I have some very early memories of my childhood – a lot of those are thanks to the fact that my family took a huge amount of photos and videos so I have always been able to look back at them and see what I was like. Particularly in shots and videos when I was ten years or 
younger you will nearly always see someone with me. He’s there, silently sharing every happy and every sad memory. He used to have brown eyes and brown skin and now, unfortunately, he has no eyes but wears a smart, knitted red jumper. Even now, 32 years after we originally met at my birth, he still sits on my bed and his cheeks still feel the tears I shed as an adult the way he did when I was a child. He has traveled all over the world, to every country and destination I have ever been and actually, I cannot imagine my life without him – quite frankly he has been the best friend I have ever had.
His name is Ted. 
I know, not very inventive. He is about as long as my forearm and as I said, no longer has any eyes, has some slightly worn patches where you can see his stuffing and has head several “operations” to fix him but he is my friend and comforter and has been since the day I was born. He knows all my secrets and has shared every moment and I hoped, when I found out I was pregnant that my own little one would be able to find a friend just like mine.
Everyone, I would like you to meet Mimmie. When she was born, as you can imagine, Alyssa was given several cuddly toys, including a long eared, long legged bunny in a tutu (Tutu Bunny), several little bunnies and teddies and of course Minnie Mouse. To begin with, it was Tutu Bunny who sat in her cot with her, night after night in hospital and when we came home we rotated toys but none of them really took and I began to think my little one would not find a friendship like mine. However then, I began to notice that one toy kept appearing because she had been retrieved by little hands. These little hands would hold her tight and Minnie’s nose would disappear into the mouth of the teething toddler and be sucked and chewed. So, I began putting my little one to bed with Minnie and after a few weeks, she wasn’t allowed to leave her bedroom without her and from there it has gone on and on.
Last Friday, when my little one started to feel unwell, she sat down on my lap and cuddled in but suddenly sat up, looked at me and for the first time said “Mimmie.” I knew who she meant and retrieved her from the other side of the room and together we snuggled down. For the next three days whether awake or asleep, Mimmie never left her side (except for a brief 20 minutes where she really did need to go through the wash!) and gave Alyssa her very own form of comfort. My daughter may love the bones of me and I did everything I could to help her get through this terrible illness but Mimmie has a certain magic, a magic that only my daughter can see and feel and touch and understand and until this past week I never truly appreciated how thankful I am to have had my own friend and for my daughter to now have hers.
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26 Comments
Cuddly toys have always been a huge part of my life. I had 2 teddies growing up (both called tedding) and they are so special. I am glad that A got comfort and that she is on the mend x
I totally get it. My eldest has the also imaginative named ‘bear’. He formed his own attachment to it from a choice of several in his cot. Bear never leaves his bed, but every night since he could talk he tells bear about his day before he goes to sleep, and talks to bear when he is playing in his room. Often I’ll say ‘Who are you Talking to?” and get “Bear” as the response in a tone that suggests well who else would I be talking to! Hope your daughter continues to improve. #ablogginggoodtime
It’s so sweet how attached they can get to cuddly toys, isn’t it? My daughter loves her dog Charlotte, aka Doggy Dog, who goes with her everywhere. Whenever she’s upset, she yells, “Doggy!” because she wants her friend to comfort her. I do what I can, but I’m no Doggy Dog, #ablogginggoodtime
Ahh I’m glad Mimmie helped her. I have a teddy from when I was young but my son has never taken to any x #ablogginggoodtime
I’ve never been one for cuddly toys or comforters, but I was fully aware that the kids might and have never discouraged it. Amelia has teddys she likes more than others, but every night without fail when she crawls into bed she literally loves every las one of them across the room. “They’re in my way Mum”
I was totally taken aback when, at 2 weeks old, Wills started sucking his thumb. Since then he has grown attached to a fleecy blanket and a Peter Rabbit comforter/teddy type thing (which is actually adorable because Amelia chose it for him the day after he was born). I had never thought of these ‘behaviours’ as instinctive, but assumed that they were learned. Turns out I was wrong! And if that blanket/Muslim/rabbit can succeed where I do not then fair play!! #ablogginggoodtime
My boys are 15 and 10 now and I still worry about them when they get really sick. I remember when they were that small and each one had, at one point, been sick to the point of going to the hospital. It’s such a scary thing to go through isn’t it? I love that your daughter had Minnie Mouse to comfort her. My youngest had a stuffed kitty that he just called “kitty”. Even though he doesn’t play with him anymore, it’s the one plush toy he has that he says he will never part with and I believe him. Thanks so much for hosting #ablogginggoodtime
This is such a sweet post! I had my own teddy growing up – “Candy Bear” because he was pink and fluffy like candyfloss! He came everywhere with me, even after I left home. And now my girls play with him. He’s been part of my life since I was 2 years old and he knows everything about me. Neither of my kids has settled on a special teddy, but I hope that they might one day because Candy Bear was invaluable to me! #ablogginggoodtime
I definitely get this. My daughter has Dig, a very scruffy looking dalmatian! Lovely post x
Aaaah that’s lovely. My eldest has baba bear and a blanket that nanny made for her when she was a baby, she made a few for every just encase moment that might happen and I alternated them since she was a baby so they all feel safe to her, she still sleeps with them…
My 3 year old has teddy and dog she loves them both and when she is sick they are the first things she wants beside her. It’s amazing how they get attached. For this one I did an experiment and tried to put other teddys in her bed etc but she kept returning to these 2, amazing how their little brains work.
