Tomorrow is my first day back at work and Little Bean’s first full day at nursery. And I’ve only just realised why people go on about how awful it is.
Last week’s ‘settling in’ at the nursery did not go well. She cried, I cried – it wasn’t pleasant.
The only thing that comforted her on day three was having her bunny there for naptime. I’m a bit dubious about this bunny. I’ve realised there’s no accounting for taste when it comes to little ones and for some reason out of all her beautiful fluffy toys she has chosen this as her preferred comforter.
It’s a fair-shaped bunny with lovely long silky ears, and is a not too offensive shade of pink. But it has no face. No eyes, mouth, nose. Nothing. Personally, I think it looks a bit freaky and keep trying to press the lovely JellyCat bunny on her to no avail.
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| A lovely JellyCat bunny (with eyes, nose, smile - is that asking too much?) |
Anyway, she likes her faceless bunny and it helps her go to sleep so I’m happy to leave aesthetics and facial features at the door on this occasion.
Today she went to the nursery again for a few hours for her last ‘settling in’ day before it all kicks off tomorrow. Of course I forgot her bunny. So off I raced home to get it, stopping only to make a note to buy a ‘backup’ bunny.
Apparently this is an old trick. A friend told me this weekend that her little girl has a puffin that she is completely obsessed with. Anticipating the day that Puffin will a) fall apart, b) get lost or c) get too smelly, my friend asked the kind grandfather who had gifted the fluffy toy where she could get another. The answer: Iceland. Seven years previously. Despite frantic emails to the Icelandic Tourist Board she’s had to resign herself to there being no back-up Puffin. Lesson: don’t let your little one get attached to anything that can’t be easily replaced.
So if Little Bean has her bunny I decided I needed something too. Armour to prepare myself for a gruelling day navigating tube rush hour, contending with a no-doubt overflowing inbox and most awfully, facing a whole day away from baby girl.
While I would never normally recommend shopping when emotional, I feel in this case it was necessary. So now I have a whole new set of make-up (thank you Benefit) to make myself look my best for tomorrow.
At the very least it will hopefully hide my puffy eyes. And if it doesn’t work, I’m borrowing the bunny.
Show me a mummy that hasn't cloned or bought a back up comforter, lol, i think her bunny is actually rather cute! Thanks for linking up sweetie xxx
ReplyDeleteThat's the cute bunny I'm trying to encourage her to fall in love with. To no avail. Sigh. Thanks - will keep on eye on your linkys x
DeleteFortunately we can easily replace our little ones blankie, but what a nightmare if you cant! Thanks for linking up x
ReplyDeleteThought I'd be clever and give her lots of different comforters so she'd never have a 'favourite'. But that idea didn't exactly work. Am learning that being a mum means accepting that the best laid plans...
DeleteFound you via love new blogs and just wanted to comment and say I hope both of your first day's went well. It's never easy I still remember it like it was yesterday! My little girl took Pink Ted with her everyday (oddly it was the last teddy I ever expected her to become close too, we got it free with a bunch of flowers that were sent to us when she was born, it was completely ignored until that first week of nursery and suddenly became her favorite!) X
ReplyDeleteI think they're training us for later for when we won't be allowed to pick their clothes/friends/partners ;) Thanks so much for the comment. It's been a few weeks now and we've settled in fine (one of us better than the other, no prizes for guessing which ;)
DeleteJust discovered you through Love New Blogs. My little one, although she's 2.5 years old, has just started her settling in period at nursery this week. I am also using the cuddly toy tactic too. So far its going okay, as I'm still there but dreading the day I leave properly. I see you are a book editor ... I might need your services one day!
ReplyDeleteOh, good luck! Little Bean cried on the two settling in days but by the time it came to her first full day there she was absolutely fine. :)
DeleteAh bless you. So hard when they first start being away from you but trust me, she will love it in no time :) and the make-up was a definite necessity to cheer you up!
ReplyDeleteThank you Suzanne! You're right, she's settling in fine (me less so!) but it's all good. One of my friends warned me it would be one of the worst things I'd have to do and I really thought she was exaggerating. Silly me ;)
DeleteScamp is 4 and still carries her teddy of choice round with her everywhere - it varies from month to month but it's never one of her lovely, sweet looking teds. Oh no. At the moment it's a hideous yellow dog that she calls Barry. I mean Baryy, of all the names ?!
ReplyDeleteI hope her first day went well, it's always a bit of an emotional time x
Ridiculous the ones they choose to attach themselves to. Barry... - ermm...this is why I will never let Little Bean contribute to naming suggestions should she have a sibling one day! Bound to be horrendous!
DeleteYep you definitely need a back-up. Both mine chose bunnies too coincidentally, but my oldest is now 4 and a half. Back-up is long gone, lost in the aisles of a morrison's supermarket on a long car journey. No chance of replacing it since the shop don't sell it anymore, but she still has the original. It is in tatters but nevertheless it's her favourite. It has to go to bed with her every night. I made her put clothes on it to cover up the holes.
ReplyDeleteOh dear - maybe I should get a back-up back-up...?
Deletewell they do start to get stinky so the more the better...
ReplyDelete