A Gift That Grows

The doll population in your house exceeds the human population of Rhode Island. Your nephew has enough Legos to build a life-size replica of the Space Needle. Need a new gift idea?

A Cuddletunes Bear is a unique and meaningful gift for any family or child. You’ll love recording messages (both serious and silly), reading stories (both old and new), and uploading songs (both your own and professional). A Cuddletunes Bear is a great gift because it keeps changing: record and upload new content as often as you’d like. As kids grow older, the soundtrack can change with them, making Cuddletunes truly a gift that grows!

Cuddletunes Goes Camo!

Here’s a note we received from Katie, a military mom preparing for the second half of her husband Matt’s deployment.

Caleb really loves his Cuddletunes bear and he gets so excited when he hears Matt's voice. With Caleb developing and changing so much it's been great for Matt to be able to update the recordings with new songs or animals noises and keep up with whatever stage Caleb is in at the time.

He's recorded Bible verses and prays with Caleb before bed at night. I can hardly play them without crying. Thanks for giving us another way to connect as a family while Matt is gone this year.

We were thrilled to receive this note from Katie and hope that other military kids enjoy Cuddletunes as much as Caleb. Cuddletunes is passionate about supporting military families and making deployments a little easier for kids.

Special discounts are available for military families, email info@cuddletunes.com for details!

Award Winner!

Cuddletunes is the proud recipient of a 2010 Outstanding iParenting Media Award! The sponsoring website, iParenting.com, is an award-winning network of parenting websites which also includes a syndicated newspaper column and radio show. The mission of the iParenting Media Awards program is to provide “a credible and objective method of determining the best products.” We are thrilled and honored to be included on a list of award winners from major toy companies such as Fisher-Price, Mattel, and Hasbro.

Click here to see the iParenting article

Kira loves cuddletunes!

We received this wonderful message and photo from Lisa in Seattle.

"I gave my daughter Kira a cuddletunes bear in the hospital. After having kidney surgery she needed to stay in the hospital for several days, and I bought the cuddletunes bear to provide comfort and familiarity. Kira loves Disney princesses, especially Ariel, so I loaded her bear with her favorite Disney songs and read her two stories. When Kira woke up after her surgery and I gave her the bear, she lit up with excitement. During her recovery period, her cuddletunes bear was soothing and calming and helped her to sleep. Now her little sister wants one!"

"Absolutely Adorable!"

Last week Cuddletunes was featured on the popular webcast 24/7 MOMS- find out why founder and mother of five Trisha Novotny loves our bears!

Our Youngest "Employee"

Since Cuddletunes is run by busy parents, we see our fair share of unofficial take your daughter or son to work days! That's part of what we love about being a small company- we all know each other and have the same priorities. Kind of like family.

The Music Effect

There is no doubt that music is relaxing, and the very existence of the lullaby is a testament to the soothing effect of music on children. Cuddletunes bears combine two essential elements of bedtime into one: a cuddly bear and calming lullabies. However, a Cuddletunes bear also provides the perfect vehicle for introducing and fostering a lifetime love of music in children. The Cuddletunes MP3 player has 973 megabytes of storage, or space for about 12 hours of music. In addition to the five lullabies included with every bear, consider uploading different kinds of music, such as classical or children’s songs.

Not only is music a huge facet of our culture and lives, but it is also important for children’s development and growth. According to research, creating a “rich sensory environment” for a child is critical to their development. When children are exposed to different stimuli, including music, their brains form bridges between neurons or strengthen existing connections. These connections, commonly referred to as neural bridges, are essential to the development of a child’s brain. Neural bridges are crucial to intellectual development, and without enough stimulation neurons can die.

Music also helps children develop critical skills. According to Gari Stein, founder of Music for Little Folks and author of The More We Get Together, music helps children learn to recognize patterns and sequences and promotes language, creativity, and memory. Learning to recognize a beat is also important to other areas of development. According to Don Campbell, author of The Mozart Effect for Children, identifying rhythm and musical beats contributes to coordination, and research shows that children with a strong sense of beat are more likely to read well.

Get creative with your Cuddletunes bear. Download your child’s favorite songs or introduce them to new music, and watch them grow and thrive!

References

Baney, Cynthia Ensign. “Wired for Sound: The Essential Connection Between Music and Development.” www.km-ajoyfulnoise.com/index.php?s=content&p=Music-and-the-Brain.

Campbell, Don. The Mozart Effect for Children.

Parenthood.com. “How Music Benefits Children.” www.parenthood.com/article-topics/how_music_benefits_children.html.

Stein, Gari. The More We Get Together: Nurturing Relationships Through Music, Play, Books and Art.

Why We're Excited

Cuddletunes began when five year old Olivia missed her daddy. Olivia’s parents, Cuddletunes cofounders David and Cherie, were tucking their daughter in for bed the day before David left on a business trip to New York.

“I’m going to miss you so much honey. You know how much I love you right?” David kissed his daughter on the forehead and she nodded.

“I wish you could tell me that when you’re gone and I’m going to sleep at night. I wish I had a daddy doll so I could hear your voice when I miss you.” This gave Cherie and David the idea that eventually led to Cuddletunes. They talked to their friends Denise and Mike Robinson, also parents, who came on board as cofounders. Four years later, Olivia’s idea has been transformed and we’re selling bears, but our focus is the same: helping families stay close.

As Cuddletunes developed and the first bears were produced, we discovered that Cuddletunes could make an even bigger impact than we’d originally imagined. In addition to providing the perfect way for kids to feel close when parents are on date nights, business trips, or even just at work, we saw that Cuddletunes could make a big difference for children in the hospital and military children.

Cuddletunes bears are meant to be a constant comfort and reminder of how much a child is loved and valued. We realized that this could be particularly valuable for children undergoing surgery or an extended stay in the hospital. Our bears provide a wonderful way for parent, grandparents, or anyone else to send well wishes and words of love and support.

For children with a parent deployed in the military, staying connected and feeling close can be challenging. Fortunately, the internet has made this more possible than ever before. We envision Cuddletunes helping military parents at home and abroad to stay connected and strengthen their presence in their children’s daily lives through loving messages and bedtime stories that can be updated constantly. That’s something to get excited about.

Like five year old Olivia, all children need to know they are loved: Whether their parents are overseas, away for the night or only in the other room; Whether they are battling illness or homesickness. We’re excited to see Cuddletunes help spread this message.