Our first official ”LOVEY Story” comes from a parent /company with whom we hope to work closely in the coming months and years. Here is the origin story for “Baby Jack & Company” and their founder/CEO Kelley (WI):

Baby Jack gravitated towards tags on clothing, toys and blankets, so it was essential for mom Kelley to provide a lovey that had ribbon tags accented for his sensory needs and comfort. The only tag toys out on the market had ribbon loops and the ends heat sealed, so she created a safer alternative called The Learning Lovey with ribbons sewn shut for added safety. This still provides cognitive, social and mental development for kids as well as assisting with separation anxiety and transitioning.

As Kelley’s two kids grew, so did the Wisconsin brand Baby Jack & Co. They started creating their own fabric textiles for children to learn, interact and engage with their loveys. The Learning Lovey has pictures built with shapes, letters and numbers and brings a fun, educational tool to a comfort object. This company also designs fabrics to promote kindness and raise awareness for causes important to their customers.

Their Kindness Confetti, CHD (Congenital Heart Defect) lovey, police, fire and stars & stripes designs are part of their give back campaign to bring comfort to kids in need. Twelve years later, that little red ribbon that Jack started playing with as a baby is still being loved and has grown into a brand that gives comfort to many all over.

For More Information
Please Visit BabyJackandCompany.com

My teenage boys will never forgive me for “The Velveteen Rabbit.” They insist they remain emotionally scarred, over a decade after first hearing it.

“But the rabbit becomes real!” I protest.

“Mom! The boy doesn’t get to be with his best friend EVER AGAIN! How is that a happy ending?”

Needless to say, we take our love of Loveys very seriously. We have Lovey stories that run the gamut from tragic to comedic to touching, yet somehow all tear-jerking.

There’s the one where we created our own neighborhood Amber Alert for the missing dolphin, only to find him tangled in a laundry load of beach towels. The one where we thought we lost the dolphin forever, until a superhero disguised as a restaurant owner rescued it and kept it safe until we could come collect it. The one where we realized more packing supervision was required when, upon arrival at a weeklong Caribbean vacation, someone sheepishly admitted that his suitcase basically contained 24 Loveys and a swimsuit. The endless battle to fit one medium sized boy and 78 Loveys on a twin bed continues to this day.

The most recent one? The oldest moved away this summer to play baseball but insisted he couldn’t play as well without sleeping on his (large, pillow-sized) stuffed dog. So, we put the dog in an actual pillowcase and off they went. Upon discovery, the main reactions of teammates were “oh, your lucky dog” and “man, I wish I’d brought mine,” leading me to believe that a) baseball players’ superstitions are weird but very real and b) there is hope for all of humanity if this is the main reaction to a Lovey by a bunch of “dudes.”

This truly cements our belief that we are not alone in our love of Loveys. No matter who we talk to, we find that pretty much everyone has a Lovey story – their children’s, their siblings, their own – so we are collecting them. We want to share as many Lovey stories as possible! If you have one that you want to share, please send it to: jen@thechiofjen.com. We will feature a new story every month.

Join us in making this world a softer, more loving place for as many children (and children at heart) as possible, because we never truly grow out of that need for unconditional love and acceptance and we all deserve it!

All 3 of my girls have a Lovey! Two of them have a “squishy” (a super soft small pillow) and my oldest has her Blankie that has been with her since birth (she is now 14). Blankie is still very much part of her life, traveling back and forth between my house and her dad’s house. It was yellow with a satin edge. The yellow has faded over time and that satin edge has almost been loved off. Whenever a string or small section wears off of Blankie, it is held in high reverence and placed carefully in a special container for safe-keeping.

One story of almost losing Blankie has stuck with me. We lived on Dayton Street, two blocks south of Armitage in Lincoln Park until my oldest was 5. There was a small children’s boutique along Armitage that had two small children’s “rides” – a merry-go-round and a horse that bounced and rocked. When I stopped working to take care of her and my middle child, our morning daily routine was to walk to those rides. We even had a pouch of quarters at the ready!

We were almost always alone on the merry-go-round, so naturally, Blankie always got to pick out a horse. One day, when we were almost home, we realized Blankie had decided to stay and keep riding – without us! My oldest freaked, I secretly panicked, and we turned that double Bob stroller around and almost sprinted back. Blankie, of course, was still there, maybe relishing in her 5 minutes of alone time. And after all, who would actually take a gently worn blanket and keep it? (I hope no one.) However, the thought of having to deal with a child losing her favorite Lovey was heart wrenching to me. Thankfully, besides losing another beloved Lovey “bun bun” IN THE HOUSE, we have had no additional lost incidents. I hope that this Lovey stays with her and remains an important piece of her childhood. I still have mine tucked safely in my closet where I see her every day.