Babies and soft toys go hand in hand, and the kind of soft toy you pick out for them can go a long way in affecting their early development. This is why it’s important to do your due diligence and put in considerable thought into picking out the right soft toy for them, like the ones found in Pineapple!’s baby hamper in Singapore. If you’re trying to figure out how to go about picking the right soft toy, here are some factors to take into consideration before making a decision.
Learn more: How To Make Your Baby Gifts Extra Special.
Understanding the Benefits of Soft Toys
In order to understand the importance of getting the right soft toy for your baby, it’s probably helpful to be aware of the many benefits that arise from doing so.
Comfort
Soft toys can provide a sense of comfort and safety to babies and children, not unlike a security blanket or other items that they are familiar with.
Companionship
More often than not, children tend to form strong emotional bonds with their favourite soft toys, providing them with a sense of companionship and helping them feel less lonely.
Cognitive development
Soft toys can help stimulate a child’s imagination, creativity, and problem-solving skills, which are all essential to their overall cognitive development.
Motor skills
Playing with soft toys allows your child to develop critical motor skills, namely when they start to manipulate, grasp, and cuddle said soft toys.
Emotional development
Children often treat their soft toys like they’re sentient beings, allowing them to practise empathy and nurturing behaviours, as well as develop emotional expression and self-regulation.
Choosing the Right Soft Toy
Coupled with the aforementioned benefits, it’s just as important to factor in other relevant considerations — a good soft toy shouldn’t just be stimulating; it should also be age-appropriate, safe, and hygienic. With those factors in mind, here’s how you can pick out the right soft toy for your child, or a baby gift basket if you’re picking it out for someone else’s child.
Only get age-appropriate toys
Age range tags exist on soft toys for a reason; they indicate the toy’s suitability in terms of safety, as well as the child’s ability to comprehend and enjoy it. Getting a child a soft toy beyond or beneath their age range will ultimately limit the holistic experience that they could have with a more appropriate soft toy instead.
Ensure soft toys are made with safe materials
There are many different kinds of soft toys available, but not all of them are actually thoughtfully made with the child’s considerations taken into account. When you pick out a soft toy, ensure that it is made from high-quality, non-toxic, and eco-friendly materials, such as organic cotton, wool, and bamboo. This prevents the child from being exposed to potentially harmful chemical by-products. You’re also more likely to find safe soft toys in curated baby hampers in Singapore by brands specially catered towards babies and new mothers like Pineapple!.
Avoid small and loose parts
Without safety, even the best soft toy in the world would be rendered unsuitable for any child. To that end, avoid toys with small parts or long strings and threads as they significantly increase the risk of choking or even strangulation. Instead, choose soft toys that meet stringent safety standards, like the ones found in our baby gift hampers.
Get washable toys
Babies are often messy, leaving saliva, mucus, and other bodily fluids around. Their soft toys aren’t spared either, which is why you should choose one that can be washed and cleaned so the child can continue playing in a clean and safe environment. This is one of the reasons why you should also refrain from getting electric soft toys, appealing as they may be, as apart from the very real risk of electrocution, they are also much harder to clean.
It can be difficult to find soft toys that tick all the boxes — instead, let Pineapple! put your mind at ease. Find thoughtfully made and curated soft toys here at our one-stop baby gift shop with customisable baby gift hampers for a truly special gift for babies and new mothers.
