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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

what age do babies choose a comforter?

33 replies

vivie · 22/04/2005 13:47

My ds2 is 5 months and normally sleeps pretty well, but last night he was really unsettled until I gave him a muslin square to hold, when he went straight to sleep. He's quite a sicky, dribbly baby so he does have muslin around a lot. Is he too young to have chosen a comforter? A muslin is an easy one for him to have (machine washable and cheap and all that) but do I need to worry about him having it to sleep with, or am I being paranoid? Thanks!

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

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ambrosia · 22/04/2005 13:55

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

mummylonglegs · 22/04/2005 14:02

Dd had her thumb until about 6 months. Then she immediately took to a small fluffy cow which went everywhere and got lost , cue lots of sleepless nights until we replaced it with a dog which she's slept with ever since. Now 2 1/2.

vicdubya · 22/04/2005 14:07

I gave ds a cut up piece of an old nightie at around 8 months.

It has helped settle him a lot. He only has it in bed, and snuggles up with it when I put him down.

Kept a few spare bits in case of loss or washing, and it needs to be big enough so he doesn;t lose it in the night!

He never had a dummy and doesn;t seem bothered about animals much.

As kids me & my siblings had muslin squares too.

I think I gave mine up completely at around 4, but my sister kept hers until about 11!!!

bellababe · 22/04/2005 14:07

It's really funny that you talk about muzzies - my ds1 was also sicky and there was always one folded under his head. I don't know what age he was, (he's 6 now) but started turning his head and sucking on a corner. So it was something I never actually gave him, it just developed. I think her went on with it (and he used to suck 'til it was sodden!) until he was maybe three, but it became further and further away - ie he stopped sucking and just help, then he stopped holding and just put it on the end of his bed, and now he doesn't use it at all. He has nothing. Has never sucked his thumb either.
The funny thing is, those were John Lewis muzzies, and in those days they didn't have silky labels on. When dd came along 21 mths later I bought more, anticipating a second sicky baby and knowing there wouldn't be enough to indulge his habit too, and the new ones had silky labels on. However, she was neither sicky nor interested so they went virtually unused. She, however, formed a very early attachment to a pink stripey rabbit with a hat and a rattle in his tummy and still won't sleep without it (she's nearly 5). She sticks her thumb in her mouth, her index finger inside the hat, and rubs gently wtih her middle finger. The hats all get scabby and disintegrate so we have a stock of them!.
Ds2 wasn't sicky ither I don't think, but the muzzies were carried around as you do, and he just started rubbing his face (also thumb sucking) with the silky label. He then transferred his affections to a blanket with a silky band, which is his best mate now. But when he was small and we found ourselves in a situation where he needed a sleep that we hadn't planned, any silky label would do.

I have to say to you that if your ds wants a muzzie it's great - but only if he is prepared to swap, ie it doesn't matter which one he has - because if you or he misplace one, you just get another one out. I would go with it!

Meggymoo · 22/04/2005 14:07

Message withdrawn

Kelly1978 · 22/04/2005 14:38

my ds got very attached to a rabbit at 6 mnths, so I don't think that is too young. It was a good thing too, as it really helped that he had another comforter when I wanted to get him off his dummy. He still sleeps with it now and is nearly 3!

MrsDoolittle · 22/04/2005 14:42

Dd was given a pink musical 'wee willy winkie' teddy by my dsis when whe was a few weeks old. The teddy was holding a pink satin edged square of fleece. Eventually dd managed to pull off the piece of fleece and now it is the one thing garanteed to settle her when she lies down, she sucks it with two fingers stuck in her mouth.
Only problem is now, she is a year, she can sit up in her cot and throw it out. Then she sits there crying for it back!

Original poster

vivie · 22/04/2005 19:23

thanks everyone. I think I'm lucky it was a muzzie. My sister had to sleep with Rabbit until she was about 17 and it was disaster whenever it went missing (most days!) My mum used to pin it to her nightie with a nappy pin.
It seems weird to me that ds2 chose the muslin so suddenly. He's slept really nicely for his naps in the cot today with one but he's only had them for naps in the pushchair or car before today. I guess he knows his own mind! He's all tucked up and fast asleep now with one - ahhhh!

OP posts:

tigi · 22/04/2005 20:25

ds age 3 (just) has just started to cuddle a big soft teddy bear. Being the age he was, I didn't think he was bothered about cuddling anything, although he does have his thumb, but now bear is always snuggled up to him on him tum! I have realised all 3 of my children were older than 2.5 before they chose a 'comfort toy', seemed quite late to me.

chipmonkey · 23/04/2005 01:30

My sister had a "mankie" until she was 9. Once my clean-freak aunt decided to throw it out and I had to go through the rubbish to find it.

sootyrupert · 23/04/2005 18:25

My dd started with her "binky" when she was 4 months during a trip to portugal and still has it now, I used to worry about her pulling it over her face but used to sneak in once she dropped to sleep and move it. My ds is now the same and at 6 months has been going to sllep with a furry blanket with a dinkeys head on for the last 3 months! As with dd it has to be covering his face for him to fall asleep!!

oooggs · 23/04/2005 18:31

DS (16mths) uses a muslin square and has been using it since birth as he was sickly and there was always one under his head. They are great. He only uses it now at sleep time, when upset or ill. But they wash and dry quick and I have loads of them .

