When we hear the words 'dolls' and 'plush toys' there are certain images that come to mind — painted porcelain faces, Barbies, teddy bears, or maybe even rag dolls!
Despite their differences, the commonality and lasting appeal of all these toys is that they are designed to mimic real life. Dolls and plush toys are easy for a child to connect with, help build social and emotional skills, spur imagination, and offer a host of other well-known benefits.
But dolls can also play a bigger role in your child's development.
We at shumee are excited to have a collection of 7 dolls and plush toys, each with unique features. These toys invite your child to explore the world around around them while strengthening their sensory, motor, and cognitive skills.
So if you are looking for the perfect doll for your child, read on to find out which one that may be!
1. Cuddly Buddies
When you think of plush toys, you may think of teddy bears and other mass-manufactured toys. But this does not always have to be the case. Meet shumee cuddly buddies, our range of delightful hand-woven crochet animals that your child is sure to love! These plush toys have long arms and legs, floppy ears, and cheerful expressions that will light up anyone’s day.
What makes it special:
Our cuddly buddies were designed by toddlers and preschoolers during a contest where we invited shumee kids to draw original characters. Since they were first dreamt up in a child’s mind, they will be instant hits with any little one! Our cuddly buddies are also crocheted with soft organic cotton and will provide excellent tactile stimulation for your child.
2. Pull Along Toys
You've probably noticed your child quickly taking to toys that have friendly faces. Have you ever wondered if there was a way to use these to inspire them to start walking? Enter pull along toys! Our collection of pull along toys includes a cute purple hippo and a baby blue dog. These toys have wheels, a string, and multiple moving parts that will push your child to use their arms and legs in play!
What makes it special:
Pull along toys will motivate your little one to stay active and strengthen their gross motor skills. Holding the string and taking their toy on trips around the house will help them develop balance and coordination. Playing with the different moving parts and large wheels will evoke curiosity and hone fine motor skills.
3. Peg Dolls
We all know how dolls that represent people are often limited in who they depict. While today’s doll makers are trying to be more inclusive, there’s still a long way to go before we can see a typical doll set with diverse skin colours, body types, and genders. Which is why we at shumee turned to peg dolls! Our set of Diverse Wooden Peg Dolls has 7 handcrafted gender-neutral figurines that are well-rounded, child-safe, and just the right size for little hands.
What makes it special:
These gender-neutral dolls have varied skin tones and body types which will help your child learn appreciate the differences in people around them. They are also minimally designed for free play, a spontaneous and unstructured play that a child initiates to explore the world around them. Your child can use them in existing play sets or play with them separately, creating exciting stories around the figurines each time!
4. Themed Peg Dolls
While our Diverse Peg Dolls promote free play, we have a few other peg dolls that will get your child doubly curious and allow them to indulge their imagination! Our Christmas Bundle of Joy comes with a set of 5 holiday-themed dolls and our Ramayana combo has 4 peg dolls with characters from the epic. We also have a Pirates vs. Royals Chess Set with beautiful handcrafted pieces that can be used as peg dolls!
What makes it special:
Themed peg dolls are a great way to tell your child different stories through play. Tell them about the Ramayana or use the dolls to act out Christmas carols. The chess set provides enough pieces for a whole group of children to play pretend with! These handcrafted dolls can also be collected as family heirlooms or used as festive decoration.
5. Waldorf Star Doll
Most toddlers have a favourite ‘baby’ doll that they carry around with them wherever they go. These dolls may be comfort objects during stressful times or simply the toy your child relates to the most. What if they got to have this doll but instead of a cold, plastic toy it was something soft, gentle, and soothing? Say hello to our Waldorf Star Doll!
What makes it special:
Waldorf toys aim to bring consciousness to play by encouraging children to engage with purpose, care, and empathy. Like any Waldorf toy, this star-shaped doll is handmade with natural materials in pastel colours to soothe your child. It is minimally designed and has a neutral expression so that your child can use it to express themselves and their feelings in different scenarios. This doll is created to hone intellectual, artistic, and practical skills with holistic, experiential education.
6. Wobbly Toys
As we’ve seen, dolls can be a fun way to stimulate your child’s senses and push them to move about. Adding to the list of toys that help with this is our range of wobbly toys! Our wooden wobbly toys include an adorable hippo, penguin, and a Santa Clause. Any of these roly poly toys will keep your child engrossed and playing for hours.
What makes it special:
Wobbly toys can be one of your child’s first dolls and they have a lot to offer a baby. Following the movement of this toy as it rocks will help your little one build focus and hone their visual skills. Chasing to reach the toy while crawling will speed up their motor reflexes and strengthen their arm and leg muscles. These toys will also evoke curiosity and wonder in your child and teach them about balance!
7. Twistees
Our twistee toys is another range of dolls that we've designed to build conversation about different people and animals in the world. These are little wooden figurines that have heads and bodies which your child can screw on and off, leading to multiple play possibilities with just one set. We have a set of gorgeous pastel Farm Animal Twistees and beautiful Globetrotter Twistees.
What makes it special:
A set of twistees comes with 4 beautiful figurines, each of which have detachable heads and bodies. Your child can screw and unscrew the heads, mix and match the heads and bodies, and make their own characters! They can go on adventures and get to know all about the diverse cultures, people, and animals around the globe. Twistees will help your child build fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, vocabulary, and communication skills.
Which doll is best for your child?
As we've discussed in this blog, dolls are wonderful companions but they can be so much more! If you are wondering which of the above dolls and plush toys your child will relate to, they key lies in letting them take the lead. Observe as they play with other toys, look at what parts of a toy fascinate them, and understand which skills they may be working on right now.
Whichever doll you choose, let your child drive their play. Remember that just like any toy, the most important part about a doll is that it engages your child while enriching their playtime and nourishing their senses!