Lovies

Toddlers love transitional objects, pacifiers, blankets, stuffed animals, or even something like a wooden spoon.  Transitional objects are otherwise known as 'lovies', 'blankies' or my favorite term for them from the movie Mr. Mom, 'woobies.'  I think this stage of loving on an object is adorable.  Now, I know some of you out there may think they are not so cute when your child demands them 24/7 and will not leave the house without it and if they leave it somewhere, screams bloody murder until you drive all over town to get it.

But they are great soothers.  They may not go to bed without it, and may need it to soothe them when they are upset or when their mommy and daddy are not around and they need something to comfort them.

Toddlers and children need that little object to get them through the rough spots.  And I personally think they are great ways to help them soothe themselves.  After all, it's not that different from adults needing a cigarette or biting their nails when they get stressed.  Or, how about the soothing feeling we get from a warm cup of coffee (or hot chocolate) every morning or relaxing with a glass of wine after a long day.  Or for me, a nice spa pedicure!  We all have self-soothing objects or rituals that help us cope, just like our toddlers and children do too.

My child currently loves her little blankets which she carries around with her everywhere.  And when we are reading her stories before bedtime, the minute she gets her little blankie in her hands, she rubs it over her face and is already half asleep.  I swear they are like magic in getting her ready for bed!  I have tried to get her to love on a stuffed animal so I gave her my old one, and I am of course convinced she loves it as much as I did, but so far not so much. She hugs on it, but doesn't notice when it's gone.  We're working on it :)

And what about the dreaded paci's?  We have limited our child with having it only during sleep, or when she is upset from getting hurt, or the occasional card ride where she won't stop crying and it's the only thing that will calm her down.  Our pediatrician said they are okay to have until around age 2, then to start weaning her from it.  I guess we may have to go the Paci Fairy route when the time comes :)

And since it's the holiday season, what better time than to search online to find some great lovie objects for your little one:

Bernhardt Bears: (White, pink and blue options, 27.99$ on Amazon):

North American Bear has some really cute options for Lovies with 20 different animal choices such as dogs, monkeys and elephants (11.99$ at Amazon):

Or if your child is into soft minkie fabric blankets, here is one by Swaddle Designs (17.83$):



And if your child is like me and a stuffed animal lover, here is a super soft Gund animal (Amazon 10.99$):

How about your kids, what object is your child attached to??