Wonderful Benefits Of Stuffed Animals: For Your Love Ones

There are so many great benefits of stuffed animals.

Stuffies, plushies, loveys, cuddle toys, or stuffed animals. 

What do you call that soft cuddly stuffed creature?  The one that is filled with stuffing and is soft and squishy.  You know the one that you may have had as a little child.  The one that your kid sleeps with or cuddles with and loves to carry all around the house.

It can simply be called their lovey, stuffy, plushy, stuffed animal or have a particular name they or you name it. 

Let your child give it a name for that extra special bond.

My son had a cute stuffed hippo, and we simply called it hippo.  That wasn’t creative but was simple for us all to know what he was talking about if he called it hip or something near hippo. 

A stuffed animal has so many great benefits for kids. But not just kids alone.  As teenagers, adults, and elderly there can be benefits to having a stuffed animal too.  Oh, and don’t forget about your pets.  Both my pets have and like stuffed animals as well.

Let us start off with kids.

The benefits of stuffed animals for kids

Stuffed animals can help child development with all the great benefits that they provide.

• For emotional support – Great benefits of stuffed animals are that they can provide emotional support for kids.
  • For comfort – When sick, or unhappy they can hug the stuffed animal to feel better.
  • To help calm them – When upset or angry about something they could get a quick hug to release that anxiety or anger.
  • Console them – when sad their stuffed animal can help cheer them up.  If going through something very serious such as a death in the family a kid can cling to a stuffed animal for that love, they need.

• For sleep –To snuggle with and get comfortable to fall asleep. 

• A reading buddy – It’s fun to have someone to read to.  Especially if you don’t have a sibling or someone that wants to listen.  Children that read to others, even stuffed animals, can increase their reading skills and fluency.

• To converse with – Even though it may be a one-way conversation, kids love to talk with toys.  This is great for kids to use their imagination and talk with their stuffed animals.  They practice talking and socializing with their stuffed animals before really doing that with other kids.  As they get older, they can talk to their buddy about what they are going through in life and tell their stuffed animal their worries, fears, and excitement.

• Feel safe with – Just having a buddy by their side can make them feel safe and secure.  If they have their own bedroom a special friend can make them feel less alone, especially in the dark.

• First pet responsibilities – When kids are little, they most definitely are not ready for the responsibilities of having a real live pet.  This can be a foundation where they can learn what it takes to own a real pet.  They can learn what they eat and how to feed them and give them water.  What type of other needs do they have?  How to brush them and take care of their fur/coat.  This won’t be anywhere near having a real pet, but it is a starting point.  Some kids won’t ever be able to have their own real pet so this may be the closest they get to owning a pet.  This also may be where they learn to be responsible and take care of their stuffed animal by keeping it clean and not lose it.

• Educational – One of the great benefits of stuffed animals is that they can be educational.  Stuffed animals can help kids learn.  When kids have stuffed animals, they usually teach them to do stuff.  Such as brushing their teeth, eating, brushing their hair, and getting dressed.  Usually, at first, this is when the child is learning how to do these basic skills of living and teaching or rehearsing how to do the steps with their stuffed animal.  Doing this helps the child really understand how to do these skills with the practice with their stuffed animal.  If the stuffed animal wears clothing with buttons, zippers, or snaps your child could learn how to manipulate those items to transfer to their own clothing.  Your child is acting like a teacher or parent when teaching their stuffed animal these skills. The stuffed animal will go on a long journey with your kid as they are learning and teaching the stuffed animal all that they know.

• A best friend – Kids that don’t have a sibling or know other kids yet will have a stuffed animal as their first friend.  Not only their first friend but a friend that can be there for them throughout their childhood.  A friend that will play with them at home or wherever they take them.  Even if they have a sibling this friend will always want to play with them and always be ready to do whatever they want to do. Awesome benefits of stuffed animals is that they can provide your child with good friend.

Basically, all that I talked about above is the purpose of a stuffed animal.  The main purpose may have started out as just a cute soft toy for a kid.  But it really has so many purposes.  The purpose of a stuffed animal can be different for everyone.  It can be a best friend for the kid that has no friends at all.  A great listener.  The best comforter.  A safety item.  Something to cuddle/snuggle with. Or just a cute collector’s item.

Tips before buying your child a stuffed animal

• Be sure that you are not getting a stuffed animal for your baby to sleep with.  A baby, when old enough to sit up on their own, can love a stuffed animal and play with one if it’s age-appropriate and is supervised. 

• When I say age-appropriate you want to make sure that your child cannot pull off anything that could then become a choking hazard.  This refers to button eyes, a button nose, thick whiskers, or any object on the stuffed animal that your child could chew or pull off.  Talking about chewing.  Babies and small kids put everything in their mouths.  You want to make sure that the stuffed animal is safe and non-toxic for them to chew on.

• Most Recommendations are that kids under 12 months shouldn’t have a stuffed animal.  Mostly it’s referring to sleeping with one or playing with one unsupervised. 
  • When your baby or child is little, you don’t want anything in the bed with them that could interfere with their breathing.  If a stuffed animal is next to your baby and the baby rolls over onto it face down, the baby may not be able to move off it and can stop breathing. 
    • This is such an important reminder to be very aware of what is inside your baby’s crib.  No frilly cute fluffy blankets, no stuffed animals, no pillows, only the fitted sheet, and the baby in proper clothing for the night. 
  • After the age of 12 months, if your child is fully mobile, they should be okay with sleeping with a stuffed animal.  But of course, kids are different and if you don’t feel your child is ready then hold off till it’s okay.

