By: Louise Flanagan
ALL three of my kids loved their dodo when they were tots. At the baby stage, a dodo was omnipresent; I wouldn’t have left the house unless I had at least two with me. Only an amateur would put themselves in the precarious position of relying on just one.
As they got to the toddler stage, we tried to wind it back to dodos for the naps and night-time only. They tended to accept this quite well. Exceptions were made when they were off form and we’d give them a dodo during the day for comfort. We called that ‘a cheeky dodo!’
Some kids rely much more on the dodo than mine did, and I think that’s absolutely fine. Each to their own. Plus, if a dodo addiction is their greatest vice, is that really so bad?
There does come a point when you have to try to wean them off the dodo, I suppose, but I wouldn’t be in any rush if they’re happy with it.
Recently, Letterkenny Babies Facebook page received a message from a mum struggling to get rid of the dodos; “My boy, almost four, is still obsessed with his dodi / soother. He leaves it in the car going to preschool but relies heavily on it after getting back into the car and for the duration of the day and night.
“I haven’t pushed the idea of taking it away before now as we had a baby five months ago and didn’t want to take it away while the baby had hers. I’ve noticed his teeth are starting to push forward. Has anyone any advice on what way to go about getting rid of it? Cold turkey? Or slowly phase it out but he’s headstrong about having it. I’d appreciate any advice on the easiest, least hurtful way to do this.”
The issue of their teeth being pushed forward due to having the dodo in their mouth so often is definitely something that puts the clampers on lots of parents who might be thinking of letting their child keep their dodo.
Page members offered some suggestions: “The fairies took ours and apart from an odd whinge, they got over it pretty quickly.” Sometimes the fairy leaves a little present like a teddy and that tends to comfort them in place of the soother.
A lot of parents suggested leaving the dodos out for the Easter Bunny or for Santa. This must work because it was frequently suggested in the comments section.
Personally, I think it’s a risky strategy in case it backfires at those special and busy times of the year. I’d be aiming to get through the festivities with the least amount of stress possible.
I’d be more inclined to pick a random, normal week for such a task. Someone mentioned that there’s a dodo tree in Dungloe, but I haven’t been there myself.
Our kids gave their dodos to the baby donkeys at the Donkey Sanctuary, Eircode F93 R7P2. We had a lovely day out with a little picnic and we took lots of photos with the donkeys.
We then explained to the kind staff that we had a sandwich bag of dodos for the baby donkeys. It was gratefully accepted and my kids were assured that the baby donkeys would really appreciate the dodos. As we drove away, the kids felt content that their dodos were needed more by the donkeys and it made them proud of themselves too.
I’ve seen trends on social media where dodos are tied to helium balloons and float off into the sky. It looks nice and symbolic, but honestly, it amounts to littering because that plastic balloon is going to pop and land somewhere eventually.
Please dispose of dodos responsibly. Needless to say, no baby donkeys were harmed in the process of getting rid of my kids’ dodos!
You can make a donation while you’re visiting the Donkey Sanctuary too, to help with their care. Win win!
Louise Flanagan is an admin of Letterkenny Babies Facebook page and the author of the children’s book series, Dragonterra and Dream Beasts. www.dragonterra.ie
Her Parenting Column features every Thursday in the Donegal News.
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