Hi everyone! I don’t know about you, but I’ve seen other peoples’ kids treat their stuffed animals horribly. My kids? They always loved on them like they were fragile, living beings. And I raised three caring, nurturing children.
I always wonder what those other kids ended up being – the kind who ripped eyes off and threw their stuffed Easter bunny off a “cliff” (aka: a dresser or car window). I shudder to think.
As a mom, I can recommend that before you get even a single pet, make sure you start off with plush animals first. And don’t just go for the exotic ones like a cute sloth. If you’re getting a dog, get a plush dog.
See how your kid treats it – and stop them when they’re being rough, teaching them proper ways to care for a pet.
I also love other ways we can use plush animals to teach kids animal kindness. These guys from UCLA created a line of plush toys for endangered animals.
They donate a whopping 15-20% of the profits to endangered animal organization.
I think it’s a great way to open discussions with our kids about things we can do to help these species. For instance, don’t throw your plastic in the ocean because a little sea turtle can get tangled up in it, etc. Show them how it happens.
Raise responsible kids into responsible adults, and look for toys that can help make the process fun!
Tiff 😉