How to Build Your Animal or Bear Making Kit from Be My Bear
There is something really special about building your own teddy bear or stuffed animal. A Be My Bear kit is not just a soft toy - it is an activity, a memory and a new fluffy friend all in one.
If your bear making kit has arrived and you are wondering what to do next, this guide will walk you through the full process. You can use the instruction sheet supplied with your kit, or follow this more detailed step-by-step guide to help make the experience even more fun.
Most Be My Bear kits arrive unstuffed, with the stuffing supplied separately. You then stuff the bear or animal by hand, add the wishing charm if one is included, add any optional sound recorder if you have one, close the bear securely and complete the birth certificate.
Before you start building your bear
Before opening everything, choose a clean, comfortable space where you can spread out the kit. A table, clean floor area or party activity space is ideal.
It is also worth checking that you have everything you need before you begin. The exact contents can vary depending on the kit, party pack or product you have ordered, but a typical Be My Bear kit may include:
- An unstuffed teddy bear or animal friend
- Soft stuffing
- A wishing charm or heart, if included with your kit
- A birth certificate, if included with your kit
- A carry bag or gift bag, if included with your kit
- Clothing or accessories, if ordered separately or included as part of a bundle
- An optional sound recorder, if purchased
If anything appears to be missing from your order, please contact Be My Bear before starting so we can help.
Adult supervision and safety
Bear making should be fun, but it should still be supervised by an adult, especially with younger children.
Keep packaging, small parts, wishing charms, sound modules, batteries and loose stuffing away from babies, toddlers and pets. If your kit includes a sound recorder, only an adult should handle the battery compartment.
Do not let children use scissors or sharp tools when closing or adjusting the bear. If thread needs to be removed from the internal zip, this should be done by an adult.
Step 1 - take out and fluff the stuffing
Remove the stuffing from its bag and gently tease it apart with your hands. Pulling and separating the stuffing helps make it softer and fluffier before it goes inside your new teddy bear or animal friend.
The more time you spend teasing and fluffing the stuffing, the softer and cuddlier your new friend is likely to feel. This is also a lovely part of the bear making activity, especially at parties or group events.
You cannot really get this step wrong. Have fun with it. You can gently pull the stuffing apart, pass it around, make a soft "fluff cloud", or even have a careful fluffball moment if the grown-ups are happy with the clean-up afterwards.
Step 2 - find the openings on your bear
Take your unstuffed teddy bear or animal and look for the openings, usually on the back of your new friend.
Many Be My Bear animals have two closures:
- An outer Velcro-style opening
- An inner one-way zip closure
The outer opening may have a fabric safety strip covering the coarse side of the Velcro. Leave this strip in place until you are ready to close the bear properly at the end.
The inner zip is designed to help keep the stuffing, wishing charm and optional sound recorder safely inside the bear once it has been built.
Step 3 - start stuffing the arms, legs and head
Begin by adding small amounts of stuffing into the bear. It is usually best to stuff the arms, legs and head first, then fill the body afterwards.
Push the stuffing gently into each part of the bear using your fingers. Try not to force too much stuffing in at once. Smaller pieces are easier to control and help you achieve a more even finish.
Some bears and animals may have pre-stuffed or partly stuffed heads. If the head is already filled, do not try to open or remove that stuffing. Simply continue filling the rest of the bear.
Take your time and keep checking how the bear feels. A softer bear uses less stuffing pressure, while a firmer bear needs more stuffing spread evenly through the body and limbs.
Step 4 - check the shape as you go
As you stuff your bear, stop every now and again to gently shape it with your hands.
Check that:
- The arms feel similar to each other
- The legs feel similar to each other
- The body is not lumpy
- The head and neck feel supported
- The bear can sit or cuddle comfortably
- There is still room for a wishing charm or sound module, if you are adding one
If one area feels too firm, remove a little stuffing and spread it elsewhere. If one area feels too soft, add a little more.
