What to check before giving a handmade doll to a small child, and which sizes suit which age.
The short answer
A well-made crochet doll is one of the safer soft toys you can give a small child — no hard edges, no batteries, no paint. But "well made" is doing the work in that sentence, and there are specific things to check.
What to look for
Nothing that can come off. Plastic safety eyes, sewn-on buttons and glued details are the parts that fail. Dolls made for very young children should have their faces embroidered directly into the yarn, so there is nothing to detach.
No wire. Some dolls are posable because there is wire inside. That is fine on a shelf and wrong in a cot.
Tight stitching. Loose crochet lets stuffing work its way out over time. Held up to the light, a well-worked doll does not show gaps.
Washable yarn. Anything a toddler owns will need washing. See how to wash and care for an amigurumi doll.
Size by age
For a baby, bigger is safer: nothing small enough to go fully in a mouth. The 10 and 12 inch dolls are the sensible range. For a toddler who carries things around, 8 to 10 inches is easier for small hands without being small enough to lose. Our crochet doll size guide goes through all five sizes.
Supervision still applies
No soft toy is a substitute for watching a baby. Handmade dolls are not certified toys in the way a mass-produced item is, and anything sold as a collectible — including most of the cartoon crochet dolls range — is made for display first.
If you are buying specifically for a very young child, say so when ordering. The studio can leave off anything that is not stitched in.