Are you an excited new mom or dad and have heard about activity plush toys but aren't sure what they are?
Don't panic, La Pelucherie explains everything: the benefits of activity plush toys for baby's development, how to choose them, and pitfalls to avoid!
Benefits of Activity Plush Toys for Babies
From an early age, babies love new and enriching experiences. Even if the activities offered to a young baby remain (and should remain!) simple, touching a new material, listening to a new sound, and discovering new colors are true sensory experiences very useful for their proper development.
This is precisely the idea behind activity plush toys, also known as developmental plush toys or sensory plush toys, a must-have among developmental toys and baby gifts!
Let's discover together what activities these fun plush toys offer and what learning experiences baby can gain from them!
Sensory Plush Toys
From their first months, babies use their different senses to gather as much information as possible about the world around them.
Activity plush toys help enrich this sensory exploration: babies discover new soft or rough materials, varied textures, funny sounds, shimmering colors, a reflection in a mirror, amusing movements, and much more.
Playing with their activity plush toys is a safe, reassuring, and fun way for them to discover the world and awaken their senses with wonder.
Fine Motor Skills and Dexterity
Activity plush toys generally offer simple fine motor activities such as a tab to pull, a ring to slide, bells to shake, etc.
Little by little, baby practices while having fun and exercises their little hands and reflexes. They become skillful and able to manipulate everyday objects with greater ease, such as a spoon or a felt-tip pen.
The Beginnings of Concentration
Activity plush toys are well known for boosting the cognitive development of babies and young children. In other words, they don't just engage the hands, but the brain too!
While it may seem (too) simple for parents, playing with activity plush toys is a real intellectual exercise for a toddler: they train their memory, understand cause-and-effect relationships, develop their concentration skills, and solve their first problems with determination!
Plush Toys, Creativity, and Imagination
Activity plush toys also expand children's imaginative world, but in a more limited way than "normal" plush toys. Indeed, with a developmental plush toy, activities are predefined, whereas with a classic plush toy, it's up to the child to invent the game. Again, both are complementary, and it's always recommended to vary toys and plush toys as much as possible.
First Emotions
Even if they don't understand them yet, babies feel emotions from their first days, including anxiety, stress, and even fear.
Of course, the best remedies are Mom's voice and arms. But plush toys can also help them calm down, soothe themselves, or fall asleep. Some babies even form very strong emotional bonds with their favorite plush toy. In general, this is more of a comforter than an activity plush toy, but that's for baby to decide!
Read Also: How to Find the Ideal Birth Comforter for Baby!
My First Birth Comforter, La Pelucherie.
Which Activity Plush Toy to Choose?
Activity plush toys are among the best-selling baby developmental toys! There are therefore plenty of them, each with its own style, and offering different activities:
- Classic activity plush toys: Generally small plushes (crocodile, snake, hippopotamus, fox...) often equipped with a rattle, ribbons, different textures, and various sensory elements such as wooden rings, small mirrors, bells, etc.
- Musical activity plush toys: A big favorite among babies, these musical plush toys are equipped with buttons that trigger songs, melodies, and fun sounds to stimulate baby's hearing and musical awakening.
- Light-up activity plush toys: Some plush toys are also equipped with flashing lights and various visual effects to add visual stimulation.
- Giant activity plush toys: As their name suggests, these are XXL plush toys! They serve both as a big cuddly teddy bear and a developmental toy.
It is interesting to have several complementary activity plush toys. Baby will quickly get bored of doing the same things. Offering them different plush toys and rotating between them helps to continuously pique their interest!
Read Also: Why Give Your Baby a Giant Comforter?
Are Activity Plush Toys Safe for Babies?
Without wanting to alarm you, it is essential to address the issue of dangers of activity plush toys for babies. Accidents have already occurred with "made in China" developmental plush toys, of poor quality and not suitable for young children. The main risks incurred are:
- Choking on small detachable or poorly secured parts
- Strangulation by cords and strings
- Poisoning by chemicals
To eliminate these risks and ensure your baby's health and safety, only buy activity plush toys with CE marking. This label proves that they comply with European safety standards applied to children's products and toys.
Furthermore, for safety reasons, pediatricians and childcare professionals advise against letting babies sleep with their plush toys before the age of approximately two years.
But a well-chosen and well-used activity plush toy poses no risk to baby!
And you? Are you for or against activity plush toys? Feel free to share your opinion in the comments below