Step 5 - add the wishing charm
If your kit includes a wishing charm, heart or similar keepsake piece, now is the time to add it to your bear.
This is one of the most magical parts of the bear making experience. You can simply place the charm inside the bear, or you can make a little ceremony out of it, especially if you are building bears at a party.
Here are some ideas:
- Rub the charm on your chest to give your new friend love
- Rub the charm on your head to give your new friend brains
- Squeeze the charm in your hand to give your new friend courage
- Rub the charm on your cheek to make your new friend a little cheeky
- Hold the charm close and make a secret wish
- Ask everyone to think happy thoughts before placing the charm inside
You can make this step as simple or as imaginative as you like. For birthday parties, some families like every child to make their wish at the same time before placing the charm inside their bear.
Step 6 - add an optional sound recorder
If you have an optional sound recorder, voice recorder or heartbeat recorder for your teddy bear or stuffed animal making kit, add it before closing the bear.
Make sure your sound has already been recorded and tested. If the recorder has a play setting, place it into the P position, which stands for play, before putting it inside the bear.
Position the sound recorder so it can be pressed through the bear's body. It should be cushioned by the stuffing but still easy to activate when the bear is cuddled or pressed.
If you are using a heartbeat recording or personal voice message, check the playback before closing the bear. This helps avoid the disappointment of closing everything up and then discovering the sound is too quiet or has not recorded properly.
Read our heartbeat sound recorder guide
Step 7 - finish stuffing the body
Once the arms, legs, head, wishing charm and optional sound recorder are in place, finish stuffing the main body of the bear.
Add stuffing a little at a time and keep checking the feel. Try to avoid leaving empty spaces around the shoulders, tummy or back opening.
If the bear is for a younger child, you may prefer it to be soft and easy to cuddle. If the bear is going to sit on a shelf or wear clothing, a slightly firmer body may help it hold its shape.
Step 8 - close the internal zip
After everything has been placed inside your new fluffy friend, close the internal opening using the one-way zip.
The zip may have a piece of thread attached to act as a temporary handle. Once the zip is fully closed, an adult can carefully cut and remove this thread with scissors. This helps prevent little hands from easily opening the internal compartment.
Please take care when using scissors near the bear. Do not cut the fur, fabric, seams or closure.
If you ever need to access the inside of the bear later, for example for cleaning or replacing batteries in a sound recorder, a paperclip can usually be used to hook the zip and open it carefully.
Step 9 - close the outer opening
Once the internal zip is closed, you can close the outer Velcro-style opening.
If there is a fabric safety strip covering the coarse side of the Velcro, remove it when you are ready to close the bear fully. Then press the two sides of the opening together neatly.
When closed correctly, the back opening should usually be hard to see and the bear should look like a finished teddy bear or animal friend.
Step 10 - give your bear a cuddle and shape check
Before naming your bear, give it a gentle cuddle and check the shape.
Ask yourself:
- Does the bear feel soft enough?
- Is the stuffing spread evenly?
- Are the arms and legs filled properly?
- Does the back closure sit neatly?
- Can the sound recorder be pressed easily, if one has been added?
- Does your new friend feel ready for adventures?
If you need to make small adjustments, it is easier to do them now before the bear is dressed or taken away.
Step 11 - name your new fluffy friend
Now it is time to name your new best friend.
If your kit includes a birth certificate, fill it in with your bear's name, date of birth and any other details. This is a lovely way to make the bear feel official and personal.
You could also write down favourite things, a special birthday message, who made the bear, or where the bear was built.
Once named, officially welcome your new fluffy friend into the world. Show them around, introduce them to the family, offer them a pretend cup of tea and maybe a biscuit or three.
Step 12 - dress and accessorise your bear
If you have teddy bear clothes or accessories, you can dress your bear after it has been stuffed and closed.
Many Be My Bear 16" bears and animal friends are suitable for teddy bear clothing, costumes and accessories. Outfits are a great way to match a party theme, create a gift, or build a wardrobe for your bear over time.
