Dolls and Stuffed Animals Age Determination Guidelines (4 through 7 months), Part 3
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The following is an excerpt from the CPSC document referenced in Part 1. This excerpt discusses babies aged 4 through 7 months. 4 Through 7 Months
Dolls and stuffed toys remain soft, lightweight, and simple in design for this age group. Besides those characteristics described for younger infants, these children begin to appreciate highly contrasting facial features. A high degree of realism or detail is not recommended. Children in this age group enjoy toys with simple cause-and-effect features; for example, dolls or stuffed toys with rattles inside them. They can best handle lightweight toys that weigh no more than 2 ounces. Toys that are 4 to 12 inches in length are appropriate. These children tend to mouth most objects, so dolls or stuffed toys with buttons, whiskers, bells, ribbons, yarn wigs, or other such features are generally not appropriate. As they approach 8 months, infants start to recognize words that are repeated. Such word recognition ability makes dolls and stuffed toys that say single words or a set of single words most attractive to those children. They also begin to recognize and become attracted to characters from familiar media like books and television.Stay tuned for the next installment when we will see what CPSC says about appropriate dolls and stuffed animals for babies aged 8 through 11 months.
Dolls and Stuffed Animals Age Determination Guidelines (birth through 3 months), Part 2
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The following is an excerpt from the CPSC document referenced in Part 1.
Birth Through 3 Months
Infants this age mostly enjoy sensing and feeling objects. They lack fine-motor control, so dolls and stuffed toys that are very lightweight (½ to 2 ounces) and have an easy-to-grip size—for example, with limbs ¼ inch thick and lengths of 4 to 8 inches—are appropriate. They are more appealing when they have a soft, felt-like texture like plush toys, have highly contrasting colors (for example, black and white) or basic contrasting patterns and faces, or have rich vibrant colors. Because they are mouthing most objects, dolls and stuffed toys for these children are easily cleanable with no hair or fur, no removable clothing or accessories, and no projecting parts like eyes or snouts. Clothing and moving eyes are not particularly appealing to this age group, and stuffed animals have facial features that are sewn. Dolls and stuffed toys with very basic one-piece construction are appropriate, and should be sturdy enough not to break or pull apart.
Next we will see what the CPSC has to say about dolls and stuffed animals for babies aged 4 months through 7 months.
Dolls and Stuffed Animals - Age Determination Guidelines, Part 1
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The next few entries will include excerpts from the document described below. The original publication is over 300 pages long so we have taken the liberty of extracting excerpts relating to dolls and stuffed toys. Each section is broken down by age range.
“AGE DETERMINATION GUIDELINES:
Relating Children’s Ages To Toy Characteristics and Play Behavior”
Edited by Timothy P. Smith, Project Manager,
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
CPSC STAFF DOCUMENT
Based on work performed under contract by Play Today
Principal Author: James A. Therrell
Additional contributions by Pei-San Brown, John A. Sutterby, and Candra D. Thornton
Published: September 2002
DOLLS and STUFFED TOYS
Dolls and stuffed toys can be appropriate for children of all ages. They often become a child’s first sensory objects. Older infants and toddlers sometimes become attached to dolls and stuffed toys to feel a sense of security or to show affection. Such attachment may last through preschool and into the elementary years. As cognitive abilities increase, dolls, action figures, and stuffed toys, serve an important symbolic function in helping children learn to pretend and role-play. Older children collect their favorite dolls, action figures, or stuffed toys.
One should place primary emphasis or importance on the following characteristics when determining the age appropriateness of dolls & stuffed toys:
• Level of Realism/Detail
• Cause & Effect
• Size of Parts
• Licensing
• Color/Contrast
The order of the above characteristics does not necessarily indicate priority, however, because this can change with age. The remaining discussion describes the relationship between the characteristics of these toys and the characteristics of children in various age groups. This includes a description of what types of dolls and stuffed toys are appropriate and how a particular age group plays with these toys.
Stay tuned for Part 2, when we show guidelines for picking dolls and stuffed animals for a baby aged 0 to 3 months.
Stuffed Animal Quality and Safety at Purr-fection by MJC
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Discussion with Marty Castro, Jr. from Purr-fection by MJC.
Today we are lucky to be talking with Marty Castro, one of the principle owners of Purr-fection by MJC.
Gary: Thank you for taking the time to talk with me today. We appreciate the time you are taking to explain how Purr-fection by MJC strives to make stuffed animals that are safe for children of all ages. How long has Purr-fection by MJC been making stuffed animals?
Marty: Purr-fection has been in business for 20 years and we have always prided ourselves on Quality and Safety.
