When Stuffed Animals Attack

Scotty has recently developed an affinity for certain stuffed animals over the last few weeks.

It started out innocently enough. After spending the morning cuddling with White Bear, Scotty insisted on bringing him with us to Costco. I consented. I mean, it was just White Bear. Where's the harm in that?

So White Bear came to Costco with us. Scotty kept a protective (chubby) arm around him the whole trip.

White Bear shops the wine aisle at Costco.

And then this week, he was all about Tucker. When I told him we had to go the dry cleaners and the grocery store, again, he insisted Tucker come with us.

(I know, I know. The glamorous life of the stay-at-home mom. This is why I get so excited about Junior League stuff.)

As you can see in the cart, next to the almond milk, is Tucker the Puppy. Forever sleeping, since his batteries are dead. (shh...)

Tucker looks for fancy cheeses.

And then today, it was Jelly Cat's turn to shine. Not only did he get snuggles all morning, but he was honored with a trip to music lessons. I don't know about you, but introducing a stuffed animals to five other toddlers is like donning a cow carcass and jumping into a pool of sharks. It's just a really, really bad idea.

Right under my chin...ahh, that's the spot.

Thankfully, no toddlers were injured during music lessons, and more thankfully, Scotty lost interest in Jelly after twenty minutes. I was able to stash the cat behind my bag and it (he?) didn't pose as an interruption for the rest of class. No one melted down, no one got into a tug-of-war with Jelly with his floppy cars. Peace endured. (mostly).

I looked it up on Baby Center to determine if this behavior was normal, and it is. According to the experts, it's common for children this age to gravitate toward a favorite lovey or stuffed animal (or in our case, multiple stuffed animals). They suggest that because kids are so busy exploring this big, scary world, a lovey or animal is a great way to comfort themselves during this journey towards independence.

Okay, I'll buy it. Sounds good.

But please tune in to watch us on "Hoarders: Toddler Edition" as they chronicle the Bear's bedtime "comforting" routine. There are so many stinkin' animals in his bed, we're not sure where our child is.

Can you find him?

E.T. Bear