Toddler Times
Does Your Toddler Have a Security Blanket?
Ben aka Linus
Part Pigpen and part Linus… this is my two year old. He is obsessed with his blankies… two fleece blankets that he has had since he was born.
He likes to drag it around the backyard while playing, he needs it to sleep, wants to take it on car rides… oh and he chews on it too… I mean, what isn’t tasty about a raggedy old fleece blanket that is only washed once a month right? Ick!
But it seems like the more parents I talk to, the more I realize I am not the only one who has a toddler attached to something like these blankets.
I am really starting to debate whether it is a positive or another pacifier type break up that I am going to have to weather when it is no longer socially acceptable for him to drag around this ratty piece of fleece comfort.
I know it is probably a good thing when it comes to security, but I am 26 years old and still have my own teddy bear Teddy Freddy which I sleep with nightly.
Go ahead! Laugh! I know I am not the only one out there who still has my lovie from when I was a kid. Teddy has been with me out of the country, to give birth in the hospital, through kidney stone surgery a couple times, and even caused a security breech when I traveled to Mexico when I was four. No joke… I was that kid with the teddy bear screaming as they wrestled my bear away from me to x-ray. I am sure my parents enjoyed that!
Is it a normal part of childhood? Or is my little guy just overly attached? I mean, of course if he needs to and he is tired enough we can go without it, but there are nights I thank my lucky stars that it exists just because it makes bedtime far less painful for everyone in the whole house.
I put out some tweets, and requests for my followers to share pictures of their little ones with their favorite lovie, and I got some of the cutest replies people wanted to share!
Lookin’ for lovie? Check out Babble’s 10 Best Lovies for Babies!
Go Back To Toddler Times
3 Comments
Shandeigh commented on Sep 06 11 at 2:29 pmMy son has his blankie too. I set some ground rules early with it though.. it never goes outside, it never goes in the bathroom (he tries this daily), it only goes in the car when it’s cold out or he’s sick and going to the doctor, and the only house other than ours it goes to is the babysitters. He loves it very much… he rolls around the floor with it and chews on it. He’s pretty cute.
Eva commented on Sep 06 11 at 6:08 pmAs a parent and and early childhood educator and consultant having a lovey is wonderful! The attachment is wonderful and very necessary to help them with transitions, handle their emotions, soothe them etc. As a child I can still remember holding the satin part of my blanket, rubbing it and becoming completely soothed and relaxed. What is wrong with this? The only problem is if you have only one lovey and than you can be in trouble if you lose it, wash it, can’t find it :) Try using a cloth diaper and changing it often as that will help with the changing of the “guard” so to speak. otherwise by three or four they usually let it go. It is a wonderful way for your child to self soothe themselves.
Jenny commented on Sep 07 11 at 2:15 pmMy 23 month old has her blankie that she calls “key-key”, not to be confused with her stuffed cat, “kitty”. Trust me, from a 23 month old, those sound the EXACT same. But she needs both to calm her down. Kitty is never allowed to leave the house. Her blankie, on the other hand, goes EVERYWHERE. She wants it to sit on her chair when she eats, goes to day care for nap time, prefers to wrap up in blankie after bath time, and then it goes to bed. BUT, with that said, her blankie gets washed at least once a week. We call it “blankies bath time”.
I was very attached to my blankie, too, when I was younger, so I know how it feels to have that security item. If it hadn’t gone “missing” when I was 15, I’m sure I would still have, and still sleep with it. I miss my blankie….
Add your take:
Note: Babble is a supportive, diverse community. We encourage a range of opinions,
but any unduly hostile comments will be removed.
Comments are delayed up to 15 minutes
Mary L Weimer 
Beth Anne Ballance 
Ilana Wiles 
Natalie Holbrook 
Monica Bielanko 
Emily McClements 
Danielle Elwood 
Naomi Odes Aytur 
The Walt Disney Company supports Babble as a platform dedicated to honest, engaged, informed, intelligent and open conversation about parenting. However, the opinions expressed on this site are those of individual parents/writers and do not reflect the views of Disney. In addition, content provided on this site is for entertainment or informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or safety advice.
3