I read other reviews on Amazon about the bear before purchasing, so I was ready for the initial shedding. When it arrived, I went through about 10 lint roller sheets, going over the entire bear. This seemed to accelerate and alleviate the shedding before my daughter ever got her hands on the bear.
Otherwise, the bear is definitely large but not too heavy, which is great. The bear has been pulled and carried by just about every part of his body (ears, arms, legs, etc) and has withstood the treatment. I think my daughter will only grow to enjoy him more and more as she gets bigger and is better able to handle him! I would say that his fur is a little more coarse than I thought it would be, but he is apparently soft enough for snuggling, at least in my daughter's opinion.