# What was your childhood safety blanket? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 14, 2008, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-childhood-safety-blanket/456418 "2008-07-14T11:11:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TroubleAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-childhood-safety-blanket/456418/21 "2008-07-14T14:40:07Z")
I think when I was VERY small, I had a pink stuffed poodle that I slept with, but I don’t recall any drama when mom washed it, or anything like that. My brother was the one that had comfort-item stress. He had a stuffed dog that he COULD NOT sleep without. ---
**Author:** ![Hokkaido\_Brit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/d26b3c/32.png) [@Hokkaido\_Brit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hokkaido_Brit)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-childhood-safety-blanket/456418/22 "2008-07-14T14:46:27Z")
I have my Cuddlies - two little one-year old size sweaters, one red and one blue that were intended for me and my twin brother to wear, but I got to them and commandeered them. I had my thumb too, till I was about 11. My Cuddlies are in my knicker drawer now! My elder son never ever sucked his thumb but he latched onto a pale green cellular blanket that became Blankie. When he was about 18 months old I realised that this was a permanent obsession so I wrote to my Mum and asked her to send me a couple of back-ups quick. Unfortunately he caught me opening up the package (I’d meant to keep them secret and swap them out for washing etc) and he leapt on them crying joyfully, “One Blankie, Two Blankie, MORE Blankie!” I didn’t know he could count, so that was a bit of a surprise! Younger son from birth to now at eight has a love-love relationship with his thumb. His right for preference these days but as a baby he was ambithumdrous and would sleep on his tummy, both hands up by his head, and switch from thumb to thumb throughout the night. He gets a palate expander fitted next month and I haven’t told him yet that he won’t be able to suck his thumb any more, it will break his heart and I feel like a great big meanie. Unfortunately due to his position in my uterus and a slight head moulding thing, his head is long and extremely narrow, and his teeth are growing in rows like a shark, so it’s not an aesthetic choice but a necessity. Sigh. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-childhood-safety-blanket/456418/23 "2008-07-14T14:57:13Z")
Mine was mostly my thumb, but I also had a pink baby quilt that my mom’s stepmother had quilted for me. My 8yo daughter has Bunny, which is a terry bunny head with a square of flannel for a body. She used to sleep with him draped over her neck, and chewed a lot of the texture off when she was teeny. The 5yo has Special Blankie, which is a very large receiving blanket that’s really a cut of flannel with a crocheted edge. ---
**Author:** ![Litoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@Litoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Litoris)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-childhood-safety-blanket/456418/24 "2008-07-14T15:11:23Z")
Funny, I always wondered if I and my kids were unusual for not having a “safety blanket” type thing. Looking at this thread, I guess we are. I never had one. My sister had her Mrs. Beasley doll. My brothers both had stuffed animals of some type. I simply never had anything like that. My kids never dragged anything around either. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-childhood-safety-blanket/456418/25 "2008-07-14T15:11:54Z")
A .357 magnum that mummy and daddy gave me. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-childhood-safety-blanket/456418/26 "2008-07-14T16:44:02Z")
[QUOTE=gigi] I would rub the wide satin blanket binding between the fingers of my right hand as I sucked my left thumb. I don’t remember a security item, I’d have to ask Mom. My therapist actually said that compulsive overeaters tend to have been weaned and then not had an item to comfort them after that. [/QUOTE] Huh… this might explain my eating issues. I don’t recall having any blankie-like item, though my mother insisted I had one as a very young child, and that I liked the silky edging. Both of my kids (nearly-14, and 11), have stuffed toys that they LOVE. Interestingly, both settled on their lovies at about the same age, 16 months. The toys no longer travel everywhere with them but neither of them shows any signs of outgrowing their special items. Dweezil’s is a stuffed bunny (at least the third incarnation as earlier ones were barfed-on or simply wore out); Moon Unit’s is a stuffed doll given as a baby gift. Second incarnation for hers (we have spares, but it’s been years since she’s been too old for us to switch without notice). ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-childhood-safety-blanket/456418/27 "2008-07-15T00:15:32Z")
Mine was Floppy, a stuffed dog who is on my bookshelf right now…tummy open, stuffed with nylons (not pantyhose…nylons) missing an ear, fur all rubbed off. He was passed down from my brother and sister, but I was the only one who NEEDED him. I was able to be convinced to leave him behind during vacations (to guard the house) and gave him up for good by age eight or ten, until I had a fairly traumatic experience at age 14 and ran to the attic for him. That relapse only lasted a few nights…he’s just a decoration now…but I’m grabbing him and the baby pictures… My kids never had any type of security item…for long. Short term attachments, but nothing dragged around to stores…I just wouldn’t have allowed it, but fortunately I wasn’t tested on that resolve! But Floppy was NOT allowed to be dragged anywhere, and I was fine wih that. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-childhood-safety-blanket/456418/28 "2008-07-15T00:40:51Z")
A book on dinosaurs. ---
**Author:** ![Lady\_Venom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9fc348/32.png) [@Lady\_Venom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lady_Venom)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-childhood-safety-blanket/456418/29 "2008-07-15T00:44:21Z")
I’m so happy everyone is sharing their stories!! My camera batteries are dead _grr_, so I can’t share any pics of Teddy tonight. Keep 'em coming! ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-childhood-safety-blanket/456418/30 "2008-07-15T00:55:43Z")
One thing that helped me survive a turbulent childhood was the comforting presence of my toy dog, [Lady](http://www.mortalwombat.com/Image/Xmas1953.jpg). Sometimes Lady was so saturated with my tears that she made a squishing noise when I hugged her. She was always there for me, and I don’t know how I’d have made it without her. ---
**Author:** ![badkittypriestess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8baadc/32.png) [@badkittypriestess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badkittypriestess)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-childhood-safety-blanket/456418/31 "2008-07-15T01:14:38Z")
I had 2 blankets that were mine, I still have both and sometimes use them. 😛 My kids have tried to steal away one of them but I got it back haha! Mine I say…MINE! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Hockey\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-childhood-safety-blanket/456418/32 "2008-07-15T02:11:10Z")
From [this thread.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=9958402#post9958402) Here is [Bear](http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w122/pimaspinner/Mothers%20Day%20Disc/bear.jpg) on the day I got him. It was my second Christmas, so he’s gonna be 36 this year. I still have him and he sits on my nightstand. All of his shiny plush fur is gone except for a small patch inside one ear. His nose was replaced at least once as he now sports a black crochet ball that my Granny made him. I use to drag him around by the nose and it came off alot. She must have sewed it back on at least 20 times under my watchful eye. He has multiple “surgical scars” as well where he had to be stiched back up. That dog in the picture, I don’t even remember. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Credible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a8b319/32.png) [@Justin\_Credible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Credible)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-childhood-safety-blanket/456418/33 "2008-07-15T03:06:58Z")
Glow Worm. I slept with him for many years. My mom still has him. ---
**Author:** ![Galena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@Galena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Galena)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-childhood-safety-blanket/456418/34 "2008-07-15T03:46:26Z")
Oh, how I loved my [lolly-dolly](http://www.dollkind.com/lolly-dolly.shtml)! Unfortunately, she was washed one too many times, and had to be retired at the tender age of six. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-childhood-safety-blanket/456418.md?page=1)