From the moment The Badoo met her Pinky, it was love at first sight. She was barely 3 months old when we first wrapped her in the cotton stripey blanket (from Ikea – we are all class here). I’m a big one for enormous wrap materials for newborns – forget those flimsy 100cm ones, you need the kind that wraps and wraps and keeps on wrapping. Pinky was always the wrap that calmed her the most.
When she was old enough to talk, I think ‘Mumma’ was her first word (oh, okay, it was Dadda.You know, whatevs kid) and ‘pinky’ was her second. To this day we have no idea why Pinky is called Pinky – all those stripes and not a single one is pink. But I can tell you that all blankets are ‘pinkies’ in The Badoo’s world.
We don’t let her take ‘him’ to daycare, but a swift reunion always takes place when she returns home. For all that, she is not ‘attached’ to Pinky in the way that I have seen other children attach to toys and blankies. If Pinky isn’t available because he is being washed or due to some catastrophe such as Daddy (oh, okay, it was me) leaving him at Nonna’s place and refusing point blank to go back for him, a ‘substitute pinky’ may temporarily be used. And she will call it ‘Substitute Pinky’.
My other children have never had this sort of attachment. Cappers went through a stage where Carla (the showgirl dolly) was a constant companion, but it was (fortunately) fleeting. Maxi has always attached to whatever is the latest and greatest this week (lately, Pokemon and god help me, he is so boring, reeling off evolve after evolve).
I find it interesting that The Badoo was also my only child to become obsessed with the bottle and dummy (still! help!) and I wonder if there is a particular character trait that finds comfort in such things. It’s a lovely thing for a child to have a Pinky in this world and in so many ways I find Pinky comforting too.
ā„
ClaireyHewitt says
We have a blanklet…actually I have two exactly the same, plus a third that I bought for an emergency but Immy won’t touch it, it is not the same smell as ‘sniffie’.
Ps we have the same sooki top.
Mum on the Run says
Too cute!
I was never ‘attached’ to a comforter or similar when I was young, so I was quite resistant in giving one to Magoo.
But, you know, sometimes Nannas win!!
Magoo had a comforter that he called ‘Eyes’ (???) but now has his ‘boys’ who are his bedtime companians. A stuffed dog, a sock monkey and an Easter bunny. The ‘boys’ don’t leave the house (unless I’m feeling particularly soft or guilty) and are usually confined to the bedroom if I can help it.
One of my ‘things’ is seeing kids drag a dirty toy, teddy or blanket around everywhere, sucking on it the whole time, wiping their snot on it and dragging it along the ground of the shopping centre – then taking it into bed.
I’m anal, I know.
Each to their own and all that!!
š xx
Lipgloss Mumma says
Our eldest has never been attached to anything, although is very much attached to her iPhone. Miss 12 has a little horse we bought her for 50c at the school fair when she was 4. And the two younger ones have pooh bear cuddlies that have a little blanky attached. They don’t take them everywhere, just strictly bedtime cuddlies, but Miss 6 in particular is very attached. I suggested to her maybe she should try sleeping without him a few months ago and she burst into tears. I guess not
Tahnee says
the badoo is tooooo cute! none of mine had a ‘lovie’, they just never seemed to show interest in any one particular toy or blanket. and none of them would take a dummy – or a bottle! strange little creatures. I had to laugh at the mention of ‘pinky’ because I made some little rabbits for mine two easters ago out of some of my old jumpers (from the easter bunny or course) – and ruby named her’s pinky – because she is pink.. how original.. xx
Anonymous says
Neither of my kids has had an enduring attachment to an object. Son had a dummy for about 18 months but I got rid of that when he had a coxsackie virus outbreak. Daughter likes a teddy but no particular one.
I, on the other hand, had a little red and white bear that I took to bed with me every night until I was about…oh…17 or 18. In fact I think I only stopped not long before I got married when I was 19. I just liked having something to cuddle.
jody says
Oh Pinkie looks so nice and cuddly, and how gorgeous is Badoo? Mine seem to get attached to different things, and then they move on to the next, no one set ‘lovie’ but they did both have dummies which they were very fond of, though you may remember we got rid of them earlier this year? all packed up and posted to the ‘new babies’ that need them. three nights of hell and that was all. I don’t even think they remember them now. xx
Elisa {with grace and eve} says
Goodness how adorable your baby is!! I live “substitute pinky”! That made me laugh! Afraid we have a little miss two who is so attached to her dummies that she needs to sleep with one in her mouth, one in each hand and five lined up in a row alongside her pillow! OCD much?? I can hear the alarm bells, but She truly loves them and I figure nobody has an 18 year old with a dummy right?? So she’ll grow out of it! Hopefully sooner than later š xx
LionessLady says
The younger two not so much, but Oscar still has ‘Floppy Dog’, which is basically a dog, that’s you know, floppy. Quite originally named really.
