Quality Time
Play with your teddy bear every day. You can play outside or inside with your teddy bear. The teddy is happy just to spend time with you! Some good things to do outside are: hopscotch, tossing a ball back and forth, or sliding down slides at a park. Just make sure that your teddy bear doesn't get dirty! Some good things to do inside are: playing board games, dressing up in silly outfits, having a tea party, or playing with toys together.
Read a story together. Teddy bears make good listeners. They don't interrupt and they stare right at the pictures. Read teddy some of your favourite books or stories before bedtime or during the day. Help your teddy read by pointing its paw at pictures or helping it turn the page.
Watch movies or television shows with teddy. Teddy bears love to watch T.V. and movies, especially with you. Just sit the teddy in a seat on the couch or on your lap and snuggle together while you watch your favourite movie or show. Remember to ask your parent or guardian if you can watch a certain show or movie. Some shows or movies may be too scary for your teddy.
Talk to the teddy. Teddy bears are great listeners. They never interrupt and their ears are always open. Tell teddy about your day, your dreams, or stories you've heard or made up. When you have had a bad day at work or school, talk to your teddy about it. They are great listeners and will be very sympathetic.
Care
Feed your teddy bear. Give your teddy bear pretend foods such as fruit, vegetables, and fish. Give your teddy healthy foods to keep it strong. However, an occasional treat such as a pretend cupcake or slice of birthday cake is perfectly fine and will make teddy feel special and happy. Make your own food with air-dry clay or Play-Doh. The food teddy eats cannot be eaten by you. Special teddy food is only good for teddy bears and can make humans sick.
Keep a close eye on your teddy bear. Whenever you take teddy anywhere, remember that you have it with you. Take care to collect it after a play-date or a visit to the park. If you lose your teddy bear, ask your friends and family to help you look for it. Write your name on teddy. You can put a necklace on teddy with your name on it or write your name on its paw. That way, if you lose teddy, someone will know it is yours.
Make teddy feel better when it gets hurt. If teddy is ripped, stepped on, or thrown around, make teddy feel better by helping it heal its wounds. Your parent or guardian can help patch up open wounds and replace any lost stuffing. Put bandaids on teddy's wounds and kiss them better. Let teddy rest if it gets hurt.
Make your teddy bear its own home. This could be inside a cardboard box, in a corner of your room, or inside a wardrobe. Add pictures to the walls of you and teddy, or teddy's favourite pictures you've drawn. If teddy has lots of toys, give it a toy box to store all its toys. A clean home, free of clutter, is important to teddy.
Dress teddy in outfits. Use baby doll clothes and clothes from other stuffed toys to dress teddy. There even special stores to dress teddy bears that offer a variety of outfits, accessories, and even shoes. If you or a grown up is handy with a needle, sew some new clothes from scrap fabrics.
Make your teddy bear a bed. You can make a small bed for your teddy bear out of a cardboard box or basket, and some pillows or blankets. Use whatever you think is good and comfortable for teddy to sleep in. Tuck teddy into his covers each night. You can sing a lullaby or read story to teddy before it goes to sleep.
Give your teddy bear lots of love and kisses. Hugs are good too. There are no reports of a teddy ever saying no to kisses and hugs. Give teddy a goodnight kiss before going to sleep. Your teddy can sleep in its own bed or with you. Allow others to give teddy hugs and kisses. Both teddy and your family and friends will appreciate some love.
Maintenance
Clean your teddy bear regularly. Wash your teddy bear often, especially if you go outside with teddy a lot. When washing, follow the manufacturer's care instructions. Hand-washing is kindest to the teddy. To wash by hand, fill a small tub with cool water and a squirt of gentle liquid dishwashing detergent (it is safe to apply directly to stains and teddy). Place the teddy into the tub and gently massage teddy's fur fabric with your hands. Empty the tub, then rinse teddy under cool, running water. To dry, use a towel to dab and blot dry gently. Then leave somewhere sunny, like a window ledge, to dry completely. If teddy can be machine washed (check with dad or mom first), you might find How to machine wash your teddy bear useful as guidance. Treat stains quickly. This makes it easier to get the stains out, rather than letting them set permanently. If your teddy bear has a simple food stain on it, you can blot it out with some warm water and a towel. Ask your parent or guardian for help if the teddy has a really bad stain that won't come out. They'll know what to do to help remove it. Sometimes it may be enough to just use a wet cloth and carefully wipe over dirty parts of the teddy bear. Keep teddy away from dirty areas. This means if you need to leave teddy at home, put it in its bed or on your bed. Or if you're outside, don't leave teddy on the ground in case it's muddy or teddy gets stepped on.
Brush teddy's fur. When teddy's hair is messy, use a baby's brush or a very soft brush to gently brush teddy's fur back in place. Do not use spiky brushes for teddy bear fur. The spikes will catch on the fur and can rip it out.
Store teddy with care. When you aren't tucking teddy into bed or placing it on your bed, put it somewhere safe. Good places include on a shelf, inside a toy box or chest or sitting on a chair. Don't leave teddy on the floor, in direct sunlight, next to a heater or squashed under heavy things. These sorts of places can hurt teddy and cause teddy's fur to change colour or its body to become misshapen.
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