Dolls and Plush Toys

When a child feeds a doll, puts it to bed or comforts it, they repeat what they experience themselves. This kind of play helps children understand feelings, practise care and talk about their own day. A soft toy can also be a calming companion at bedtime, at the doctor's or in new places. Figures and small worlds such as a farm add storytelling: who lives here, who goes where and what happens next.

• Baby doll. A 36 cm Woopie Royal baby doll with a teddy bear and a feeding set for caring play from 3 years. See more in dolls.
• Plush toy. An interactive plush bunny with a carrot for children from 3 years. More soft friends are in plush toys.
• Figures. A wooden fold-up farm in a suitcase with animal figures and accessories, from 18 months. It opens into a little world with a barn and fields. See figures and pendants.

Doll houses, furniture and accessories will be added to dollhouses as the range grows.

From around 18 months, children enjoy simple figures and animals they can carry, place and name. This is a good age for the wooden farm. From 3 years, caring play becomes richer: children feed, dress and put dolls to bed and invent longer stories, so a baby doll with accessories or an interactive plush toy fits well. Find more ideas in toys for 1–2 year olds and toys for 3–5 year olds.

Give the doll a place of its own: a box as a bed, a cloth as a blanket, a small chair at the table. Join in sometimes as a visitor or a doctor and ask your child what the doll needs. Name feelings during play: "the doll is sad", "the bunny is happy now". This is an easy way to talk about emotions. Dolls and soft toys are for every child; choose by your child's interests, not by gender.

Caring play connects naturally with role play, for example a doctor's kit for treating teddies or a play kitchen for cooking dinner for dolls.

Check the age label before buying, especially for toys with small accessories. Inspect seams and small parts from time to time. Clean soft toys according to the manufacturer's instructions, and wipe wooden figures with a damp cloth.