Toddler goes to bed with lots of soft toys

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My toddler will be 2 in April. He goes to bed with lots of soft toys (teddies, etc) he has 1 or 2 favourites. I've tried to remove all the others, but he looks for them and cries until he gets them back in his cot. I'm worried in case this isn't safe for him, and I'm in his room checking on him all the time, we also have a baby monitor. Does anyone else's toddler do this? He enjoys reading them all a bedtime story with his little night light, I would feel rotten to take them away from him, but I'm stressing about the amount he has in the cot with him!

I would say don't be too concerned. He has full control over his head, neck etc. he would not suffocate because his brain would know to just move out the way. That's my understanding. my 21 month old has a collection of plush Pokemons in his cot with him and he has always been fine. Most of the time I find them on the bloody floor in the morning anyways!

At 2 he will be fine with them.

Ok. Thank you for the reassurance. I'll still be checking on him, but I guess that's only natural. 😊

Just remove some gently when he’s asleep, I do that with my pre schoolers when they’ve gone to bed with one of the big teddies. Or wedge it down the other end of the bed.

You could try getting a teddy hammock or a little teddy bed, get a fluffy blanket and get him to tuck them into a little bed next to his and tell him he can pick a different one each night to sleep in the big bed.

My DS also turns two in April and has in the last few months started having lots of soft toys (often 6+ at a time) in his bed. I worried at first but he has control of everything and is able to move them if needs be, though I did still worry last week when he demanded one of his blankets (albeit a small one) in bed with him, and have removed it hoping he doesn’t ask again, though I know realistically he’d be fine with it but I did have a 4am panic wondering if I should risk waking him to check he was fine.

My LO will be 16 months next week and she's got about ten teddies in her cot. She's well able to fling them about! I wouldn't worry at all.

Rearrange them when he's sleeping. A couple of my DC love loads of soft toys but I read a tragic story once so they don't have any large ones near their head.

My 13 year old still loves her teddies all round her bed - she has about 30 in there now. Some of them don't grow out of it!

I’d move some of the least favourites to the end of the bed or further away from DFs face if you are worried. Id keep the principal characters within reach and sight in case they’re needed for an urgent cuddle or their reassuring presence during the night. I liked mine in a particular order and the 2 most beloved teddies had to be at the top of the line up. I don’t think it’s dangerous at 2 to have a big gang of critters on the bed. Sounds very sweet.

Take away any that have batteries, that light up or play music etc.
I read something about a soft cuddly toy which had a light up tumm and the little battery inside melted on baby's hand

Apart from that I think the rest would be fine for me. And quite sweet x

Wait a couple of years and he will also be taking roller skates / toy cars / books / pet aubergine / TV remote to bed.

Hopefully not at the same time.

Small kids are bonkers.

I'd be careful of any giant ones. At this age, if they can't breathe, they'll move. Where there have been incidents involving older children and soft toys, it tends to be large ones and often because the children have fallen or become wedged down the side of the bed.

Your problem there is that at some point he'll puke or wee all over them! Dd7 does the same, she's in a top bunk and if she wets the bed, it's a nightmare.

I can relate! My DC (2.5) and sleeps with:

1. about 15 teddies
2. a wooden car, bus, tanker, and police car
3. plastic dinosaur
4. plastic magnifying glass
5. her water bottle

She used to have books too, but we went in one morning to find she'd ripped one up so we don't let her do that now.

DS4 sleeps with six elephants (including one that's bigger than him), two cats, one dog, one clownfish, an old muslin called 'blankie', two dolphins, and a few I've probably forgotten. He's always done it!

I think my 5yo's record was 51 teddies across her pillow and bedside locker. They had the pillow, she slept at the foot of the bed

A few will be fine at 2 OP, maybe try keep it to the little ones if you're worried. We also only allowed the ones that were all soft so there was no worries about eyes coming off or batteries coming out etc.

11 year old still loves his teddies about 20 of them when younger each night we decided which few would sit on the floor for the night 😂

At 2 he's fine, don't worry about it and don't make life harder for yourself. He's more than able to roll/move/use his hands to get things out of the way.

That's for all the replies. My anxiety is at a calmer level now 😅 he goes to bed with a plastic spider man too, I have tried to remove it but he shouts "spidey" constantly until he's safe back in the cot with all of his buddies. I'll just let him be. It makes him happy, and he sleeps perfectly fine through the night.

Glad you are feeling better about is OP.

We are all sold a con by children in films and on TV sleeping like little angels with just one pristine rag doll or teddy.

It's all lies.

They make strange noises, snore, throw of covers, talk to themselves. Oh and if you have a sign language using toddler they sign in their sleep too.

Teddies are nothing. Wait til he starts taking random things to bed.
We've had toy cars, new shoes and a butternut squash.

😂 That really made me laugh