A soon-to-be aunt with Down syndrome overcame her aversion to babies - by using a toy doll.

Grace Reber, 24, had struggled to deal with the unpredictable behaviour babies often exhibit like unexpected noises and sudden movement.

So ahead of the birth of her now 10-month-old niece and two-month-old nephew, Grace's mum Bonnie Reber, 63, exposed her to a doll everyday in their home.

After six months of gradually getting used to the doll, Grace is now able to regularly interact with her relatives and is even happy to hold them.

Bonnie, a co-owner of Grace Place Art from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, said: "It's been incredible to see how far she's come.