Year: 2022

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Plush for the Planet: How We’re Taking Steps to Protect Our Planet

Adorable blue peacock sitting on a wooden table with blurred bac

With rising global temperatures and increasing pollution, it’s more important now than ever before to take care of our planet. After all, our future planet is the planet that our children will grow up in. Unfortunately, many of the toys and stuffed animals that our children play with end up in landfills that hurt our planet’s health. That’s why we at The Zoo Factory are taking steps to protect our planet with our Plush for the Planet line.

What is Plush for the Planet?

Plush for the Planet is a special line of stuffed animals here at The Zoo Factory that are made out of 100% recycled fabrics. They have the same high quality and standards that you can expect from any of our products, but with the added bonus of being friendly to the environment. Recycled fabrics look and feel like normal fabric, but have been reprocessed from waste materials such as plastic bottles, thus preventing that waste from ending up in landfills.

Why Choose Recycled Fabrics?

Did you know that 90% of the world’s toys are made from plastics? And that 80% of those toys will end up in landfills around the world? And let’s not forget the many other plastic items that fill our lands and oceans each day. With Plush for the Planet, each stuffed animal is preventing 9.5 plastic bottles from entering landfills. Plus, not only does recycled fabric reduce plastic in our environment, it also reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 70% compared to ordinary virgin polyester fabric.

Help protect our planet by purchasing from our Plush for the Planet line. We have 16” and 8” stuffed animals available. Look through our website and keep an eye out for our Made with Recycled Fabrics sign.

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How to Celebrate National Zoo and Aquarium Month

Mother and kids feeding giraffe at the zoo

Our local zoos and aquariums are essential to preserving and protecting wildlife. Supporting their efforts will help them in this quest. While you can support your local zoo and/or aquarium any time of the year, why not make an extra effort during National Zoo and Aquarium Month? Every June, our nation recognizes the efforts of our zoos and aquariums in supporting wildlife, and you can too! Here’s how:

Visit your local zoo and/or aquarium

Obviously, the best way to celebrate National Zoo and Aquarium Month is to visit your local zoo and/or aquarium. The proceeds from your tickets will help support the institution as well as the animals they take care of. Many zoos and aquariums act as rehabilitation centers that help injured fish and animals or protect endangered species, and your visit can help fund this. Not only that, but you will enjoy a wonderful day viewing and learning about various species. Use it as a date night or take your kids out for the day while they’re off from school!

Donate to different organizations

If you don’t have a zoo or aquarium near you, or you want to do more than just visit, consider donating to organizations across the country. Zoos, aquariums, and wildlife conservation charities are always looking for donations. They will accept money, but you can also send supplies. Many of these charities have a list of supplies they’re always looking for on their website that you could donate.

Not sure which charity to donate to? You can find one at charitynavigator.org

Spread the word

The more people who visit their zoos and aquariums or donate to wildlife institutions, the better. Even if you don’t have ten thousand twitter followers, a tweet or a Facebook post promoting a institution can do wonders.

National Zoo and Aquarium Month is the perfect time to celebrate wildlife. Here at The Zoo Factory, we love celebrating the many fish and animals that live on our planet. That’s why we offer a wide range of stuffed animals to choose from. Look through our shop to see our selection of wildlife stuffed animals!

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How to Teach Your Child to Share

children playing in living room with toys

“Sharing is caring,” as the old saying goes, but while most of us adults understand this, our children usually don’t. We often struggle to teach them the value of sharing, especially when it comes to their most prized objects—their toys and stuffed animals.

However, sharing is a vital life skill, and one that we need to teach our children while they’re still young. Here’s how:

Taking turns

The best way to introduce the concept of sharing to your child is by teaching them to take turns. If you force a child to share by taking their toy away permanently, they’ll associate sharing with something negative. Instead, by taking turns, your child will be without their toy for a shorter amount of time, teaching them that giving something away doesn’t mean they’re without it forever. To make it fairer, set a timer on your phone so that each child has the toy for an equal amount of time.

Be a role model

Our children learn most of their behaviors from us. That means if you’d like them to value sharing, you, too, have to share with others. Practice sharing not only with friends and strangers, but also with your child to drive the point home.

Praise positive behavior

It’s easy to scold bad behavior, but many parents often forget to praise good behavior when it happens. If your child just willingly shared one of their toys with a friend or sibling, use descriptive praise to let them know how happy you are. Our children want our approval, and praising their good behavior will make them want to repeat that behavior in the future.

If your child has received a stuffable animal from The Zoo Factory, make sure that they let other children in on the fun by sharing their new toys with their friends and family! For more tips, look through our site or contact us today.

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Family Day Trip Ideas for the Summer

family driving in car for day trip

Summertime is almost here, and that means our kids will be getting out of school and looking for things to do. While plenty of families will be planning summer vacations, summer break is long. You will likely have days or weekends where your kids have nothing to do. In those situations, why not take a family day trip? Here are some ideas to get you started:

Go to the park or a hiking trail

Summer is great time to spend outdoors. So, why not spend that time at a park or on a hiking trail? At a park, your kids will have plenty of access to playgrounds and open space to run around. You can even bring a football or baseball to play games. Additionally, a hiking trail is perfect for older kids who enjoy the outdoors. When you all get tuckered, grab a picnic and relax in the sun for a little while.

