How to Choose the Perfect Soft Toy for Your Child?
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Stuffed animals always make great gifts: children love them! However, stuffed animals 🧸 come in an almost endless array of shapes, sizes, colors, textures and species.
Choosing the one who will become your child's perfect friend can seem difficult. If you're stuck in the toy aisle or surfing the internet and wondering how to choose the stuffed animal that will make your child's eyes dance, here's our guide 📝 to getting it right every time.
1) Choose the Perfect Opportunity
Stuffed animals that become lifelong friends are usually those that are received at specific times . Did you or someone you know just bring home a new baby? Coming back from a long trip 🛫 away from your family? Is your child struggling with the loss of a pet or family member? Is he/she bored during a long confinement?
Giving a stuffed animal at these times can be extremely meaningful to your child and make him smile again . Getting a stuffed animal is a way of telling him that you care about him more than anything else 💕. If you want to commemorate a special occasion or comfort your child, nothing beats a stuffed animal.
2) Take into account the interests of the child
Is your daughter crazy about horses? Does your son's room look like a box of crayons exploded in it 💥? So a simple brown puppy probably won't excite him much. When choosing a stuffed animal, think like the child who will receive it .
Does she always draw fantasy creatures like dragons and unicorns 🦄, or dogs that look like the family German Shepherd? Would she rather have a standard teddy bear or one dressed like her favorite cartoon character?
3) Ask for the Opinion of the Child
Whenever possible, it never hurts to ask the child what they prefer , especially if their interests change from month to month. Ask questions at the most appropriate times like "If you could have any pet, what would it be?" or "If you could paint your cat 🐱 any color, which one would you choose?"...
Also look at the stuffed animals that your child already has . If they're all teddy bears or zoo creatures, that should give you an idea of what to buy. A child who loves elephants 🐘 will surely love receiving an elephant plush toy but also other savannah animals like a lion or a rhino.
The best method is still to take a trip with your child to Peluche Kingdom ® which offers many soft toys 🦁 that they will probably like!
4) A Super Pouffy Plush
If you really don't know what to buy and can't get your child's opinion, go for the fluffiest, softest, cuddliest stuffed animal you can find. Kids can't resist the joyful tactile sensation of a super soft 🍃 and fluffy object. It's not for nothing that favorite toys tend to be plush.
5) A Plush Character from his Favorite Book
What a fun and magical way to bring your children's favorite book to life! He likes dragons and dinosaurs 🦕? Read books about mermaids, crabs, sharks and fish? Pairing a super fun, realistic plush toy with a book can make a great gift, while giving a plush toy that looks like a character from an already loved book will brighten up their world!
6) Take the Age of the Child into Account
A stuffed animal that appeals to an eight-year-old will likely be less than ideal for an eight-month-old, and vice versa. Stuffed animals for babies should be super soft, small or soft enough to be grasped by little hands 🐾 and free of any accessories or attachments that could pose a choking hazard.
On the website or the label is often indicated the appropriate age 🔞 for the plush in question. For example, you can see the minimum age for the safe use of the soft toy by your child on each product sheet.
7) Quality and Safety of Toys
Stuffed animals have been popular for years 🕰 and are often designed and manufactured by smaller, decades-old family businesses. As you can imagine, family businesses that have seen generations of children and grandchildren may be more inclined to think a little more about who their customer is and prioritize safety over pressure from traditional business results.
Sometimes this can mean that more thought goes into the design of plush toys, that materials are of higher quality, and that quality control is seen as a personal responsibility rather than just a government standard. Value is the key word here when shopping for stuffed animals. Attention to detail, quality feel of fabrics, and construction can often tell you how long a toy will last, and whether it will hold up to washing and constant play.
8) Choosing Plush Toys for your Baby
A- Plush Ball
Give your baby a stuffed ball. Babies love watching balls roll . Your baby can learn to roll the ball 🏐 themselves, or roll it back and forth with a buddy. You and your baby will have hours of fun rolling the ball back and forth on a clean, soft surface.
B- Plush Doll
Give your baby a soft doll. Your baby will have a lot of fun with a plush doll. The plush doll can be a boy or a girl. It can represent a police officer 👮♀, a firefighter 👨🚒, an astronaut 🚀 or another profession. You could even give your baby two dolls to double the fun.
C- Stuffed Animal
Give your baby a stuffed animal. With a stuffed animal in hand, your baby will begin to learn everything there is to know about the world of animals . You can, for example, give him a stuffed monkey, cow or shark 🦈. Teach your baby the appropriate sounds the animal makes. For example, if you give him a stuffed pig, tell him, "It's a pig. It makes a noise. The sound it makes is 'oink oink'."
D- Plush Blocks
Give your baby stuffed blocks. Plush blocks are, like normal blocks, approximately cube-shaped objects ⬜ that can be stacked and played with. For example, you can encourage your baby to build a wall with their stuffed blocks .
You can also use stuffing blocks to help your baby understand colors . For example, you can take all the red plush blocks and stack them. Point to the soft blocks and say: "These blocks are red 🔴". Continue this pattern with other colors.
Even though they are soft, cute and cuddly, have you ever wondered what stuffed toys are made of ?
Once you have chosen what type of soft toy your child will be happy to receive, make sure it is of quality and that it will not cause any danger to their health . For this, you can consult 👀 now: How to Choose a Safe Plush Toy for Your Baby?
