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."

"We initially got the doll when Nora was still on the way as a gift for the soon-to-arrive baby."

"As soon as we got it, we noticed how uncomfortable it made Grace and saw it as an opportunity to get her used to the idea of having a baby around."

"That's one of the reasons it was so important for us to get Grace used to the babies."

"She's still not 100% there and needs some convincing every time they come round to visit, but once they're here, she's pretty much fine with it."

Bonnie would place the doll in prominent places around the house so Grace would have to walk by and see it.

Bonnie said: "I noticed she'd try and avoid walking past these spaces, so we'd move the doll whenever she figured out an alternative route."

"Over time and gradual exposure, her behaviour relaxed a little."

"We also took the time while the babies were newborn to let Grace interact with them, as newborns are far less likely to make sudden movements and noises."

"She was even able to hold her nephew Beckham when he was really tiny and I was so proud of her!"

Grace and Bonnie are co-owners of GracePlace Art, a business providing Grace's art in print and card form.

They spread a message of inclusion and kindness through this work, which Bonnie used with Grace to help her accept the babies.

Bonnie said: "You can tell she has this feeling that they belong to her as her niece and nephew."

"They are very special to her."