Do your kids have special blankets/stuffed animals?

[mollobe]

As AP parents, I'm wondering if your kids have special blankets/stuffed animals that they HAVE to sleep with and/or carry around with them?

I have a theory (doubt I came up with it, just something I've noticed) that children who have a special "Lovey"-type blanket or toy use it as a security object (probably where "security blanket" came from) to feel safe/secure. Like the kids attach themselves to these items because the item is there when the parent is not. Do you think this is true? Or do your AP kids have "security objects" despite you having always been there for them (like not letting them CIO, etc). I'm also wondering if co-sleeping affects (effects? I never know which to use :-/) this...what do you think? I tend to think it's sad when kids need these things to feel better, but I don't want to think that way if there are AP kids who have them, too. Does that make sense?

I've noticed that almost ALL of my IRL friends' kids have a blanket or stuffed animal that they cannot live without. None of these IRL friends practice AP or co-sleeping. And vice-verse: I only have a few, but none of my IRL friends/family who AP/co-sleep have kids with these attachment objects. :shrug3

What do you think?

[Codi]

Ive always kind of thought/noticed the same thing. I am sure some AP kids have them, just like some non AP kids dont. I have the same feelings as you.

Neither of my kids have anything like that.

I always want my kids to be attached to people over things.

[Heather Micaela]

My one year old adoures her "BiBi" a mas produced doll that I had to buy SEVERAL of and that she has lost two because she goes everywhere with it. She co-sleeps and night nurses :shrug3

[Codi]

Good point Heather. :think

My sister just sent me a picture of her dd (almost 2) and she went to bed tonight with 3 dolls and a few stuffed animals. They co-sleep, breastfeed, no CIO, etc...

[Heather Micaela]

I actually see it as MODELING AP. She treats her baby the way I do mine.

---------- Post added at 12:15 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:14 AM ----------

I did want to say the other kids have had special toys that would wax and wane in favor, but only dd has had a true "lovey" in the same way.

[MomtoJGJ]

We have special bears for each of the girls that we make at Build-a-Bear before they are born... they like them, but are not attached to them... except the 6yo... she's recently started carrying it all around with her, but we don't allow it out of the house.

DD3 is a very independent girl... always has been... when she was little (under a year) she had a rabbit that we put a paci on it's ears (like a Wubbanub) that she had all the time... she LOVED that, but then grew out of the need... made me sad :)

[Sparrow]

I have an AP friend who has a daughter who has a lovey. My kids don't. :shrug3
We never pushed it, or did we discourage it. I think part of it is just personality type.

Aaron needs me to fall asleep at night. Sometimes I wish he had a lovey, just so I could get a break. :-/

[mollobe]

Sometimes I wish he had a lovey, just so I could get a break. :-/

:yes I understand. We actually bought ds a "lovey" type blanket hoping he would at least somewhat attach to it so that we could transition him out of our bed ... :no He just thinks of it like any other blanket. :giggle So he still needs dh or I to fall asleep, and it's always faster if I lay with him. He IS in his own room now, though he usually ends up in our bed by early morning, which is fine with us. :heart

[trustingGod2]

All of my DC have a special blankie that they nap and bedtime with.

[pirandellian]

My DD does not, but she is only 10 months. She does have a typical blanket and some stuffed animals to sleep with, but they mostly serve as cushion (she's a very wild moving around sleeper).

[klpmommy]

P was my most attached to a toy & blanket. He had puppy & green blanket. He was also my cio'ed/babywised baby.

E has gone through stages with different toys. For a long time she had a Shrek toy that she wanted to go everywhere. But the *level* of attachment to the toy was different. She still has to have a special something to sleep with-- but it changes (usually it is the newest thing). E did use a binkie (pacifier) quite heavily & for a long time had a *favorite* one and could tell the difference in the dark.

Both P&E have a special stuffed dinosaur that they still play with all the time & take with them places, but they rarely sleep with them & they aren't attached to them so much as they are favorite & loved.

S & R haven't had anything like that so far. Although the closest would be S's new boots. She has nursed to sleep holding the silly things a few times. :giggle

[LisaMarie]

My youngest is totally a blankie and thumb - Linus style kinda kid. That blanket goes everywhere lol.