Visit famous or historic places

Teaching your kids a little bit about local history is not only educational but fun as well. Famous or historic locations around town can be a great adventure for your kids. Museums, monuments, and memorials are just some of the places you can visit. You can also visit attractions such as zoos, resorts, theme parks, and more. Plus, these locations often have exhibits or activities just for kids.

Go to a nearby city

Whether you already live in a city or live out in the country, there is likely another city just a couple hours nearby. This city will have other attractions that your local town or city does not have. Visit local restaurants, go to a zoo, or attend a baseball game for that city’s local sport’s team.

When you head out on your family day trip, don’t forget to bring your child’s best friend—their stuffed animal. Here at The Zoo Factory, we have plenty of stuffable animals that your child will love. Look through our shop today!

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Top 3 Things You Can Do to Connect with Your Inner Child

mother with small daughter blowing to dandelion

Much of our life is waiting for the next thing. When we were little, we dreamt about growing up and all the cool things that come with it; whether it was getting to drive a car or deciding if you want to have ice cream for breakfast. For many of us, that continues into adulthood. Somewhere in that, we got so excited for growing up we forget what it’s like to live in the moment.

Many of us look back on our childhood days and wish we can go back, and ironically that’s typically the time that we were wishing we could grow up from. While it might not be possible to call off work to go play on the playground, there are a lot of things you can do to help connect with your inner child.

Treat Yourself

Often, people feel silly buying something they might deem “childish”. But these things can be incredibly fulfilling to buy and play with! A great way to connect with your inner child is to have a day where you unabashedly do things that feel natural. Start your day with sugar cereal, re-watch some of your favorite cartoons, and get yourself a stuffed animal that reminds you of one you had when you were little. Also, if you have kids, this is a great activity to include them on. Plus, you can simultaneously teach them about your childhood while connecting with theirs. Take the opportunity to show them your favorite toy from when you were little, and then grant them the opportunity to tell you about their favorite toy!

Play

Play! It doesn’t matter what, just start. You could play kickball, you could play dolls, or you can play an old board game. The sky is the limit, and if you have kids, you can ask them what their favorite games to play are. You can go to the park, make a fort, or you can play dress up with their toys and them.  Not only does playing get our bodies moving, but it also gets our minds moving. Get silly, get messy, get to playing!

Live in the Moment

It’s easy to stick to schedules that make sense for us, and it’s easy to lose track of things that are important to us. But rather than forcing ourselves to get home, clean up, make dinner, clean up from that… Take a break. Take an extra 10 minutes before starting dinner to play make believe with the kids. You can also take that time to yourself to do some creative journaling or let out any bad emotions from the day. Dinner will still be there when you’re done. So much of our lives is waiting on the next thing to happen, and it’s important to just slow down and live in the moment; to experience life for all it has to offer.

At the Zoo Factory, we have a plethora of adorable pals to choose from, including cute clothing! Browse our selection, and we’re sure you will find something that speaks to your inner child. Treat yourself, or your loved ones, to a fluffy friend today!

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How to Prepare Your Child for a Trip

Mother helping to put on the seat belt for child

With the school year winding down, many of us are starting to think about our summer vacations. Trips are always exciting for every member of the family. However, it can be stressful to leave home, especially if this is the first trip your child has ever gone on. Here, we list some ideas to help prepare your child for your next trip:

Let the kids help plan

To help your child get excited for the trip, let them in on the planning. Knowing that they had a say in what you do will make the trip even more appealing. Sit down with them and go through some ideas together. Not everything they suggest will be do-able, but just doing one or two of their ideas will be enough to excited them!

Make it familiar

Some kids get anxious when leaving home because they’re heading for unfamiliar territory—literally! To help reduce any nerves, educate your child about where you’re going. Show them pictures of the hotel, the city you’ll be staying in, as well as any other destinations you may visit.

Create a list

It’s important that your child brings everything they need with them. However, expecting them to remember everything themselves is asking a bit much. Start creating a list of items at least a week prior to when you leave. This way, they can add items to the list as they remember them and then check them off once they start packing.

Bring a comfort item

As excited as your kid may be, it’s normal for them to feel a bit nervous when leaving home. Bring a comfort item with them can help ease some of their anxieties. A blanket, toy, or stuffed animal will always do the trick. Plus, you can then take cute photos of their stuffed animals at different locations throughout your trip!

For more tips and tricks on how to prepare for your summer vacation, read through our blog today!

