What parent doesn’t want to comfort their child when they are in pain, uncomfortable or stressed? What parent doesn’t want to help their child learn to self-soothe? Small every day moments like bedtime or boo boos as well as the more traumatic experiences such as long separations, illnesses and hospital stays are all times of heightened stress and anxiety for children. That’s where we come in...
We are Pouchieologists. We are experts in Pouchieology, the Science of Soothing using your child’s familiar object + one of our calming Pals. Our mission is to empower children to help soothe themselves and find coping mechanisms that work.
Somewhere between 6 months and 2 years, children often go through a “mommy phase” or the “holding-on-for-dear-life-as-mom-had-to-leave-for-a-few-moments” phase. In my years, attending Mommy & Me type classes and seeing many school separations, I have personally experienced my own and witnessed many other children struggle with separating. This separation anxiety is a natural and helpful part of development. Children are just beginning to see themselves as separate from their parents or caregivers and beginning to exploring the world. One psychologist noted how children will often start exploring around this age but constantly circle or look back to their caregiver to make sure they are still there. This new independence can be quite exciting and scary at the same. That’s where their security object comes in. It is believed to be a bridge between the connection to the familiar (mom in most cases) and the natural desire for increased independence and autonomy.
As little ones start to separate, their special self-chosen object can literally become their “transitional” object. It helps them through tough transitions like bedtime, when they will be physically separated from their parents. As many people know, some day-care programs, camps and schools suggest that children bring in their special object from home to help ease that transition. As Pouchieologists, we extend this concept. For example: when you enhance your child’s security object with calming aromas like Lavender, you may increase the soothing effects.
The other day, I overheard a mom speaking about her child going in for surgery, and how she told the doctor how important it was for her child to see and hold her “lovey “ when she woke from the anesthesia. I would have loved to have given her Ice or Heat Hero, as I was sure there would be some follow-up from the surgery, where the heat or warmth paired with her child’s “lovey” would surely be helpful. Or if her daughter were staying for a prolonged period in the hospital, that she would be able to keep some favorite pictures nearby in a Memory Keeper, all while using the “lovey” to help comfort herself.
Pouchieology is a simple soothing answer to complex, yet, developmentally normal issues.
From one parent to another,