My toddler lost her lovie. What do I do?

My toddler lost her lovie. What do I do?

Children can lose their lovies (for example, favorite toy or blanket) at any time, anywhere. And this can be very upsetting to them. If your little one loses her lovie, there are several things you can do to be supportive in helping her deal with the loss of her lovie while also helping her to move on at the same time. This is important skill building for her in terms of dealing with future losses. For instance, you can make empathic statements about how hard it is to lose a lovie. You can also help her to honor the loss of her lovie by doing things like drawing pictures of the lovie or framing a picture of her holding the lovie. You can also offer to buy her a different or new item, but some children may find it hard to make a new attachment. At the same time, try to avoid things like pretending it didn’t happen or minimizing the loss of the lovie by telling her she is too old for the lovie anyway or that it is not that big of a deal.

If your little one has a different lovie, or if she attaches to a different toy or blanket, try to get two identical versions of the item just in case one needs to be washed or that one gets lost in the future!