The PocketLovey Company sponsored its first event this past weekend: The MamaCents Fall Consignment Sale at the Palmer Auditorium here in Austin. It was a great event and we are proud to be a part of such a wonderful group of mamas and entrepeneurs!

Given that I was attached to my own lovey when I was a baby, it seemed completely natural and logical for me to provide them for my own children. I intuitively knew it was the right thing to do; I just didn’t know why.
Once I got pregnant, I fell into the typical obsessive frenzy over what would be best for my unborn child. (I like to believe this is typical of most first-time mothers, but I can’t be sure. Considering the possibility that I may have been more obsessive than other first-time moms might force me to come to terms with my compulsions, and who wants to do that?) During said obsessive frenzy, I read a slew of parenting books. Possibly all of them. That’s normal, right? What I found was that the experts tend to disagree about most things: attachment parenting vs. the Ferber method, co-sleeping vs. putting them in their own crib, adhering to a rigid feeding schedule vs. feeding on demand, pacifier or no pacifier; the list is endless! And it’s enough for any hormonal woman to go crazy, or at least it was for me.
What I’ve found, however, is that most of the experts agree when it comes to loveys. On the topic of transitional objects, which is what a lovey is, I have found that over and over again, experts see the value of a lovey. So from time to time, I’ll share for you here what I’ve found in my readings.
Here’s an excerpt from “Your Baby’s First Year,” by Steven P. Shelov, M.D., M.S., F.A.A.P. (Copyright 1998 by the American Academy of Pediatrics, Bantam Books, Bantam Edition June 1998).

“Security Objects such as blankets are part of the emotional support system every child needs in his early years…When he’s tired, it will help him get to sleep. When he’s separated from you, it will reassure him. When he’s frightened or upset, it will comfort him. When he’s in a strange place, it will help him feel at home. These special comforts are called “transitional objects,” because they help children make the emotional transition from dependence to independence… a transitional object can be so helpful that you may want to help him choose one and build it in to his nighttime ritual.”

I recently checked this book out at the library for my kids: Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems. It’s a great book that truly captures the spirit of what a lovey is for any child. PocketLoveys aren’t the only loveys around. If your little one is the kind of child who needs a lovey, they won’t wait around for you to designate one; They’ll find what’s right for them, and once they’ve latched on, you better hope you can keep up with it! This is a great book.

Please allow me to introduce to you my first brush with the concept of a lovey. I present to you “Snoopy,” or at least that’s what I called him, or better, what my parents decided to call him, because he was around long before I could talk. This hideous collection of fabric and stuffing was always at my side when I was little. Security blanket, attachment device, comfort item, whatever you want to call it, Snoopy was my rock. Family lore is that he was gifted to me on the day I was born, although I’m not sure by whom. He now spends most of his time at the bottom of my cedar chest. But I still pull him out when I need him.

He might look a little scary to you. He has a lot of history, but I can still see him as he was 37 years ago. Soft yellow and white fur, pink satin lining on the underside of his black velvety ears, pink ribbon around his neck, and big cartoon button eyes. If you look closely, you can see the faded outline of the place his embroidered nose and mouth used to be. This stuffed toy was well loved. One of my earliest memories is actually the moment I was able to finally pull one of his beautiful button eyes out of the fabric socket, only to place it directly in my mouth and nearly choke on it. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

Scary as that was, I never faulted Snoopy, who has remained with me through all these years. In fact, all my snoopy-related memories, good and bad, were put to good use when we were finalizing the PocketLovey design. I really wanted my kids to have something like my Snoopy to depend on, but given the traumatic button-as-eyeball incident of my youth, coupled with a neurotic fear that my children would choke on something (which I’m told is common to first-time moms), I was leary of stuffed toys. So I tended toward the blankie end of the lovey spectrum.

My twin sister’s security device of choice was a white blanket, which was literally whittled down to about three square inches by the time we were in high school. I shudder to think now of the countless floors in restaurants, grocery stores, public restrooms, parking lots, that her blankie traveled. Oh no, the blankie approach to comforting my children would never do. There’s just not enough bleach in the world to solve that problem. I’m hoping the germs that live in my imagination are much, much worse than the real ones that live in our babies’ playthings.

These were the thoughts that led me to pull out my grandmother’s sewing machine and put together my son’s first PocketLovey. PocketLoveys are made of fabric and thread only, nothing more, to eliminate any choking hazard – because the best of our brilliant babies are curious! PocketLoveys give a child the feel of a blankie, but you can tuck it all into the pocket when the situation requires so that you don’t arrive home with a petrie dish of whatever was on the floor at the mall. And just like my Snoopy, PocketLoveys have multiple colors and textures to satisfy the senses.

That’s the lovey we’ve made. And I’m hoping a few PocketLoveys will see the history Old Snoopy has…

The PocketLovey online store is open for business. Hooray! That in itself is a milestone for us. We’re very excited behind the scenes. Happy shopping everyone!

We recently passed the 40 week mark here at the PocketLovey Company. That is to say, a little over 40 weeks ago, the PocketLovey was conceived as a business endeavor, as more than just a collection of fabric coveted by my children and the children of a few select mommies in my life.

I have defined conception as one moment in particular, when a girlfriend and I were shopping for the fabric that would become her newborn baby’s PocketLovey. While we walked among the bolts of fabrics, her baby grabbed on to textures and colors that caught his eye, and we talked. As the best girlfriends are wont to do, she gave me a stern and loving talking-to.

How is that I had come up with such a novel idea, something new and different that had been so well received (by complete strangers even!); How is it that I had created an idea for something that could really make a difference for other babies and mamas, just like us, yet aside from sewing a few here and there, I hadn’t really DONE anything at all? How is that? Get a move on, girl!

This is the gift that my best girlfriends give me, these stern talking-tos. And occasionally, in my finer moments, I listen to them. I listened to her and I got a move on! And The PocketLovey Company was born.

Something clicked and then and there I decided to go for it. I pounced on the idea of a product launch 40 weeks from that day. How wonderful to be able to conceive of a new product, a new company, nurture it, build it, and then launch (i.e. give birth) just 40 weeks later!

Alas, I’m a tad behind. We are full term here at the PocketLovey company. Beyond 40 weeks now, my ankles are swollen, my back is aching, I can’t get a good night’s sleep, and I am ready for this baby to launch!

It’s coming any day now. We’re all ready and waiting. Not much longer…

I am very pleased to announce that we have received confirmation that the PocketLovey offically meets all the federal regulations for materials and mechanics of children’s toys and is suitable for children of all ages!

We have been working with a federally certified testing agency in New Jersey to ensure that our patent-pending design exceeds the expectations of not only Baby, but mommies and daddies too. Having achieved this important milestone, our team of local seamstresses has begun work on our base inventory, one PocketLovey at a time…

We should be open for business soon!

The PocketLovey team is perfecting the PocketLovey design and the PocketLovey materials to be sure we are CPSIA-compliant and suitable for your baby. We’re doing our best to release our product as soon as possible without compromising our high standards for quality and safety. Stay tuned…