The Build a Bear Work Shop

I am always looking for new things to do with Leo, 

magical adventures that we can share,

and new memories that we can make together.

So when Leo was invited along to the magical Build a Bear Factory, 

I was so excited to show him what he was about to witness.

We visited the Birmingham Bull Ring store, and were met by the smiling face of Laura (the lovely lady at Build a Bear) who helped us pick and give life to Leo's new friend.

Build a Bear have a wide selection of different bears available so it was really hard to narrow it down to just one. Leo and I eventually decided on the colorful stars bear as he really stood out to us. Build a Bear is more than just picking up a pre-stuffed bear off the shelf, paying and making your exit. At Build a Bear you do just that, you throw all of your imagination and creativity into creating your perfect bear.

You choose the bear you want to take home with you and then it is time to personalise your new friend with different sounds, from the cutest giggle or even One Direction! The sound station is where we lost Leo, he decided this was the best bit of the entire experience and he was going to stand there pressing each and every sound on the board, over and over again.

Once you have prised said child away from the sounds that are clearly driving other customers around the bend...You move on to the real magic. It is time to take your bear along to the machine that is swirling full of soft white stuff! It is time to stuff your bear and bring life to him!

This is where the real magic begins, and is the precise reason that I think the staff at Build a Bear deserve a real pat on the back. Laura was super and told us exactly what we had to do in order to bring our little bear to life, we were shown the beating hearts we could have inside the bear that would beat from time to time when Leo hugged him. We were shown the hugs and kisses that were being put inside our bear, and even asked how we would like the bear stuffed, firm, cuddly or a little in between. 

Leo was shown how to stand on the pedal that operated the flow of the stuffing, and with Mummy's help he stuffed his new bear until he was just right for lots of cuddles.

Laura had us stamp our feet up and down as we brought life to Leo's bear, and I really thought that her glowing attitude and way with Leo was superb, Laura really made the experience magical for all of us.

With our bear now stuffed it was time to give him his dignity and get him a suitable outfit. I was blown away by all of the outfit selections that were available, so Leo and I had a look through all of them to see which would be best fitting for our little guy. We set our eyes on a soldiers outfit with a super hat to go with it and tried it on him, Laura was happy for us to try on as many different outfits as we wanted but we quickly made our minds up.

After getting our bear dressed up so that he was fit enough to take on duty as one of the Queens guards, it was the moment that we had to register the arrival of Leo's new bear. We took a seat at one of the available computers that talked us through naming the bear and where we would prepare the birth certificate.

We took a little while in naming our new bear, but eventually decided to call him 'Bear', after all 'bear' was Leo's first word and it just seemed very fitting under the circumstances. 

We have come away with one very distinguished bear, dressed to the nines in his solder outfit and singing One Direction. Leo is really pleased with Bear and loves to squeeze his hand to get the song to play.

I thought the Build a Bear experience was truly fantastic, we were looked after from start to finish and nothing was too much effort. Laura was super with Leo even though he was not 100% on our day of visiting. I would highly reccomend a trip to your local Build a Bear as it is sure to bring a smile to your little one's face. There is nothing more magical than seeing your little one blown away by such an experience.

Disclaimer: I was invited along to Build a Bear for the purpose of this review, however all views and opinions expressed are completely honest and my own.