Choosing the perfect lovey for your child
Did you have a lovey when you were little? Do you remember how is felt, smelled and the adventures you took your lovey on? And have you ever thought about why you had it in the first place? Many little children have a lovey and they can be of various forms. From small blankets, to stuffed toys, dolls or even blocks, cars and more. The options are endless and it really depends on the child and what they are drawn to for comfort and security. Which is exactly what a lovey will do for your child. Giving that extra comfort especially in unfamiliar situations where they are not quite sure what to expect. Knowing how much a lovey can help, it is not surprising that parents try to introduce a lovey quite early. The question then is, how to go about choosing the perfect lovey for your child.
What is a lovey and why have a lovey for your child?
A lovey is what you would call a “transitional object”; an object that feels, smells and looks familiar to remind the child of their home and their parents and ease the separation anxiety. It helps the child to feel more secure and safe in situations they are not familiar with. It will make them more confident to venture into the outside world, especially during big events, like starting daycare, moving, traveling and developmental regressions. All these events are made easier to navigate with a little “friend” beside you. On the account of this, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) states that every child should have a comfort object for emotional support, especially in those early years.
The same goes with sleeping more independently. This transition is again made easier with a lovey by their side. Around bedtime the lovey will bring comfort to your child and help them to self soothe.
Speaking of friend : Did you know that studies have shown that babies respond to faces from a very early age on. They can recognize familiar faces from as early as 2 months old. A friendly, smiling face will thus help your kid to bond with a lovey.
To summarize, going by with the APP definition, a lovey supports your child to make the emotional transition from being a dependent newborn to become an independent child.
Bonus: Our stuffed animals not only function as lovey, but also have a removable heat and cooling pillow integrated, filled with grape seeds. Heat pillow with grape seeds is especially helpful for tummy aches (like colic) and helps to displace gases and regulate intestinal transit. And of course they give that extra comfort to snuggle up with them and relax, or maybe even go to sleep, when a little warm. Just make sure to keep the temperature below 40 degrees. A grape seed pillow can be also used cool down in case the child gets injured by playing.
How to pick a lovey for your child
Knowing of the many benefits of a lovey in supporting your child to being confident and secure during transitions, how do you pick a lovey for your child.
When choosing a lovey for your child, remember that for some children their lovey will be like a little friend they will grow up with. It will accompany them for years, thus it is important to choose quality, making sure that the lovey survives all the cuddles and rough play, like tugging, throwing and being chewed on. It also has to be washable and should have no pieces that can get loose. A few things to keep in mind then:
- Soft & snuggly
A lovey should be inviting for your child, so they want to touch the lovey, cuddle with it and also sleep with it, if that’s what you plan for the use of the lovey. Once your child has bond with a lovey it will be touched a lot and rubbed in their faces. So the material of the lovey should not irritate their skin. We suggest to choose organic natural and light materials over synthetic fabrics. Short fur will also be better, as especially babies tend to chew on their toys.
- Machine washable
If your child is really attached to its lovey, you will not leave the house without it. There will be stains, splatters, drips and dirt, so it is important that the lovey can be cleaned easily and is machine washable. Not only once, but more towards a gazillion times.
- Not making noises
This might be evident, but just to make our guide complete. Avoid anything that makes noises, like rattles, rustling noises or similar. It could disturb your child’s sleep, and who would want that!? As they say – Never wake the sleeping dragon (or child).
- Safety considerations
The lovey is in for some rough play, pulling, squeezing and oral discovery by your child, especially when they are at the baby age. You don’t want any buttons or other hard plastic pieces glued to the lovey. They might come off and present a choking hazard for your child. Same: Clothing, dangling threads and ribbons are also a hazard.
The perfect lovey for your child!? We got you covered!
We wouldn’t be us at MiliMilu, if we didn’t have an idea on how to find the perfect lovey for your child. Keeping in mind what was mentioned before, we found the perfect fit with the stuffed animals from Hebe. They tick all the boxes for the standards we expect. The stuffed animal are from organic cotton and are handmade from head to toe, every step of the production process. They come in several shapes, think cute bears, bunnies, dogs and even unicorns. All the stuffed animals are filled with corn fiber and fruit seeds. Organic soft toy have little pillow filled with the grape seeds which is helpful for little ones- warm up to help with colic or cool down in case child gets injured by playing ( easy to remove).
Browse through our section of on organic cotton soft toys and find the perfect one for your child to love!
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Do not forget to check our sustainable Christmas gift suggestions for the whole family, from the smallest babies to our men. We also created the perfect Christmas stocking filler suggestions with useful gifts that will last!
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