My daughter is nine months old, and is starting to show more interest in stuffed animals and other cuddly objects. She'll get excited when she sees one, squeeze it, lay on it, etc. Then, the other day I went to lay her down for her nap and she grabbed a burp cloth out of my hands and held onto it for dear life. She fell asleep cuddling it! I know I've read and heard that they often grow attached to a certain blankie or stuffed animal, and it becomes their "security item." Do I encourage her to get attached to a certain item, or just let it happen naturally? It sounds like a stupid question that I could probably answer myself-if it happens, then just let it happen, right? It just seems like I could find something cuter for her to cuddle with than a burp cloth! But on the flip side, I've seen the disaster that occurs when a child can't find "Bobo the Bear," and refuses to sleep without him! Anyway, I just wondered what you have seen with your kids. Have they grown attached to certain items, and if so, how old were they?
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7 comments:
I'd be grateful that it's a burp cloth that can be replaced. I always wonder if everything is a stage too. Mine did this for a while and loves her stuffed animal but when I had to wash it, she couldn't have cared less. So it may not last forever either.
My kids have never had an attachment to anything except a pacifier or a bottle. Sometimes I think it would be nice if they had a security item for the comfort level. But mine never have. I wouldn't necessarily discourage it.
My daughter never had a security object until she was about 14 months old. Someone that my husband and I home taught gave us an old two-foot-high Winnie the Pooh. Since then it is her favorite object. She loves sleeping with him. She even has a different voice that is "Bear" talking. I am definitely glad she picked her bear as her object. It is huge. We have never lost it, and we get comments about how cute she is holding her bear when we go on trips. We let her play with it at home, or on vactions, but most of the time when we leave the house, she knows that bear is to stay home, and usually he takes a nap. When he needs a washing I just tell her Bear needs a bath in the washing machine, and she is fine with it. In my daughters case, I am glad she has a security object. She is very shy, but Bear isn't. When she is nervous saying a prayer she has Bear help her. Bear is her way of overcoming shyness.
My almost 22-month old has a blankie that he loves. We usually try to leave it in the crib so that it's special when he takes a nap or goes to bed. I love it because when he sees blankie he knows what time it is and it usually really helps calm him down.
Good question. I've been wondering the same thing. We've kind of been pushing a stuffed sheep onto our 5-month-old because it seems like he's always falling asleep and waking up somewhere new (the baby-sitter's, grandma's, the grocery store, etc.). It's been nice for him to have "Brown Socks" the sheep with him when we go different places...I think it's becoming a security item that makes him feel like everything is normal. I do worry about losing it though...
Thanks Guys! That was helpful!
As for the cuteness factor, I think snuggling with a burp cloth is pretty darn cute. :)
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