When I was pregnant with DD1 I bought my son a doll so that we could practise with a "baby". He didn't play with it much back then, but when I was pregnant with DD2 recently he loved playing with it. He would tell me what he was doing, like taking the baby for a walk, feeding the baby, giving the baby a pat. It was very sweet. He now likes to give the real baby kisses and pats, hehe.