to indulge my 3, nearly 4, year old with his 'comfort' bear?

[ChickandDuck]

My DS1 has a bear that he takes to bed with him every night. He doesn't take it out anymore but will sometimes go and fetch him from his bed during the day if he's feeling a bit tired/unwell. Sometimes he's more attached and went through a stage of wanting to dress/fed his bear (just after I had DS2, quite sweet watching him 'BF' his bear).

He's just said that he thinks 'bear' needs some new clothes.

Would it be unreasonable for me to suggest to him that we go to town and buy 'bear' a new outfit for christmas (something from the bear factory, even though it's not a bear factory bear, or baby clothes from a charity shop) that he could give to 'bear' on Christmas Day. I ask because DP thinks he's getting to an age where he should be 'ditching' bear. I think he will eventually grow out of him in his own time? But then we are spending Christmas Day with my PIL so I worry that they might be a bit

Yikes, what sort of a DH are you dealing with here? Tell him next time he can cook dinner and you'll sit back and do the complaining

just want to say - dont ditch bear!

he will grow out of playing with him -

sad tale alert (!)
my mother threw my 'special' cat away when i was 10. it really really hurt.i searched for him for weeks -i loved him! she fessed up after about 6 weeks of me in mourning - my stepfather (insert wicked here if you like) thought it was too childish so my mother threw him away. i really wish i still had him now, he meant alot to me and i see nothing wrong in keeping special childhood toys.

so - get your little boy some bear clothes! make him happy! bless!

It's so lovely to hear all your stories (except yours VivarInaTutu ) I will indulge all I like guilt free from now!

(and I can't quite believe I didn't get 1 YABU!!!)

My DD had a favourite 'winnie' the pooh bear. She had him from 6 months and 18 months ago when she was 4.6 she lost him. I will never ever forget her pain, he was part of the family and me and her Dad used to joke that we would rather lose her than winnie as DD without winnie just wouldn't work! I put a poster up in the local shop and post office, I spent hours looking for him and I tried to replace him with other toys to comfort her. I believe I probably would of spent any amount of money in exchange for that tatty old bear, he represented something much deeper to my DD than just a toy. She now has a toy seal who she is quite attached to but nothing will come close in her heart to that winnie. Buy your sons bear clothes, having a special teddy is a very beautiful thing imo

Definitely indulge him and let him enjoy for as long as he wants.

My little sister still has "doggy" (though you would be hard pushed now to recognise him as a dog...). He has been on every holiday with her, been through more adventures and traumas than I care to recall and is her much beloved. He still occasionally makes into her bed for a cuddle.

She is a married mother of 3 in her thirites and quite sane on the whole!!

I bought her doggy for her second birthday

Just to add for your DH in case you show him this message - DC1's school held a teddy bear party in the first week of school to help the children settle in and they all turned up with very much loved bears. They had a brilliant time helping their teddies enjoy the party, and it turns out most of the children liked to cuddle their teddies at night. This was all children aged 5 and over so definitely not odd to be a 3 year old with a teddy!

My 25yo sister still has Ted and Pig in her bed.

My dd age 4 adores her bear, she dresses her and looks for her as soon as she gets in from school. Still her favourite toy, and we've had some panics when bear got lost a few times.

I think it's a lovely idea to buy bear some clothes to wear on Christmas day

Don't agree your ds is getting too old for his bear, he will 'ditch' him in his own time!

definitely not too old for the bear yet! I still have my comfort blanket and I'm nearly 30 , it only comes out of my bedside draw a few times a year, if I'm really really down about something, but it has been such a comfort at really hard times, if there has been noone around.

Tiredfeet that's cute!

Bear now has a new look! And a pushchair They wouldn't wait for christmas however, he's not stopped pushing him round the house! He decided to buy his little brother a bear from the bear factory for Christmas instead, and has recorded a really sweet message, he said (DS2) can have bear like me now, awwww! We're about to wrap it up

aaaaaahhhh!

DS's school has a Teddy bear picnic every year for Rec and Yr 1 (so chidren up to the age of 6), and all the kids take bears in.

True, one boy's bear got thrown in the air and landed on the school roof - but in response to a line of distraught wailing boys the caretaker was straight up there with a ladder.

just for you ChickandDuck... YABU

no, seriously, i'm considered hard hearted by most of my friends and even i would never make my dd give up her 'raggy mouse' imo they'll do it in their own time when they are ready (or they get teased)

i'm 28 and i still have a bear sat by my bedside that i cuddle occasionally.. infact he got lots of cuddles when i was pregnant!

Thank you hanaboo!

Oh thank God, I'd hate for DS Monkey to get the sack....

He's travelled everywhere with him... Suri Cruise has just got one...

I think what bear needs is a friendly granny to knit him some jumpers - bears love hand-knitted jumpers IME, and it's a lot cheaper than him developing a bear-factory habit

My DS is 7 and still sleeps in a huge pile of cuddly toys. He was so of the bear that DD (3) got for her birthday that I got him a bear from DD for his birthday - and he has already told DD that if they are both good then Father Christmas will probably put little cuddly toys in both their stockings

YANBU and I'm so glad teddy has a whole new look.
dd1 has a raggedy wee cuddly dog that I am now in the process of knitting a protective suit for as she has been almost worn through with love! dd1 is 10.
We all have our security blankets, whether we're 3 or 30. Toddlers have teddies, grown-ups clutch wine glasses, handbags, mobile phones or telly remotes to feel safe!

It must be catching! DC1 (5) informed me at the weekend that his current favourite bear would like pyjamas for his Christmas present - we've never given teddy a present before! and DC2 has been happily changing teddy's nappy and dressing him in her clothes

I am so jealous.None of my 4 DCs have had a comfort object and I feel I have missed out on this sort of stuff

YANBU, definitely! I slept with Tessa Teddy until I moved in with DP and still have her in the bedroom.

DD (9) sleeps in a room full of cuddly toys & Bunny often comes out with us.

oh please get Bear some clothes... poor Bear will feel left out, otherwise

DS also has a similar toy and at 7 still loves it - it has no stuffing in its neck now due to the way DS used to tuck it under his arm when he was small

So, what sort of clothes is Bear getting?