Weekend Trip Issue

Oh boy. I think a lot of this decision will be exactly HOW attached to Mr. Fluffers she is.
My son has a stuffed bug "Bug" that he got when he was born.
I knew that on all trips, vaca's etc. where a lot of other stuff was going to be different (bed, house, lighting, etc) that at least Bug would be a constant.
We counted Bug like another child when we went/left anywhere.
We had a Bug-loss scare and I was able to find a (new) duplicate on ebay years later. But he is New Bug. Clearly not the exact bug. :( LOL Old Bug was found in a few days.
So.......I would be inclined to take Mr. Fluffers but maybe the bear needs to stay in the hotel or in the car at ALL times.
BTW, my son is now 8 and Bug is usually relegated to on-bed status, and watchdog duty--but he's never very far from reach! :)
Bug is almost 9.
Shabby and clearly loved.
I'd take him.

You might use some of the techniques people use when leaving their kids at daycare. Take a picture of him (or her with him) and let her bring that. Maybe put it in a small plastic frame so it doesn't get all bent up or torn. Let her carry it on her person or pack it in her suitcase. Let her choose a souvenir to bring back home to him.

I would maybe even suggest you let her shop for a new "travel only" bear (or other animal) that only goes on trips with her, lol. We always just let our kids take their lovies. When they were really small, I was the one who was vigilant to keep up with them (they were packed in the suitcases, so no falling out of car doors, and they only came out at night). But as they got a little older I made it more their responsibility. When my son was about 8, he let his snowman in a hotel in Tennessee (he didn't put him in his suitcase like I told him to do, and he dropped on the floor as we left the room). I called the hotel later that day/night, when we discovered the loss. The housekeeping manager had him--the housekeeper had turned him in and the manager was wonderful. She mailed him back to us at our home address, complete with a letter from "Mr. Snowman" telling about all his adventures while he was away from us and how much he missed my son (she had even asked my son's name so the letter was personal).
My daughter, when she was 7, left her stuffed dog "Bob" behind (he fell behind a bed) in a resort condo. We realized it halfway home. Hubby pulled off the interstate at a rest stop and rifled through the suitcases/bags. No Bob. So i used my trusty cell phone to call the resort and they also located and shipped "Bob" back to us.
Maybe we were lucky, but I think mostly we were PROMPT. I suggest to you that most of the housekeepers have kids and know how important these lovies are to our kids and turn them in, hoping the family will call about them.
What I would do (and DID) is explain to your daughter the dangers (getting lost or something happening to Mr. Fluffers) of taking him with her letting her choose whether or not to take the risk. Explain very carefully that it is HER responsibility to keep up with him, keep him safe, and that if he is lost, she won't have him anymore. Then explain that she can choose to leave him at home where he is safe if she doesn't want to take that risk. She is old enough to choose. Unless she is a TOTALLY irresponsible child, then let her decision stand. She will have to live with the outcome either way.
Just my 2¢.

I love the take a picture idea as one option!

Also, why not let her take him and make one rule...he never leaves the car? We did this with our 3 children all the way to Disneyland and back. Worked great. The only time the lovies came out of the car was to sleep in the hotel room then it was back to the car.

Have a great trip :)

Can you take a picture of Mr. Fluffers now and have her take it with you on the trip?

I think he needs to have some sort of fastener to her seat belt or to her suit case that she is not allowed to undo. That way he does not get out of the car or her is available to snuggle with at night but is connected to something all the time.

Leave him home.. she'll probably get over it in the first few hours. We lost our daughters blankie (also irreplaceable) on a trip to see my in-laws in WA. and it KILLED me. She got over it really well but I was devastated that she wouldn't have it as a keepsake when she got older.. it still makes me sad because that was her security for almost 2 1/2 years! If you even think losing him could happen explain to her that you guys are going to be SO busy and you don't want to lose him, if she can go one weekend without him then she might not have to never see him again.. she's old enough to be able to understand that if she loses him she'll be really sad.. good luck!

Bears need vacations too. Leave him at home or other safe place. In anticipation of this I got a bear with his very own suitcase. Little Alfred will be left at a safe location for his own vacations. Good luck.

Let her take that teddy bear ! It makes her happy, and is a security thing too maybe. Tell her she needs to be careful with it on the trip. If you are going into a museum or whatnot, she needs to leave it in the car to take a nap. At least that way, she can still have it with her, but less chance she will drop it off at some attraction. At the hotel she can take it in with her of course. Do not deprive your child of her bear - the chances she will lose it are small if everyone makes a slight effort to keep an eye on it.

I tend to agree with those that said bite the bullet and let Mr. Fluffers come along for the ride. She's 7. She is certainly old enough to be responsible for him. Set some ground rules about where he is and isn't allowed to go and leave it at that. It will be easier for her to sleep and feel secure with him, right? So, let him come along! If she's this stressed about leaving him, it's not worth it.