WubbaNub

"Baby Sweep", "Other Blanket", "Uh-oh" - these are all nicknames for each of the kids' comfort item when they were little. We have now added another comfort item to the mix, Ryan's WubbaNubs.
A WubbaNub is a binky that is attached to a little stuffed animal, providing both something soothing to suck on as well as something to snuggle with. Not to mention they are a whole lot easier to keep track of since they fall into every nook and cranny like regular binkies tend to do and they are much easier for little hands to grab and put in their mouth on their own.
Brilliant idea, right? Tell that to Scott who was the developer behind Ellie's weighted Binky which was pretty much the same concept in a less fancy package. When Ellie was in the hospital as a baby she loved her binky. When she got her trach she couldn't create as much suction and so it was harder for her to keep her binky in when she was falling asleep (the doctors were all amazed she could suck on the binky as well as she did). As she would start dozing off the binky would drop out of her mouth and she would wake up crying. After sitting and holding the binky in her mouth while she fell asleep Scott and the nurse came up with the idea to roll up a burp cloth and tape it to the binky to stabilize it in her mouth while she was swaddled on her side. It worked like a charm and from that day forward Ellie preferred her weighted binky when sleeping. It also helped her before she had developed the dexterity in her hands required to pick up something as small as a binky. She was able to grab the rolled burp cloth and pull the binky to her mouth when she needed it.

It wasn't until after Ellie was gone that WubbaNub binkies started gaining popularity and showing up in stores. I always got a lump in my throat when I saw them thinking how perfect they would have been for Ellie. So when Ryan started fighting his swaddle at a couple months old and his busy hands were keeping him awake I was thrilled to have a reason to introduce him to the WubbaNub. He instantly took to it and soon it was the only kind of binky he was interested in. We started with the giraffe and soon his doggy joined the party. When the Giraffe wore out and the binky fell off he was replaced with Elephant and the most recent addition of his monkey might be Ryan's favorite WubbaNub yet.
Ryan's philosophy when it comes to WubbaNubs is the more the merrier. Even now that the giraffe and dog have lost their binkies Ryan still likes to have them around to snuggle with. He gathers them all in his arms and gently tickles the palm of his hands with the arms of the animals as he falls asleep. It reminds me of how Mason used to tickle his hands with his baby sweep. Much like when Miles used to drop his blanket out of his crib and yell Uh-oh until we came and got it, Ryan has a very distinct and angry yell/cry that lets us know he has lost his WubbaNubs and he won't be settling down until they are back in his crib with him.
We'll see if the brand name of WubbaNub sticks or if Ryan develops his own nickname for his beloved animals.