AIBU to consider cutting up DD's comfort object

[vvviola]

It sounds worse than it is, honest

DD2 (almost 3) got very attached to my dressing gown - I suspect because I wore it during our endless frequent night feeds right up until I stopped bf just before she turned 2. She lies on it, uses it as a blanket, cuddles it, hides under it. No problem, I have another one and it has been great in helping us sort out her sleep issues. It stays at home so isn't being dragged around.

But.

I'm not tiny. It's a big fluffy dressing gown. And we have some travel coming up. A few big road trips, a few plane trips, and then at the end of the year a big plane journey, some backpacking and another big plane journey. The dressing gown would take up an entire carry on.

I'm a bit tempted to cut off the arm, or a big square before our road trip at the end of the month and bring that with us instead. That way she would still have it to cuddle etc, but we wouldn't be lugging a massive dressing gown everywhere.

But it kind of feels mean to even consider cutting it up because she is so attached to it.

So - WIBU to cut it up? Or not?

[SolidGoldBrass]

Maybe you could try something like cutting off one sleeve and seeing how she copes - and if she's devastated you could sew it back on?

[wishingforwillpower]

Is there any way you could involve her in cutting it up? Could she choose a shape to cut it in to or if you are crafty enough could you make a blanket/jumper etc for one of her soft toys out of it? Could maybe present it as "mummy's dressing gown is too big so we aren't allowed it on the plane but if you like you can choose your fave bit and we can make it in to a jumper/blanket/heart shape?".

[KingJoffreysBloodshotEye]

Could you make it into a wearable cape?

[fieldfare]

What Wishing said.
Explain that it's just too big and there's not room to take it on holiday but she can have whatever shape cut out of it she chooses to make a blanky. Then cut it out of one of the front panels, leaving the rest available to make lots more blanky's.

[thatwhichwecallarose]

I'd ask someone with sewing skills to make it into a small blanket (or as someone else mentioned a wearable poncho/cape)

[wishingforwillpower]

In fact, further to my last post, I think you have to involve her in cutting up the dressing gown - otherwise my guess is she will be horrified to be presented with just part of it on holiday! My DS has a cuddly toy that he takes everywhere and if we suddenly were to offer him just it's arm he would freak!

[wishingforwillpower]

*its

[LST]

I have the same problem but with a setee throw. He doesn't take it out of the house unless he's staying gps. But he does drag it around the house and garden. The dog gets wrapped up in it too He sleeps with it all over him every night too. He's 3 in Nov.

[LST]

I daren't cut it up though. We have thought about it mind.

[CarefullyAirbrushedPotato]

I'd explain the problem to her and talk it through, any surprise chopping up is likely to lead to trauma I would've thought?

[ShyGirl1001]

Make it into a little blanket, what material is is?

[lightahead]

I had to do this 14 years ago for ds when he started school, we cut a small hanky sized piece of his blanket to put in his pocket, he understood he could not take the whole thing. It worked well. The rest of the blanket is now the size of a dishcloth and looks like a disgusting ball of manky thread, ds is 18 and still sleeps with it by his head! I have to wash it in a pillowcase .

[Wolfiefan]

Does it have a belt? Could you just take that? Or cut a bit from inside the pocket so it can't be seen from outside? Or unpick a pocket!

[HSMMaCM]

Can you have a shopping trip for a special holiday blanket. I wouldn't dare cut DD's, but she did agree to a special holiday moose.

[mabelbabel]

My parents chopped up mine when I was little. It had the added advantage of creating a spare or two to cover for any mis-haps. The little bits ended up as stringy rags, but I kept them for very many years.

[mabelbabel]

(YANBU)

[ChasedByBees]

I wonder if you could cut some off the length so in a sense it's still a complete dressing gown? (if you sew up the hem).

[ImATotJeSuisUneTot]

DD2 was exactly the same with DPs dressing gown and we cut the pocket off for exactly the same reasons. It worked for us!

[vvviola]

Some great ideas, thanks!

I had thought about just unpicking the pocket, but I think that might be too small to snuggle into properly. Either a square or big strip from the bottom might be the way to go because then it will still feel blanket-like. Although I do like SolidGoldBrass's suggestion of just taking the arm and sewing it back on in case of total meltdown and with my sewing skills it would probably naturally fall off again anyway

But yes, shall definitely have to include her in the discussions.

She has a couple of other comfort toys, including a little cow she takes to creche (which entertains me and her carers, as she is actually allergic to dairy ), but none of them will do for night time. She even has a smallish blanket thing, shaped like a dog, in an almost identical material to the dressing gown (that sort of furry material made of little tufts sticking up), but it comes a very second best to "cuggy".

At least I have a few weeks til the first trip to make my plan of attack!

[vvviola]

HSMM if it was just a few days holiday I would think she might go for a "holiday blanket", but the big trip is actually part of us moving house/country/continent - so with shipments etc she could conceivably be without it for up to 3 months during a very stressful time. (That is quite a long time away, but we made some mistakes when moving her with DD1 3 years ago that led to some anxiety issues, so I'm desperate not to make any more mistakes or repeat them with DD2)

[CarbeDiem]

My dsis had this with her dd. The 'comfy' started life as a fleecy cot blanket which got dragged everywhere. It's now the size of an envelope (roughly) and only used for bed.
It took a while to do it but her dd was involved in the reduction of size, helping to cut it down.
Good luck.

[lollipoppi]

I can't for the life of me remember what it's called but there are various companies on Facebook that take old clothes and turn them in to bunny rabbits it teddy bears ect, maybe she could choose an animal to have it transformed into?

[mynewusername]

Yes, wishing has the idea. Very often with these things the child already has a "favourite" part of the item -- a special corner or edge that they "use" (in my DS's case he ran it through the fork in between his index and ring finger) and so it gets more worn and feels right to them. So ask her which is her favourite part and involve her in the cutting process. She may even enjoy that! My DS did when we had to do that with his huge security blanket.

[MidniteScribbler]

Could you (or a friend who sews!) use part of the dressing gown to make a little coat for one of her other toys?

[crazykat]

If she likes cuddling up under it then I'd make it into a wearable cape which she could wear on the plane and wouldn't take up any luggage space.

My dd2 has her blanket which she cuddles up to or under and she wouldn't accept a little bit at night but luckily its not huge anyway.