A brave young boy born six weeks premature has intrigued his family with his attachment to his mother’s oven gloves, preferring them to the usual teddy bears and toys that most children his age are interested in.

Rupert is obsessed with his mother’s kitchenware and keeps pointing at them, ignoring the many soft toys that he and his identical triplet brothers received since birth at the Lancashire Women and Newborn Hospital, Burnley in 2019.

“It’s so funny and sweet”, says Tanya, his mother, “watching him interact with the oven gloves or what he calls ‘ubben guvs’… We have to take them absolutely everywhere with us; they really are his comfort.”

They even took the gloves on holiday with them to Mallorca, receiving some puzzled looks when they fell out of Tanya’s bag at the airport. Rupert’s brothers, Austin and Ethan, have their own soft toy bunnies, and Austin is a lover of books.

Their father, Kris, said: “It’s funny how they are all so different in personality even though they’re identical. You can definitely tell which one is the eldest, which one is the middle, and which one is the youngest - even though they were born only four minutes apart.”

Rupert weighed just 2lbs 11oz at birth, while his brothers were also tiny. Tanya said: “After their difficult start to life, I am so grateful they are all healthy and happy and can live a fantastic life together.”

SPUC comment

A SPUC spokesperson said: “This is a wonderful story that reminds us all of just how valuable and remarkable human life is.

“Advances in medical care at the beginning of life have transformed the prospects of survival for premature babies, and thanks to these advances, Rupert can enjoy his childhood, perhaps even one day growing up to be a chef!

“Each human person, no matter how tiny and weak or disabled, should be allowed to thrive. Parents should not lose hope.”

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