Are you planning on taking a nap and do you have a preschooler in your house? If so, here are the top five reasons that you should not have Doc McStuffins on in the background to placate your preschooler while you try to get some shuteye.
1. Stuffy’s Voice
Stuffy is the dragon who sounds congested. If you don’t want to fall asleep listening a dragon who talks like he permanently needs a tissue, do not take a nap while having this show on.
2. The Songs
I know repetition is key to young children, but every episode of Doc McStuffins is nearly the same much to my chagrin. A toy needs to be repaired, and they then sing this song.
Those chimes make me shudder.
Then when the toy is repaired, they sing this song.
Every. Damn. Episode.
When taking a nap this is not great because I may be on the cusp of sleep, but when the songs come on, this may trigger me to think “Oh, we’re half way through this episode. You have 8 more minutes until the episode wraps, and about 16 more minutes until my timer goes off and I have to wake up. Crap – am I ever going to sleep? Guess I should start thinking about making another coffee.”
If you’re keen on time boxing your naps and are a light napper, do not take a nap while having this show on.
3. The Crying Baby
My last point was about the songs, but the show has another sonic irritant. In seasons four and five, there’s an abundance of obnoxious noises including a baby crying. If you do not want to hear a baby crying when you’re trying to sleep, do not take a nap while having this show on.
4. The Ambulance
As someone who used to work in downtown Chicago for many years, I’m convinced that the City of Chicago’s ambulances are the loudest in the world. 32 floors up, they’re still louder than the El. One would think years of this would make me immune to the sounds of an ambulance, but alas, Doc McStuffins has proved me wrong. Trying to rest is impossible while the motley crew of sentient toys drives around in an ambulance to seemingly no end. If you don’t want to hear sirens and G-rated ER hijinks, do not take a nap while having this show on.
5. Dress Up Daisy
Doc McStuffins fixes many toys, several of which are recurring characters. The most irritating of these is Dress Up Daisy. While she was voiced by the generally fantastic Amy Sedaris in early seasons, the character is insufferable.
Imagine if Barbie had major anxiety and a chip on her shoulder at the same time. That’s what she sounds like. She’s arguably worse than Stuffy, but she’s not on screen as much, hence her 5th place on this list. If you don’t want to hear neurotic toys while you’re trying to sleep, do not take a nap while having this show on.