Month: June 2021

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How to Protect Your Kids from the Summer Heat

How to Protect Your Kids from the Summer Heat

School is out and summer is here! While you’re getting ready for pool parties, summer camps, and the like, don’t forget about summer safety. Our kids can be particularly susceptible to the summer sun and heat. So, here are some ways you and your kids can beat the heat this summer:

Lather up on sunscreen

Sunscreen is a must for kids six years and older. The sun’s UV rays can cause nasty sunburns and even put your kids at risk for skin cancer later in life. Before heading outside or into the pool, apply sunscreen 15 minutes prior to stepping outside. Your sunscreen should have an SPF (Sun Protection Factor) of at least 15 or greater (the higher the number, the more protection it affords).

Stay hydrated

Heat stroke and dehydration are one of summer’s biggest threats. Even if the temperature is relatively mild, your child can still get dehydrated quickly. Always have a bottle of water on-hand whenever you go outside. You should also be aware of the top signs of dehydration so you can catch it before it gets worse.

Never leave children in parked cars

Even if you’re stepping away for just a few minutes, you should never leave your child in a parked car. Cars can heat up rapidly, reaching dangerous temperatures in just a few minutes. The higher the temperature, the greater the risk of a heat-related illness or death, even if the window is cracked open. If you’re leaving your car, always bring your child with you.

Cool off inside

You can take all the steps above and still find your children hot and dehydrated. It’s important to take a break from the heat and find somewhere inside to cool off, preferably in an air-conditioned room. While they’re inside cooling off, give your kids some toys, video games, or stuffed animals to play with and to keep them occupied before it’s time to head back outside.

The Zoo Factory has plenty of stuffed animals your children can play with either inside or outside this summer. Look through our inventory today to get started!

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Why Do Pets Love Stuffed Animals?

Why Do Pets Love Stuffed Animals?

Growing up, our first best friend was likely our favorite stuffed animal. We all carried our treasured stuffed animals through life to help us tackle tough times and sleep through the night. Even as adults, we still love and cherish our stuffed animals. But did you know that our pets can love stuffed animals just like we do? Indeed, many pets, specifically dogs, can become attached to stuffed animals. But why is this the case? Read on to learn more.

It’s in Their Genes

Different dog breeds exhibit different character traits towards stuffed animals based on their ancestors. Dogs traditionally used for hunting and carrying game, such as retriever breeds, enjoy carrying around stuffed animals in their mouth because the feeling is familiar. Dogs that are passionate about playing fetch or chasing things also enjoy the playful aspect of stuffed animals. Stuffed animals rip apart easily and many dogs enjoy it because it triggers that “hunting” instinct that they can’t help but satisfy.

Pets Plays Favorites

Both dogs and cats have that one toy that seems to be their favorite, but what makes a certain stuffed animal a “favorite” for your pet? Many different reasons could explain why your pet might like one stuffed toy the most, from the size and smell to the shape and texture. Your pet probably also enjoys how that specific toy makes them feel or they might believe they are taking care of the toy like they would care for a puppy or kitten. Pets create attachments to their favorite stuffed animals and associate them with mothering, playfulness, or relaxation.

Our Pets Love Us

Pets are intelligent and can make connection between special moments with their favorite toy and happy memories of you. Giving your dog or cat a new toy makes them happy with you, symbolizing a special moment that impacts your pet in a unique way. Perhaps because you gave your pet a stuffed animal and because they love and respect you, they choose to love and care for the toy as a result! This is likely why our pets attempt to play with us when playing with their toys!

Looking for a stuffed animal for a loved one? With dozens of fun, soft animals to choose from,  The Zoo Factory likely has your child’s new favorite friend and toy.

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How Playing Dress-Up Brings Developmental Benefits

How Playing Dress-Up Brings Developmental Benefits

Playtime may seem silly on the surface, but it actually serves a vital role in childhood development. Many species use play as a way to teach their children lessons that will help them years down the line. Humans are no different. Playing dress-up can be especially beneficial, offering developmental benefits that will last a long time. Read on to learn more:

See the World Through Other Viewpoints

When children play dress-up, they learn valuable ways in which others contribute to our lives. Perhaps a child is playing the role of a mother and has a crying baby to nurture, or maybe they’re pretending to be a policeman and stopping “the bad guys.” This sense of imagination allows children to learn empathy by seeing alternative viewpoints and responding to them accordingly.