Bear making rhymes
If you would like to make the bear building experience even more magical for little ones, you can use a rhyme when adding the wishing charm.
Choose whichever rhyme feels most suitable, or write your own. These work especially well at birthday parties, group events and family activities.
Bear making rhyme 1
Make me soft or make me round
Fill me up from paws to crown
Choose my name and wish with care
Now I am your teddy bear
Bear making rhyme 2
Hold your charm oh so tight
Think happy thoughts with all your might
Place them in and close me too
Now I am a friend for you
Bear making rhyme 3
A little fluff, a wish, a heart
This is where our friendship starts
Stuff me gently, name me true
I will share my hugs with you
Party activity ideas
If you are using Be My Bear kits for a birthday party or group activity, you can turn the bear making process into a full experience.
Ideas include:
- Letting each child choose their bear or animal
- Making a group wish before adding the charms
- Using a bear making rhyme together
- Creating a naming ceremony for the finished bears
- Letting children decorate bags or certificates
- Holding a teddy bear parade at the end
- Taking a group photo with the finished bears
- Using the bear as the main party favour instead of a party bag
This makes the activity feel more memorable and gives every child something special to take home.
Troubleshooting while building your bear
The stuffing feels lumpy
Remove some stuffing, tease it apart more thoroughly, and add it back in smaller pieces. Lumps usually happen when large pieces of stuffing are pushed into one area at once.
The bear feels too soft
Add more stuffing, especially around the body, shoulders and neck. Keep shaping the bear with your hands as you go.
The bear feels too firm
Remove a little stuffing and spread the remaining filling more evenly. A bear that is too firm may be less cuddly and harder to close.
The arms or legs are not even
Move a little stuffing from the fuller side to the softer side. Small adjustments can make a big difference.
The back will not close properly
There may be too much stuffing near the opening. Remove a little stuffing from the back area, close the internal zip, then try the outer closure again.
The sound recorder is hard to press
Move the sound recorder closer to the front or side of the bear where it can be pressed through the fabric. Make sure it is not buried too deeply in the stuffing.
Looking after your finished bear
Once your bear is built, look after it carefully so it stays soft, cuddly and ready for adventures.
- Keep the bear away from water and messy food where possible
- Remove sound modules before cleaning
- Spot clean the bear by hand if needed
- Do not put Be My Bear teddy bears in the washing machine
- Store special bears somewhere dry and safe
- Keep button batteries and sound modules away from small children when removed
Read our teddy bear cleaning guide
Common questions about building a Be My Bear kit
Do Be My Bear kits arrive unstuffed?
Yes. Most Be My Bear making kits arrive unstuffed with the stuffing supplied, so you can stuff your bear or animal yourself.
Is stuffing included?
Yes. Standard bear making kits include stuffing. You do not normally need to buy stuffing separately unless you need extra or replacement stuffing.
Do I need a stuffing machine?
No. Be My Bear kits can be stuffed by hand and do not require a teddy bear stuffing machine.
Do I need to sew the bear closed?
No. The kits are designed to be completed without sewing. Many bears have an internal zip and outer Velcro-style closure.
Where should I put the wishing charm?
Place the wishing charm inside the bear with the stuffing before closing the internal zip.
Can I add a sound recorder?
Yes, if you have purchased a suitable sound recorder and your bear is compatible. Record and test the sound before placing the module inside the bear.
Can children build the bear themselves?
Children can take part in stuffing, wishing and naming the bear, but an adult should supervise the activity and handle any scissors, batteries, small parts or final closure steps.
Can I reopen the bear later?
If you need to access the inside later, such as for cleaning or replacing sound recorder batteries, a paperclip can usually be used to open the internal zip carefully. This should be done by an adult.
Ready to build your own bear?
Building your own teddy bear or stuffed animal is a lovely way to create a new friend with a story behind it. Whether you are making one bear at home or running a whole bear making party, take your time, enjoy the process and make it your own.