Birth weight teddy or weighted stuffed animal?

If you search for a ‘weighted teddy’ or a ‘teddy with weight’, you will find two very different things. One is a keepsake of a birth, the other a cuddly toy that people hold to unwind. They seem alike because both are heavier than an ordinary cuddly toy. Yet each has its own, valuable meaning.

What is the difference between a birth weight teddy and a weighted stuffed animal?

A birth weight teddy weighs exactly the same as a baby at birth. Sometimes the name, weight or length is on it. Parents, grandparents or other loved ones give it or keep it to hold on to that special first moment: this is how heavy you were when you were born. It is a keepsake, not a toy.

A weighted stuffed animal has extra filling, usually glass beads or plastic pellets, and often weighs 1 to 2 kg. Children aged 3 and over, teenagers and adults hold it or put it on their lap because they find the even pressure calming. Research into weighted stuffed animals themselves is still at an early stage; you find out best what it means to you by trying it yourself. You can read exactly what a weighted stuffed animal is in what is a weighted stuffed animal.

So the weight has a different meaning. With a birth weight teddy, it is about one specific number that tells a story. With a weighted stuffed animal, it is about a weight that feels pleasant and that the user can easily lift and put aside themselves. In English, too, different names are used. You can read more about this in other names for a weighted stuffed animal.

Is a birth weight teddy a toy for the baby?

A birth weight teddy is a keepsake for parents and family, not something to put with the baby. It is as heavy as the baby. Heavy, large cuddly toys do not belong in the cot. In the Netherlands, youth healthcare services and VeiligheidNL, the Dutch consumer safety institute, advise against putting large cuddly toys or toys made of soft, stuffed fabric in the cot. Kind en Gezin, the Flemish child and family agency, says that at most a comforter cloth is fine. On top of that, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advises never to put weighted objects on or near a sleeping baby.

So a birth weight teddy is best given its own place, for example on a shelf or in a cabinet in the nursery. There you can see it and hold it now and then, without it coming near the baby.

What can a memorial teddy mean after losing a baby?

Some parents lose their baby during pregnancy, around the birth or shortly afterwards. For them, a cuddly toy that weighs exactly as much as their little one can be a keepsake they can touch: feeling in your arms how heavy your baby was. A cuddly toy like this is also known as a memorial teddy.

There is no right or wrong way to handle a teddy like this. One person holds it often, another gives it a fixed, loving place, and for someone else it is too much (for now). All of that is okay. A memorial teddy is also not the same as a weighted stuffed animal. It is there to remember and to stay close to your baby.

If you have lost your baby and are looking for support, talk to your GP, your midwife or the support team at the hospital. They also know where you can go for bereavement support. You can read more about comfort and grief in general in a weighted stuffed animal in times of grief.

Can a child cuddle their birth weight teddy later on?

Later on, your child may want to play with their birth weight teddy or hold it on the sofa. That can be a lovely moment. A birth weight teddy is made first and foremost as a keepsake. So first check the label to see whether it is also meant as a toy, and for what age. If it is used as a cuddly toy to hold, follow the same rules as for a weighted stuffed animal. Your child is at least 3 years old and can easily lift it and push it away themselves. It does not go to bed with them for night-time sleep, and you check the seams regularly.

Which cuddly toy are you actually looking for?

If you are looking for a gift to celebrate or remember a birth, a birth weight teddy is probably what you mean. If you are looking for something soft to hold when you feel restless or tense, for yourself or for a child aged 3 or over, you are looking for a weighted stuffed animal. You can find more about this under Choosing & using and the basics.