When babies are born, they feel a a great need for physical closeness, security, and a huge amount of affection and love. At the beginning, their sleep rhythm is completely chaotic.
Gradually you get used to each other and your sleep habits adapt. From time to time, your little ones may still have trouble falling asleep, which can also cost you sleep.
Generally, sleep problems occur especially when your babies are hungry or have gas, feel (growth) pains, are teething, find light or noise disturbing, or perceive the room temperature as uncomfortable.
Physical closeness from you as parents usually works wonders and the little ones can be soothed.
To make falling asleep even more comfortable – also for you parents – sleep aids like cuddly toys and pacifiers are the perfect way to get through the night more relaxed. Cuddly toys can give your infants and toddlers an enormous amount of give comfort and security.
Because paired with your parental scents and a cuddly soft silhouette your babies don't feel so alone.
Thus they feel less fear and fall asleep more easily.As a rule, cuddly toys consist of two main elements, the fabric cover made of synthetic or natural fibers and the filling made of cotton wool, synthetic fibers, or granulate
. However, the very first cuddly friend that is allowed to get comfortable in the bed next to your infants should not yet be made of plush.Plush tickles too much when chewed on and also carries the risk of swallowing fibers. Therefore you should rather opt for terry cloth for the first cuddly toy
.
In general, in the early period only a single cuddly toy in the bed is recommended so that your babies can breathe freely and have significantly more freedom of movement.
Popular cuddly toys include all kinds of animals as well as comic characters or fantasy and mythical creatures. A teddy bear is probably one of the most famous stuffed animals worldwide. In every generation there are hardly any people who haven't owned a sweet cuddly bear.
The very first cuddly friends: cute pacifier bunnies & cuddly soft baby dolls
Pacifier bunnies
The pacifier bunny is one of the most popular sleep aids in our range. On its ear it carries your baby's pacifier with a snap fastener. That way the cuddly friend combines two aids that rock your little ones into sweet dreams. The best part: the eternal morning search for the pacifier in the bed is also made easier.What to look for when buying?Quality and safety: Cuddly toys should
be free of harmful substances and easy to care for. The outer fabric and the filling are usually decisive in whether the cuddly friends can be cleaned in the washing machine or not. Filling: The filling should be soft and fluffy. Plush, nicky fabric and microfiber
are best suited. In the first months of your infants' lives, however, rougher terry cloth cuddly toys are the better choice, so it's not only the soft feel that matters here. Construction: Stuffed animals should be firmly stitched
and able to withstand any strain. Your children will take them on many different journeys from infancy through primary school, so they should be as robust as possible. Washability: It's best if you can wash the cuddly toys very easily
, so that you can clean them regularly and quickly. Seals of approval and standards: Your cuddly toys should all have a CE marking indicating that they comply with the applicable European directives. In addition, a LGA quality seal (stands for processing free of harmful substances) is important, as well as a TÜV seal
, which shows that the cuddly toys have been tested on several pedagogical as well as technical levels. Size:
The cuddly toy should match your child's body size; otherwise cuddling will be rather uncomfortable.
The importance of cuddly toys for your babiesIf you accustom your babies to cuddly toys already in the first months of life, it is very likely that they will want to have their new favorites with them in later developmental stages as well and see them as best friends.Their fabric or plush toy will be their protector in many ways. Cuddly toys break the feeling of being alone, they give your children
comfort and security, which could otherwise only be fulfilled by mom and dad.They are also their strengthening friends when they are afraid in the dark. If they wake up at night and mom and dad seem too far away, their cuddly friends give them the feeling that nothing will happen to them. This is often due to the smells that your babies associate with them. So there is always parental love in the air..
Cuddly toys are of immeasurable emotional valueThey accompany your babies not only to sleep, they also start the day together with them. The soft friends provide comfort and strength in a wide variety of situations.For example, if it's time for a nap and your little ones are not ready to settle down yet, their favorite cuddly toys make it easier for them to cope with their emotions
.If you then explain to your children that a stuffed animal also needs a nap, going to bed becomes easier – after all, they are not alone with it. The so-called transferring of emotions playfully teaches them to understand different relationships.For toddlers, children of primary school age and often beyond, cuddly toys are
worry eaters and true everyday companions
, who together with them
process experiences.Playing with them also teaches your kids social skills. Role play and imitating experienced everyday situations train them in interacting with others. This makes, for example, the first visit to daycare or primary school much easier for the little ones.Motor development is also promoted by interacting with plush toys. Through the different elements and a mix of firm, soft or even rough components, all senses are stimulated and trained upon touching. All in all, cuddly toys do your children good – they will surely also put a smile on your face from time to time.Types of cuddly toys and other sleep aids
Whether plush elephants, teddy bears or little wildcats –
you can find cuddly toys in the most diverse styles and colors. Additionally, there are other sleep aids that come very close to the cuddly companions and can even be used as a great supplement for sweet dreams. HABA has put together a overview of sleep aids and HABA heroes
Various cloth dolls
Neutral-looking cloth dolls or traditional play dolls are also popular with children. They give them the feeling of talking to a real little friend, with whom they can role‑play everyday situations and process what they've experienced. HABA has a varied selection where you'll certainly find something.
Hand puppets
With hand and finger puppets, you can tell the funniest stories. This turns the living room into your very own theatre, where you can let your creativity run free. Your children can slip into imaginative roles and give familiar stories a whole new spin.\r\nIn the HABA range you'll find a wide variety of characters. Be inspired and choose the hand and finger puppets that suit you best.
