We've been having some issues with wanting to climb into WackyMummy's bed in the middle of the night for, oh, six weeks or so. He's never really been into stuffed toys, other than Stinky, that is, so I didn't know how he would take to a stuffed toy as a transitional object. He never accepted a binky/sucky/soother, sucked his thumb, or has had any one toy or blanket he's treasured. Basically, he has had nothing to do with transitional objects, at least, not like other children I've seen. So that brings us back to now: how to get this pesky little problem solved. (Another pesky problem that has cropped up is when he gets in bed and falls back to sleep I'm dealing with a mini-Darth Vader who has pushed me to using ear plugs so I return to sleep).
I spent some time talking to him about how when he is lonely when he wakes up at night he needs to cuddle with a night-time friend. He has a plethora of under-used very neglected stuffed friends that people keep giving and Wack keeps getting suckered into purchasing (usually because I think they're cute, so yeah, I can take the heat). Out of this managerie he chose his first Build-a-Bear toy ever: a basic teddy with no frills (or clothes, poor little guy). In the spirit of this new adventure Evan came up with a name for this bear: Dirty Turdy. (There are times when the don't-ask, don't-tell policy suits us fine....)
His acceptance of Dirty Turdy has been half-hearted. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I don't focus on those failures.... the failures that lead him to crawl in with mommy in her bed, and over the course of the night systematically and with great precision kick me from shoulder to knee. Then I flip over in agony and he starts working his way back up the other side. He's nothing if not thorough. Can you see how well I'm not focussing on them?
Concurrently there's also the issue of potty-training. Evan's been potty-trained since early March, but there have been the occasional night-time blunder. Usually mine as I haven't prepared properly for night-time very consistently.
The strange thing is how these two separate issues are merging: he's cuddling Dirty Turdy occasionally and having fewer accidents. It's only over the past week that he's been out of any kind of night-time diaper/pullup or other crutch. It's just him... the bed... and Dirty Turdy.
Is DT the key? Is my laid-back approach to the problem working? Is he just developmentally ready and all of this is completely irrelevant?
See for yourself how it's working. He and Dirty Turdy are a team. A successful team.
Whatever works, right? Love Dirty Turdy!
ReplyDeletemy kids never had the transitional objects either. love the bear's name!:)
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