Lizbeth Vizcarrondo

ENG 170 Writing and Rhetoric

Assignment 2: Extended Definition

February 21st, 2024

Defining Stuffed Animals

Childhood is a time to grow and adapt to one’s surroundings. Experiencing the beginning of life through a child’s eyes allows them room for success as well as failure, with the love and encouragement of their families. According to ADADA Paris, “these soft companions are much more than just objects; they play an essential role in children’s emotional, cognitive, and social development.” In the article “How do Stuffed Animals Help with Development”, the author, Satanjay Kumar expresses that physical appearance is what defines a stuffed animal. Stuffed animals can define childhood through lovable and huggable companionship. The word “companion” indicates “one who serves as a friend or partner in something.” Since this object/artifact represents a feeling of togetherness, this definition aligns with how it defines childhood. From this “lovable companion”, empathy for future friendships/relationships are gained. ADADA Paris refers to a stuffed animal as “a model for forming healthy relationships with others throughout life.” This statement ties into a stuffed animal being defined as a “companion” because everyone looks for a healthy relationship in a partnership. The feeling for such partnership to aspire in their future starts with the love for a stuffed animal. An article posted in Medium written by Satanjay Kumar in 2023 proposes that emotional comfort and attachment are factors that also define childhood. For example, the idea of “these cuddly companions provide emotional comfort and reduce anxiety.” These objects are seen as “transitional objects”. Transitional objects respond to transitions between one stage of an individual’s life into another stage. For the case of stuffed animals, there is a transition from “dependance on parents to greater independence.” Stuffed animals and attachment formation (ADADA Paris, 2023) allows the child to establish relationships built off trust and love for others. An artifact/object such as a stuffed animal can be introduced to anyone of any age group. It is a universal thing that has no limitation regarding who uses it. They “provide a sense of security (even for adults)”. In this case, a stuffed animal can define an act of love to your loved one or a significant other. Adults would typically receive stuffed bears when they are ill and are being wished a fast and well recovery. It can also be given on holidays/birthdays. The definition behind a stuffed animal can vary depending on the intentions of having one. Being that there are more positive definitions of a stuffed animal relating to childhood, a negative definition can be introduced as early childhood development is not a time to substitute inanimate objects for real-world human relationships. A downfall for stuffed animals taking the place of an actual human interaction would be a sense of confusion. The child can become unclear or unaware of how to engage in real conversations because having one with a stuffed animal is always one-sided. Unless the stuffed animal can talk, the child is not gaining any real-world vocabulary or learning the importance of social interaction amongst actual human beings.

Work Cited

Kumar, Satanjay. “How Do Stuffed Animals Help with Development.” Medium, Medium, 11 Oct. 2023 Mesnage, Quentin. “10 Reasons to Give a Stuffed Animal to a Child.” ADADA, ADADA, 6 Apr. 2023,