My 18 Mos Old Is Allergic to His Lovey. How Do I Deal with This?

One thing I would suggest is trying to "strip" it, especially if it's been washed in soap. As any cloth diapering mom can tell you detergents and soaps can build up on fabric and cause terrible rashes. To strip it of any detergent build up I would open the bunny and remove all of the stuffing. Toss the stuffing and wash the shell in HOT water without soap or detergent. You will have to repeat hot washes until you no longer see suds.
Once it is truly clean and clear stuff with new stuffing and test it out.
If that doesn't help...you may need to get a new lovey...fortunately at this age they get over it quickly!

Do you know if his allergy is to the outside fabric or the "guts" of the bunny? My first thought would be to pull out all the old stuffing, wash the heck out of the outside, then refill it with some fresh, hypoallergenic filling.

Won't help if he's allergic to the outside though. Poor guy!

Is this a contact allergy, or is he inhaling the fibers and getting a reaction from that - ie, he allergic to something in the outside of the bunny, or the inside? Can it be emptied and restuffed?

Also, maybe you can find a seamstress or toy maker who can make you a duplicate - out of more friendly materials? It's not the cheapest option, but...

My first thought, like the other poster's thought, was: Can you wash this? If so, wash it several times in a row, in a scent-free, dye-free, hypoallergenic detergent, and see if that makes a difference. If you cannot wash it, or washing makes no difference -- Well, he has had a rash for six months and that is a long time. I know it will be painful, but get rid of it. There is no gradual way to do it; the bunny needs to get "lost" all at once. He will cry and scream but you do have to do it. Eventually he will forget about it. I would not overplay this with him, or cry yourself; I'd do as you have done and make other toys available and be sure to distract him with games, outings, etc. for a few days too. But don't do a full-on funeral for bunny!

By the way, if he's that allergic to this one toy, I would ensure that all other soft toys you have are labled as hypoallergenic. There are makers that specialize in washable, hypoallergenic toys. I'm assuming here that you have checked other possible sources for the rash, such as allergy to his bedsheets, to the detergent you use to wash the sheets, or his own saliva if he drools while sleeping (some kids drool a lot, and get facial rashes from the irritation of their own saliva on their faces while they sleep. Really.). Do ensure that there are not other things going on as well as bunny, but I feel sure that bunny must be part of it.

I do feel bad for you and for him! My daughter is 10 and has had her same lovey since she was only 10 months old. She STILL sleeps with Kitty every single night and Kitty makes every single trip out of town. I hope he finds another lovey, but if he does not, be aware that not all kids do adopt them!

Have you washed it? (CAN it be washed?)

Can you put it in a spot of honor--on a shelf, in a shadow box--in his room?

Awwwww....... :(

I am so sorry. What a terrible thing to find out the one thing your child is attached to makes him so ill.

As a parent we sometimes (many times) have to make decisions for our children for their best. This is something that can hurt his health and so you just need to get rid of the bunny so he cannot see it any more.

It will be hard on all of you.

Try finding something similar or a few things and YOU sleep with them today during nap. Or "wear them" while breast feeding your child.. They will take on you and your child's scents.. He may cry in the beginning. I know this is heartbreaking. You may need to attempt this when you are not lone with your child so you can team attention for your son.

what i would do is this. destuff the bunny and put a different inside in- fabric scraps, yarn something other then whats in it. or leave it unstuffed.

I, too, have heard about the freezer trick, but I am not sure if it will work for your case. I think that it is more for allergens that cause asthmatic problems, not skin related issues. It is worth a shpt though. Otherwise, I would try to find something really special to replace it with, talk it up for days without it being seen, and read special books about it (teddy bear's picnic for a bear lovey, etc). Then pull out the new lovey and make a huge deal about it. Maybe you could sleep with it for a few nights so it has your smell on it, which might make it more familiar.

I haven't read responses, but what about restuffing it with someone that he isn't allergic too? Cut that bad boy open and gut it - then use pillow stuffing or something to replace / repair...

I'm sorry for him and you to go thru this!

Not knowing what the bunny looks like, I wonder if you can get someone to make a similar one in a fiber he can tolerate and then tell him the bunny was making him sick so it had to be fixed and here's the new bunny. It can be hard. My DD won't sleep with anything but Blue Bear. The replacement Spare Bear was thrown out of the room and rejected.

You should also find out the specific something he's allergic to because this will come up again.

Any other complications than the rash? If not, and if you tried washing it and doing a cover, I personally would consider whether or not a rash on the face was worse than the psychological trauma (for all of you!) of removing something he's attached himself to for 6 months. Kids are so attached to their things!

One other suggestion that's can be considered a bit out there if you've never looked to alternative care much before. Look into NAET. I have a friend whose son was allergic to the hat (face swelled up with hives) her mom made for her grandson. She saw the NAET provider, "tapped out" the allergy, and the kid wears the hat and chews on it all the time. It's also helped my husband's apple and cherry allergy, so I have experience with it on the food side.

Good luck!

I didn't read the answers so sorry if i repeat...freeze it!! that kills the dust mites and other things...then wash is really hot water with an unscented dye free detergent. Oh and double rinse. Good luck!!

If the ideas suggested about freezing or re-stuffing it don't work you may just have to bite the bullet and "lose" the bunny, because to answer a question that someone posed, the fact he has the allergy to it predisposes him to anaphylactic shock, which is life-threatening. I know because I lost a cousin this way, and this was how her death was explained.

Friends of mine have a now healthy 14 year old son who was diagnosed with leukemia at 3 years of age. He had a sister of 18 months at the time, and every stuffed animal in the house had to be gotten rid of, his and hers, along with all stuffed furniture before he could come home after he began chemo. His mom was a rock, she bagged everything up (dad was at work, grandma was at the hospital, i was there to help clean) as her daughter was screaming, and told her in no uncertain way, "I'm sorry, but these will make your brother sick so they have to go." Her daughter went through a horrendous week or so with no lovies at all, but as mom said, it was so her brother could stay healthy and she lived through it, they all did.

Try and find something as similar as possible that he won't be allergic to, but if all else fails remember, you want him to be healthy. Hugs✿

If he has been exposed to it for 6 months and it hasn't caused Anaphalaxis why the sudden "Bunny has to go" idea?

It seems to just be causing a skin rash and he seems okay otherwise.

I just think weaning him off and making sure the new lovey has none of the same materials present would be the better way to go. Not such a sudden change.

I do like the idea of restuffing him too.