#ablogginggoodtime
Not silly at all, my son’s teddies are a saviour sometimes! #ablogginggoodtime
I understand – good old Mimmie. We have Bunny, Bear and Stu in our household. I like how you explain how they bring light into dark places -that’s really lovely xx
P.S #ablogginggoodtime
Cuddly toys are very important in our family – they are part of our family and when we go on holiday are probably the most important thing to check that we have. I have to admit too that when I’m feeling low, my childhood favourite comes out for a cuddle. #ablogginggoodtime
So sweet đŸ™‚ I’m sorry your little one was unwell. All of my children had something special that they loved. For 2 it was blankets, for 1 it was a bunny, and for my youngest it was the lace edge of one of my nursing shirts. #ablogginggoodtime
My girls still have their ”bubby’s” – if it makes them happy and brings them comfort I see no harm in it.
#ablogginggoodtime
That sounds scary – glad she’s on the mend now. I love to buy cuddly toys for newborns even though the practical side of me tells me I should be getting a pack of babygros!! #ablogginggoodtime
Both my kids love their teddies but neither formed attachments to any one in particular but I sometimes wish they had. They can be immense sources of comfort. I’m glad Alyssa is getting better now, it must have been so scary x
#Ablogginggoodtime
As a child I had a family of bears. The daughter Lilac is sleeping with my eldest tonight. #bloggerclubuk
Awww no this is a gorgeous post… my little man has a plethora of cuddly toys and likes to rotate between them each night! He clearly doesn’t like favouritism! Bless him! #ablogginggoodtime
Lovely post! I am still secretly quite attached to my childhood panda as well… I feel slightly sad that my son has never taken to a cuddly toy and keep hoping one day he will. #ablogginggoodtime
Awww I am so sorry she has been so ill. I hope she is much better now xx #ablogginggoodtime
My teddy bear, which I also still have, has a cigarette burn on the back of his head from when I had him clutched under my arm on a bus & another passenger was smoking. Can you imagine that now! Anyway, I used to stick my finger in the hole for comfort & when I pick him up now I still do it!! #ablogginggoodtime
Totally get this. Little Man had lots when he was born but the one I picked out for him was the smallest of the bunch and the most easy for him to snuggle in to at such a young age. ‘Ted’ (I guess we were as imaginative as you! đŸ™‚ ) has been with him ever since. He lost Ted once on a shopping trip with his grandparents. His world ended. Thankfully, Ted miraculously flew back home and was found in the letterbox on his return (nothing to do with a frantic phone call from his grandparents to me requesting I dig out one of the spare ones!) He was so relieved and happy and didn’t let him go for the rest of the day. We’ve had four Ted’s in total. All the same. All equally as loved (he thinks it’s just the one of course!) and all thanks to others selling them on on Ebay. It’s worth doing as I couldn’t bare to see him so upset if he lost it. #ablogginggoodtime
Katie I am so sorry to hear Alyssa was so unwell, it is so worrying when nothing seems to make a difference except for the power of Ted of course! I still have my Ted from my childhood which has done the rounds of quite a few sick beds in my teens’ lifetime! Also my teens are still very firmly holding onto their Teds’ for their own children apparently! Sweet. #ablogginggoodtime
Oh they do get attached to things! My daughter’s still on sort of rotation but is particularly fond of her sheep. Sadly we lost her bunny comforter which I absolutely loved! I contemplated buying another online but seen as she wasn’t so attached I didn’t bother. Maybe I will though.. hope she’s ok now x #ablogginggoodtime
This is so touching and Im welling up inside. Ben has found himself his very own minnie and ted in the form of a christmas blanket. He holds on to it or at the very least its laying on his lap 24/7 and this evening refused to let go to let me get him changed for bed! I take it away at night as he rubs his face in it when he’s sleepy and im so scared he’ll suffocate himself, but his cot has about ten teddy’s and toys to comfort him hahah! #ablogginggoodtime