With the Kids

What’s Your Child’s “Knuffle Bunny”?

Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems, has recently become one of my favorite children’s books. My son checked it out a few months back from his school library and it’s been a family favorite ever since. It’s about a little girl, Trixie, who loves her bunny “Knuffle Bunny“, but loses it at the laundry mat. As she’s still a toddler and trying to say real words, she “babble flabbles” trying to tell her Dad her bunny is missing. My kids laugh and laugh at Trixie’s words, asking for this story to be read again and again! There’s also a sequel to the first called Knuffle Bunny Too where it get’s lost again!

Well, I can relate to Trixie’s Dad when trying to locate my kid’s stuffed animals, or “knuffle bunnies”. My son has been sleeping with this dog, Honey pictured above, every night since he was 2 (he’s now 6). So far, it’s not too ragged, but it’s getting there, as it used to bark.

I’m sure my kids aren’t the only ones with “Knuffle Bunnies”. What comforting items do your kids sleep with at night?

54 comments

  1. My daughters one is 9 and the other is 2 and a half and a few Christmases ago they both got a red fluffy fleece blanket. My youngest has totally took over both of them and we have to have one every where we go if we are staying over night or at someones house for awhile when I know she will be taking a nap. We don’t have a/c at our house just window units so in the summer its not very cold inside and she sweats very very easy but she still will not use anything else even if she just has it next to her and not on her. She even wakes up if you stick a different blanket on her. She also will snatch other peoples blankets or try to if they are fluffy like hers it doesn’t even matter if they don’t look like hers. I think she’s just obsessed with the material or something!

  2. My now almost 10yo has a pink fleece blanket named Pinkie. Well, Pinkie used to be pink and once upon a time, you could tell she was fleece. Now she is threadbare and gray, but Lili’s love for her has only grown over the years. We love Knufflebunny as well. And we also have a soft spot for Kevin Henkes’ Owen and his yellow blanket named Fuzzy.

  3. Snurp!

    We love these books, too. My son also gets excited to see Trixie’s cameo appearence in Willem’s Please Say Please book.

    My almost five year old sleeps with a Mary Meyer’s Sweet Rascal’s “Sweet Gillian Giraffe.” He calles it Raffy. I know the vendor name mostly because, when he was eight months old and I saw it had become THE lovey, I quickly ordered two more that we now rotate out.

    Our 18 month old daughter adopted a Lumpy toy from Disney. It was a park exclusive and a lot harder to get more of, but we managed. Shew.

  4. I don’t have children, but I recently fell in love with Mo Willems’ books! We visited the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature in Abilene in December, and the main exhibit was all Mo Willems. They even had an animated version of the Knuffle Bunny story playing on the floor.

    I bought my youngest niece an autographed copy of one of his books. I can’t wait to give it to her!

  5. A report on Bun, Bun. (Our real life Knuffle Bunny!) He was found! It was a close call though. He was found lying in the grass by our local Elem. School by a cousin who recognized the worn out light purple little guy!

    Bun, Bun was gone for 4 days!!

    Jen
    Creative and Curious Kids!

  6. My oldest daughter has so many stuffies that now she chooses the one that matches her pajamas. My baby girl has a crib full of lambs. She can’t not sleep without one particular lambie.

  7. We just got this book for Christmas & my kids love it. Both my babies have tied quilts they sleep with. They like to pull on the ties as they fall asleep. I don’t know what it is but they find it really comforting.

  8. Those sound like cute books! I’ll have to check them out.

    My 4 1/2 year old daughter has a small kitty cat that she’s had since she was 8 weeks old. It goes everywhere with her!

  9. Isn`t it funny how kids collect these things? My 3 year old has a giant stuffed seal, a giant bear (both as big as him), a squashed pajama bag dog and assorted cars in bed with him every night.

    My almost 2 year old has just recently become obsessed with his “babies” as he calls them. They consist of a red dog (gifted to his older brother as a baby and named Lola), a Motomoto hippo and a Hard Rock Cafe teddy bear (also his brother`s). If he doesn`t have these three things in his crib when he lays down, he will beg for his “babies” until you find all three. :P

  10. I’m loving everyone’s Knuffle Bunnies. And I haven’t read any other Mo Willems books, so now I know what to check out this week from the library.

