Attachment to kitty a little too...attached
Categories: Toddlers
Nolan has been carting around his bedraggled kitty since he was about three months old. "Kitty" was actually once a very handsome faux feline, complete with a beanbag for warm-up in the microwave. Now, woefully, he is a one-eyed, rumpled eyesore. I can't get him away from Nolan long enough to wash him, so currently his mottled fur is covered in spaghetti sauce and banana-strawberry vegetable juice. He smells like death but Nolan loves him.
Kitty gets thrown over the edge of the crib every morning, to signal Nolan's daily arrival into the land of the awake. Kitty must accompany Nolan in his high chair, in the car, at storytime, for walks in the park. My kid seems to be increasingly attached to kitty, and now insists that kitty come with him into the bathtub every night, with disastrous results for the cat.
The other morning I left for daycare without kitty in the car, and we weren't more than 5 minutes away from the house, when a pathetic little voice in the backseat started reminding me,"Keee.Keeee." Of course. Kitty. And we had to go back and get him.
Does your child have a favourite stuffed animal? I am hoping the Internet will tell me that Nolan will cease to carry this thing around by the time he is 16.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Ann Adams 3-11-2007 @ 5:19PM
With Rebecca it was her blankie although we did manage to get it away from her long enough to launder. She finally gave it up when it was down to postcard size and bleached white from its original blue.
My favorite as a child was Raggedy Ann. My mom would smuggle it out at night and replace it with a new one she'd made. I never noticed.
Can you sneak it out while he's sleeping long enough to wash?
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Trisha 3-11-2007 @ 6:12PM
Naomi has a little Gund Flopadoodle Lion, named Cagney or "Cags." She needs him at naps and anytime she's going to be left with a sitter. So far we've managed to keep Cags in the crib most of the time. She insists on bringing him out after naps and holding him while I change her diaper. From there she usually drops him on her way to other toys and I toss him back in the crib.
She is getting more and more attached so I'm considering buying a second copy.
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cassie 3-11-2007 @ 6:15PM
I had a stuffed lamb that was given to me by my great-aunt at my baby shower. It went everywhere with me until I started school, but I still slept with him every night until I was 14. In all of my baby pictures he is in the corner of my crib, or I am dragging him around by one of his arms.
Lamby used to be very plump, with a green floral print middle. Now he is limp, see through, and both of his bead eyes are chipped. His sewn on mouth and eyes are pretty much invisible and one of his ears is permanently grey because I chewed on it for 14 years.
I packed Lamby away by vacuum packing him with my mom's Food Saver and he now rests in the basement. After 14 years with me, he sure does need a rest!
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michelle 3-11-2007 @ 6:15PM
O wow, this reminds me of my 2 1/2 year olds obsession with his 'love blanket'(since it was made with love). I made him the blanket when he was 2 months old and we moved to our house. It is the ONLY blanket he will use. He calls it a "ge"...... I have no idea why. But he loves the ge. No body else is allowed to use it, except for me. lol. But I have noticed that he is becoming a tad less attached in the last couple of months. I think one reason is because he is becoming a lot more independent, playing with trucks, going outside, and such, things that would be really hard to do with his ge. But he still HAS TO HAVE IT while he sleeps.
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Nancy Toby 3-11-2007 @ 7:10PM
We had to buy about 8 of the favorite stuffed toy (Ty Pluffy Purrz, a tiger). Now they're mostly interchangeable, but she refuses to snuggle with the 2 newest copies. Not worn enough, I guess.
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Laura 3-11-2007 @ 8:16PM
That is funny. We just had a mini crisis because Koala A is crusty from a persistent eye infection (peanut's not koalas) and Koala B is wet from being in the hamper with a wet dish towel on it. We couldn't decide which one to give our 14 month old while she screamed "baby" from her bedroom.
we decided on the crusty one.
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Lauren 3-11-2007 @ 10:54PM
Margot has the same attachment to her blanket. We have gotten to the point where she only needs it to sleep, but it is a very big source of comfort for her and she looks so sweet clutching that thing that we will probably keep it forever.
In the mean time, you need to wrestle kitty away from Nolan and get him washed. Yucky germs can take up residence in stuffed animals, especially ones toted outside of the house. (Maybe sneak in while he is sleeping?)
Good luck!
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Sarahwinks 3-11-2007 @ 11:03PM
My daughter has a pink frog that she needs to take everywhere. We set up some rules - mostly for our sanity. He's not allowed to sit with her while she eats (thus keeping him kind of clean), he can't go into stores or the mall (hopefully keeping him from getting lost) and he can't go in the bath with her. I try and sneak him away once a month for a good wash in the washing machine - but that is easier said than done. Especially since she calls him her friend now. (She even has a special voice that frog uses when he talks.) She also carries around one of 4 receiving blankets - it doesn't matter which one as long as she has frog and blanket with her.
I had (and still have on a shelf) a Winnie the pooh that was love worn. I believe there are stories of my parents going back to hotels to find my bear because he was left behind. I also had a blankie that mysteriously disappeared after a vacation. I have to admit that I'm still attached to the blankets with the satin-y edges on them.
I guess I can never wonder where my daughter picked up the "lovey habit." lol
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Heather 3-11-2007 @ 11:45PM
Yes and it got worn out pretty fast so when we saw an identicle one we bought it just in case doggy gets too warn out.
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Maureen 3-12-2007 @ 1:52AM
Oh, man, my daughter (2) has "piggy-do". It is a little stuffed pig that someone gave me when she was born. She is not without that thing unless it is being washed. We have to give piggy-do a bath once a week and it is always very traumatic. It is easier now that she is older and can help put the thing in the wash and she loves it when it comes out of the dryer warm and soft. The thing is so sad-looking, though, even with frequent washes. It now has a grayish tint. I have been searching for over a year for a replacement but they (gund) no longer make this one. She has other pigs but they are not the same. We have had to go back to stores where piggy was left and retrace our steps on walks when piggy was accidentally dropped. Thank goodness we have always found her. I really don't know what will happen on a day when her best friend can't be found -- my daughter gets so frantic when she can't see her pig and says (in the saddest voice) "Mommy, I can't see my piggy-do".
Once she starts preschool next year she'll have to learn to separate from her friend.
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Kristin 3-12-2007 @ 2:01AM
Kids are so funny, aren't they?
Ann, I do sneak kitty out of Nolan's grasp while he sleeps to wash him. But he's well overdue for a good cleansing now, too.
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Jessica 3-12-2007 @ 4:02AM
My 2 year old has a doggie that is his lovey. Early on when we figured out it was the case, we searched high and low to buy a backup but could not fine one that was exactly the same (this was when he was around 6 months) so we told him the doggie had to stay in his bed. This has ended up working to our benefit because he seriously looks forward to his nap and bedtime because he gets to go see his doggie. And doggie gets a "bath" at least once a week. The down side is that I can't imagine what would happen if we tried to get him to sleep without his doggie somewhere. It would be rough goings!
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Lindsey 3-13-2007 @ 12:45AM
Embarassing confession: I am 21 years old and still sleep with my lovey-animal I've had since infancy and a quilt that has been re-covered several times. No, I don't drag them around with me. They are still just as comforting as they always have been. I guess I'll have to give them up when I get married, but I'll never throw them away.
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