QueenEagle · 23/04/2005 19:00

My kids comforters are known as a "noo noo" ever since I saw Blind Date about 12 years ago and a girl on there had an orange piece of blanket she called that.

My ds3 has a blue elephant which is sooooo smelly now after 2 years of being sucked that it is referred to as the smellyphant!

anchovies · 23/04/2005 19:21

My sister (who is very cool and 22!!!) has a num nummer its one of those cheap nylon blankets with holes in it and a satiny edging on it. She still takes it everywhere, even on holiday. She bought one for ds when he was born but luckily he hates it! He has a very soft brown teddy that he is very attached to and has been since he was about 4 months. Have bought a spare so we can wash it, one prob a muslin square wont be causing!

flamesparrow · 23/04/2005 19:31

I spent ages trying to get DD to be attatched to various teddies or blankets in the hopes that it would help her settle at other people's houses, but she wasn't having any of it.

Then, a few weeks ago, a friend knew that she liked Boo (cbeebies), and gave her her son's old beanie boo... she has been inseperable from it ever since!!! She is 23 months.

Not what I would have expected her to choose, but he's quite cute.

Oh, she has her "magic blanket" too... the white shawls from mothercare. Psychomum's DS1 has them as blankies, and we gave her one to try and settle her one day, and it was instant crying stopping!!! Rushed out and bought her a couple, and they work quite well, but not the same possesiveness as Boo (if another child touches him she howls like her arm's been cut off ).

teeavee · 23/04/2005 21:07

muy son has a 'doudou' - a velour square with knotted coreners and a doggy head - the knotted corners are designed especially to be sucked (!)- this is a french thing, I assume....
I was against such a thing to begin with, but it helped my son to get to sleep during 2 week's travellingm, so I relented.
We've just bought 2 other IDENTICAL doudous, because I never had enough time to wash and dry the 'original and best' in between naps etc - and it really stinks after 3 or 4 days....
However, my discerning 9 month ds has a preference for sucking 1 particular corner and refuses point blank to adopt the new doudou! (it's identical, for gods sake)
wish I'd used muslin squares, much less hassle.

Any suggestions for getting hom onto doudou no2? My mil suggested we start sucking the corner ourselves, to 'get him started' as it were ( I never thought I'd see the day....)

redsky · 23/04/2005 21:13

Dd got very attached to her baby duvet. I cut it into 4 pieces so I could keep them washed. Here's the embarrassing bit - she's now 12 and still has one bit ! Not that she depends on it any more.

ghosty · 24/04/2005 06:37

My DS spent the first few months of his life with his head on a muzzie on my shoulder (he threw up A LOT!) and so from a very young age his 'thing' was a muzzie ... the great things about muzzies is that they are washable and replaceable (unless your child is like my friend's dd who loved to suck hers till it was all stinky and soggy and my friend had to take it away at night to wash it) I think I had a total of 24 mothercare muslin squares at one time (I told you my DS threw up a lot!) ...
We have never had to stress if we lost one as I had a cupboard full ...
He still has one in his bed now (he is 5) but he hasn't carried it around with him since he was probably about 3.
DD is a dummy lover ... she had a dummy from 3 weeks old and now (at 15 months) she goes to sleep with 3 .... 1 in her mouth and 1 in each hand ... she whiles away the time before sleep by swapping them around from hand to mouth to hand ....

sanchpanch · 24/04/2005 10:41

my daughter has a muslin cloth, she isnt fussy about which one but especially likes one if it has a label, but i give her a clean one every day, so what i mean is she isnt attached to one particulary so i can wash them, i think its fine - she is 19 months

fisil · 24/04/2005 10:43

ds met Lambeth at 6 months and became instantly attached. Lambeth (an elephant) has a pet tag with our phone no. engraved on it round his neck!

Rinkydink · 24/04/2005 18:56

My ds never took to anything while she was very young, just a dummy. But now she is 4, she must have her Teddy at bedtime, Heaven forbid if it ever gets lost! She started it when we moved into this house, and her brother was born about 2 years ago.
Ds has 'Goggy',(doggy) he's had it since he was about 11 months old, it was originally mine ( a little pressie from boyf) but he adopted it and sleeps with it every night. We have got a spare, just in case. But they both had dummies so neither sucked their toys.

biglips · 24/04/2005 18:59

my baba was given a medium size polar bear at xmas when she was 12 weeks old and she loves it as everytime she sees it she sort of growls at it and twice she was screaming her head off cos she was tired, gave her the polar bear and she was flat out within seconds !!

alibo · 24/04/2005 20:25

my ds and niece both loved their "snuggly's" from an early age. they have one from tesco, a rabbit in pink or blue, which has a proper soft rabbits head and a soft padded "blanket" type body. they usually suck on one of its ears, arms or legs, bless!

fee77 · 24/04/2005 20:30

My DD became attached to "bug", a cute ladybird rattle, so we bought 3 more and rotate them - also we have the rule that she can have bug in bed but no where else - so far it has worked!

zebraX · 24/04/2005 20:39

My small babies slept better with something thrown over their faces -- DS2 actually played peekaboo to put himself to sleep ... but it wasn't anything special, no particular blanket. DS2 has now outgrown the peekaboo habit at 10 months, so not a comforter thing...

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