Loveys, Security Blankets and Comfort Objects - Everything Parents Should Know

Описание: How does your baby strike out on all fours without giving up the comforting security your two arms have always offered? Simple: by bringing along a friend.

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Transcript:

From the first moment you held her, your little one has craved the comforting security of being close to you. Snugly, wrapped in your arms, was your newborns number one happy place. The place she felt safest. Now, as much as she still loves a snuggle, she has other places she'd like to spend time exploring, like the kitchen, the playroom, the other end of the hallway. Just maybe not on her own. With independent mobility comes a heady realization for your baby, that he's not just part of the parent package. That he's his own little person, a person who can separate or be separated from you at any time. Exciting for sure, but also a little unsettling.

How does your baby strike out on all fours without giving up the comforting security your two arms have always offered? Simple, by bringing along a friend. A comfort object, known in baby circles as a lovey, and in child development circles, as a transitional or security object, serves as a mommy or daddy surrogate. A stand-in for those standby arms, even when their not available or she chooses to wriggle out of them.

A lovey may not look like you, or smell like you, or even play like you, but it does represent the security you provide. And unlike you, it's under your little one's control. You may come and go. And these days, your baby may come and go. But that trusty piece of cuddly comfort stays faithfully by her side, tucked under her arm, clutched in her sticky fist, giving her the confidence she needs to take those first strides toward independence. Or at least those first steps on two feet. It helps in transitions, whether from room to room, from home to daycare, from day to night.

Baby can use it to relax, to unwind, to rub against her cheek, in times of stress, in times of change. Yes, even during those ever more challenging diaper changes. Many children keep their fluffy friends close through their toddler years and beyond. And though they'll definitely stop clutching them in public, sometimes all the way through their college years.

Some children never develop a strong attachment to a toy or blanket, and that's just as normal. First, try to set some lovey limits. Which is easier to do early on in an attachment, than it will be later on. Maybe at home only. Maybe at home or in the car or stroller only.

And as always, safety first. No blankets, pillows, or stuffed animals in the crib with your love bunny yet. Wash the object often, before baby becomes just as attached to it's smell as it's feel. Can't pry her fingers off her lovey during waking hours? Wash it while she's asleep. Definitely get a spare if you can find one. A couple of spares would be safer, that way you'll avoid trauma should a cuddly comrade go MIA.

It'll also help to rotate them. So that one doesn't become too grimy, loose an eye, or become more obviously tattered than the other. And of course, even as your little one crawls off with his lovey, let him know that your lap and your arms are there when he needs them. Bring on the cuddles and the snuggles without limits. And remember, you'll always be your baby's favorite source of comfort. Here's to lovey love.