Several years ago, Lisa Robertson created a Facebook support group to discuss the ups and downs of parenthood. It’s a sanctuary where people from all over the world make pregnancy announcements, trade ...

Imagine you’re a Target employee and you see a baby plummet from a high shelf. You rush over to help the baby’s family, heart pounding, but they appear totally unbothered. In fact, they’re laughing.

Kiersten is a mother not to human children but to dolls—specifically “reborn” dolls, a specialized class of hyperrealistic faux babies that inspire spooked curiosity in casual observers and fanatical ...