    Thanks for sharing!!

  11. My daughter who will be 13 still sleeps with smiley doll. Her great grandmother got it for her when she was just 6 months old and it is still the same one. When we misplace it; the look on her face is heartbreaking, luckily we still have it and it has been sewn up several times.

  12. This is one of my girl’s favorite books! Unfortunately, we’ve been tearing the house apart this morning trying to find my 4 year old’s “Knuffle Bunny”- actually named “Bun, Bun” It is a light purple bunny who looks sorta like knuffle bunny that she has had since she was a baby. Bun, Bun has been missing since yesterday. My little peanut was cleaning this morning, trying to find her forever friend! Wish us luck!

    Jen
    Creative and Curious Kids!

  13. Carters blanket from Target that’s blue stripes & soft as heaven. Also, a little beaten up doll from my childhood named, affectionately, Petey. They go everywhere!

  14. My little girls 29 she is a new mom now. But she slept with her blanket well into high school and still has it wrapped up and saved. She like to take it out and fill the edges now and then. This blanket is her second as she wore out her first one. When she was about 7 she got to go and pick out one on her own. That blanket help her through many a ruff spot.

  15. Both of our children have “lovies” by the company Bunnies By the Bay. My son’s is a frog named TadBit — he’s 4 years old and still going strong. My daughter’s is a pink bunny, but instead of calling her by her given name (LittleBit), she calls her simply “Bunny.” These guys would be sorely missed if they were ever lost — in fact, we have pretty much restricted them to home to prevent that from happening!

  16. Oh these books looks too cute. Gonna have to hit up the library for them.

    My 3 year old son has his lovey. It’s a little blue and green lion head with a fuzzy and silky blanket attached. He loves that thing. We only allow him o take it from the house when we know it’s going to be a long car ride and even then it must stay in the car. We lost the lovey once for 2 days. It was horrific! A friend found it at their house and we haven’t let it out of our sight since. lol I kick myself sometimes for not buying 2 or 3 of those things! lol

  17. I love Mo Willems! I haven’t read these though. We’ll have to check them out. My oldest has no comfort items. Nada, zilch. My middle child has more than enough. She sleeps with her stuffed cat, dog, duck, bunny, elephant, hippo, lamb, bee, ladybug, her hard shell turtle nightlight and her blanket, which has to be just so…. I’m not sure how all of these will hold up over the years and I’m hoping we never lose one!

  18. My kids all vary…one sleeps with a web*inz horse named Tornado (pronounced Turnahdo), my oldest sleeps with her rabbit pillow (it’s HUGE) she has had since she was about a month old, she’s 10. One of my 4 year olds sleeps with 3 stuffed pigs and a stuffed mickey mouse and my other 4 year old just sucks her fingers and has NOTHING to sleep with.

  19. Chloe sleeps with a little blanket that has a bear head in the middle of it, weirdest thing. She’s 2-1/2 and has loved it since, get this, she was 6 WEEKS OLD! That’s a girl that knows what she wants :)

  20. The Knuffle Bunny books are favorites of ours – just wonderful.

    My middle daughter has a blanket and a stuffed dog she’s had since she was a baby. She has to have both or she can’t sleep.

    My older daughter (7) used to have a stuffed puppy she couldn’t live without, but it got lost on a trip. That was – not a fun ride home. Poor kiddo.

    My son never had a comfort object. I’m not sure why…

  21. My oldest has a lamb, Fluffles, that she’s had since birth. Their love affair became cemented at about 6 months. We’ve swapped her out over the years, but now we’re on #5 or so, and at 6, my daughter is too old to be fooled by another switcheroo. I hope she’ll switch over to another more durable stuffed buddy, but I’m not holding my breath!

  22. What a sweet book! My daughter loves her Dolly. Whenever someone asks her what the name of her doll is, she says “Dolly”. At one point, she used to have a different dolly, but over time she had taken all the hair out. I got her a new one a little after her being a year that matched her own hair color and she actually attached to that one rather quickly. Dolly goes many places with us, especially to things that are unknown. She just visited the dentist with us yesterday and I posted pics on my blog.

