The not-so awesome Stuffed Animal Tracker Collar . ☹️

Fiber & Textile Completed Projects
#1

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So my son (3 years old) has a favorite stuffed animal: a dog named Puppo. Well, Puppo is mischievous sometimes and likes to hide when all we wanna do is put my son to bed. (I.e. we can never find that dang dog when it’s bedtime and can take upwards of 15 solid minutes of searching. Ugh.

Then I had a brilliant idea of attaching a Tile to him somehow. A “Tile” is a Bluetooth tracking device. I click “find” on my phone and the little tile starts making ringing noises so you can find it. And my app tells me if I’m getting closer as well. (Alternatively, you can also press the button on a Tile and it will make your phone ring so you can find your phone. We also have a Tile on our TV remote which I have used to find my phone many, many times.)

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Anyway, I had recently bought some super hero fabric and had the idea to make a little collar for Puppo to hold the Tile.

Look how cute it turned out!!

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I sewed it on him so my son couldn’t take it off and lose the Tile.

Well, in true 3-year-old fashion…the whole thing backfired. He wouldn’t touch Puppo with the collar. Not even with Batman. Not even after I showed him how Puppo could now play hide n seek. :woman_facepalming:

I gave in and cut it off before bedtime. It was making me sad he wasn’t loving it. He would let Puppo sit nearby but wouldn’t cuddle with him at all.

Points for trying, right?

Somewhat related story: I moved a lot as a kid and as a result belongings never really stuck around. I was always envious of kids who were like “Oh, I’ve had “this thing” since I was 2!” and it’s been with them forever. I never had anything like that. I vowed my daughter would. We went shopping for the perfect stuffed animal when I was pregnant and she loved it. Until she lost it on a walk with grandma when she was 1. My daughter didn’t care much but my husband and I were (and still are!) heartbroken. We even put up lost signs around my moms neighborhood.

We’ve tried finding this same exact stuffed animal for a back up for my son’s animal but it’s no where to be found. And the tag is all worn off. As a result…we have to keep a good eye on him!!

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#2

Oh no! It looks like Puppo has been through the wash a bunch, or I’d suggest microchipping him with the Tile.

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#3

Micro chipping him was my first idea! Lol. I really thought my son would think it was cute and like it. I’m still not totally against it but I’d hate to have to cut him open every time he gets washed.

I wonder if I could make a hidden pocket somehow that my child wouldn’t notice…:thinking: I’m going to brainstorm on that.

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#4

The other option is to try to enlist your son in the process-- “I want to make Puppo something so that he doesn’t get lost, what do you think he’d like to wear?” or somesuch. At least with my kid, having her be part of the decision-making process helps end up with something she won’t hate. (Do you have/know any pets with whom you could explain microchipping? Or talk about radio collars for wildlife?)

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#5

I’m so sad to hear it didn’t work out! I think that is the best idea I’ve heard in ages. Truly.

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#6

Lol. I was thinking the same thing, but you’re right, I don’t think the tile would like the washing machine much…

With 2 three-year-olds in our house I think I spend about 50% of my day looking for things. No joke. Love your ingenious solution, even if it didn’t stick.

Maybe a “vest” or something that he can take off at bedtime? Once Puppo is properly found and secured? Then just don’t lose the vest. :laughing:

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#7

Children are so funny. Who knows what’s going on in their sweet little brains that makes them act so unpredictably.
Would you be able to open a seam & hide the tile inside? Is there a way to disable the beeping? It could be upsetting if puppy started making unaccountable noise but if the phone function worked on its own, mummy would seem to be able to magically locate lost friends in no time :wink:.
Best of luck!

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#8

This really was such a brilliant idea. I’d suggest the sewing it into the toy too, but you’re right, washing would be a pain. thanate’s idea of enlisting your son’s help in ‘protecting Puppo from getting lost’ is a great idea.

#9

Adorable collar, clever idea, hilarious results.
:star::star::star::star::star:

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#10

What a story all around! This is just such a brilliant solution! Like so many who have gone before you, your genius is just not appreciated in your time.

Regarding sewing the Tile into Puppo, could you make a small “dry bag” so that it could go through the wash? I suppose the dryer might be an issue, too, though. Is there a live dog around that you could use as a movitator/example/muse?

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#11

Aw, bummer! Such a cute and clever solution! I hope you can work it out.

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#12

What a clever solution.

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#13

@TheMistressT I was thinking of a little dry bag but I was not thinking about the dryer. Good point. Lol.

@thanate I think you’re right. I’m big ping to give it a week or two for him to forget about it and then I might take that approach and involve him more. I suppose I should’ve done it the first time but I really thought he’d love it. Kids are always full of surprises (and some darn strong opinions. Lol!)

#14

You could watch the Scoob movie with him. There’s a scene where Shaggy gives Scooby a collar when they became best friends. Scoob then says I will never take it off. My granddaughter immediately wanted a collar for her stuffed tarantula Frankie. Her father still has his Monk Monk that he got at 2yo he’s 31 now.

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#15

Oooo! I’ll have to try that! He’s been watching the scooby doo shows lately!

#16

What a great idea; sorry it didn’t take. Maybe a vest would work, with the tracker sewn into a pocket. Good luck!

#17

That’s so clever! Maybe I need to nick your idea :smile_cat: The kiddos have adopted the “mommy-finds-it-all” strategy and don’t even try to search anymore. Your project sounds like a fun idea to get the kiddos hunt for their stuffed animals :joy:

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