My middle was attached to the soother that they gave him during his 2 weeks in the hospital. We had to get so many of those things. Now, at 4 yrs he has a huge collection of stuffed animals that he likes to sleep with - 3 of which are puppies. These stuffies are, apparently, his "Friends" and he needs to sleep with them ALL. The 3 puppies are always with him - I find him playing with them and giggling -like they were real and pinning him down for licking his face or something. He loves them SO much.

My oldest went through a phase of his pillow being his thing when he was about 3. But it didn't last too long. He was the one that I co-slept with til he was 1. The others slept in my room in a playpen and crib.

Interesting theory!

[mamaKristin]

My kids don't have anything special. Although my youngest (at almost 4.5) is going through a short-term lovie phase. She pretty much picks a new one every second night, and it's hard keeping up with her choices :phew My middle is a thumb sucker, and was from birth.

I was a thumb sucker too, and had a bear that was beyond precious. I still have the bear, it's in my DD's bedroom. :) I don't sleep with it anymore, I have my DH as a stuffed animal (if he's eaten enough, that is, otherwise, he's unstuffed :giggle)

[RefrigeratorArt]

I LOVED my stuffed animals when I was little, so I guess sentimentality has influenced me to encourage my Little Ducky to love on his owl blanket. We waited until he was over 6 months old (he's 8 mo. now) when I asked our ped if it was okay for him to have a small blankie/stuffed animal (it's one of those Angel Dear brand minky blankets with a sweet animal face attached). Little Ducky's room is a forest animal theme, so we loved the owl blanket. He smiles when we play with it, and we snuggle with it when he's nursing at night or before naps. I would love if he became a little more attached to it so he could have a "buddy" in the car (I sit with him in the back on long road trips, but when we're tooling around town just the two of us, I obviously can't). :)

[Llee]

I hear you on wanting a lovey! But Dressy Bessy never really picked anything out, even the Ikea lovey I got for her that I now use. :blush It's super-comfortable on my back, in my defense. :) But in the last few weeks she's gotten quite attached to her dolly. :shrug3 We'll see how long that lasts; she tried taking it to bed with her tonight, but it's not made for that. I went in to find it in the co-sleeper and her on our bed. :giggle

[March]

I've tried to get ds attached to loveys so that he could put himself back to sleep more easily during naps or before I am in bed, but really I think my right breast in his mouth and my left breast in his hand is his lovey. :shifty He takes so long to fall asleep if I don't let him twiddle, but I usually don't, because, um, OW.

He is unusually attached to his toothbrush (??) and a bamboo velour diaper insert. He walks around the house with both for an hour at a time, brushing his teeth and rubbing his cheek with the insert. Weirdo. :lol

[curlymopmom]

Neither one of mine have 'loveys'. They both still co-sleep. :shrug3 They usually bring something to bed with them, but it changes from night to night, and it's not usually cuddly. :giggle

[mokamoto]

My kids have stuffed animals and blankets they treasure (from Grandma who they can only see once a year bc we live far), but I was relieved how easily they moved on when one was lost and another was ruined and had to be thrown away. We co-sleep, so apart from us (which is actually a big thing), they aren't really attached inseperably from any things. Well, maybe my DD and her play mobile phone (my old one). :wink

[Waterlogged]

Well, I'm only half AP...so FWIW...

Katherine has a paci, and has attached herself to these pink fleece blankets with satin edges. We have several "loveys" of the small blanket square variety, but she prefers the larger blanket. If I want her to sleep anywhere but her bed, I have to bring her blankie. She likes to feel it with her fingers.

We don't cosleep. And while we're not strict CIO people (I wouldn't be on GCM if I was) we do let K fuss a bit before falling asleep (like 1-2minutes).

Many of the falling asleep patterns were changed by how we had to deal with her reflux. We had to keep her upright after all her feedings, so she never really got to nurse/feed to sleep. And our doctor encouraged the paci b/c the suck/swallow helped her food stay down.

[Tiquatoo]

All of mine have had loveys that they slept with once they were old enough for a bed, but none that they really dragged around the house. They no longer sleep with them (at least I don't think they do; I'm not too sure about the artist :paranoid).

