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How to Choose and Buy a Soft Toy

It seems to be traditional that babies when they're born will probably be given many, many soft, cuddly toys. The cuddly toys will be tiny, medium sized and gigantic – possibly 10 times the size of the baby.

Why Do Babies Need Soft Toys?

When we were younger we possibly all had a couple of soft toys that really meant something to us.

For most of us, the teddy bear was the soft toy of choice, whether it was a white one with a blue satin ribbon round its neck or a traditional brown one with a tartan hat. Some of us were lucky enough to have a designer teddy bear – but designer teddy bears were to be looked at but not touched.

Today soft toys come in all shapes and sizes from the traditional teddy bears to colourful developmental infant toys to electronic singing, interacting dinosaurs.

Soft toys can provide comfort to a baby particularly if a toy is constantly around the baby. Some babies prefer comforters or blankies while others will attach themselves to a particular object and refuse to leave the house without it.

Babies find comfort from objects that are familiar – objects that mean something to baby will help smooth over unfamiliar situations for baby. Perhaps when baby is on holiday for the first time away from his cot and room, he will reach for a familiar object to feel more secure. Other times you will see a child seek comfort are perhaps when they start school or nursery. Allow your child the right to seek comfort from a familiar object and don't try to take it away.

Choosing and Buying a Soft Toy for a Baby – Hints and Tips

Soft toys need to be chosen with care for a new baby. Here are some hints and tips on what to look for when choosing and buying a soft toy:

• Make sure that the soft toy is not too hairy and that its eyes are not made from buttons.
• Check that the toy will not fall apart and make sure there are no strings or ribbons that could accidentally harm baby.
• Check to see that it has a safety mark. If the toy doesn't pass the test, leave it and find something else.
• Choose for baby, not for yourself! You may think that a three-foot Eeyore is the bee's knees but baby may prefer a wooden rattle.
• Think about the age of the baby and the appropriateness of the toy.
• Some families collect soft toys whenever they stay in a particular place and others follow a particular toy series so ask before you buy.
• Babies appreciate toys that help them learn about the world as well so when looking at a soft toy think about what developmental opportunities it will give baby. Is the toy designed to encourage the waking of the senses or is it going to be a soft toy that is a much loved calming bedtime companion?

You can find some more details about some of the most popular soft toys that you can buy online on our Types of Soft Toy page.

To find out more about what to look out for when choosing and buying nursery toys visit our How to Choose and Buy a Baby Toy for Different Ages section and our How to Choose and Buy a Baby Toy for Helping to Develop Different Skills section.

To find out more about the different online baby and nursery toy shops and stores visit our Top Sites section.

To see what different nursery toy manufacturers offer visit our Brands section.

You can also find out more in our How to Play with Baby section.