Не то чтобы малышке нравилось рано вставать, но с любимой пирамидкой и медвежонком она сразу улыбается.

Не то чтобы is an idiomatic softening phrase. It means something like:

• it’s not that...
• not exactly that...
• it’s not really the case that...

So the speaker is not making a blunt statement like the little girl doesn’t like getting up early. Instead, they are qualifying it: it’s not exactly that she likes getting up early, but...

This construction often sets up a contrast with но:
Не то чтобы X, но Y = It’s not that X, but Y.

Because the verb нравиться works differently from English to like.

In Russian, the person who experiences the liking is in the dative, and the thing or action that is pleasing is the grammatical subject.

So:

• малышке = to the little girl
• рано вставать = the thing that is pleasing / liked

A very literal English version would be:

Early getting up was pleasing to the little girl.

That is why it is малышке, not малышка.

Because the thing connected with нравилось is not малышка. The subject is the whole action рано вставать.

When an infinitive or an entire action functions as the subject, Russian often uses neuter singular in the past tense:

• нравилось

So the structure is basically:

• малышке = experiencer in the dative
• рано вставать = the action being liked
• нравилось = neuter singular past, agreeing with that action as a general idea

This is a very common learner question, and the answer is: in this kind of не то чтобы... construction, the past tense often does not feel strictly past in English terms.

Russian often uses past-tense forms in soft, tentative, or distancing statements like:

• Не то чтобы он мне нравился, но...
• Не то чтобы ей хотелось уходить, но...

These often mean something closer to:

• It’s not that I like him, but...
• It’s not that she wants to leave, but...

So here нравилось is idiomatic and softened. It does not necessarily mean that she liked getting up early only in the past.

Because the sentence is talking about a general, repeated, habitual action: getting up early as a routine.

The imperfective вставать is the normal choice for:

• habits
• repeated actions
• actions viewed as a process or general activity

If you used встать instead, it would suggest a single completed act of getting up, which is not the main idea here.

So:

• рано вставать = to get up early in general / as a habit

Малышка is an affectionate word meaning something like:

• little girl
• little one
• baby girl depending on context

It sounds warm and tender. It is not just a neutral label like ребёнок.

Here, малышке is the dative singular form of малышка.

Not usually. In a child-related context, пирамидка usually means a stacking toy: the common toy with rings stacked on a pole.

So here любимая пирамидка is very likely the child’s favorite stacking toy, not a geometric pyramid.

This is a good example of how Russian toy vocabulary can sound misleading if translated too literally.

Because the preposition с meaning with normally takes the instrumental.

So:

• с любимой пирамидкой = with her favorite stacking toy
• с медвежонком = with a little bear / teddy bear

The forms are:

• любимой — instrumental singular feminine
• пирамидкой — instrumental singular feminine
• медвежонком — instrumental singular masculine

Also, медвежонок literally means bear cub, but in this kind of context it can naturally refer to a teddy bear.

Strictly speaking, любимой agrees only with пирамидкой, because it is:

• singular
• feminine

So grammatically it directly modifies only пирамидкой.

That means the phrase most literally means:

with her favorite stacking toy and teddy bear

not necessarily with her favorite stacking toy and favorite teddy bear.

Of course, context may suggest that both are cherished toys, but the adjective itself is attached only to the first noun.

It most naturally means with, in the sense of in the company of / with these things present / when she has them with her.

So the idea is probably that when she has her favorite toy and teddy bear with her, she smiles right away.

It does not explicitly say:

• that she is definitely holding them
• or that they are the direct cause in a strict grammatical sense

But context strongly suggests that their presence comforts or cheers her.

Yes, Russian often omits subject pronouns when the subject is clear from context. So in many situations, она could be omitted.

But here она sounds natural because:

• the sentence has a fairly long phrase before the main verb
• it makes the subject clear again
• it gives a slight contrastive or emphatic feel

So она сразу улыбается sounds a bit more complete and expressive than just сразу улыбается in this sentence.

Russian word order is flexible, and this order is used to guide emphasis.

Here the sentence starts the second clause with:

• с любимой пирамидкой и медвежонком

That puts the condition/situation first: with her favorite toy and teddy bear...

Then:

• она marks the subject
• сразу emphasizes right away
• улыбается gives the main result

So the order feels natural because it builds the thought like this:

But with her favorite toy and teddy bear, she smiles immediately.

It is less about rigid grammar and more about information flow and emphasis.

You could, but it would sound different.

• любит рано вставать = she likes/loves getting up early
• нравилось рано вставать in this sentence is softer and more indirect, especially with не то чтобы

So:

• Не то чтобы малышка любила рано вставать... is possible
• but Не то чтобы малышке нравилось рано вставать... sounds especially natural because it is less direct and fits the gentle, qualifying tone

In other words, любить would sound a bit stronger and more straightforward. Нравиться fits the soft, nuanced style better here.