  23. My daughter (16 months) sleeps with a 1-foot-square blankie that my Nana made her. It’s already unraveling (and often smelly), so I’ve asked Nana to make another one to have on hand!

    We met in line for registration on Friday at Blissdom – it was nice to meet you, and I love your blog! It has such a clean look and great photos!

  24. I have identical twins girls that at a few months gravitated towards these two random stuffed toys. And of course they were not any of the cute, plush ones from shower gifts. They will be FIVE in march and still tote their “babies” around. Although with age they no longer take them into stores, or church because they realize that if they loose them they will be gone forever! I sneak them into the wash once a week! ewwww! xoxo alli blue

  25. awww, we haven’t read these. I’ll have to look for them. our guys have blankets that their grammy knitted for them; they’re so soft. I want one!

  26. I love Mo Willems! My kids have their “blanks”. My 3 year old has “good blank” that he’s had since infancy and it is in shreds. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sewed the holes up and they keep appearing. My 2 year old has “more blank” and hers is pretty much still intact. I was just thinking the other day that I will be so sad when they don’t want their blankies anymore. I love to smell them because they smell like my kiddos :)
    -Jill

  27. I’m a huge fan of the pigeon books that Mo writes. I had no idea she had this book! This is a must-have for my collection!

  28. When I was in my younger days, I had one of my father’s old, ratty tee shirts. I called it “botty”, for some reason. And I’m pretty sure that I lost it at the grocery store.

    Good times.

  29. Ah, loveys. My girl has “Dear Giraffe” (or Giraffey for short) and Blankey, which used to be a small orange fluffy knit blanket and is now a stretched out, no longer fluffy, somewhat brown piece of rag. My boy has his Giraffey (yes, they both have one) and his Bubby (or bunny, which I am sure is what he was trying to say when he dubbed it Bubby).

  30. Thanks for sharinng- I am definitely going to check these two books out. I wish something was comforting my children more at night :) Up until 4 a.m.- one screaming the entire time…unless I’m rocking or holding him…..however- one has a blankie (which we started giving him when he was a baby and was attached at 6 months old) and the other has a pacifiier as he is not even 18 m. yet. The baby is also attached to cloth diaper burp rags- that is his blankie of choice. Good think it is easy to replace! :)

  31. My 5 y.o. has a blanket he’s had literally since birth that he calls “softy.” My 4 y.o. always uses a blanket on her bed (it’s pretty bulky) that my mom sewed from her crib bumpers…. that thing is GREAT to take when we go on trips and she sleeps in a new place!

  32. My kids (1 and 2) have both come attached to the most impossible toys! Expensive, difficult (or impossible) to replace and given to them by their “Uncle” in Germany.

    My 2 year old has Lambie – a Steiff Cosy lamb, that was a special edition and no longer available. We have one for the house, one for the car and a spare – she’s that attached. She can’t sleep without her Lambie and must chew on her ear when stressed.

    My 1 year old has MrBear – again, another Steiff Cosy – they still make him – but I don’t have a spare yet. I should get one before the disaster happens!

  33. we have never read the books but both my boys definitely have their own “knuffle bunny”. My oldest has Monkey Friend. He is oh so worn. He attached to the monkey at six months and has never looked back. He is 3.5 now. My youngest loves his “dogdy” doggie. It is almost as big as he is but he loves it.

  34. My son and I loved both Knuffle Bunny and Knuffle Bunny Too! Sooo adorable. When my son was a baby he was in the hospital for several weeks and my husband’s office sent him a Gund Leopard. It has been his “knuffle bunny” since that day. I was so afraid that he would lose it that I bought another one as a replacement, but that didn’t work. He knew the difference and named them separately.