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How to Prevent Your Dog from Chewing on Your Stuffed Animals

dog sniffing stuffed animal

Many dogs love stuffed animals. They’ll cuddle up with them, sleep with them, and take them everywhere they go. Others, however, only see your stuffed animals as chew toys. So, what can you do if your dog keeps chewing up your and your child’s stuffed animal collection? Here are some tips to get started:

Separate your dog’s toys from your own

Provide a box or bin where the dog’s toys are located. Introduce this area to your dog and show them how to retrieve toys from there only. This will help your dog learn which toys and theirs and which are off-limits. Be sure to also make a positive association with the location of the dog’s toys. Throw a couple of treats in the box when the dog retrieves a toy or when he picks one up to put back.

Teach Your Dog Commands

If it hasn’t already been established, teach your dog the “leave it” or “drop it” command. Doing so will prevent further damage to your stuffed animals if your dog has their jaws around it. This will not only save you stuffed animals, but socks, slippers and toilet paper as well.

Keep Your Stuffed Animals Out of Reach

The best way to keep your dog from chewing up your stuffed animals is to keep them out of reach. A storage container with a locking lid is the best way to protect your stuffed animals. However, you can also place them up on a shelf or in a closed closet.

 

If your dog has chewed up a few of your stuffed animals, then you’ll need to get new ones to replace them. Here at The Zoo Factory, we have plenty of lovable stuffed animals for you to choose from. Look through our website to get started!

 

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Can You Put Stuffed Animals in the Washing Machine?

mother and child using washing machine

After years of use, our stuffed animals start to look a little dingey. They need to be washed, but you don’t have time to wash your stuffed animals by hand. So, you wonder to yourself: will my stuffed animals be ok in the washing machine?

Turns out—yes! Stuffed animals can be put in the washing machine. However, you’ll need to take the following steps to ensure they don’t get ruined:

Use the gentlest cycle

While stuffed animals can be placed in the washing machine, they still have delicate parts, especially if they have buttons or zippers. You’ll want to put your washing machine on the gentlest cycle you have—Delicate, Hand Wash, or Gentle cycles will all work.

Protect the stuffed animal in a mesh laundry bag

For added protection, place the stuffed animal in a mesh laundry bag or a zippered pillowcase. This will help ensure that nothing tears or falls off your stuffed animal.

You can use regular detergent, but mild detergent is best

Most detergents are safe for stuffed animals. However, if you want to take extra precautions, you can always use a mild detergent with cold water. This is the best option especially for older stuffed animals that may be more delicate.

Don’t put your stuffed animals in the dryer

The washing machine may be safe for your stuffed animals, but the dryer is not. You should always air-dry your stuffed animals on a towel. Then, use a hair dryer to fluff up the fur.

For more tips on how to care for your lovable stuffed animals, read through our blog or contact The Zoo Factory today!

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How to Support Your Child’s Mental Health

father playing with children

As caregivers, we want the best for our kids. We support their academic careers, their ambitions, and their physical health. However, we also need to support their mental health. We live in stressful times, and supporting our children’s mental health is of the utmost importance. Here’s how to get started:

Praise their character

While our children’s accomplishments are important, they’re not the only thing that is important. Their character—how they behave and present themselves—truly shows what kind of person they are. Praising your child’s character will help them build self-confidence and instill good habits.

Don’t hold back your love

We love our kids, but sometimes we struggle to show it during our busy lives. However, showing unconditional love regularly will remind kids that they are cared for and loved. Even if your child makes mistakes, they’ll know they have a family there to love and support them.

Spend quality time together

While our daily lives are busy, it’s important to spend some quality time with our children. Not only does this show them we care, but it can also decrease isolation and loneliness. And it doesn’t haven’t to be a fancy affair. Watch TV with them, take a walk, or help them with their homework.

Have open communication

Your children should feel comfortable to talk to you about anything. Show your child that you’re open to anything by asking them open-ended questions. They may not always answer them, but simply asking the questions will teach them that they can come to you with anything once they feel comfortable.

For more parenting tips and tricks, read through our blog here at The Zoo Factory!

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How to Choose Which Stuffed Animals to Keep

teddy bears and toys

Chances are if you child has one stuffed animal, they have plenty more. Lots of times, this collection of animals can grow out of control, hanging on to every stuffed animal they’ve acquired over the years. You’ll need to cut back, but which ones do you keep and which ones do you donate? Read on to learn more:

More isn’t necessarily better

The only thing unique about having a stuffed animal collection of over 100 is the size. What do you do with all of them? How many are the same stuffed animal, or at least the same animal? Having a variety of stuffed animals will make your collection stand out more. Try and get rid of animals you have duplicates of or ones that are the same animal.

Movie and TV characters

In every collection, it’s always a good idea to have a stuffed animal of your child’s favorite Disney movie character or TV character. Adding a Simba or Sponge Bob Square Pants to the collection will show a pop culture side to your child and even how they become a fan of a movie or character at an early age. Plus, some of these stuffed animals can turn into collectables or even valuables as time goes on.

Sentimental value

A stuffed animal may not look special, but it can be special to your child. You never want to throw away any stuffed animal that has sentimental value. That’s why, when you’re sorting through stuffed animals, make sure you get your child’s input. They’ll know best which animals are special to them.

For more child caring and stuffed animal tips, read through our blog at The Zoo Factory today!