Intro a Lovey

I found with my son he chose the blankie that was actually my favorite...I used it all the time and eventually that was the one he chose and still uses. I love the fleece blankets, they are warm and soft and easy to clean!

my daughter has her pacifier.. no blanket.. my son has his thumb and her always grabbed a blanket to hold on to.

he likes the taggie blanket..

I would give the baby a blanket that you can buy extras of ..

in case it gets lost dirty..

it is the right time to give her a blanket.

Go ahead an introduce what you want to use know...but they tend to pick their own. (usually a hard to find/replace gift!)

I don't think you can "give" a lovey. From my experience it is just an item that your child will select. 2 of my 3 kids picked items they get comfort from. I would caution you. Once your child is attacted to any item you now have a HUGE responsibility to keep track of it. They will try to haul it all over the place and life stops for many children when their item is lost. I would avoid having a lovey of possible.

My son has had 2 blankies from birth, he is now 13 months and won't go to sleep without atleast one of them! When he is drinking his bottle he has to have one next to his face to cuddle, also like another mom said - when he sees it on the floor, on a chair or anything he runs up to it, throws himself on it and cuddles it! He didn't really get attached like that until he was about 10 months old or so. I would just keep it with her, that's what worked for me!

Most children select their own. My oldest son had blankets, which are still on his bed and the youngest went from a little bunny to a pound puppy that he slept with until just this year when he turned 17. It broke my heart more to see him finally put "doggy" aside than it did him. Just give it time, it'll happen on it's own but be prepared to keep a tight hold on it when you go to Grandma's house or the doctor or the store, lose that favorite blankie, doggy, bunny... and you're in for a pretty miserable child.

Missing those days,
S.

My daughter didn't really get hers till her first birthday. An aunt of mine bought her a Sesame street blanket and she loved it she much she wouldn't let it go. She is almost three and still carrys it everywhere.

Yeah, I agree...keep it near her now and she will grow attached to it. One thing I learned...keep a backup in case that one gets lost! Voice of experience! LOL

L.

Don't do it if you don't have too!!!! My oldest didn't have a "lovey" or anything, she simply needs a fleece blanket, doens't matter where it came from or what it looks like, as long as it is fleece, we are good. However, my second child got attached to a lovely and if i don't have it with me when we are out, I'm screwed. He will cry and scream and through a huge fit. I hate being attached to the thing, but i don't dare leave it out of my site. If you daughter doesn't need anything now, don't force it, you will be thankful in the long run!

Hi K.,
Many babies attach to materials similar to mom's shirts!
Whether or not your are nursing your daughter or bottle feeding, I would lay a 'potential' lovey between your body and her's....regularly! Most babies will "take it or leave it", it's all up to them. So don't fret if your daughter doesn't go for a love attachment...as long as she's attached to you, you're the best!

My oldest didn't have anything,but my youngest has a blankie that he loves. It is a small soft washable blankie we bought at Babies'R'Us. I think he was about two months old when I started wearing it on my shoulder as I nursed him so it would smell like me and give him comfort when I wasn't there. He got used to having it with him. He is nearing two now and takes it with him everywhere.

My oldest got her lovey by 4 months old. She had to sleep with something between her hands. We made sure, after we saw how attached she was, that we got extras for day care and wash breaks. My youngest on the other hand, never took to anything until she was 18 months and then it was a monkey that was stuffed with those squishy bead filling - and wasn't washable!! We did find a way to make it washable. I think it depends on if the child feels the need for one or not.

Hi K.,

My children each chose their own. At some point in time they just picked an item and became inseperable with it. For my older daughter it was her beloved blue blankey and the younger daughter chose one of those doll head-blanket body deals. Whatever your child seems to favor, may I suggest you have a spare. We didn't because the younger one picked something I got at a mom-to-mom and I wasn't able to get an alternate. This meant many trips back to grandma's or the store where it was left behind. Inevidably, her baby was lost at a Kmart one afternoon...forever...probably a good thing! I just think if I had two of the same and could alternate them in the wash (because they get disgusting) it would have made my life alot easier!

good luck to you!
K.

I must say that it's going to depend on the child. My oldest (now 5) could have cared less about having a lovey and believe me, we tried. We ended up using a blanket knit by a family member for my oldest as a warm blanket this winter for the baby. Now the baby won't go anywhere without it! When he sees it on the floor, he crawls over to it, flops on it and gives it a hug. 5yo didn't even care about giving it to him!

My daughter has a stuffed Bunny I have given it to her since birth...she sleeps with it every night and has done great with it!! Good Luck

I think it can't hurt to give it to her now, but more than likely she won't take any real interest unitl cloer to a year old. At least that has been my experience with my two!

"Lovies" are great. Our daughter received hers as a gift when she was only days old. I have to say though that having two is a good tip, since it can be a tough go if you loose it. At first we'd only let her sleep with her bunny and now he comes out of the crib and even on special trips such as vacations and the dr.s etc... When we leave him home we say our goodbyes and she gets to choose another favorite to bring along. And when we arrive home and are walking up the stairs to our apartment she's already talking about him. It's so sweet!

My daughter started getting attached to a small flannel on one side and satin on the other mini blanket at about 6 months. It was her "silkie". She was attached but we bought multiples in the same color from Babies R Us. She is 6 now and still keeps one under her pillow or with her dolls. Babies R Us stopped carrying them just after we bought two blue ones for my newborn son in 2005. He never became attached to those like my daughter had, in fact he chose the Gerber patterned diapers that I used as burp cloths. Some had footballs and polka dots and stripes on them in blue. Very boyish. He is now 3 and still likes to have one with him when he first wakes up or goes to bed. Just today I bought a package of 6 of these in shades of pink and purple for my sister-in-law to actually use as burp cloths. (They have navy and light blue and green for boys)Target at M59 and Schoenherr had them. They are much prettier than plain white and only around $8 a package. I recommend something like that to offer as a lovey. Something that can be washed and interchanged so that they all wear out about the same. (We took my son to the circus in Oct 2007 (2 1/2 yrs old) He completed freaked about the clowns being so close. I pulled out a cute Gerber burp cloth and he covered his eyes with it at first. Then on his own terms slowly peaked out from behind it and watched the clowns. Definitely glad that he had something that helped him to feel "safe" besides the fact that he was huddled on my lap. Hope this helps.

You might try having 2 or a small and large one, so one can be laundered. The danger of smothering is the reason you might wait longer.

If you nurse I would lay it by their face and by your chest. Or if your little one is drinking a bottle, give it then. They will soon see it as a comfort. Good Luck!