Hunter has this French teddy bear that is particularly special because Chris picked it out for him before he was even born. We were in Paris and shopping at Galleries Lafayette back when I was pregnant, and Chris spotted it and insisted we get it.
Very glad we did, because Hunter LOVES his teddy. Just seeing it makes him smile and gurgle with sheer pleasure, and he’ll grab it and mush it against his face and breathe in the smell. In fact, he’ll place Teddy ON his face when he sleeps!
Considering he’s so enamored with Teddy, we’ve had growing concerns that bad things will happen if it gets lost or destroyed. He depends on it so greatly to fall asleep at night (I swear this must be the reason he falls asleep by himself in 5 mins flat) that I’m scared to think of what will happen if Teddy is gone. We’ve been on the hunt for a replica, but I have no idea what brand Teddy is.. just the fact that we bought him in Paris! We’ve search online too, but to no avail 🙁
But then I discovered the Steiff floppy bear. I saw it whilst out shopping but costs $70 (!!!) in Singapore, perhaps because it’s a German made and imported brand, and some sort of collector’s brand. But it was perfect – the exact same fur that Teddy has, the same floppiness and feel, but just a different colour. So I found it online for cheaper and bought it!
The awesome news is, Hunter took to Floppy immediately. Which is saying a lot, since he has a lot of other stuffed toys. He took Floppy quickly and with a happy ‘lil grin. I’m pleased 🙂 The cost is worth it and at least this one is more easily replacable!
Hunter ‘meeting’ Floppy for the first time
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkqJjMKzqXs
Isn’t it cute how babies/toddlers really take to a certain toy or blanket? What does your kid love – a stuffed toy or a blankie? And do you have pics? Please tell/show me… I’m nosy and wanna know what the norm is with kids out there 😛
Mine – according to my parents – was a pillow (which I very, err, creatively, called “peeeee-ohhhhh!!!”). They often tell me that they would need to turn the car back around and go all the way back to my grandparent’s place if it was left there by accident 😉
Chris – according to his mum – was a teddy that he would put a diaper on. Except the teddy was small, so it would be entirely wrapped up in the diaper. LOL!! (OMG LOL edited to add:) Chris says that because the teddy couldn’t actually be seen inside the diaper, sometimes his parents just gave him a diaper to hug to sleep (without the teddy inside). Well, let’s just hope it was a clean diaper. Muahahahaaa!!
Both for Arthur: a blanket (but we can rotate among 2 or three, actually one stays at day care and one at home) and his doggie called Woua Woua
SO lucky that Arthur takes 2-3 blankies.. it comes in useful if you lose one. And OMG I can imagine Arthur saying Woua Woua in his lil French accent.. aieeee SO CUTE!!!
Hi Bev, just out of curiosity, when did Hunter first develop an attachment towards teddy? My first boy never took to any of the soft toys/pillows/blankies that we gave him and I find that it was so hard to train him to sleep on his own. So now I’m really hoping my 2nd boy (now 2 mths old) will form an attachment to a toy or something so that it may be easier to train him to fall asleep on his own!
He’s had it since birth but I guess it became obvious maybe at around 2 months old? He breathes the smell to sleep at night!
Try stuffing the toy/blankie down your top so it has the smell of you (and your breastmilk too if you’re bfeeding), if you do that for a couple of nights whilst you’re sleeping, apparently it adopts your smell and helps. I did it with Teddy!
Aww.. he is adorable! I like how he flaps his arms when he’s laughing 🙂 oh, and Happy Birthday for tomorrow 🙂
He flaps his arms when he’s excited, laughing, and even when he’s upset. It’s his universal gesture I think 😉
Very cool that Hunter knows to press Floppy’s nose when you ask him to! Such a smart boy 🙂 E has a long-limbed stuffed zebra (called Zee, haha) which he falls asleep with (and often on!). It’s our “magic formula” whenever we bring him out – as long as he has Zee, he generally is able to sleep wherever. Guess Zee’s touch and smell is comforting 🙂 We have two of them to rotate (each takes turns in the wash), and we wanted to buy more from the store, but they’re sold out! So crossing fingers that the two will last E till he outgrows it. You can check Zee out in the photo album I have of E on Facebook, Days 200 and 226 🙂
Ohhh you are so smart to have bought two, wish we’d thought of that!! Zee is a cute name too 😛
I’m very impressed that H points accurately to the bear’s nose when you ask him to do so!! Well done smarty H 🙂 xo
I think it was 90% fluke luck too, haha!
So cute that Hunter takes the bear so well!! My boy doesn’t really like soft toys. He just mouths them but no special one which he takes to.I have been trying to encourage him to use a lovey. But for now, I m still his security object.
You know what I heard? Stuff the toy/blankie inside your bra and keep it there when you sleep and walk around the house. It’ll get your yummy scent and the baby then takes to it 😛 Maybe that’ll work??
Tabby has this odd looking bolster that she absolutely loves. When we went Malaysia for church camp earlier this year, I had to bring along another soft toy (much smaller in comparison) so that she could hug it to sleep. Boy the first two nights she was waking up and crying for her “bolster”!!
Ohhh poor Tabby, heh! I’m glad Teddy and Floppy are both relatively small then 😛