stuffed toys - Stuff Parents Need

Thanks to HideAway Pets for sending Big Doggy for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always.

I don’t know about you, but birthday party high season for us seems to be the summer and early fall. Every member of our immediate family has a birthday between the beginning of May and the end of August. So basically the “Happy Birthday!” banner just hangs in the living room for 4 months . Good thing it’s cute! I also make frequent use of a good birthday supplies site online. In order for everyone to feel truly special on their day, I try to tailor some of the party supplies we have on hand to their specific interests.

If you’ve got birthday parties on your calendar over the next few months, I’ve got a fun gift idea for any child who loves stuffed animals. Check out HideAway Pets. They remind me just a bit of Popples from back in the day in that they can curl up and hide away when not in use, turning themselves into a pillow.

Each animal is 15″, which makes them large enough to really love on, but not so big that they become a nuisance. Layah received the Siberian Husky pup from the lot and she is quite attached to him. She calls him, “Big Doggy” (creative naming abilities are a work in progress over here…the most precious loveys in the house are named bunny and doggy. Sigh…).

We are HUGE stuffed animal fans at my house, so HideAway Pets are just perfect for my kids. And at $19.99, I think they make a fun gift idea for any child who likes stuffed animals. Since they curl up so easily, they are great for travel because you have a stuffed pal and pillow all in one. Love it when a product multi-tasks!

You can learn more about HideAway Pets and hear about promotions and giveaways by following the company on Facebook and Twitter! You can also find these lovable pets to purchase at Walmart, Target, KMart, and Toys R Us. Which one do you think your kids would like the best?

Our new house is just across the street from the downtown fire station. Tim and I took the upstairs bedroom that was the closest to the station, deciding that we’d prefer to be the ones listening to late night sirens over the girls.

On our very first night in the house, we were awakened by sirens no less than 5 times. Totally serious. It was AWFUL! I’m very pleased to report, however, that this was a freak incident, the likes of which we have not experienced again. Hopefully nights like that one will be very rare and we won’t see our proximity to the fire station as a big negative of our location.

Darah loves her room, but she does wish that she had the view of the fire station, herself. In her mind, being neighbors with fire fighters is nothing short of spectacular. We love to stroll over and visit with the fire trucks. She also loves to watch them leave the station with their sirens on. She quotes a book she loves and says, “Firefighters to the rescue!” as they leave. She also loves to see the fire trucks “getting a bath” every week. I think firefighters are one of those occupations that children admire early on, and Darah is certainly no exception.

When I learned that Cate & Levi, the makers of some of the most beautiful and well-constructed puppets and other handmade items in the world, started a new line of People Puppets, I had to check out the fireman puppet! He is a most welcome addition to Darah’s toy collection, and he is frequently used to play fire station at our house.

The fireman, just like every other Cate & Levi product, is made from reclaimed materials. It is upcycling at its most beautiful! So every handmade creation has its own unique look. Darah’s fireman is unique, and won’t look exactly the same as someone else’s fireman. I love that! I have given the fireman a very careful inspection, and he is put together SO well. He will not be falling apart any time soon! I also just love that sweaters that may have been destined for a landfill have been repurposed to make toys for children that are safe and built to last. The sweaters that the products are made from have all been sent to an eco-friendly cleaner prior to being used, as well. So there are no harsh chemicals on the Cate & Levi products!

I’m very impressed with the aesthetic of Cate & Levi toys, as well as the thoughtfulness behind each creation. If you are looking for something truly special for your little one or for a gift, please check out Cate & Levi products. They have puppets, stuffed animals, pillow pals and change purses, just to name a few of their product categories! The People Puppets retail for $30.00.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will win a Cate and Levi People Puppet of your choice!

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