Building Blocks for a Diverse Vocabulary

When children play through dress-up, they begin to explore terms, phrases, and words that are often inclusive to the role they are playing. These strengths can develop through hearing certain words in books and transferring them into the role they’re playing. Eventually, children will use them in daily conversations.

Confidence Building

For children, dressing up and having theatrical elements to their play can greatly impact their overall confidence. Self-expression is incredibly helpful when building self-confidence and this is just another way we can allow children to develop that skill. What child doesn’t feel on top of the world while dressed up as their favorite super hero?

If your child loves playing dress up, consider purchasing some outfits for one of their Zoo Factory stuffed animals so that the two can play dress up together! Visit our website for a wide selection of outfits.

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5 Tips to Get Your Kids to Eat Healthy

5 Tips to Get Your Kids to Eat Healthy

Let’s face it, our kids don’t eat as healthy as they should. Instead of eating salad or broccoli, they’d rather have a plate full of chicken nuggets or macaroni. While these things are fine to eat every now and then, our children need a well-balanced diet in order to grow into healthy, fully functional adults. If you’re struggling to get your kids to eat healthy, here are some tips that may help:

Provide choices

Kids don’t like to be told what to do. If you tell them they have to eat that plate of broccoli no matter what, you’ll be in for a world of disappointment. Instead, offer them choices. Instead of having only that plate of broccoli, have them choose between broccoli, salad, or celery. This way you’re giving your kids some form of autonomy while still controlling what they put into their bodies.

Start small

Just as with any lifestyle change, it’s best to start small. Changing too much too quickly often ends in failure. If you want healthy eating to become a lifelong habit, then introduce new foods gradually and don’t eliminate sweets or junk food completely.

Include your kids while cooking

Many of our kids are suspicious of new foods, but they’re often more willing to try new foods if they had a hand in making them. Of course, you don’t want them doing anything that is too difficult for them, but even young children can handle basic tasks such as measuring or stirring ingredients.

Set an example

If you encourage your kids to eat healthy but don’t do so yourself, you will have a hard time getting them to commit. Set an example by making changes in your own diet as well as your children’s.

Have goals in mind

Does your child eat too much chocolate or drink too much soda? Then set goals to try and cut back on those unhealthy habits. Once again, start gradually by cutting out unhealthy foods a little bit at a time. If your child drinks too much soda, for instance, try cutting back on one can of soda each day first. After your child has done this for a few weeks, reward them, and then move the goal post to two sodas.

Here at The Zoo Factory, we want all our kids to live happy and healthy lives. To learn more, look through our blog today!

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What Is Positive Reinforcement?

What Is Positive Reinforcement?

Kids misbehave. Even the most docile, angelic children will do something wrong at some point. How are you going to respond? Increasingly, parents and teachers are turning to positive reinforcement to teach their kids what is right and what is wrong. Here’s how it works:

How positive reinforcement works

Positive reinforcement is all about rewarding good behavior and ignoring the bad. For some caregivers, this may seem counterintuitive. After all, if we don’t punish bad behavior, how will our kids know what they’re doing is bad? Yet, studies have shown over and over that punishing bad behavior does little to prevent that behavior from happening again. Kids typically misbehave to get attention, and by punishing bad behavior, we’re giving them attention (however, not all bad behavior can be ignored, which we will address later). That’s why it’s best to turn our attention to the good things that they do instead of the bad.

How to practice positive reinforcement

Practicing positive reinforcement is all about praising and rewarding good behavior. This can range from verbal praise to offering gifts for a job well done. What you do to reward that good behavior will depend on the behavior. For example, if your child put their dishes away without you asking, acknowledge this behavior by verbally praising them or giving them a thank you hug. On the other hand, if your child has improved their grades over the past semester, consider giving them a bigger reward like a new toy or stuffed animal.

Be careful not to reinforce negative behavior

As we said before, punishing bad behavior simply gives your child the attention they’re seeking. As such, they’ll learn that this bad behavior is a good way to get your attention. While you’re practicing positive reinforcement, it’s important that you don’t also reinforce negative behavior. Positive reinforcement only works if you pay attention to the good things your child does and ignore the bad things.

However, not all bad behavior can be ignored. If your child got into a fight with another child, this needs to be addressed. When these incidents happen, make sure there are consequences such as loss of privileges or other logical consequences.

If you’re child has been behaving well recently, show them how proud you are with a new stuffable animal from The Zoo Factory! Look through our site to get started.