Gary: As you know, there has been a lot of concern lately about toys made in China. Are stuffed animals made by Purr-fection by MJC made in China?
Marty: Yes.
Gary: What sort of quality assurance and quality control is done to assure that stuffed animals made by Purr-fection by MJC are safe?
Marty: Purr-fection goes to great links to make sure to provide only the highest quality products available in today’s market. To assure this Purr-fection only uses the highest quality fabrics, stuffing, eyes and noses. We also have a quality control team that consists of 25 individuals that do nothing but walk the floor and inspect every part of production, all the way from receiving the fabric, to the cutting room, stuffing room, sewing room, finishing room, and finally in the packing room. Our products are all inspected at a minimum of 5 different parts of production.
Regarding safety, Purr-fection surpasses all safety regulations for Europe and the U.S. Purr-fection uses NO lead paint, our eyes are glass eyes covered in protective coating to avoid chipping. The eyes also are all put on with Lock Washers to insure that they do not come out. The noses are also secured with lock washers. Each animal Purr-fection produces also goes through a minimum of 3 Metal Detectors to avoid any metal fragments from being left inside the animals.
Gary: Some stuffed animals have air brushed highlights. Does this paint contain any lead?
Marty: We are currently not using any air brushed hightlights, however in the past we have and the paint has not contained any lead.
Gary: Another concern is the use of small magnets that can be removed from a toy and swallowed by very young children. Do any of your stuffed animals have small magnets that can be removed and possibly swallowed by small children?
Marty: None of our stuffed animals contain small magnets.
Gary: Do you have any other comments about stuffed animal safety and how to select the best stuffed animal for your child?
Marty: Remove tags, don’t pick a stuffed animal that is too big or too heavy for small children, and use minimum age stated on tag as a guideline for selecting an age appropriate stuffed animal for a child. When selecting a stuffed animal it is best to choose a company like Purr-fection who has been in business for 20 + years with an excellent track record such as ours.
Gary: Thank you again for taking the time to discuss stuffed animals with us today.
Are Stuffed Animals Safe for my Child?
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This is a question we often get, especially with the concern about toys made in China. Most stuffed animals come with a tag that states the age range that is appropriate for that toy. The first step in selecting a stuffed animal for your child is to look at the tag and see the appropriate age range recommended by the manufacturer. Of course, the best judge of how appropriate a toy is for a child is the adult that knows the child. Just because a toy is recommended for a particular age range doesn’t mean it is not appropriate for older or possible even younger children.
Here are some other questions to consider when selecting a stuffed animal for your child:
Is the stuffed animal too big? Don’t select a stuffed animal that is too big and heavy for your child. This could result in injury.
Is the stuffed animal too small? This is not usually an issue for stuffed animals, but make sure it is big enough to not pose a potential choking hazard for children under three years old since they like to put things in their mouth. If a small toy will fit into a toilet paper roll, it is too small. If the stuffed animal has attachments that might come off, then it is likely not appropriate for a young child unless you can remove the attachments and keep them separate until the child gets old enough to not put them in their mouth. Always remove manufacturer’s tags before giving a stuffed animal to a small child.
Does the stuffed animal contain small magnets? The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) has listed small magnets as a dangerous hazard for small children that might swallow them. If multiple small magnets can be removed from a stuffed animal and then subsequently be swallowed, they can come together and cause serious internal injury. We recommend against getting any stuffed animal with small magnets for a child that might remove the magnets and swallow them.
Does the stuffed animal have a cord or tail longer than 12″? A tail or other string can get wrapped around a young child’s neck and cause injury.
Where can I get more information about toy safety? We suggest a visit to the CPSC website at www.cpsc.gov for up to date information on product safety. They have a section devoted to kids at Guidelines: Relating Children’s Ages to Toy Characteristics and Play”. You can download a pdf version this publication at www.cpsc.gov/BUSINFO/adg.pdf.
Where can I buy a safe stuffed animal? You can visit your local toy store and ask questions, or visit www.freebears.com and you will find a huge selection of stuffed animals and stuffed animal toys for all ages by the most respected stuffed animal manufacturers in the world. They will answer your questions and help you select the perfect stuffed animal for your child.
Series on Stuffed Animal Safety
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Welecome to our new series on stuffed animal safety. We will be looking at how stuffed animals are made, materials used in making stuffed animals, whether or not there is lead in stuffed animals, whether magnets are a concern, where stuffed animals are made, and other important stuffed animal facts. We even hope to interview a few manufacturers to get their take on problems with some toys made in China and how and if we should be concerned about stuffed animals made in China.
