Plush toys are a kind of toy that is loved by many people, children and adults. Plush toys basically are a fabric in various shapes that are stuffed with stuffing materials. These stuffing materials are usually soft and fluffy. These stuffing materials come in two types, natural and synthetic. In this article, we will talk about many kinds of plush stuffing types which are often used as stuffing materials.
Contents
Natural Stuffing Types
The first type is natural stuffing that is made from natural materials that come from plantation and animal products. These materials are environmentally friendly, biodegradable and safe for children. But, natural stuffing needs more treatment and is more expensive than synthetic stuffing.
Bamboo Fiber Stuffing
We can easily find bamboo plants in Asia and Africa, both continents also have various bamboo plant species, South America also has this plant in their area. Humans utilize bamboo for many purposes such as housing, food, and fabric.
Bamboo stuffing materials come from bamboo fiber that is processed into fluffy texture. Although it is natural, Bamboo stuffing processing uses chemical substances that must be handled carefully. Unlike other natural materials, bamboo stuffing materials tend to shrink more quickly, and it only has 2-5 years of regular use. But the lifespan could be longer in proper care.
Cotton Fiber Stuffing
Cotton is considered as a natural plush stuffing type because it comes from cotton plants. The plants can grow in almost all soil conditions if they have proper care. This plant has seeds that are wrapped in two kinds of fiber, long (staples) and short (linter) fiber.
In the first spinning process, long fiber is processed into good quality thread, then in the second spinning process short fiber is processed into second grade thread. Besides that, there is cotton that is processed into plush stuffing. Cotton is more durable and requires less treatment than bamboo fiber.
Wool Stuffing
Another natural stuffing is wool fiber that comes from sheep fur. Wool is the only plush stuffing that comes from animals. Wool fiber is produced from sheep fur that is cut at certain times.
This raw fur is brought into the spinning process to produce wool fiber and wool thread. Wool fiber has good durability and fluffiness, but it cannot be washed or dry by machine because it will shrink quickly. Wool stuffing also needs more complex treatment than cotton or bamboo stuffing.
Synthetic Stuffing Types
The next plush stuffing type is synthetic materials. These materials are made from chemical substances that are processed into fiber, thread and fiber. The process is a complicated process which involves advanced machines and chemical mixing processes.
Polyester Stuffing
The most popular synthetic stuffing is polyester. This material is made from polyethylene terephthalate or PET that comes from petroleum. Polyester is considered the most versatile material because it could produce various fabric types from it, stuffing is one of them.
Polyester stuffing has great durability, soft texture and does not need complicated care, it can be washed or dry by machine or by handwashing. Polyester is also relatively cheap, so it could cut production cost.
Unfortunately, because it is synthetic, sometimes it is hard to decompose into soil and could cause soil pollution in the future. Toys manufacture mostly use polyester stuffing to reduce production cost but do not sacrifice the product quality.
Plastic Pellets Stuffing
Another alternative to add the weight of plush toys is pellet stuffing. This stuffing is not soft and fluffy, but it is heavy and hard. These kinds of stuffing are used to add weight or to hold the shape of the toy. Plastic pellets are synthetic material shaped like little seeds that are stuffed into the toy.
This material is not safe for children under 3 years old because of the choking risk. That is why, if we want to use this material for plush toys, we must make sure that it seals properly to avoid choking accidents in children. Toy makers usually use these pellets to add some weight and harden the shape, but sometimes it could reduce the softness or the fluffiness.
The usage of stuffing types ideally based on our needs. If we need to make safe, soft and fluffy toys for children, we could use natural stuffing like cotton or wool. If we need to make toys on a budget, we could choose synthetic stuffing like polyester.
Conclusion
We could get various plush stuffing types in the market with various brands and quality. BuyChinaToys is a plush toy manufacturer based in China. They make good quality plush toys that are stuffed with good quality stuffing too. Mostly they use polyester as stuffing materials because they run mass production plush toys, so it can reduce the production cost. But they guarantee that their toys are good quality and safe for children.