[Eowyn]

They all have special blankets given just to them, but Ollie is the only one with a stuffed animal he's especially attached to. Puppy sleeps with him, and he takes it with him when we're going to be somewhere he's likely to fall asleep, but that's a fairly recent development.

Henry has a baby doll he insisted come to surgery with him, and he still likes it, so we shall see. Other than that, nope.

[Sparrow]

I'm not too sure about the artist :paranoid).

Artist is 19? Well, I'll come on here and say that I slept with my lovey in my bed until I got married, at the age of 27. I didn't HUG it, and I was OK if I crashed somewhere without it. I needed it IN my bed, usually it was under the covers and at my feet.

I had bad nightmares as a kid and teen and was sometimes too afraid to move or call out for help but felt "OK" if I had my panda with me. :shifty

Come to think of it, I don't think I could sleep alone....I have DH and two kids in bed with me. If they were gone I think I'd have our dog up there. :shifty

[BriansLovie]

DS1 has about 12 stuffed animals he sleeps with each and every night. But I will say there are 3 of them that he could NOT live without. He was not AP'ed until he was over a year old, so not sure if that factors into it. We did do some CIO with him. I am with him 247 :shrug3 He coslept some, but after 1 year old. DS2 does not have a lovie, he has been AP'ed from birth, coslept since birth. But he is only 16 months old.

[Aerynne]

My kids don't. My brother and I were mostly Ap'ed- he had a lovey and I didn't.

[Englishgirl]

DD1 has one that I encouraged her to have because of the no cry sleep solution - she was APed to some extent but we didn't bed-share after 4 months. I also liked the idea of a 'transitional object' - that would help her to feel safe in new situations. I'm not sure how much the toy acted like that. Currently she always sleeps with it but doesn't carry it around much of the time.

DD2 doesn't have one. I did encourage one but maybe not as consistently as with DD2, also she does sleep in our bed.

[Liberated4Christ]

Yes, all my kids have a lovey.:heart

My oldest(13) has a little yellow duck, when she was 3, she dropped it in the parking lot of a mall in Florida. DH and I were scatter brained at the time, and didn't notice. We were heading back up North(home) when we realized she did not have it. We were already 2 states away and we turned around and went back for it, in hopes that it was still there..
IT WAS!! :giggle

Another of our children treasure a quilt that I made her some time ago. She takes it in the van even when we go out.

Another child has a furry brown blanket that I originally bought for myself, but when she was about 10 months old, she claimed it as her own!!!

My sons lovey is a blue jean teddy that he has had since birth.

And my youngest has just now got attached to a knitted bumble-bee that her older sissy made her last month. :heart

[BearyBlessed]

Punkin has a blankie that my sister crocheted for him. I used it when he was little while I was feeding him as well as at night. Now he likes to have it when he goes to sleep.
He also has a couple bears that he loves to play with. He occasionally likes to bring one to bed or take it to the store. It changes depending on his mood. I have encouraged his sleeping with a bear to try and get him to be able to go to sleep without me eventually.
I had a doll that I slept with for a long time, maybe until high school? I switched her out for a bear at that time and slept with it until I got married. :shifty

[charla]

My kids don't have a lovey. Sometimes they bring something to bed among the stuffed animals they have and sometimes they don't.

[KLin]

My boys have a few small blankets that will travel with us or used when they are sleeping out of their own rooms. These are accompanied by square bob the builder pillows made by grandma that they sleep on. My DS1 picked a panda bear when he was about 1 yr old, and he has slept with it since. He even found a similar panda and had me buy it so he could give it to his baby brother. Now they bring one of the blankets, the bob pillows and the panda bears with us in the van on trips, in the RV, to sleepovers at grandma's etc.

They do not really play with these objects apart from sleep time. On potentially scary Dr. appointments, the panda may come along.:heart

[MamaMansa]

My kids all had special blankets that they carried around with them.

[Two Little Birds]

:yes Ds has a blanket (Baba) that is very special. It started out as the blanket we used to tuck around him in his car seat and he latched onto it quickly.