Grandmother:

Caroline Mcbride and her boyfriend Scott make sacrifices to spend on their reborns

“My toyboy is the perfect dad to our seven plastic children”

hen grandmother W Caroline Mcbride fell for toyboy Scott Martin, the last thing on her mind was starting a family. But the 47-year-old desperately missed her three grandchildren living hundreds of miles away and was still grieving for her son, who heartbreakingly died from cot death when she was a young mum. So, last year, she started collecting life-like “reborn” dolls – with the full support of her 27-year-old boyfriend – to help fill the void.

TREATED AS CHILDREN

The couple now have seven dolls, three of which are toddler size, and have a nursery kitted out with clothes, cots and toys.

Unemployed Caroline and Scott – who live on £6,000-ayear benefits and have their rent paid for – say they are willing to sacrifice holidays and going out to spend cash on their “family.”

Caroline, from Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, says: “We treat them as our children. I rarely see my grandchildren because they live too far away, so playing with my ‘toddlers’ helps. I dress, feed and play with them. When I first told Scott I wanted to buy dolls he was a bit unsure, but he has fallen in love with them too.”

Scott adds: “I wasn’t keen on having a family, but our children don’t answer back and they’re cheaper because they don’t grow out of their clothes.”

Caroline starting dating Scott in January 2014 after meeting on a night out. Undeterred by his age, she says: “We got chatting and I thought he was Ok-looking. Gradually, feelings developed between us. Our family and friends were fine with it – the odd person thought Scott was my son, but it didn’t bother us.”

The couple moved in together after a couple of months and started talking about marriage. But Caroline – who has four children from a previous relationship – really missed her three grandchildren, aged five, three and three months, who all live in Wrexham, north Wales. She was also finding it hard to cope with the death of her son when she was just 27.

Then one day she discovered “reborn” babies on the internet and thought they looked so realistic she bought one.

She recalls: “When I saw the reborns on a Facebook page, I thought they looked beautiful. When I mentioned it to Scott he was a bit unsure, but he understood why.”

COSTLY ACCESSORIES

Last September, Caroline bought her first baby, a threemonth-old girl called Annabel, costing £95, and since then has bought three more babies – Callum, James and Priya – and three toddler “reborns” called Sarah Jayne, Prim and Dennis. As she bought some as kits to make herself, it has only cost her a total of £700.

A few months ago, the couple decorated a nursery in their bungalow, complete with Disney wallpaper and curtains. The room is packed full of toys, cots and a wardrobe of clothes costing the couple around £2,000.

MAKING MEMORIES

Caroline says: “We make sure we have enough money for food and bills but then spend the rest on clothes and toys for our dolls.

“Dennis and Prim are my favourites. Dennis is mischievous and makes me laugh; the others are very sweet-natured.”

She continues: “Scott and I like taking pictures of them and making memories, like any other parent. Reborns help people in so many different ways and there shouldn’t be such a stigma attached to them.”

Scott adds: “We’re talking about getting another toddler – I don’t think we will ever tire of them as they’re so much fun.”

‘Dennis is my favourite – he’s so mischievous!’