The Nanie: A Surefire Allergy Repellant

Have you seen Mr. Mom, where at one point Michael Keaton decides it is necessary to confiscate the "Woobie?" Well, I fear we are at that point.

Spencer's "Nanie" has become a dearly beloved health hazard. Originally, it was a soft purple blanket dotted with bright purple stars. Now it is of questionable color and odor -- even when washed. And, one edge of the stitching has come undone so that batting sticks out along the whole seam. I have tried to sew it. I have tried to wash it. I have tried to hide it. I have tried to replace it. I have tried everything short of cruel confiscation -- which I just can't bring myself to do.

The biggest problem with the Nanie isn't that Spencer loves it so much. It's that he expects us to love it as well. When we sit and read stories, I get to 'hold' the Nanie. When he goes to the bathroom in the middle of the night, I have to standby with the Nanie. When he eats his cereal in the morning, the Nanie must be hung on the back of his chair. Where I find the Nanie, I know Spencer has been -- it is frequently in the pantry, outside on the porch, bunched into the back of his tricycle, in the van, and all too often, buried deep in my bed -- ew.

Both of my other kids had blankies and each eventually gave them up. But this one has become so 'loved' that I am concerned for the health of those (me) who frequently come in contact with it. The only thing that brings me solace is an article I read recently about how everyday germs can protect kids from allergies. Too clean an environment can actually promote allergy sensitivity. I suppose that for now I'll just have to see the Nanie not as a bacterial haven, but as an allergy repellant.

Hmm, I wonder if that's a marketable idea...