All three of my kids have stuffies, a term used for that special stuffed animal friend they’ve had since being babies. Stuffies are a great support system for young kids, especially before they’re really old enough to have friends. They’re someone to play with, someone to cry with, someone to take risks with, someone to get comfort from.
We picked the stuffies for all 3 of our kids. I remember a new mom telling me about her daughter’s obsession with a dirty, ripped spot sock. I thought the best way to avoid that was to ‘give’ my kids their stuffed friend. It actually worked. Every time we went somewhere or the kids were upset or when they went to bed, I would give them their stuffy. They became accustomed to these stuffed animals being with them all the time and soon they were taking them and using them and sleeping with them on their own.
Then there’s my youngest. As a baby she was fine with her rabbit, Finnegan, but now that she’s 3 and she’s all about exerting her independence and strong personality, more so than her older siblings. She has ousted Finnegan in preference for a monster, a Mickey Monster actually.
So it may not be your typical stuffy but at least it’s better than a sock.
To be honest we all have our own Mickey Monster (there are 6 of these soft, cuddly creatures available in series 1); we fell in love with them on our last trip to Disney World. This is one Disney World souvenir I’m glad we picked up.
With a family of five air travel can get pricey so we tend to vacation in destinations we can drive to. That doesn’t mean we’re only visiting surrounding cities. We’ve 
Recently we drove as a family from Canada down to DisneyWorld in Orlando, Florida. It took us almost two days with one hotel stop, but with young kids I usually prefer 
