No, not the name of Michael Jackson’s child, but yes, the infamous Blanket. Every child has one and adores, loves, obsesses, ‘can’t live’ without one. Every parent, from generation to generation, knows how emotionally attached a child can become to a soft toy or blanket. They understand that their child needs the comfort of their blankie each night when they go to sleep. While most parents do know and accept this fact, not all of them are aware of the reason for the attachment of the kids to their blankets.
Growing up, I had a blanket that was shredded at the edges and disgusting, I sucked on the corner of it every night – it’s name was Blankie. One time I accidentally left it at Disneyland in the hotel and I went back home to San Francisco where I lived as a child. I didn’t sleep for 2 nights until it came back. My heroic Aunt Kathy went to Southern California, dug through lost and found and brought back “Blankie.” My hero!!
Research published by the international journal Cognition in 2007 suggested that children tend to think their toy or blanket has a unique property or ‘essence’. According to ScienceDaily.com, “To support this theory, Professor Bruce Hood from the University of Bristol and his colleague Dr Paul Bloom of Yale University, USA, showed that 3-6 year-old children have a preference for their cherished items over apparently identical duplicates. Professor Hood said: ‘When offered the choice of originals and copies, children showed no preference for duplicates of their toys unless the object to be copied was the special one that they took to bed every night. A quarter of children refused to have their favorite object copied at all, and most of those who were persuaded to put their toy in the copying machine wanted the original back.’”
Most research has said that attachment to blankets or toys are because they are comfort items that provide a sense of security. However this study suggests that in addition to these physical properties of the toy, children believe that there is some other property of their objects that cannot be physically copied – in other words, these objects have a sort of “essence” that are invisible properties that make blankets or these special toys unique.
Other reasons why blankets are so important to children?
- First of all, the blanket provides a sense of comfort and security. This is the feeling the child associates with its mother right from the time it arrives into this world.
- A child also feels warm when wrapped with the blanket. This is another feeling associated with the mother when she hugs her child. Naturally, a child develops an affinity to objects that keep him or her snug and cozy.
- It provides a special feeling – most blankets are soft to the touch, just the way a mother is to a child. A child needs the presence of his or her mother when going to sleep. Blankets offer the child the feeling of having their mother around them when they fall asleep.
In a surprising discovery, research conducted by Richard H Passen and his team at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee revealed that children liked their security blanket because it helped them cope with newer changes in life and helps in their learning. In fact, blankets of multiple colors are the best way to get children to learn the names of the colors and recognize their easily.
Kids, just like all of us adults, like the feeling of being safe and kept warm and snuggled. Conclusion? No wonder a security blanket is indispensable! Check out our Le Top so soft blankets by clicking here: http://www.letop-usa.com/Shop/ProductGrid?category=blankets§ion=Baby
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