There are days when I feel like a walking contradiction. I create travel guides, but I suffer from flight shame. My Vinted curations seem sustainable, but in truth it’s still rooted in buying things we don’t always need. So many of the things I do seem to pull in opposite directions!
One of my more glaring contradictions: I wear lots of wool in winter and even (second-hand) leather, while I aim to live and eat vegan. I often feel weird and hypocritical about it. But then last night, just before diving into Dept. Q (loving it so far, its on Netflix!), I stumbled upon this video.
I already knew I hated plastic, but wow: we might be inhaling up to a credit card’s weight in microplastics every week. And so are our kids. We, the parents, are a screwed generation. But our kids might still be saved. If we toss their cuddly plastic toys, fleece pullovers, and coats. If we replace their PET bottle–recycled blankets and mattresses.
So this review/blog is a bit off-topic, but I’m just so tired of plastic that I decided to share my previous research on stuffies made with natural fibers. There isn’t much out there, but this is what I found.
5 soft cuddly toys for babies and kids that are not (that) toxic
My oldest still has lots of plush cuddly toys—aka ‘recycled PET bottles.’ Of course, we love the quirky designs from Jellycat too, and we couldn’t resist a few. But most of those stuffies are made from (recycled) polyester. While brands might argue they’re safe for children, more and more research shows we’re inhaling far more plastic than we realise.
With my youngest, I already wanted to make a shift and luckily, she picked out the woollen one I had ready for her.
These natural-fibre cuddly toys are pricier than your average stuffy, but less is more, right?
1. Hvid Teddy Tokki
Super soft and sweet this one. I love this brand, everything is made in Belgium. This one is 100% merino wool – the head too is filled with wool -, so my own top pick!
€38,95
2. Senger Naturwelt – Bear
Another top pick! Lots of different animals available but I just like cuddly bears. This one has a removable heating pillow but you also have them without heating pillows. (We have a rabbit with pillow and it was super convenient in winter for in the stroller.) Cotton outside and filled with wool! Another top pick!
€56
3. Polka Dot Club – Big Bear
Yes, you pay for quality. Hand made and filled with cotton instead of plastic. Other products made by this brand are sometimes stuffed with poly fill, but the (mohair) bears are not!
We have a small bear that I bought in Japan. It’s not very cuddly, but it has SO MUCH CHARACTER!
Not for kids under 3 yrs old. This is because of the mohair, which shreds and is therefore not recommended for little ones.
€218
4. Main Sauvage Bunny
Looks a little like the hvid cuddly toy, also super cute. However, the filling in the head is made of PP fibre, aka recycles bottles. And kids do put this in their mouth. Still: much better than a polyester cuddle!
BTW: I’ve send an email to this brand about the filling, because it doesn’t seem to fit with their ethics. Waiting for a response!
€42
5. Inkari Alpaca
These are a good alternative if you look for something more fluffy than the average cotton or woollen stuffy. They are very fluffy and super soft! I can highly recommend them. The body is sadly still filled with polyamide, but the hair of these Alpaca’s is so big that you can hardly find the stuffed body part.
From €33
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