Why Babies Love Their Wubbies

Think back to your own childhood. Did you have a security blanket? Do you remember why it was so important, or how it made you feel?

A security blanket is any toy or object that a child clings to for comfort or reassurance. The most common are the blankets children carry with them seemingly everywhere, but stuffed animals and sometimes dolls or toy cars are also prized. Children routinely refuse to be separated from the beloved objects. Indeed, removing the security blanket or object from their grasp provokes severe emotional outbursts.

Security blankets fill a very real, very personal need.

Psychologists believe security blankets, or transitional objects - occupy a supporting role at a critical time in a child's emotional development. British psychoanalyst Donald Winicott first theorized transitional objects and identified their role in helping children move towards independence. In early development, Winicott reasoned, children see themselves and their mother as a whole unit, with the mother fulfilling the child's expressed desires. This creates a misperception, called subjective omnipotence, in which the child believes the desire itself created the object.

As a child's growth continues, usually at around eight or nine months, it begins to realize the separation between itself and the desired objects. This feeds an awareness that the mother is different and apart from the child, and the child often looks for something to fill the void perceived as left in the wake of the separation.

Transitional objects are selected from the child's close environment.

The transitional object is usually something dependably available and to which a child feels a certain loyalty and responsibility. Because blankets, dolls, stuffed animals and toys are often presented as gifts, the child feels a bond with a particular object. That bond transforms the object into a representation of, by way of its constant and stable presence, the aspects of mothering that the child craves. The child then begins to focus his independence through the object, providing itself with the emotional reassurance necessary to make the jump to the limited independence of childhood.

Transitional objects are commonly needed at times when the mother would most commonly be present or when reassurance is most desired. At bedtime, encountering new settings such as school or day care, and when meeting new people are all events in which the transitional object becomes most prized for its ability to reflect motherly protection. For this reason, security blankets normally occupy the point in childhood in which mothers "vanish" for increasingly long periods of time: mothers return to work, begin taking the child to preschool or babysitters, or allow themselves time of their own.

Research supports the positive aspects of security blankets.

The Psychology Department of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has also done extensive research on the subject, and many of their results echo Winicott's theories and expand them even further. The department's results suggest that security blankets actually help children adapt to new situations and react more positively to challenges. A 1997 study by the American Psychological Association revealed that children who brought along security blankets to medical visits fared just as well when their mothers were not present as when the mothers were available.

Security blankets are more common than most people realize, though not for the reasons that have traditionally been believed. A common misconception exists that children create or designate security blankets to compensate for a lack of affection or nurturing by the mother. In fact, the opposite is true. Recent research shows when inevitably the time for separation comes, the child is quick to try and compensate not for the lack of affection but rather to continue it. Children deprived of emotion, studies show, sadly learned to "do without" and did not try to compensate with other objects of affection and security.

The popularity of security objects grows and grows.

A recent poll showed that as many as 60% of children in the United States have some form of security object. While blankets and stuffed animals are the most common, some children adopt ordinary household objects, song melodies, and even simple everyday words.

Experts caution parents to allow their children to let any security blanket phase run its course. They advise parents to warn babysitters and teachers to let the security blanket be, and to grant the child full access and contact whenever possible.

The Corner Stork understands how important a security blanket can be for babies and children, and we proudly carry a unique selection of blankets, stuffed animal pals, and toys that are sure to find their way into a child's heart. For a complete look at our baby security blankets, unique baby gifts, baby shower gifts, and much more, visit us online at www.cornerstorkbabygifts.com.