Love your small girl – she’s too cute with her Pinkie!
Nat - Muddy Farmwife says
She is adorable.
We have a ‘rabbie’ a flat cuddly rabbit, I have a back up one for day care, but now she takes them both to bed and rubs their ears against her cheek until she falls asleep. Out of four kids, I figure if only one has an attachment I’m doing ok.
Vanessa says
Luca has his muslin. Well actually we have 12 of them. He snuggles into it all the time sucking his thumb. If we let him, he’d walk around with it all day!
Life In A Pink Fibro says
I don’t even have to answer here do I? One word: Bronte.
Cath says
I have three children. Two of them are bears. Enough said!
SassandSpice says
My daughter loves her tiger. She calls out and demands him when we are out but I don’t want to bring him in case we lose him!
Anonymous says
My daughter is thoroughly attached to a 5 cm plastic monkey baby. A Schleich animal, if you know them. Why? I don’t know. Nothing cuddly there. And so small it constantly gets lost. Good thing: not expensive and not unique, so we always have several š
Marianne says
Hi Maxabella.
Your daughter is adorable. I have three grown up sons and they were all very attached to their muslin cloths, known as a buff for some reason – I suppose because I would always put one under their head when they slept and they got to like the feel of it. Having dozens of them was a great bonus!
mel @ loved handmade says
I desperately wanted the big to be attached to something as a baby, it would have made life so much easier! Ou middle guy’s lovie is those white cloth nappies or ‘spew cloth’ as was their use way back when. No one in particular, just as long as there is one available at bed time..
Diminishing Lucy says
Lexie has “Blankie”. Another HUGE wrap, that really is pink. Pink velour on one side, no less! (A little worn from love, these days…)
They come together at bedtime.
Blankie now lives in bed.
Charlie has bever been attached to anything. Liv has a little tiny brown teddy who lives under her pillow.
Don’t ask me about my attachement to “Mackie”…
xx
Bungalowgirl says
Gorgeous photo and pinky love is a supreme kind of love. BOTH of mine have cuddly friends- oh the shame! 6 yo still has “bunny” and between 2-5 would lose the plot if he ever got washed.( we are talking running outside with a clean rabbit to rub him in the dirt so that he smells right again)he also thumb sucks and was dummy obsessed until we ditched that too. 3 yo has “baby lamb” and takes her most places but can cope if the lamb inadvertantly is left at childcare and will make do with something else, she had no interest in thumbs or dummies.
emeraldpie says
DD2 has “Duckie”. A once bright yellow soft cuddly toy that had soft white fluffy “hair” at the top of his head. 7years later he is a dull faded grey/yellow, had grey fuzz on top of his head and looks like he could fall apart at any minute. He is still the love of her life!!
Megan Blandford says
My girl has a favourite teddy bear – about three million soft toys have been given to her and tossed aside, but this one was given and she clung to it. He goes everywhere – shopping, people’s houses (but not anywhere where there are other kids – she doesn’t want to share him!), and I have to strap him into the car too.
Annieb25 says
Mine both had “pinky’s” aka Goingie or blankie. We still have them. I loved seeing the bliss on their faces as they snuggled in with them. I see that same bliss on The Badoo’s face in your pics. Beautiful š xx
Becky from BeckyandJames.com says
My eldest girls had a toy each they kinda loved and cuddled to sleep with. My boy has a giraffe we got at his baby shower, which we call his Love. He takes him everywhere and sleeps with his head on him at night. He can be without him, briefly, but I do so love to see him with his Love. We actually have three, as I managed to forget him on a trip to Sydney and Jasper simply would not sleep without him, so now we have one in the wash weekly because boy does it get stinky!
Kelly Exeter says
Just going to replicate the comment I left on Al’s OOOOOOLD post this morning!
My Mr 2 has ‘Boon’ … which is the name he gave to his (giant) blankie when he was less than a year old. It was actually the blanket I used to tuck him in when he was a very little, fully swaddled till 6 months old bubba.
I have no idea where ‘Boon’ came from (it’s not like we are Tasmanian) but Boon has since evolved to be called Boonie.
Thankfully Mr 2 readily accepts replacement Boonies (as long as they have knots tied in each end which the original Boon does because it is so HUGE I was scared he would smother himself with it).
That said, we also hedge our bets with 2 ‘duplicate’ Boons so there are three Boonies scattered between daycare and home.
Toni says
My daughter wanted a stuffed ginger and white cat in Target, so I bought it ($10) thinking it would be consigned to the mountain of stuffed animals in her room as soon as the novelty wore off.
Not so.
Gingie immediately became her best friend. She loves Gingie more than she loves me (sorry, Mum, no offence) and only quit stuffing Gingie in her school bag when she hit year One. (Gingie made an appearance in PP and K school photos).
