Blue Dog

At the recommendation of one of my sleep books, I decided to try to develop a "lovie" for AJ. The idea is to get him attached to a little blanket so that it will comfort him when he needs to fall asleep. I never had a lovie as a child, but I vividly remember my sister's "bunny blankie" that she dragged around and took to bed with her for years. Based on her attachment to that thing, I thought the suggestion was worth a shot for AJ.

AJ is still too young to have a loose blanket in the crib with him, but I thought it would be a good idea to get the attachment process started. The books suggests cuddling with the blanket between mom and baby while nursing, and that mom should wear the blanket inside her shirt for a few hours to get her smell on it. We did the former but skipped the latter suggestion. I was surprised by how quickly AJ took to this little blue blanket with the stuffed dog's head attached to it, but he loves to rub his face against it and to suck on the little dog's ears and nose. Recently during a long drive home from downtown on the expressway, AJ alternated between sucking on the blanket and squealing with delight in the poor dog's ears. I have given it the very original name of Blue Dog, so get ready to hear AJ talk about Blue Dog for years to come. When AJ is 12, he will probably have a raggedy, much-loved Blue Dog hidden away on a shelf in his closet, out of sight from his friends but still a prized possession.