Wikipedia defines a comfort object or security blanket as an “item that provides psychological comfort, especially in unusual or unique situations, or at bedtime for small children”. Among toddlers, comfort objects may take the form of a blanket, a stuffed animal, or a favourite toy, and may be referred to by the terms blankey and lovey.
For newborn baby, a security blanket is truly a godsend. It keeps baby warm, clean, dry and comfortable. It calms fears and reduces anxieties too. I used these blankets when Little Edison was a baby but he didn’t get very attached to them.
When he reached toddlerhood, he began hugging his comfort pillow and a stuffed toy, rubbing them across his cheeks and nose, and clinging to them at bedtime. Among all the stuffed toys that he had, he loves this Hello Kitty a lot (picture below). I blogged about it HERE too.
As Hello Kitty is white, she tends to get dirty easily too. He becomes very nervous whenever his Kitty is dirty, and he demands that I should wash her every fortnightly. Thus, it becomes my duty to wash her every two weeks or whenever she is dirty.
Hello Kitty just had a wash last weekend. I put her at the window to air dry. On a sunny warm day, she will dry up before bedtime. It’s quite amazing how this Kitty remains so soft and cuddly after so many washes. Little Edison will be delighted to hug his Hello Kitty that is so clean and smells wonderful after a wash. And he goes “Mmmm, Hello Kitty is so fragrant!”
As he gets older, I want to limit its use to bedtime only. I tell him that his comfort pillow (named “Smelly”) and Hello Kitty will stay at home except when we’re on vacation. I don’t want him to carry them everywhere and becomes a habit that is difficult to wean off in future. He is pretty cool about it.
Does your child have a comfort object or security blanket too? Are you concerned about it? Why and why not? I’d love to hear from you.
