WFMW: Lovey back-up / replacement
When my oldest son, Andy, was a baby, he was a messy eater (or I was a messy nurser!). We had to use a burp cloth every time he ate… So, it wasn’t long before he became very attached to them. We soon realized that they were a comfort to him. Nothing could calm him down like a burp cloth.
When he got a bit older, say around a year, he became particular about the exact texture (weave) of the Gerber burp cloths he would use for comfort. It was fine — we had lots! His “lovey” was obviously his “fur faffs” (that’s the best he could say it initially). We were blessed to have bought packages of the kind he liked, so they could easily be washed and he never had to miss one.
Our second son has never had a lovey, but our third, Connor, took a liking to a particular Jersey knit blanket. I couldn’t find a duplicate anywhere, but took a chance and bought one in the same fabric, but a different print. He loved it! He now has five Jersey knit blankets — his “beezits” – that we rotate through the wash and he still gets to do his best Linus impersonation.
Our fourth baby, daughter Evan, has taken a liking to a particular silk blanket that her Daddy bought for her when she was staying in the hospital after birth. I’ve already introduced a second silk blanket, (different pattern, same fabric) and it does the trick.
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So, my advice is this: Before you spend thousands of dollars on eBay trying to track down just the right bunny or blanket, try a similar feeling one. Kids love texture, so the same fabric may do the trick. Or, even better, be proactive and introduce a second similarly-feeling item as soon as you notice a love for a particular item. It’s worked well for us and it just might for you, too!
For more terrific tips, visit Rocks in My Dryer’s Works for Me Wednesday!
October 9th, 2007 at 9:48 pm
Thanks! I think my daughter is developing an attachment to her blanket, so this is a good reminder.
October 9th, 2007 at 10:17 pm
Smart Mama! This is very strange but my daughter loves fuzz. She picks it off of things and rubs it under her nose while she sucks her thumb so anything fuzzy will do: a knitted blanket, sweater or hat, a fleeze blanket or jacket, even a bath towel! It’s a problem now because I took all her fuzzy things away to try and get her to stop sucking her thumb but she can find fuzz anywhere!
October 10th, 2007 at 6:41 am
My son’s only lovey was my long hair. He would run his fingers through it from his earliest days. Once when he was about 4 I had just had enough of having my hair touched that day and said “Why don’t you get a wooby like other kids?!!” He looked incredibly offended and replied “But Mom, YOU”RE my wooby”. Needless to say he got the hair back.
October 10th, 2007 at 4:25 pm
My oldest chose the plush blankets for his “lovey”, and they all have “Pooh” on them. And we found out just how attached he was when we had a sick incident while traveling and had to quick find another while the first was laundered. You are correct, that it is most frequently more about texture and not the picture. Wise words of mommy wisdom if I ever heard it! Rock on!
October 10th, 2007 at 5:57 pm
None of my children wanted a blanket.
They all wanted a stuffed animal, or certain sounds.
These differences between children are so interesting.
Have a wonderful week!
October 10th, 2007 at 7:57 pm
So very true. Each of our children get two small crocheted blankets from my mom. One to wash and one to use so that way they always have one.
Great tip!!
October 11th, 2007 at 6:15 am
That’s a very good idea
Thankfully none of my kids have ever been attached to anything like that. Although they all like to play with my hair, so as long as I don’t go bald I should be ok………lol!
October 11th, 2007 at 1:54 pm
My second child (who now has a baby of her own!) was attached to the satiny binding on her blankets. Once when I visited my mom, we forgot and left pie pie at home. I was so worried that she wouldn’t be able to sleep without it! Mom pulled a nylon half-slip out of her drawer, and Sippy settled right down, cuddling Branny’s slip. Pie pie was such a part of Sippy’s life, that when she married, I wrapped pie pie up and gave it to her as one of her gifts. As far as I know, she still has it. Lovey’s are important, and finding a back-up one is an excellent idea!
October 12th, 2007 at 8:58 am
This is a very good idea. When we lived overseas years ago, our oldest girl had a special dolly, and she would twirl Tiffany’s hair while she sucked her thumb. One day at the park, Tiffany disappeared and we never found her. We had to look high and low to find a replacement. Our poor daughter was beside herself.
You have a beautiful family!
Come by and see us sometime at The Big Yellow House!
Martie
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