Boys and stuffed animals?

[vonfirmath]

When did your boys start getting interested in their stuffed animals? I'm ready to put DS1's away (He's 16 months and has NEVER been interested yet!)

They just take up space.

OTOH he's getting the huge Tonka Dump Truck for Christmas. Maybe he'll transport the stuffed animals around in that?

[egoldber]

I think 16 months is really young for that kind of pretend play. Most kids don't really get into pretend play until between 2 and 3, and I think ages 4 to 5 is probably the height for many kids.

[Fairy]

My guy has always loved his stuffed animals, but he's especially loving them now. He's 4. 16mo is really young for knowing for sure if he's interested. In my experience, all kids gender-neutrally like stuffed animals. Some more than others. Maybe your guys is not so much. But 16mo is probably too early to know. Maybe don't add to the collection, but might wanna wait to remove the ones he has.

[brittone2]

Agreeing w/ Beth. Pretend play kicks in more around 2-3. I always had a doll available for DS, but he gravitated toward stuffed animals. He'd wear them in a sling, etc. :)

DD has baby fever now. It is really picking up at almost 2. I feel like we're running a dolly daycare ;)

[Melaine]

If he's not interested, I say pack them away to the attic or something. I've really gotten used to the system of rotating toys so that we only have out toys the girls are actually actively playing with. In a few months you can pull them out and they will be just like new and he may be interested. It's always fun to have something new for a car trip or babysitter, too, so you may want to save a few things away for that.

[hellokitty]

3-4 yrs old. What I would do if I were you is donate the, "baby" looking ones and keep the animal ones that aren't as babyish looking. When he is older, he may be more into it if he likes animals. My almost 5 yr old is very picky about which stuffed animals he likes. My 3 yr old likes LOTS of different stuffed animals, but then they also have a lot of car and train type of stuffed toys too.

[BelleoftheBallFlagstaff]

I think it is age VS gender. Give it time, maybe take them away and reintroduce them a few weeks later.

[DrSally]

Just recently, almost 3yo, DS is really into his stuffed animals. He piles them up in his crib and has a "party"

[ThreeofUs]

DS got interested in his (as characters in stories) at 3ish. I was about to get rid of them when all of a sudden he started playing with them.

[KrisM]

DS never has had any interest in them. He's 4.5.

DD got into them at about age 2. Sleeps with them, lines them up, etc.

[MontrealMum]

DS loves his stuffed animals. When he wakes up in the morning you can hear him in there talking to them. Certainly, he has his favorites, but he loves to play with them, jump on them and "feed" them. He also brings them to people when they look like they're sad or lonely. I came home the other day and FIL was festooned with Winnie the Pooh characters. He's 16 mos...DS, not FIL! But we're huge animal lovers, so that might have something to do with it. They "talk" when daddy's around :)

[Fairy]

Just recently, almost 3yo, DS is really into his stuffed animals. He piles them up in his crib and has a "party"

Mine, too! He gets out of bed at night, gets three or four "friends" and then goes to his bookshelf and gets them each a book "in case they get scared." It really comforts him to have his stuffed animal friends there and that he makes them feel better with a book of their own. I swear, the onset of this is very very recent, and he turned 4 in September.

[citymama]

If it's an age thing, not gender, then I'll chime in about my stuffed-animal crazy DD. She has been mad about stuffed animals since much before 1 - pretend feeding them since around 12-13 months, and other than outdoor play, books and art, it is pretty much all she ever wants to do! She has gone through phases, starting with farm animals, then "friendly" zoo animals like pandas (that peaked at about 18 months), then large zoo/wild animals, and now at 2.5, she's all about woodland animals (owls, squirrels, raccoons). Pets have always been in the mix. Dolls, on the other hand, she doesn't care for one tiny bit!

There's a boy in her day care who is almost as stuffed-animal crazy as her, and we've known him since he was about 20 months, and he's been into stuffed toys since at least then.

[hillview]

Around 2 years DS developed an attachment to one bunny. By 3 he has a pack of animals (some fall in/out of favor and are allowed on the bed or not depending DS's assessment of them). We must kiss/hug them good night. They are part of his day to day stories etc.
/hillary

[zoestargrove]

My boys didn't start playing with their stuffed animals until they were almost 3 or 4. They're 4 and 5 now, and the stuffed animals are regularly part of their play.

[sste]

14 months old and we refer to his lovey as "the lovey he doesn't love." However, we recently got a small pony stuffed animal as part of a hotel baby welcome gift and he likes that more and we have even caught him holding it!! Maybe trying a few different animals?? What he really loves is his blocks and anything with wheels - - I don't think its gender related just age and taste.

[SArcher]

I think it depends most on when they start talking (or 'talking') -- my DD started talking early and does a lot of pretend play with her dolls/stuffed animals. My 2.5 year old son is started around the time that he started talking -- I even overheard him talking to a picture of Ariel asking her if it was OK to color her!

I would agree with putting the more babyish ones away, or you'll get overwhelmed. My kids tend to play more with the ones with floppy arms and legs than the ones that are stiff.

[citymama]

I think it depends most on when they start talking (or 'talking') -- my DD started talking early and does a lot of pretend play with her dolls/stuffed animals. My 2.5 year old son is started around the time that he started talking -- I even overheard him talking to a picture of Ariel asking her if it was OK to color her!

I would agree with putting the more babyish ones away, or you'll get overwhelmed. My kids tend to play more with the ones with floppy arms and legs than the ones that are stiff.

That's interesting. DD started to talk very early and pretend play early too. I am noticing now at 2.5 yrs (approaching 3) she is less interested in taking care of the stuffed animals (which was a reflection of how she was cared for, fed, diapered when younger), and more in how she engages with the world - herself as a protagonist in the bedtime stories, she is Dora, Maisy, Olivia, and even Diego. I never really thought about that connection with speech.