lovey - (def.) Any item a child forms an attachment to and cherishes.
My good friend Sarah Jo has three boys and they all have different lovies (loveys?). In her own words, "Colin has Lambchop, Kyler has a cheetah that use to be name Cheetara (after Thundercats) but was recently renamed Snowflake and Micah has his yellow elephant Yumbo." I had to laugh when she once told me she had to order several more Yumbo elephants from an overseas seller on eBay because there was nowhere else to get them in the States anymore!
Isaiah had a pacifier when he was a baby and now at the age of four, he is pretty attached to a particular blanket as well as his lion and his Clifford stuffed animals. Micah was also a paci baby, but now he sleeps with his T-Bone stuffed animal most nights. He isn't really super attached to it though.
But Thomas is the first baby I've had who does not take a pacifier and has claimed a lovey as a baby.
Thomas has had this blanket since the day he was born. It was a gift from one of my co-workers and it was handmade by her grandmother. It's soft, stretchy, and very snuggle-friendly. It's definitely been his favorite blanket since he was a newborn because it was perfect for swaddling and I liked that it had enough large holes in it so I didn't have to worry about the whole suffocation danger thing when leaving it in the crib with him.
It wasn't until just a couple days ago that it dawned on me that this blanket was more than just a blanket. Thomas was tired. He was whining and fussing and just being a stinker. He wouldn't take a bottle, didn't want to play, didn't want to be held and so I decided to try and rock him in his little rocker chair thingy. Usually, that will do the trick and conk him right out, but this time he just continued to cry and cry. I cradled him in my arms and grabbed his blanket. I draped it around him so that a corner of it was up between his hand and his cheek. Lo and behold, that baby grabbed on to the blanket, pressed it to his cheek.....and his eyes shut. He was asleep in about 60 seconds.
Suddenly, I realized I had been completely blind to the power of the blanket. How many times had I seen him wrapping his little fingers around it and I would pull it away? So often, I would find him in his rocker seat with that blanket shoved up by his face and I would yank it down....and he would be crabby about it.
It's not just a blanket. It's a lovey!
Today I fed Thomas a bottle right before his nap time and I could see his eyes starting to droop. I grabbed his blanket, nestled it right between his hand and his cheek, and put him down in his crib. I turned on his Sleep Sheep and left the room.
Silence.
All hail the lovey.
Does your child have a lovey? What is it? Is it easier or more difficult to deal with a lovey or a pacifier? I'd love your feedback on this one....I'm new to the lovey at the baby stage!