Tip:  Buy two identical stuffed animals for your child.  Put one up so they don’t even know you have it.  Only pull the second one out when the first one is missing or so torn up that you need to get rid of it. 

This is what I learned from my first child, so I was more prepared with my second one.  And it really did come in handy.  You can wash or spot-clean stuffed animals but after time they can get really ragged.  It’s also nice to have a backup if somehow the first one gets lost.  Especially if your child is very attached to it.  It also is nice to swap them out while cleaning one.  Sometimes it can take a while to wash and dry the stuffed animal and if your child needs it to sleep with then swap it for the other one, so they aren’t without one.

As I stated earlier there are so many benefits of stuffed animals for kids but also for teenagers, adults, and the elderly.

Benefits of stuffed animals for teenagers, adults, and the elderly.

• Emotional Support – The biggest benefit I see with stuffed animals for these age groups is for emotional support or comfort.  As you go through life you are constantly dealing with stress, anxiety, fear, loss, upset, sadness, and even happiness.  Can stuffed animals help with mental health?  Is cuddling a stuffed animal good for you?  Do stuffed animals make people happier?
  • Think about it when you hug a stuffed animal, does it make you feel better?  A good hug even with a stuffed animal makes me feel happier.  Just the hug alone whether it’s another person or an object.  Usually, a hug from a person can be what you really need but may not be easily attainable.  Or maybe you need a quick hug without having to explain to someone why you need a hug.   Having a stuffed animal there is a fast and easy way to get that hug that you are in desperate need of.  Sometimes it may be easier to hug a stuffed animal to get that emotional need rather than a human.  A stuffed animal doesn’t talk, and you don’t have to explain why you need that hug.  It is just simply a hug with no strings attached.  Hugging and squeezing a soft stuffed animal can bring you some joy or comfort.
  • When dealing with death sometimes all you need or want to do is cry.  A stuffed animal in these situations comes in handy.  I remember when my dad passed away.  My sister gave my other sister and me a cute stuffed animal.  I could get hugs from family members but after a while, you don’t want them to see you crying all the time.  This is when I gave my new stuffed animal a hug.  I would imagine that I was getting that hug from my dad.  From then when I needed to get a good cry out, I would grab that stuffed animal and give it hugs while crying and letting out my sadness.  The stuffed animal really was a great benefit for me and can be for other adults or teenagers.  When my brother recently passed away, I went back to get my hugs from a stuffed animal.  I do believe stuffed animals can be therapy too.

• Conversing with – Even though communication with a stuffed animal is only one way as they aren’t talking back to you, it can still help.
  • When you are preparing for a test, a speech, a job interview, or just need someone to talk to, a stuffed animal might be able to help.  Not everyone likes or wants to talk to inanimate objects.  How many times do you find yourself talking to yourself?  Or talking with your pets and carrying on a conversation that they have no idea what you are talking about.  
  • Sometimes it’s good to talk out loud about things instead of just keeping it bottled up in your head.  It can be a nice release to talk to something/someone that will just listen.  Not interrupting you, doesn’t judge you, and will let you talk however long you need to. 
  • Or maybe you are trying to work out a problem or situation and having someone/something to talk to helps you figure out how to solve it.  I do this all the time with my pets/fur babies.  I will go around the house talking to them as I’m cleaning or doing things whether they are even paying attention to me or not.  And they really have no clue what I’m talking about. Or sometimes I talk to myself as I’m doing things. 
  • There is no guilt in talking to inanimate objects.  What about your car?  Does it have a name?  Do you talk to it?  My car has a name and I talk to it especially if going on a road trip and want it to drive well.  Or if it’s having a hard time starting the engine.  No, I don’t believe these objects are real (alive) but I do think it’s okay to talk to them. 
    • And I’m not saying human conversation isn’t good because it most definitely is.  But sometimes it’s good for yourself to talk things out with an object or pet.  Especially if you are trying to figure out how to say something in a good positive way that otherwise may offend someone if you just come out and said it.  Maybe you are rehearsing a play, and everyone is tired of hearing it.  A stuffed animal or pet will be just fine in hearing it repeatedly.
  • The other situation is that some elderly may not have family or friends living and may need someone or something easily attainable to talk with on a day-to-day basis.  I’ve heard of some elderly using Alexa in this manner.  The problem with Alexa is that it may not understand what they are saying, and it might turn into an argument match rather than something to just talk to and fill that need.  This is where a stuffed animal might come in handy.

The importance of stuffed animals for pets

Do you have pets/fur babies?  Our dog Carter loves his stuffed animals.  When he was younger, he would just tear them up in a heartbeat.  Now he is older and realizes that they are nice to cuddle with.  We will often find him with his head on the stuffed animal.  Of course, he loves the ones with the squeaker inside to play with also. 

Our cat Kilee loves her big stuffed mice stuffed animals.  I think she thinks they are baby kittens.  She often carries them around the house talking to them. 

Tip:  As I did with my son by buying two of the same stuffed animals, I do that with my cat.  This is the only stuffed animal that she likes so I have bought multiple ones so that if one gets nasty after washing it a lot, I can trash it and give her a new one.  

With the great importance of stuffed animals, I’m sure that you can agree all kids should have one.  And not only kids but anyone that wants one too.

Not to mention a stuffed animal can be a very wise investment.  In most cases, you can buy one at a cheap price.  Unless you buy accessories and other items, it is just a one-cost item.

A stuffed animal can end up being priceless to your child or the person that owns it.

It just may end up being your child’s lifelong friend. Or a companion to someone that really needs it.