Pacifiers & Comfort Cloths
You probably know it: You have plenty of pacifiers and yet you still look for them. Pacifier chains and comfort cloths that give pacifiers a home, can help you with that. That brings the never-ending search to an end and your babies can reach for their soothing companions more quickly. The HABA Shop has something for every taste. Choose the right pacifiers, pacifier chains and comfort cloths – the selection is colorful and vast.
Soft warming animals & cuddle pillows
Warming animals and cuddle pillows are an alternative to the traditional cuddly toys. They give your children a warm feeling. Resting your head on a soft cuddle pillow is a good way to dream away worries and fears. Browse the HABA range and choose between cuddle pillows in many different varieties or cute warming animals.
Lights, Mobiles & Music Boxes
In addition to stuffed animals, lights, mobiles and music boxes are also especially great sleep aids for babies, toddlers and older children. They have a calming effect and quickly put your kids into a sleepy state. They can then drift off into the land of dreams worry-free. HABA offers a diverse range of sleep aids so you're sure to find the right option for your dreamers.
How to get your babies used to cuddly toys for falling asleep
Your babies need time in the first months of their lives to gradually get used to a regular day and night rhythm to get used to. They are learning it completely anew, so patience is required.
It won't always succeed that your little ones find sleep calmly and relaxed. If you want to use sleep aids like pacifiers and cuddly toys, you can practice handling them very easily: goodbye to worries and concerns.
To help your babies fall asleep well, you should create a certain feel-good atmosphere. Make sure that the crib is not too overstuffed and that you first use only one cuddly toy made of terry cloth for acclimatization is used. The ideal bedroom temperature is just as important as appropriate sleepwear. Basically, you should approach the topic of falling asleep in a relaxed way. Your babies will not be able to fall asleep equally well every day and so falling asleep with cuddly toys will not work on every single day either.
Practice makes perfect. Create bedtime rituals that give your children the feeling that they can now calmly close their eyes and enter their dream world.
You should also let the cuddly companion be used during the day as well – during play, cuddling or even the midday nap. Only in this way will it in the crib in the evening really be accepted as a cuddly friend and comforter.
How many cuddly toys do children need?
As a rule, your children already decide in the first months of life on a cuddly toy that should accompany them on their further life's journey. They see it as their best friend, whom they would not give up for anything or anyone.
If their best friend, however, shows its first weaknesses after years, it is hard for your kids to understand. To prevent such heartache, you should already have at least one or two additional cuddly friends in reserve during the settlement-in phase. Change them regularly so your children also get used to these cuddly friends, just in case.
If the favorite cuddly toy is then lost once or is only gone for a short wash, the crying is less severe. Of course your kids will notice then that it is no longer the favorite cuddly toy, but still they cope with a loss more easily, when another familiar cuddly friend is by their side.
Cuddly toys: Best friends up to primary school age
Cuddly toys accompany your children through life for a long time. From infancy to primary school or on occasion even beyond, your children see plush and fabric toys as friends to whom they can tell everything.
From a psychological point of view, it is the first social relationship that children choose to enter themselves – even if you initially placed the cuddly toy with them only as a sleep aid.
Children discuss worries, fears and plans with their cuddly toys. Even if they do not receive a direct answer, they nevertheless provide comfort and strength, because they get to know their own self-efficacy. Your kids learn to deal with their emotions and to communicate them purposefully. This often makes it easier for them to exchange with you about unpleasant topics when a plush elephant or teddy bear is present.
Your children learn to expand their social behavior with the help of cuddly toys. Their companions are with them everywhere. class trips, excursions as well as daycare and school visits are experienced by your kids together with their cuddly friends. That creates a bond.
Soft cuddly companions: the Krümel dolls
Krümel doll
The neutrally designed fabric doll Krümel makes children's hearts beat faster. Whether with long or short hair, glasses or darker skin tone – the Krümel doll is available in various designs to buy. With matching accessories and clothes, which you can also find at HABA, your children can dress their own dolls as they please and foster their social skills.
How to care for cuddly toys?
So that your kids can enjoy their cuddly toys for as long as possible, care is an important point. Because only in this way can house dust mites, dirt such as food residues or other signs of use as well as viruses and bacteria be removed. Especially with toddlers, regular cleaning is essential as they sometimes put their cuddly toys in their mouths. For care, you should pay attention to the labels of your plush toys. If they are suitable for the washing machine, it is best to proceed as follows:
Put the fabric toys in a bag and seal it airtight. If you are worried about mites and co., you can put the bag before washing in the freezer for 48 hours, to kill them. After the two days, vacuum the surface well to remove the mites and their excretions.
To protect eyes and other sewn-on parts, you should best put the fabric toys in a laundry net. Afterwards they are then cleaned in the washing machine at 30 degrees. If you want to kill viruses and bacteria, it is recommended to also use a hygienic laundry additive.
Finally, let the freshly washed fabric toys air dry. Do not put them in a tumble dryer, because there they can deform and lose color. Direct sunlight should also be avoided. Therefore place the plush toys on a terry towel for drying and turn them regularly.
If your cuddly toys are not suitable for the washing machine, stains can also be dabbed with a damp cloth or hand washed in a mild soap solution and then rinsed.