China Gen Z nurtures stuffed toys like real babies, celebrates birthdays, shows affection

A new “parenting” trend in China is seeing young women embrace “painless motherhood” by raising cotton dolls as their own children.The toy-caring fad even extends to celebrating their “children’s” birthdays at hotpot restaurants, buying expensive clothes and even taking them on holidays.The trend gained attention in October 2023, when a woman took her cotton dolls to the popular hotpot chain Haidilao and made a viral post titled: “Is Haidilao Discriminating Against Cotton Doll Owners?”.In the post, she detailed how she requested a baby chair for her doll, only to be met with surprise and confusion from staff.This forlorn looking eggplant stuffed toy is just one of the many types of “children” available on the market. Photo: RedNoteShe also claimed that while Haidilao is known for its top-tier service, during her visit, staff missed food orders, failed to refill water and repeatedly refused to sing a birthday song for the dolls.The post ignited controversy, snowballing into a national debate over whether “Haidilao should celebrate birthdays for cotton dolls”.