Going away to college is a big life change. You meet new people, you’re away from home for the first time and it is the first time you are really on your own. People look for comfort in many ways when adjusting to these new changes. One of them is sleeping with baby blankets or childhood stuffed animals.
I’m going to be vulnerable here and admit that I have a small stuffed cloth doll that I was given as a baby that I just can’t quite force myself to sleep without. I have been harassed about this ever since I was around 12 years old. I was seen as “too old” to still be sleeping with it. The friends I grew up with in my hometown all had blankets from childhood that they slept with from elementary to high school, so I knew I wasn’t alone. My grandma constantly asked if I was ever going to get rid of “that doll.” My answer was always a confident no, but I started to wonder why.
When I came to college, I debated bringing it because I was scared I would be judged, but I also knew that I would have a hard time sleeping without it because it was a very real part of my nighttime and sleeping routine. Long story short, I brought it and decided I could just hide it from my roommates, which was the plan until I was relieved to discover that they slept with similar objects like the one I had.
Now I thought that I had just lucked out. Then, my sophomore year, the question “are you going to bring Dolly to school again?” came around for the second time, to which I again decided I would. Upon moving into my sorority house, I really doubted my roommate would sleep with a childhood toy, and in the process of moving, my mother asked me if I had informed her about ‘Dolly,’ to which I shrugged it off and shoved her behind my pillow. Then, as we were getting ready to sleep that first night in our room, I saw my roommate pull out a light greenish-yellow, soft and worn baby blanket. I was ecstatic. All of these experiences led me to wonder: how many people still sleep with childhood things, and why do they do it? And what exactly is the problem that older generations seem to have with it?
In a Serta Simmons Bedding survey, 2,000 Americans were surveyed about their sleeping habits. 52% of the survey respondents claimed they slept with a blanket or stuffed animal throughout their childhood and 77% of those respondents also admitted to still sleeping with said items. So if you are sleeping with a childhood toy, don’t be embarrassed because you are not alone.
There are many other claims that say sleeping with an item like a baby blanket can actually be connected to self-soothing and anxiety control. In a piece done by Sleepopolis, they claimed that “Feelings of uncertainty and anxiety can be present if, for some reason, you can’t have your blankie with you during a trip or in other places. This ultimately makes it more difficult to fall asleep while away from it.” I know that from personal experience. I always brought Dolly to sleepovers, vacations and now to college, knowing that sleeping in a new environment can be scary and that having Dolly with me would bring me a sense of familiarity, security and comfort. Sleepopolis also spoke with Joe Gardzina, a licensed psychiatrist and the founder of ADAPT Programs, who said that “When an object is associated with inducing sleep, it helps us relax whether in our younger or older years.”
In a story by Refinery29, many people interviewed admitted that they felt a sense of comfort when sleeping with or cuddling a blanket or toy and that they found it more difficult to sleep without it. Hannah Rimm, 28, was one of the interviewees who said that she believed that in order to really grow up, she had to force herself to sleep without her Lamby, but in the end decided against it. “Eventually, I just accepted that I slept better with her.” Another interviewee, Rachel Lieberman, a 29-year-old who still uses a gifted blanket from her grandmother to sleep, said, “My blanket helps me fall asleep quicker. It’s comforting and has just become a habit over the years. If I try to sleep without it, it usually takes me longer to fall asleep, and I just feel weird — it’s hard to explain.” I know that from personal experience; I always struggle to sleep when I don’t have Dolly, and I try to find substitutes like throw blankets, but it never is as effective.
Refinery29 also spoke with Dr. Reena B. Patel, who is a parenting, education and behavior expert. She said, “We think there’s supposed to be some set time that we need to start to remove or take away that transitional item, but we do it just because of societal norms.” She also spoke about how forming a strong emotional attachment as a child and carrying that attachment with you as you grow up can be a very difficult bond to break, especially when that item is associated with comfort and happy memories.
There are also some scientific facts behind having a baby blanket as an adult. According to the Jackson Health System, “Holding a stuffed animal can trigger the release of oxytocin, the same hormone associated with feelings of bonding and trust. This can be especially helpful for those experiencing loneliness or stress.” Additionally, in an article by PopSugar, the author Kayla Hui talked to many experts who proved the sense of touch and smell to be big contributors to attachment. She spoke to Joann Peck, a professor of marketing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison whose research focuses on product touch. She claimed that “Blankets, in particular, appeal to one of the major senses: touch. Rubbing a blanket involves lateral motion, and this sort of stroking can actually calm people down and relieve stress.” She also listed a study done by Ambio, which found that certain smells (like that of a baby blanket) can be linked to specific feelings such as relaxation or comfort and can elicit fond memories.
While society wants you to grow out of your childhood comfort object to reach a state of total emotional independence, I hope that by reading this you learned that you don’t actually have to do that. There is nothing inherently wrong with sleeping with a baby blanket or stuffed animal, and actually, in most ways, it can be a positive and comforting way to unwind after a stressful day and can even help promote good sleep. I know that I won’t be parting with Dolly anytime soon and my family is just going to have to live with that.