Population growth is at a new low:

The fertility rate in the U.S. dropped to an all-time low in 2024 with fewer than 1.6 children being born per woman, federal data released Thursday shows.

The U.S. was once among only a few developed countries with a rate that ensured each generation had enough children to replace itself — about 2.1 kids per woman. But it has been sliding in America for close to two decades as more women are waiting longer to have children or never taking that step at all.

There are plenty of reasons for this trend (Kristin Lee, a professor at Northeastern provides several explanations here), but expect it to get a whole lot worse, because women are now fulfilling any maternal desires with…very life-like baby dolls called “Reborn Babies”:

The labor that goes into creating well-made silicone dolls is significant. With products including paint, finishing powder, glass eyes and hair, the supplies for one doll can easily run over $500.

Well-made silicone dolls can easily sell for over $5,000, because the labor that goes into them is significant. Most dollmakers start with a basic kit from one of the online retailers such as Bountiful Baby. Then they personalize it through a painstaking process of tweaking and painting, often in dialogue with the client, who may have photos of what they want the doll to look like. Vinyl kits usually start around $100 and silicone kits run about $200. With products including paint, finishing powder, glass eyes and hair, the supplies for one doll can easily run over $500. 

Women provide many reasons for purchasing these dolls: some of them are doll collectors; others are recovering from the loss of a child; still others treat the doll as if it were a real baby, as they feed, diaper, and put it in a stroller to go on walks.

But some of the most alarming descriptions appeared in a reborn industry magazine:

• For some, they provide long term companionship.
• They invoke an emotional response, after all they look and feel like a real baby.

What a twisted take on motherhood.

At a time when loneliness, isolation, and depression are endemic in our country, women are turning to dolls to meet their emotional needs.

And, how could we expect these women to snap out of it when you think of all the benefits of a reborn baby: the baby won’t wake up crying in the middle of the night; you don’t need to change its diapers; you can feed it whenever it’s convenient for you; you can imagine that it is the “best” kind of baby, one who is cheerful and smart and sweet. Your relationship with it is imaginary, providing many of the benefits and none of the sacrifices of raising a real baby.

One report estimates the reborn baby market at $200 million in 2023, with growing trends in greater realism and high-quality dolls.

There is no data to distinguish collectors from therapists, or healthy women from mentally unhealthy women, but combined with the declining birthrate, cultural loneliness and isolation, it’s worth considering the impact of the growing reborn population.

Image: Free image, Pixabay license.