The Object of My Child's Affection

Every parent has been through it; you are running late, but your toddler is keeping you back in search for his favorite teddy bear. Or maybe your eight month old will not stop fussing in her crib because her pacifier has fallen out of her mouth. As parents you know how frustrating a comfort item can be in life. On the other hand, to a toddler the absence of his worn out, tattered blanket is what feels debilitating. Really, comfort objects are exactly what they sound like, and are a significant and healthy part of being a kid.

By the time the average child reaches the age of one, they've already established a comfort item they need kept with them at all times. For younger children, their own thumb or even a pacifier typically work nicely to settle and relieve them when necessary. As your little one grows to toddler age, they'll often look for something a little bit more physically comfortable to protect them such as the previously mentioned teddy or blanket. There are many that believe that the soft texture of these items is at least in part, responsible for the soothing effect they have on young children. Toddlers often caress a teddy bear or rub a blanket on their face or arm to get comfort.

Another soothing feature a toddler might find with soft textured comfort items is the fact that it reminds them of you as their parent. The blanket being rubbed on your child's face could remind him or her of your clothing or skin when cradled or embraced by you. Or perhaps the blankie has always been a part of the naptime or sleep schedule you created with your child. Once again, the connection with you calming your child or making him or her feel secure is what causes the strong connection to these inanimate objects. Now and again a young child will make a securtiy item out of unexpected things. Anything from a hard toy to a piece of clothing. Although this type of attachment isn't always as apparent, there is most likely an emotional attachment the child has made to receive security or comfort from the object.

However irritating it is for you to satisfy a child's persistent urgency for their teddy or blankie, it'll help to remember that this time is healthy and necessary. The world is terrifying to little ones, especially as they advance to their first birthday. It is within these early years that a child will start to suffer from separation anxiety since they're more likely to be separated from you resulting from a babysitter, nursery school, or even by their own choice as they are capable of exploring the world around them. With a comfort item, your child is finding a way to self-soothe when you are not there for them and as they magnify their independence. Regard it as a temporary brace to get them through this time.

It isn't until your child reaches the age of 3 that he or she will start to handle their own feelings and stop relying on a security object for comfort and security, according to a child-development specialist, Jane Kostelc. It's also at this age that dragging around a worn-out blanket might seem less socially acceptable among their friends. Who knew children had to deal with peer pressure at such a young age? At any rate, it is perhaps better for parents to respect this part of your child's life as the experience that it is. By doing so you will only promote their emotional developement. Something that is most certainly worth your momentary irritation.