How Many is Too Many?

Elliott LOVES stuffed animals. He calls them his babies and loves to hug them and snuggle with them. Before naps & bedtime, he will gather all of his babies and throw them into the crib.

He started with just his "boonie"(little blue dog blanket that he has had since birth) and then added "other boonie" when he discovered we had a back-up boonie for emergencies.
(and he was very excited
when he discovered there was a
3rd boonie at my parents' house!)

Then he added "baby lamb", "baby MnM", "teddy bear", and "other teddy bear" (notice the oh so original names he creates).

His crib started to get a little crowded. And then he added more. "Sully" became a favorite after watching Monsters, Inc. "Dragon'', "Ernie" and "Elephant" (actually a Dr. Suess character) soon followed.

"Baby froggie" made his move to the crib when Elliott discovered he plays a little musical tune. Elliott was delighted with froggie. Not so much us when we hear that tune (over and over again) in the middle of the night when Elliott wakes up to check on his babies.


For a while, I've been wondering how many is too many? You know for safety? I don't want Elliott to suffocate....but after all he is 2 years old and could be sleeping with a pillow and blanket that take up space in his crib too.

But the crib was starting to get rather crowded. I wondered...should I put some animals away for a while? Or is it one of those things that doesn't really matter?

Well, I finally got an answer one morning when I walked into his darkened room and had trouble finding my baby in the midst of all the babies. It was just one of those split second questionable moments, but for a second, I wasn't sure which lump was Elliott.

That's when I decided most of the babies were going on a vacation (into the closet).




Elliott hasn't asked for the missing babies yet, but I'm sure he will add more to his collection over time.

Side note: If you notice all of the babies in the photo, they are all laying down. That is not an accident. When we put him down and say goodnight, we'll hear him shuffle around for several minutes over the monitor. He places his babies all lying down, usually around the outer edge of the crib except for his two boonies, 1 under each arm.

And in the mornings...? He "wakes" them up and puts them all sitting up before he calls for me.