Why Babies Love Stuffed Animals and Where to Buy Soft Baby Toys

It’s no secret that many babies and toddlers love their stuffed animals. These plush baby toys are soft and cuddly, sure, but they’re also much more. Stuffed animals play an important role in your child’s overall development; here’s how.

Stuffed animals help with social skills

Soft toys such as bears, elephants, giraffes, and so on are fun to play with, but they’re also teaching your child more than you might realise. Babies learn fundamental social skills from this type of play. For example, they may mimic their daily activities, such as “feeding” the stuffed animal or rocking it to sleep. These activities give your child the opportunity to become the carer for a change, giving their cooperation and social skills a boost.

Stuffed animals help teach language

As your baby or toddler engages in pretend play, they are learning a lot about their world, and language skills are one of the things this kind of play can teach them. Learning is easiest when it’s fun, so stuffed animals are the perfect teachers for little ones. Talking is a natural part of role play, and even if your baby can’t talk yet, they will often still babble, laying the foundation for later speech skills. You can encourage this learning by pretending to have the stuffed animals “talk” with your baby or toddler; they’ll love the interactive “conversation.”

Stuffed animals are comforting

Comfort is obviously an essential need that stuffed animals can fill. Cuddling with baby soft toys can lessen anxiety and make an unfamiliar world seem less daunting. These toys also teach self-soothing skills as babies learn that they can seek comfort for themselves with the help of their parents. Comfort objects such as stuffed animals can also make bedtime more manageable, giving children a way to calm themselves right to sleep.

Stuffed animals encourage empathy

It’s essential for children to learn empathy and compassion for others, and playing with stuffed animals is an excellent way to start. Babies begin learning compassion the moment they are born, and you hold them and talk to them lovingly, of course; stuffed animals expand on this learning by allowing babies to take the carer role and extend compassion and love themselves. When your child “cares for” their teddy bear, they must consider the bear’s “needs,” strengthening their empathy.

Find stuffed animals at The Parenting Garden

At The Parenting Garden, we have many cuddly, lovable plush toys for your selection. Choose a snuggly pal for your baby to love, or pick out one of our exclusive soft toys that offer a little something extra, such as Dex the Dog, an adorable pup that mimics the sound of your heartbeat – the sound your newborn is most familiar with after nine months in your tummy. Dex can also make a waterfall sound and several soothing melodies. We have stuffed animals that double as teethers, pillows, blankies, or bottle covers; check out our selection and find the perfect gift for your little one to cherish. At The Parenting Garden, it’s our job to make parenting easier.