  35. I love these books too. I used to read them to the kids at the child care center I worked at. I need to remember to check them out next time we go to the library. I think my son would get a kick out of Trixie’s “words” as that is what his little sister sounds like now. He also recently has become very attached to his little giraffe, Shorty. The giraffe has a very short neck, thus his name. And he goes absolutely everywhere with us! :)

  36. my six year old son has a lovable soft stuffed animal, a dog, he has named Plopper….and my four year old son has a beloved bear named Buttercream Cub…….I think that the animals may just accompany them to college one day!

  37. Those books look adorable. My girls all have some kind of blankie they have to have to sleep. Three like the feel of fleece and one likes the silky part of the blankie. My son seems to be going for fleece.

  38. aiden(6) has “lambie” who apparently is a girl and of course a lamb given to him for easter at 6m. a white woobie!? anyway, he no longer needs to have him as we try not to get too attached here. loves like to sleep all day here if ykwim. but as my husband and i say ‘lambie is understood. at 6 you dont talk about lambie, she’s understood’.

    brady (4) has “bearmy” named by him when he tried to say ‘my bear’. he’s a build a bear from a party type, not the store type. he no longer needs him either and was the least attached.

    colin (2) has bunny “fufu” and is very attached, still needs him. which is why i have to get this book bc fufu looks just like this bunny, all floppied. fufu has a soft sounding rattle in him too.

    :)

    i (34) still have “jenny”. given to me by my brother, reheaded by my mother and named after my neighbor.

  39. I just love this book and even though I have two little ones, I just read it for the first time a couple of weeks ago. My oldest sleeps with “ni-night” bear.” He is one step away from falling apart. I worry for that day.

  40. My daughter has a “lovey” that was a baby shower gift. It’s a pink lamb head with a small blanket body. The ears and blanket corners are little nubs that she rubs with her fingers when she’s falling asleep. So adorable! I’d heard horror stories about kids losing loveys, so when she started to get attached to it, I started looking on eBay and bought 3 more! One is pink, and the other two are blue. At first the color didn’t matter, but when she started noticing the difference, the pink ones became the favorite ones (for home) and the blue ones are now for daycare. I love having extras in case one gets temporarily misplaced, or in case she throws up in the middle of the night (yes, it’s happened, poor lovey). We also have a small emergency backup version (it’s yellow and a kitty instead of a lamb) for the diaper bag. Its name is “mini-lovey”. :-)

  41. I love Mo Willems! We all do in our family. That is our favorite book. You have to get Knuffle Bunny Too. It’s a great sequel.

    We have a Piggy that is irreplaceable for #1. Number 2 has a ratty Pooh Bear that he calls “Puh-Buh”. And #3 child has her very own Knuffle Bunny–named after the very book.

  42. My oldest loves knuffle bunny too! Such a great story and the illustration/photographs are super cool. Both my girls sleep with blankies – my oldest calls her Dia, my youngest calls hers nonga.

    Another great book by Mo is Don’t let the Pigeons Drive the Bus.

  43. freeze for cats. it’s a tiger big B got at the zoo. the name was derived from the game he was playing with some toy cats while the tiger was purchased. freeze for cats leads a gang of secondary accomplices: puck, galion, and carrot cake. watch out.

  44. My 3 year old has 3 (yes, 3!) elephants he’s had since birth, a crocheted monkey my MIL found in SC and a Beanie Baby bear that I brought back from Texas this past December (it’s a nice reminder of my TX grandmother who died 10 days after I arrived back home to NY). And those are just the ones he has to hug while he falls asleep. Above his pillow is two medium-sized bears, a kung fu panda, a bear and shrek doll his dad won at a fair and the very small crocheted blanket I made him before he was born that I made dad do a few rows on himself.

    He has a fit if anything is missing or not in the correct place.

  45. My little girl just checked this out a couple of weeks ago at the school library and loved it too! It’s a cute book. I agree with you.

  46. My kids LOVE these books! They are definitely favorites.

    My son has a dinosaur that he has slept with since he was 2 (he is 5 now)

    My daughter Is very attached to her Cinderella rag doll (she is 2)

  47. Lets see… Miss 2.5 has:
    Bear
    Puppy
    Upsy-Daisy Doll
    Blankey
    Plus whatever else she manages to sneak in there… Who knows what we will find tomorrow…

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