In partnership with Slumberkins.
Hi! We’re parenting editors Jenni and Aliza - between us, we have four kids, from 4 months to seven years. We both had the opportunity to test out Slumberkins, a new-ish toy brand aimed to help families raise caring, confident, and resilient children primarily through its line of stuffed animals. Here’s Aliza to kick us off.
Aliza: By definition, stuffed animals are just another type of toy. But for my kids, stuffed animals are part of the family; our kin. We have hundreds of stuffies (as we call them), piled all over our house. And we talk about the stuffed animals constantly, which is probably why Slumberkins targeted ads constantly pop up on my Instagram.
For months, I thought nothing of it. And in full transparency, I never stopped my scroll. Not because I didn’t think they were cute, but because I didn’t think we needed another toy.
I was wrong. Slumberkins is so much more than your typical stuffed animal. It’s an educational tool to assist with social and emotional learning thanks to the stuffed animals and books that go along with the toy.
For anyone with kids, you know emotions run high starting at a very young age. Those emotions are hard to navigate at times, so having a tool (or, in this case, a stuffed animal and book) is clutch. Read on for our take on how Slumberkins can help children of all ages.ﾠ
Different Cozies For Different Causes
Each Slumberkins stuffed animal correlates to a different social or emotional need. For my daughters, we went with the Confidence Crew ($198 for five stuffed animals and five books), which reinforces kids' belief in themselves and their abilities to face challenges and the Resilience Crew ($198), which reminds us we can get through hard times, and we don’t have to do it alone.
For the last several months, my daughters and I’ve worked on positive affirmations and the idea that their opinions about themselves is the only opinion that matters. We’ve also talked about how to handle difficult situations and when to ask for help. Basically, I’m doing everything in my power to raise kind, empathetic, strong girls… and Slumberkins is helping me to do it.
Breaking Down Big Feelings - The “Big Kid” Edition
My seven year old and five year old have all the feels (they take after their mama)! Even though I’m the mom, I’ll admit I don’t always know what to say or do in some of these situations; after all, there is no handbook that comes along with parenthood.
But Slumberkins breaks down coping skills in a comprehensive, easy to understand way. Each book starts with a story and ends with an interactive portion where the listener repeats positive affirmation lines after the reader.ﾠ
But Slumberkins breaks down coping skills in a comprehensive, easy to understand way. Each book starts with a story and ends with an interactive portion where the listener repeats positive affirmation lines after the reader.ﾠ
For example, Bigfoot’s story is all about instilling feelings of self-worth into our kids. At the end of the story, my daughters repeated the following after me, “I am kind. I am strong. I am brave and unique. The world is a better place because I am here. I like me.”
Every Slumberkins book ends with a repetitive affirmations section. Now, we use affirmations in response to many situations, like conflict-resolution needs, self-esteem needs, and emotional regulation needs to name a few. And using affirmations stick; now I notice my daughters pulling out these types of positive sayings on their own, without my initiation.ﾠ
Turns out, our Slumberkins books are pretty darn close to that missing handbook!
Managing Early Emotions - The “Toddler” Edition
Jenni: Oh my gosh, I totally agree with everything Aliza said above. I love a good educational toy and Slumberkins goes above and beyond, helping kids adjust to life changes, navigate big emotions, and learn how to communicate with others.
Our favorite characters are Hammerhead, Sloth, and Otter - all three of which have been huge in helping regulate our 2.5 year olds BIG (and I mean big) feelings. For example, Hammerhead, the conflict resolution character, teaches children that it’s OK to lose their temper and helps them develop coping skills for when they get angry.
For example, Hammerhead, the conflict resolution character, teaches children that it’s OK to lose their temper and helps them develop coping skills for when they get angry.
The book that accompanies the stuffed animal tells a super cute story about a Hammerhead shark who wanted a turn on the swings at the playground, but his friend wouldn’t share - a common scenario many young kids are probably faced with on a daily basis! The Otter, which represents family bonding and teaches that our loved ones are with us no matter where we are physically, has been a critical tool in helping our toddler feel safe when she is away from us at preschool.
Mission-Based, Value-Driven
Pulling from educational expertise and therapeutic concepts, Slumberkins aims to “raise the next generation of caring, confident, and resilient children.” Founded by friends Callie Christensen and Kelly Oriard, with a combined background in early education and family therapy, their company values include innovation, learning efficiently, healthy communication, embracing change, and dismantling inequitable systems. This may sound like a list of buzzwords, but when you get to know each product, you actually see these values come to life in each Slumberkin. There’s definitely a sense that you’re supporting a company that wants to do good in the world, and that’s a mission we both can get behind.
We love our Slumberkins and with a huge variety of creatures and themes, there’s definitely one (or five) for everyone. Check out the entire lineup of books and stuffed animals here.
Five More Reasons to Love Slumberkins:
- The brand’s fun online quiz helps kids find the right creature for them.
- Slumberkins has a comprehensive (and free!) set of caregiver resources to help parents and caregivers facilitate early emotional learning with their littles.
- Slumberkins also offers an Educator Membership and additional educator resources that supports social-emotional development in schools through unit plans and classroom-focused products.
- We also love the brand’s collection of minis ($16.50) for younger kids or to take on the go.
- Check out the Slumberkins YouTube page for fun interactive content, like craft ideas and themed read alongs.
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