During the summer we went on a trip to Fota Wildlife Park.
On the way out we stopped by the gift shop where the kids got to choose one souvenir each.
My son picked up a tiger toy pretty much straight away but my daughter was a little more selective.
She wandered around picking up teddies, giving them a squeeze and then putting them back on the shelf. That was when she spotted a red panda and it was love at first cuddle.
Since then herself and ‘CoCo’ have been inseparable and it’s adorable. Sometimes though, it can get a little tricky.
Due to the fact that she hardly ever leaves the room without having CoCo cuddled up in her arms he tends to get covered in, well, everything.
Generally it’s food or puddle water but sometimes it’s much worse, yesterday being one example.
We were driving home from Roscommon when half way along my daughter vomited all over herself, all over the car and all over CoCo.
We were able to wipe everything up as best as we could but we knew her clothes and CoCo were going to need a trip to the washing machine.
We also knew that my daughter would have a very different stance on her beloved teddy taking a trip to the spin cycle.
What makes it even harder is that when she is feeling upset or unwell she wants her teddy even more so trying to take him from her is absolutely heartbreaking.
This situation occurred once before and it was a struggle getting CoCo away from her. After we did she stood in front of the washing crying the entire time.
Last night, when it happened again I didn’t know what to do. We were all tired, she was feeling poorly and I knew no one in the house would get any sleep if she was crying after her teddy all night.
So in the end I had to do what I had to do. I Fabreezed the teddy. I know it’s gross but I was in dire straights and decided that trying to get CoCo into the washing machine could be a dilemma for the morning.
I still have my teddy bear from when I was her age still sitting on my bed so in particular I find it hard to try and pry her teddy from her, even if he does stink.
Right now I have just delayed the inevitable as CoCo most definitely needs to take a bath with a lot of washing powder.
It’s just one of those things no one ever warns you about when you become a parent and really they need to start putting stuff like this in the baby books.
Saying that seeing as I used to cry in front of the washing machine when my teddy was being washed I really should have seen this coming.
Does your child have one special teddy or toy that they just refuse to be parted from?
