Connection & feelings

Care for a toy

Use a doll or soft toy to act out comforting, feeding or resting.

5 minutes

What you'll need

Purpose-made soft toy labelled suitable for children under 3 with embroidered features

Before you start

Comfortable interacting with a familiar caregiver

Best fit: either · calm energy · low caregiver effort · low mess

How to play

  1. Notice what the toy might need.
  2. Model one caring action.
  3. Let your child lead what happens next.
Make it easier

Offer a single action such as a cuddle.

Standard

Use a doll or soft toy to act out comforting, feeding or resting.

Extend it

Create a short care routine with two or three steps.

What you might notice

Caring actions, familiar routines and feelings your child introduces.

Keep it safe

Inspect the under-3 soft toy for loose seams, filling, beans, buttons, ribbons or detachable features. Use no loose cloth, keep the toy away from sleep spaces, stop mouthing or throwing, and store it after awake supervised play.

Why it may be useful

Following your child's lead and responding to their signals may support warm, reciprocal interaction.

strong

Supports responsive interaction as a broad mechanism, not a claim that a single activity changes development.

Jeong et al. (2021) — Parenting interventions to promote early child development in the first three years of life: A global systematic review and meta-analysis

Pitchik et al. (2024) — A meta-analytic review of the implementation characteristics in parenting interventions to promote early child development

Leijten et al. (2021) — Teaching Parents to Be Responsive: A Network Meta-analysis

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