Why I Am A Lover Of Lovies For Babies
In our house Dyl has his Doggies, Ry has his Gigis (giraffes), and baby J has his Ellas (elephants). These are toys that we introduced to our kids around the same time we sleep trained them at four months. During sleep training we give up on continually replacing the soother that inevitably falls out of their mouth all night, and they all learned how to self soothe. I am a lover of lovies for babies.
Within weeks of their introduction, our children have been able to self soothe and fall back asleep at night when they awaken, through simple cuddling their favorite friend and sucking their thumb.
Each of our kids has three loveys. I originally envisioned giving them each one at a time, so that we can sneak another away to wash or fix. We abandoned that plan when I realized that putting three in the crib would allow them to find another if they lost one in their movement around the crib. What is interesting is that Dyl has a favorite, ‘Big Doggy’ and Ry has one that he does not like, ‘Yucky Gigi’. The idea is that their lovey became their source of comfort when they are distressed or upset. In my experience they work wonders!! Within weeks of their introduction, our children have been able to self soothe and fall back asleep at night when they awaken, through simple cuddling their favorite friend and sucking their thumb.
We have noticed Dyl ‘breastfeeding’ ‘Big Doggie’ on many occasions. It’s their practice for ‘real life’ (sort of).
It is not uncommon for children to develop a deep-rooted emotional attachment to a stuffed animal or toy. I personally believe that this is a great thing. You see the second our kids get their hands on their respective lovey; they calm down and chill out. Our kids use them as a best friend, someone to play with, talk to and soothe them when they are upset. We routinely see our kids talking to, playing with and singing to their loveys. We have noticed Dyl ‘breastfeeding’ ‘Big Doggie’ on many occasions. It’s their practice for ‘real life’ (sort of). This is one of the reasons that our kids are happy to spend time in their beds, why they sleep so well and why we get some extra time to ourselves after nap and before we get them in the morning.
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Dina is a wife, mother of 4, and adrenaline junky. She loves to share children’s health information from her professional and personal experience. More About Dr Dina.