We have to take Gingie EVERYWHERE, and I live in constant terror of losing her in an airport or a park. If ONLY I’d known, I would have bought 5 of them.
The Badoo is utterly adorable, BTW. But I guess you know that.
Sarah - that space in between says
My Pops has a blankie…it started off as a pumpkin patch wrap and then turned into the thing that would make her eyes roll back in her head as she ran the edge along her cheek. She was also a dummy addict too.
At the age of 6 sometimes she has to take it to school just to have a little feel of it inside her bag at lunchtime. I never discouraged it as she started to have sleepovers at her dads at the age of 1 and it was the constant that she could take with her that smelt like home. Im guessing she’ll have blankie forever! x
Miriam says
My youngest adores his ‘Daddy Bear’ oldest never had a special attachment to anything. The youngest is also more tactile in that he un-picked/ate the hand knitted jersey that Daddy bear wears – TWICE! – Luckily Ma (g-ma) has a soft spot for little boys who ask nicely and promise not to eat the 3rd one. He’s 3.5 now and still very attached
Kathryn @ TikiBoo says
My 6 year old still refuses to sleep without Cuddly. It’s a Kaloo Dou-dou, so specifically made for the purpose. It started off pink, then faded to a lovely greige until I washed it with a new pair of purple pjs, and now he is a sweet shade of mauve.
BLWC says
Our 2 1/2 year old is hopelessly attached to a lanky dalmatian who we have named Potts. It was a stocking stuffer I bought at IKEA (we’re also very classy), and had no idea how significant he would come to be. We bought another one to substitute but he was instantly recognised as an imposter, and demands are usually made for “the real one” whenever Potts needs a wash and we try and hand over “the other one.” J is also still attached to dummies and bottles…
MultipleMum says
Minx has ‘suckie’. Suckie is in desperate need of a wash but it requires a lot of negotiation! No-one else has an attachment. Not since Doo Dah gave up the dummers! Freud says to watch ‘oral’ kids. Dimmers become durries
MultipleMum says
Dummers.
Samantha says
One of my twins LOVED her red Tombliboo. ‘Boo’ went everywhere and one day decided not to come back! Oh no! What to do?? Ebay UK to the rescue!! So one day, Boo arrived ‘back’ from his ‘holiday’ visiting his friends in The Night Garden. Oh, the relief!
Lisa @ Home/Work/Mum says
Pinky looks so cosy! Bell has had Teddy since she was a few months old, and even though he is pink, has always been a “he”. Poor Ted doesn’t get washed too often these days, as he’s very fragile after almost 9 years of extreme loving. He’s now only for bedtime, but when she was little, he went everywhere with us.
Every now and then a little hole appears, and thank goodness Daddy’s good with a needle and thread, I’m a stapler girl!
Andrea @ little buckles says
That is so sweet and too cute! The french call them doudous and mine each have 2 they can’t sleep without and Bella dosn’t go anywhere without her bunny and taggie thingy. I’m trying to get her out of the dummy habit. They either get lost or she bites the teat off!
Brenda @ Mira Narnie says
too cute for words that Badoo! i love her pinky too. My kids do have a ‘favourite’ toy to cuddle, but are quite happy with a substitute if it is temporarily unavailable. My teddy that I was attached to all childhood now floats from room to room, and when he’s in mine, he still gets an extra big cuddle. As for the dummies my dear friend…My little miss seemed quite determined never to rid herself of them…so I told her the dummy fairy would take them away one by one (to give to babies) and when the last one went she got a little present left by her bed and $5 to spend at Smiggle! worked a treat!
northsidefour says
Pinky is wonderful (I actually really love the blanket stripes!). Both my girls are still quite attached to their bears. At 7 they are tucked into bed in the morning and not retrieved, usually, until bedtime, but we could not imagine traveling without Ella and Bear.
Sonia LifeLoveandHiccups says
Only 2 of my boys were attached. One to a cuddly which was this weird teddy bear head stuck to a blanket, even at nearly 11 it is in his bed as we speak. My middle son was devastated when the dog ate his beloved GIraffe a few months back, he now has a new one but he has never quite recovered from the shock of finding a headless giraffe. the youngest – meh! He took a plastic cocktail glass to be with him last week, but he was happy to give it up the next morning! xx
MummyateMe says
I had ‘Sheetie’ and it was true love for a good proportion of my childhood. Sheetie was an old, short, pink t-shirt of my Mums that smelt slightly musty and I used to sniff it while I sucked my thumb.
I honestly think it is a lovely thing for a young child to have something that provides such reassurance while they move through the many fears and anxieties of growing up.
In the end I got paid $20 to stop using Sheetie before I started school. It seemed like a lot at the time but, when I have a really bad day, I still sometimes wonder if I would feel better if I only had Sheetie (clearly, as I am 34, even if I felt better I would look like a complete idiot!).
http://mummyateme.blogspot.com.au/