Morgan's Friend Ted

*Editor's note: I am not being paid for this promotion. I am merely extolling the virtues of the wondrous creature that is Ted, who happens to have been made by a friend of mine. 

Morgan and Ted, Day 1

About a month or so ago, a delightful package came to Morgan and Bay from my friend, Karla, over at The Itsy Bitsy Spider Crochet . In it, there was two baby krakens, one blue and one red. The blue one was meant for Morgan, the red for Bay. Both boys were delighted.

Karla had made me a kraken about a month before and Morgan had immediately highjacked it as a stim toy. I wanted my own kraken, so I mentioned to her that I thought this would make an excellent stimmy for him. Hence, the birth of Ted as a stimmy prototype for Morgan. Bay received his (whose name at the moment is Christmas, it changes by the month) in order to not be left out. Karla is really lovely like that.

The boys take their krakens to school every day. Bay uses his during nap time and when he feels anxious. Morgan, however, has Ted on him as much as possible. We're talking on the playground at recess, during desk work time in class, and even on the field trip last week to the swamp (I brought Ted, I didn't want Morgan to lose him). Basically, unless it's to the bathroom, where Morgan goes, Ted goes.

Well loved Ted, today. 

Morgan loves Ted's tentacles. He slips his fingers through them and tugs on their tightly crocheted forms. He rubs his face on Ted's body. He twirls him, spins him, and talks to Ted as if Ted is real. Ted is his friend, he says. Morgan does this sort of purring sound when he rubs his face against Ted, it's pretty cool. It helps regulate his senses when he's anxious or upset. Ted is being well loved.

I wanted to mention that Ted was a great icebreaker for me with Morgan's classmates on the field trip. They wanted to know why he carries Ted around. I told them that Ted helps Morgan with sensory overload, to help keep him calm.  I also pointed out that several of them probably have loveys similar to Ted at home, which help them feel safe, but they don't bring them to school because, due to their brain wiring, they don't get as overwhelmed with things like Morgan does. They all seemed to understand.

I understand that stim toys aren't for every child, but Ted and Christmas (or whatever his name is) have been absolute godsends for my kids.  We, so far, have been through a lot of stim toys with Morgan. However, most of them have been similar in that Morgan must be able to squeeze them -hard- and they must serve several tactile purposes on the go. Ted serves all of those. I know that Morgan is going to be getting another Ted or two soon. I'm scared to death of losing this one.

Bay and Christmas, Day 1

Now, some information about the krakens, which I highly encourage everyone reading this to go check out. The krakens are made in amigurumi form and made very well. I've washed them multiple times in lingerie bags on the gentle cycle and they're actually stronger, I think.

Karla sells these through her Etsy shop, The Spider's Attic, and there are several different colors. These are the direct links to our versions here (red version) and here (blue version).

To whet your sensory appetite, she also offers Octavia the Octopus, who is lavender scented, and Oswald the Octopus, who is weighted. I'm really eyeballing Oswald.

Go check out Karla's shop and blog! She also has some killer crochet patterns at her other Etsy shop, The Itsy Bitsy Spider.

And remember, if you buy a kraken, you can teach your kiddo how to throw them while yelling (or signing) "Release the kraken!" It's really fun.

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