Safe for children – The first thing you would consider before buying a toy is safety as the chemical emission from different plastic toys cause a lot of health issues to babies, even though there are some more products on market like teething rings, bath toys, and squeeze toys made using toxic chemicals
whereas plush toys are free from harmful dyes, won't irritate their skin, easy to cuddle and the fluffy texture of the stuffed animals provide a sense of warmth and protection to sleeping babies.

Non-hazardous to the environment – The combination of a few chemicals such as lead, cadmium, and other harmful chemicals such as dioxins are found in PVC which makes the toys more dangerous as the immense majority of toys cannot be recycled. while we use recycle polyesters, to make plushies that are not harmful to the environment.

PLASTIC TOYS

Not safe for the environment - As said for all plastic, plastic toys are made using fossil fuels, and hence the production of them contributes to the environmental disaster at hand. A better idea would be to minimize the purchase of new plastic toys. Environmentalists have raised awareness around the fact that plastic toys are an abundant part of the plastic that ends up in landfills and oceans which results in the ongoing issue of plastic pollution.

durability – Plastic toys which are cheaper and attractive have shorter life spans than plush toys, they are bound to be broken when it is handled by children.

Chewing or biting can induce some chemicals into a child’s body – Toys that have toxins in them are hazardous to children mainly because of their tendency to swallow (posing a choking hazard) and chew on the toys, which can result in the toxins being absorbed by the body when it comes to young children, even the smallest amounts of toxins can affect their health. some of the toxic additives used in plastic toys are:

 "phthalates" which cause imbalance in hormones, also
stimulating the growth of cancers.

"Bisphenol A" is another toxic additive as children put plastic
products in their mouth which affects on the brain and has an
impact on children’s behavior.
"Cadmium" acts as a plastic stabilizer which can cause a kidney
damage.

 Not customizable – There is no option for customization in plastic toys since all
plastic toys are made on mass production lines.

 Decomposition – These plastic toys take 1000 years to decompose in landfills
depending on the material and structure. Whereas recycling may be done but
requires additional resources and the quality diminishes during each recycle process.

SOFT TOYS

Safe on the environment – The materials which we use are recyclable and the stuffing used can be reused again without harming the environment.

Customize according to their preferences - Unlike the plastic toys which are mass-produced soft toys have a greater advantage of customizing to one’s liking.

Gives comfort and warmth – Plushies are easy to cuddle and have the fluffy texture of the stuffed animals. It provides a sense of warmth and protection to kids. It also relieves stress giving a double dose of emotional comfort from stuffed pals.

Has longer shelf life – Plushies are reusable and You can always repair tears and scuffs with simple sewing, in short, teddy bears and stuffed animals don’t have an expiration date. “The better care you provide the longer they will stay with you”.

Can be reused in various DIY: Once you feel that the toy has grown old or when your children’s preferences have jumped from the current plushie to another plushie don’t throw it out. Reuse the stuffing inside the soft plush toy to make a pillow of your liking.

Easily washable – Soft toys can be easily washed. Just add it to your regular washing cycle and it is good as new. For spot cleaning just use a little detergent on the dirt area to clean it.
For more cleaning tips refer to this blog link of ours:

https://bespokeplush.com/blogs/news/how-to-clean-your-stuffed-toys

Author subash.k