As you know, Fisher Price has recalled about 87 products because the surface paints contained lead. Visit the US Consumer Products Safety Commission website at http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml07/07257.html for information on this recall. You can also visit the Mattel Consumer Relations Answer Centerwebsite at http://service.mattel.com/us/recall.asp. None of the toys recalled were stuffed animals. Since the source of lead in the recalled toys was due to paint coatings, it is unlikely that a stuffed animal would be contaminated with lead.
Fisher Price also had about 70 items recalled because they contained small magnets that could fall out of the toy and pose a hazard if swallowed. The US CPSC has information at www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PUBS/magnet.pdf for more information on magnets in toys. Some stuffed animals contain magnets, but it is unlikely that they would fall out since they are securred inside of the animals. However, it would seem prudent not to let any small child play with any toy that has magnets in it.
Stay tuned for more information on stuffed animal safety over the next few weeks.
The History of Mickey Mouse
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Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse started their careers on November 18,1928 in a film called “Steamboat Willie”. Mickey Mouse plush toys have changed a lot over the years and we have the latest Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, and Pluto for you to choose from. These plush Disney animals from Applause are in stock and ready to ship. For more information on a Mickey Mouse or Minnie Mouse item, just click on its image.
In 1923, Walt Disney joined his brother, Roy Disney, as a partner in a new business. Roy managed the financial side of the business and Walt provided the creative talent. The Disney Brothers Studio was launched with $3,000 borrowed from an uncle and their parents.
On a train ride to Los Angeles from New York City Walt Disney created Mickey Mouse. Walt wanted to name the mouse character “Mortimer”, but his wife, Lilly, didn’t like that name and suggested “Mickey Mouse”.
After their film debut in 1928, Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse became instant hits. In fact, Mickey Mouse was so popular that over a million children joined the original Mickey Mouse Club between 1929 and 1932. The “Mickey Mouse Club” later became a popular children’s television series that aired on ABC from 1955 to 1959. Today, Mickey Mouse is the official greeter at Disneyland and Disney World and his friends Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, and Pluto continue to entertain us.
The History of Winnie the Pooh
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Winnie the Pooh’s story starts as a real bear during the First World War. When troops on their way to Europe stopped at White River, Ontario, a lieutenant named Harry Colebourn, bought a small female black bear cub from a hunter who had killed its mother. He named her ‘Winnipeg’, after his hometown, or ‘Winnie’ for short.Winnie became the mascot and went to Britain with the Brigade. When the Brigade was posted to the battlefields of France, Colebourn took Winnie to the London Zoo in December 1919. Winnie became a popular attraction and lived until 1934.
Winnie was also very popular with Christopher Robin who often visited Winnie at that zoo. Winnie was Christopher Robin’s inspiration for calling his own teddy bear Winnie. The name Pooh originally belonged to a swan, as you can read in the introduction of A.A. Milne’s ‘When We Were Very Young’.
Winnie the Pooh’s story has been told in a series of books written by Christopher Robin’s father, A.A. Milne. Christopher, Winnie the Pooh, and their friends, Eeyore, Piglet, Tigger, Kanga and Roo were based on stuffed animals belonging to Christopher Robin. The characters, Rabbit and Owl, were based on animals that lived, like the swan, Pooh, in the surrounding area of Milne’s country home, which he called the 100-Acre-Wood.
How Did Teddy Get His Name?
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Teddy Bears got their name from Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States. In 1902, the president went bear hunting in Mississippi without success, so members of his party caught a bear cub, tied it to a tree, and offered it to the president as an easy trophy. The president refused to shoot the helpless bear cub. The event was drawn by a cartoonist for the Washington Post the next day. The cartoon emphasized the helplessness of the bear and conveyed the message that Roosevelt would not make decisions for the wrong reasons. Roosevelt’s popularity soared as a result of his actions and the cartoon. Morris and Rose Michtom made a stuffed bear in honor of the president’s actions.Teddy Bear’s name is based on one of two stories. One story is that the president gave the Michtom’s permission to christen the new stuffed toy bear “Teddy Bear”. The other story is that at President Roosevelt’s daughter’s wedding, bears decorated the tables. When a guest asked what breed of bear they were, a guest said, “Why, they’re Teddy Bears, of course”.
By 1908, over 20 companies were making stuffed teddy bears in the United States alone and teddy bears were on their way to a love affair with all of us that continues today.
About
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Freebears.com is an ecommerce business that prides itself in finding the best selection of plush stuffed animals and teddy bears that you can find on the net. This blog will be used to share information about stuffed animals that we come across at Freebears.com. Your comments are welcome.
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