed and play with her. A tooth pops into view during the baby stage, and she coos and giggles along the way. Four AA batteries come in the box. Switching her off sends her back to the newborn stage, and her hair must stay dry.

Younger siblings are who the Baby Alive Nighttime Snuggles doll suits best, since she's graded for 18 months and up and gives her a soft cloth body. Lay her down and her eyes close, her belly rises and falls as if she's breathing, and she plays lullabies and sleepy sounds. Two AA batteries are included, and she dozes off by herself when play stops. Her pajamas are sewn on, and she can only be wiped clean.

Press the button on her back and the Baby Alive Crawl 'n Play doll heads across the floor, giggling and chattering as she goes. Hold the button and she wiggles her arms and legs to a short tune. A sippy cup that makes her munch and a toy bee with flapping wings complete the set, and her hair can be brushed. She needs four AA batteries that aren't in the box, and there's no real feeding or diaper play.

Sleepover fans get a whole slumber party in the Baby Alive Bunny Sleepover set: a bunny sleeping bag, eye mask, plush bunny, slippers and a tote to carry it all. The doll wears bunny pajamas, drinks from her bottle and wets her diaper, and two diapers are packed in. There are no electronics, and the box is made to be played with. Each wet diaper gets thrown away, so refills become a running cost.

The Baby Alive Fruity Sips doll turns snack time into a juice stand. Kids dunk two squishy plastic fruits in water, squeeze them in a pretend juicer, then swap the lid for a sippy cup so she can drink and wet her diaper. The instructions call for one bottle per diaper change. The fruits have to dry hole-side up after play, since trapped water can grow mold.

Kids come for the teapot that bubbles for real in the Baby Alive Bubbly Tea Party set. Fill the kettle with water, set it on its pretend stove and press the button to watch it fizz, then pour a cup for the doll, who drinks and wets. A tea bag, a cup with a straw, a tiara and a comb round out the party. Only one diaper comes with her, and the little tea pieces need a home.

For a first doll that eats on a tight budget, Baby Alive Dinnertime Creations keeps things simple. Kids press yellow dough into a food tray that opens into a pasta mold, feed the doll with a spork, then pop open her plastic diaper flap to empty it. A bib comes in the box. The dough contains wheat, which matters for a child with a wheat allergy, and her hair is molded on, so there's nothing to brush.