I HATE stuffed animals. Yes, I used the word hate: I know it’s a strong sentiment but that’s how I feel. As a mom, I really despise them. But, even as a child, I wasn’t crazy about them, preferring to play with dolls much more. I know, I know, everyone else loves them. I realize my opinion is quite unpopular, and that’s just fine. It’s not like I’m heartless, thought, I do have valid reasons why I dislike the fluffy creatures.
Dust
First of all, stuffed animals collect dust. Unless they are a child’s favorite lovey, and are being carried around daily (in which case they are collecting germs!) They usually just sit around gathering particles of dust and who knows what else. This is not ideal and proves why I don’t like them. And really, that dust collecting just adds to allergies or even asthma. It’s not even like you can just throw them in the washer because most of them have tags that say they shouldn’t be washed. Although, I personally wash and dry my kids stuffed animals anyway- and guess what? Nothing has ever happened to them! Even if it does, oh well! One less stuffed animal in my home!
Lice
Going right along with the dust collection, is the possibility of lice. I shudder to even type the word. God forbid you ever have those creepy crawlies invade your home, you will have to bag up every single stuffed animal your children own and keep them far away for a few days. If it’s a favorite animal you’ll either have to vacuum it or put it in the dryer on the hottest setting. With the amount of stuffies in most homes, this just adds to the torture that is lice. Yet another reason that stuffed animals are a no-go for me!
Expensive
Let’s be real- stuffed animals aren’t cheap, especially for the quality brands. For even the smallest little creature you could shell out big bucks. Want a life size one? That’s going to cost you big! For something that doesn’t do anything except stay in one spot taking up space. I’d rather spend that money on any other toy (yes, even noisy ones!). I’m sure I’m in the minority here, and I’m alright with that.
Creepy
Another reason that stuffed animals are on my Do Not Buy list, are because they are kind of creepy. Their big beady eyes stare at you and follow you around. Some are down-right scary. I can’t see why these are so loved by children and adults alike. They give me bad dreams, and I don’t even have any in my room!
Please Tell Me I’m Not Alone-
I’m sure there are other parents out there that agree with me… I can’t be the only one with this strong opinion against stuffed animals. Although, when I share my thoughts, most of my friends look at me like I’m crazy and say, “Really?! How can you not like stuffed animals?” It’s not a popular opinion, but it is mine.
Here’s the kicker, even without sharing my views about stuffies with my own children, they have been obsessed with them since they were little (I swear it’s like they’ve known since day one how much I dislike them, and have vowed to fill our home with every creature ever made)! We own WAY MORE than I’d prefer (and I’m certainly not the one buying them). I don’t mind the ones that truly mean something to my daughters, like the bunny my oldest has loved since she was born. However, the others that are collected just because they are ‘cute’… and then sit there on a shelf, or in a pile on the floor? Those are the ones that drive me mad when I see them. Besides the few that my girls actually play with often, they wouldn’t even notice if I removed some to donate. But, on that topic, a lot of places won’t even accept donations of stuffed animals. I think they secretly feel the same as I do, and don’t want lice, germ, or dust filled plushies!
So it’s a big NO for me when it comes to stuffed animals. Preferably none for myself or my daughters. If it was up to me, I’d get rid of all of the ones currently in my home. But, for the sake of my daughters, I deal with the stuffed ones. Hopefully they will grow out of them soon, and we can go through them all to weed out the ones they don’t want. Until then, I’ll suck it up and deal with all the stuffies… I just won’t be thrilled about it.
