Kiddy comforters

So many children have that one toy or comfort object they cling to. Even as adults we need something to bring us calm when things get tough, things that make us feel safe and secure in a big, scary, unknown world. 

 

These seemingly simple objects become embedded in everyday family life - from giving them affectionate names and speaking about them as if they're another family member, to that gut-wrenching feeling when you think they've been dropped and lost forever.

 

They can give your little one the confidence to explore independently with their faithful companion by their side, hold them close when they feel sad or scared, and encourage them to fall asleep on their own (although beware the midnight shout and a scramble around the bed when they lose them in the dark).

 

For my daughter, her source of comfort was Stinky Duck. He is around 10cm tall with little wings and legs - just perfect for little hands to get hold of. He wears stripy orange dungarees to cover his soft, round belly and he arrived in our lives sitting proudly on top of a nappy cake I was gifted before my daughter was born. My mother-in-law created this cake and she knows me well so popped a toy duck on it because they're my favourite animal. I had no idea how important this duck would become. 

 

Lola didn't take an instant liking to Stinky Duck. He sat patiently with her crowd of soft toys waiting for the day he was needed. The transition was gradual - at around five months old, she began paying more attention to him and began to handle him. We noticed then that if she managed to pop a wing or a foot in her mouth, she began to drift off to sleep, and this is when he became "the chosen one".

 

I occasionally mention that my children were quite good sleepers. I wish I could take credit for this but I have a strong suspicion that a small yellow duck and a well-known brand of musical sheep deserve most of the credit, and whilst this discovery was wonderful it did mean some nights were made tricky.

 

If you notice a toy becoming a favourite, BUY MORE. On one occasion - Lola was around 18 months - I had gone to see a family member in hospital over an hour away from home. My husband picked our daughter up from the nursery where I worked at the time and went home to put her to bed. At 7.30pm, I received a panicked phone call, "Lola won't go to sleep, Stinky's at nursery." I was still over an hour away and I hadn't planned on getting home until 10pm. My poor husband did his best to settle her, but without success. Only the duck could fix this.

 

Fortunately, nursery was on my way home, and I had keys. I rescued Stinky and drove him home to find a very tired and sad-looking little lady tucked up in our bed with Daddy, watching Peppa Pig on repeat. As soon as she had her beloved duck, her eyes closed, and she was out like a light.

 

That was the moment I realised we needed more. But, as with so many favourite comfort toys, he was no longer being produced. I scoured the internet and called suppliers, knowing one day we’d certainly need a spare. Eventually, I got lucky and persuaded a lovely shop owner, over an hour away, to post one to me. We even ended up with an oversized duck from eBay after a size miscalculation. I think we now own every Moulin Roty Little Amedee Duck left in the UK. I wasn’t leaving anything to chance.

 

 

It happened again, we lost the duck. We lost him in Menorca twice!

 

The first time we discovered him sat on the all-inclusive bar waiting patiently to be collected, but the second time we weren't so lucky. We were packing our cases on the last night and doing the daily "duck head-count" and noticed one was missing. We searched high and low, in and out of our apartment, in the lost property, anywhere we could think of.

 

Sadly our original Stinky Duck, the one that Lola had from birth could not be found. We flew home the next morning without him, feeling a little down-hearted and to the best of our knowledge he is still enjoying his extended stay in Menorca eight years later.

 

Luckily, by this point we were well-stocked with ducks, and Stinky number two became the new favourite. He remains the favourite to this day and has been sewn together by Great Grandma more times than I can remember, but he has got to the point where no amount of thread could fix him.

 

This duck is so incredibly loved by our daughter (and us). He's travelled everywhere with us for 12 years, bought us all some sleep when we needed it most, and he's calmed our baby when she was sad. He's also been there for her when she's had big change in her life, such as starting school, becoming a big sister and moving home. He lowers her anxiety levels when she needs it and every morning when she wakes up, he is returned to his safe place under her pillow. Stinky takes his rest in the day so he's ready to be there for her through the night.

 

One day, she may outgrow him. He might end up sat on the shelf with the rest of the toys, or in a keepsake box safely tucked away, but that's only because he's done his job.

 

Stinky has been her quiet guardian through sleepless nights, the faithful sidekick when she felt lonely. He's dried her tears, shared laughs and carried secrets only she knows. And even when his days of constant cuddles are done, when he finally takes his retirement, he will always hold a special part in our family story and remain as a tiny, thread-bare reminder of the big love that helped her grow.