Every parent has experienced it a one point during the 'toddler' years.
You need to get that stinky, dirty old security blanket off your child but they just won't let go of it.
You have to resort to some cunning scheme to get the blanket away for an hour or two so that it can be given a good wash.
Is it really so strange having a near dependence on something that someone might think is a dish rag or is your child being irrational? I would say that it is not so unreasonable.
If you look at many adults that rely on good luck charms or amulets, you can see that this trait is in all of us, no matter your age.
Many a successful pro sportsman won't take to the field without his lucky cap or he won't wash his winning pair of socks until there is a reverse.
Ugh! So what is this need for a security object all about? For young children it is the realization that they are independent from the primary object of their dependence since birth.
In most cases this is their mother.
They begin to realize that their mother is a separate entity, which has her own needs, and does things that do not involve the child.
This can be potentially traumatic for a young child.
They can become frustrated that their mother's attention isn't focused on them or they could feel lonely because their mother is not close to them.
During this time, according to noted paediatrician and psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott, the child focuses on a transitional object for comfort.
This object could be a security blanket or a teddy bear.
The object is cuddled during times of anxiety for the child.
Night times are perfect examples of when the child may use the blanket for comfort.
Winnicott claims that the development of a security object is a natural development in the infants life.
In fact, it is a first attempt at defining itself as an independent entity within the world.
It is also one of the infants first attempts to develop a relationship with an external object.
This is natural and normal behaviour for a young child.
As the child grows this behaviour will develop and expand in complexity.
The next phase that many parents will notice in their child is when the child asks for a pet.
The child wants to give care as well as receiving it.
So should you be concerned about your child having a security blanket.
Certainly not, they will grow out of the dependence in their own time.
On a more practical note, if your child does develop an attachment to a security object make sure you can get a duplicate item.
When it comes to cleaning the item you can simply replace the item and wash at your leisure.