Today we reach yet another milestone as parents.
We have eliminated the last of our baby things.
That being – the soother.
Eva has always loved her soother.
There were times when the soother was a necessity for her:
But lately she just liked having it:
I’ve noticed that she’s getting a considerable overbite which will likely result in considerable orthodontics several years from now so it became imperative to ditch the soother.
When my cousin gave birth to a little boy in April, I thought that might be a good opportunity to put something in place that would make getting rid of it less traumatic for her.
We’ve been talking about how she is a big girl now who goes to school.
She doesn’t drink milk from boobies or a bottle (hasn’t since she was 15 mos).
She doesn’t wear diapers (hasn’t since she was 2).
She doesn’t sleep in a crib (hasn’t since she was 2).
She doesn’t ride in a stroller at the mall (hasn’t since last year).
All of the things that her new cousin does.
And I told her that he didn’t have any soothers yet. She was shocked.
I asked would she want to give him hers? She very happily said yes.
So this morning we wrapped them up into a present for him. I think she was a little hesitant.
But she never once changed her mind.
We snuggled into bed last night and the first thing she said was “Where’s my soo?…Oh ya…It’s gone.” And she looked a little sad. But I reminded her that she still had her “blue blanket” (which is actually pink. same blanket in the second pic) that she strokes the edge of everynight. And all was fine.
I wouldn’t consider a blanket a babything. Cam sleeps with the same one he’s had since he was a baby. It’s completely tattered. But he’s 9 so I think that’s the appeal for him.So there we have it. The last of our babythings gone. Forever.
I thought I’d have mixed emotions about it. I do not. I am just grateful that it was as easy as it was.
How about you? Any babythings you or your child had a hard time getting rid of/letting go of?
You figured out a really clever way to make the transition as easy as possible. And the fact that she actually knew they had gone means that she didn’t ask for them.
Look at how grown up she looks with her special little present! So cute! I’m glad it seems like there’s no turning back now. We’re doing well without the soother….then again A told me today she was going to jump on the big ‘bubble balloon’ we have at home so she could fly to heaven to get the soothers back. Oh, well:)
She hasn’t even mentioned it since…this was actually something I dreaded and has turned out to be quite painless.
That’s what I was thinking Kath – my sisters girl sucks her thumb and that’s not something she can take away…just like Charlotte’s belly button! lol!
Julie – how’d you manage that?? my floor is still covered in crumbs! 😛
Crystal – I have photo upon photo of all of them with their lovies. We’ll keep them, all, stained and tattered, and in pictures they can see what they looked like in their prime – when they first fell in love with them!
I forgot to mention – Charlotte has always been obsessed with playing with her bellybutton – she just sort of strokes it and pinches it (it used to be an “innie”, now she’s made it an “outie”). Kinda hard to take that away, though, so she still has that comfort, and will for life 🙂
Yes, we’ve gone through all those transitions, but my kids still keep their blankies and (dozens of) stuffies. I think those are fine things for them to hold on to, and favourite books, too. I love the idea of giving the soother to your cousin’s baby – it makes it a lot more real for her. I often have my kids donate things to charity, to “other kids that need it”, but it’s very nice to have a personal note for it.
BYE BYE PACIFICER.
I remember we had a book ..and it helped.
BYE BYE DIAPER.
BYE BYE BOTTLE.
It was a great series.
Great blog entry!! Enjoyed reading it.
well, i still have stuffed animals from when i was a kid! a soother is something i never gave my girls just for that one reason…the teeth
it is a little hard letting go of the baby things but i found it very free-ing as well. i can walk through my kitchen without the rubber mats, high chairs, bouncy seats, little cheerios all over the floor!
Liam has his blanket and TeddyBear. TeddyBear he got when he was just under two – taken from my collection of stuffies. He cried and cried and cried for this bear, and I couldn’t figure out what he wanted until I finally, around midnight, said “Just go get it.” He toddled into my room, took the bear, and hasn’t relinquished it since. I do find more nights of it under his bed, or forgotten on the couch, but he’s still the source of comfort when ill, hurt, or scared.
Hannah has blanket. Not blankey. It’s ‘blanket’. She’s had it since she was six months. It came out a bag meant for goodwill. They don’t make them like it any more. That waffle weave softness with the silky border. She was a ‘choochie’ baby, and with ‘chooch’ in mouth she’d stick the corner of her ‘blanket’ up her nose. She sleeps with that blanket every night, and will not go to bed without it. Period. There is no maybe about it. We still find her with a corner of it up one nostril, and every morning I step on it as she drops it in front of the fridge while she makes her breakfast. Yes, she makes her breakfast.
Then there’s Isaac. Isaac has ‘buddy’. Buddy is a ragdoll that was Hannah’s but was never used, and before he was born she selected him out of her stuffies and put it in his crib. I used buddy as a prop to keep Isaac’s soother in – I’d swaddle buddy between Isaac’s arms in a hug and have his head positioned just so – soother stayed in, Isaac slept, Mom had some peace. We didn’t realize how important buddy was until we started looking through pictures. Buddy was once a beautiful yellow, with peachy skin. He’s now grey. His head has been ripped off (and sewn on) once, and his ‘ears’ (hat flaps) are almost threadbare from Isaac’s rubbing. A while ago we tried to replace buddy. We bought him a blue bear, with the rattle, and something to rub between his fingers. Isaac was ecstatic at the store. A new buddy? GREAT IDEA. Then we got home. Suffice it to say we now have ‘first buddy’ and ‘second buddy’ and though Isaac can manage without second buddy, he will not EVER sleep without first buddy, and given the chance he will fight to have both buddies. Mostly he refers to them as just that – first buddy vs. second buddy, but he’ll sometimes call second buddy ‘blue buddy’. First buddy, who is an integral part of Isy’s day to day life, now sports a knitted pink scarf, yes pink, which was put on after we popped buddy’s head off in a midnight accident. Scarf has, obviously, become a part of buddy that cannot be removed.
TeddyBear, Blanket, and Buddy are all abused. They are tattered and broken and sometimes I disgust myself thinking of the germs that must be lurking nearby, but I let it go. Soon they’ll be nothing more than memories, and I’m nowhere near ready for that. My baby is four, my big boy is almost nine… I treasure these small things, knowing that one day, it will be all that’s left of their ‘littleness’….
Egads…you kill me daily. What an awesome post and what a great idea to give them away like that.
Will had to give up his blankie at daycare when he went in the junior toddler room – he can sleep with it but no longer have it when he’s sad etc – it was like cutting an addict from crack…but now he’s down wiht the ‘blankie is for bed’ thing….
Gulp!! I just had a wave of sadness wash over me…I remember all those moments so well. Chase still has a pooh bear that he sleeps with and Miyah has her “dodo” (blanket) but sippy cups, bottles and soothers have been long gone.
Miyahs blanket is tattered and torn and the thought of it getting lost makes my heart break. Chase’s pooh bear is stinky mess of an stuffy…but these things will stay with them as long as they want!
It’s not easy watching your babies grow up!!