How Soft Toys Help Kids Process Emotions (According to Experts)

Children don’t always have the words to express big feelings.

That’s where plush toys come in — not just as playthings, but as tools for emotional expression.

Dr. Penelope Leach, child psychologist and author of Your Baby and Child, explains that soft toys help children externalize and manage emotions safely. (Source)

When a child hugs a plushie after a tantrum or talks to it during quiet moments, they’re learning how to cope — building emotional resilience one cuddle at a time.

In fact, the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child states that emotional experiences early in life shape how the brain responds to future challenges. (Source)

That capybara plush your little one won’t let go of? It’s doing far more than you think.

At PlushiePatch.shop, we celebrate every messy, beautiful moment of emotional growth — and the toys that help kids get through it.