Does your 3 year old still use a comforter?

[Welsummer]

Hello experienced and wise MNers,

My 3.3 DD uses her long sleeve top as a comforter, pulling the right (always the right) sleeve over her hand and twisting it before putting it up to sniff (she calls it snuffling!)....does anyone else's DCs do this?

She started appearing to like the feel of fabric on her nose/mouth when she was 4 months when I noticed her almost sucking the sleeve of her sleepsuit. Now she only wears long sleeve tops (even in summer) and will get upset if a top doesn't have a good enough sleeve.

My DS is 17 months and always sucks his left thumb whilst fiddling with the long label on his Ted (Ikea rules in his world, lovely long labels).

Have other peoples' DC grown out of using a comforter in their own time or has assistance been required?

Many thanks in advance,

from a 32 year old who still occasionally under stress still enjoys sucking her thumb despite having worn braces as a teenager AND adult! (I had a lot of pressure from my parents to stop...not sure that approach worked with me)

DS2 is 6 and still has his fave teddy = rubs his ears to sleep!

I am just aware that my DD might look a little strange as snuffling has increased in recent months and it isn't a habit that is just confined to the privacy of her bed!

Flippin heck, my 6yo still has a fleecy thing he used to sleep in that he was always very attached to.

He sort of scuffs it with his feet (like a cat) in bed and sometimes stuffs it up his jama top.

He's not supposed to bring it downstairs but sometimes does esp if very sleepy/grumpy/other dwarf.

It's totally fine. BTW we never take it out of the house (unless going on holiday). A comforter (eg M&S label vv popular) is v common.

DS is 3.5 months and he still has a little blue horse as a comforter. He asks for it much less often now but still always sleeps with him. I've no problem with that at all, even with him taking it out (although he rarely does now). I think it's lovely.

Sorry, that should have read 3.5 years!!

DD has 2 identical teddies (thanks MN for that tip!). She is 3.4.

She sleeps with one and one goes to Nursery with her. Otherwise they never leave the house unless we are sleeping over somewhere.

Perhaps your LO needs something as a substitute? She could pick one for herself at this age.

The main reason we don't take Fleecy out is that it is a totally hideous manky item

oops! DS - nearly 8 - and most of his mates - still use them!!! All v sheeoish at sleepovers but can't do without them. They come in various guises!!!

Callmeovercautious - we lost the stunt double at Edinburgh Zoo Even though he wasn't the original I felt really really bad about it. DS isn't that bothered though he still does ask about "Horsie's cousin" (he didn't take him long to work out there were two!)

My 5 year old still has her old grobag which has disintergrated into rags. It goes with her everywhere, except for school. I won't touch it. It is GROSS. I can't wait for it to get the boot.

Oh dear. Both mine still have them to hand, hidden in their beds.

They're 11 and 13!

DD1 who is very nearly 5 has her old grobag (like neolara's), it stays in her bed though and luckily I have two so regularly washed and swapped over. There is no way she would ever consider going to bed without it, I can't even imagine what she would do if I suggested taking it away from her, I guess she'll grow out of it in her own time. My almost 3 yo has to be surgically removed from her muslin, she would carry it with her at all times if allowed to (sucked into a foul slobbery mess - I give her a clean one every day, under protest. I try and swap it when she's not looking as she spends hours getting them sucked to the right level of damp disgustingness and is furious when I substitute a clean one!). I have drawn a line under the muslins and told DD2 that once she turns 3 the muslin will be confined to bed and over the last month or so I have not let her take it out of the house and encouraged her to leave it in her room which is working well so far. After her birthday it's to stay in her bed and that's that.

I don't know when they will grow out of this. I still have my old teddy bear in a drawer in my bedroom (and he slept in my bed pretty much until I started going out with DH when I was 22!) i guess your problem is the fact that as it is the long sleeve it's not something that you can leave in the house or just confine to bed time. On the other hand both my girls suck their thumbs as well as having their comforters and I can't confine that to their rooms. My approach to stop day time thumb sucking was to point out that they were doing it and comment that they must be tired and ask if they wanted to go up to their room for a nap. This worked well to stop thumb sucking except at bed time or when say snuggling up on the sofa.

My 12 year old ggs still has a tatty bit of blanket which he keeps in his bed.I wont tell you its name in case someone recognises it!

DH still has his - doesn't get touched but he won't throw it out

ds is 6 and still has to take his fluffy bat to bed with him.

My 5 year old has a ragged grobag
My 3 year old has a soft toy comforter

I still have mine - what's left of the poor thing - and snuffle at it when tired/distressed and certainly alone! I sucked my thumb until I was 8 but my mum put some bitter stuff on & that was that. I'm in my 40s, btw!

DD1 (4) has a blanket which comes to bed with her every night, and sucks her thumb.

DD2 has dummies galore plus three rotating cats from IKEA (also with the nice long labels)

DH has his paraglider which he would bring to bed with him given a chance.

DS (6) and DD (4) both have bears which are v important.

What's more, my dd(9) does exactly the same thing on her long sleeved shirts (jammies at night AND t-shirts during the day - what must her friends think??) She also has what she calls her Snuffle, which is an old sleepysuit from babyhood. Very handy in warmer weather.

Ds(6) has 2 Blankies (identical - thx, MN!) and still sucks his lolette (dummy, pacifier) but this is only allowed at night. The Blankies are fine but the lolettes HAVE TO GO. How to achieve this is an enormous problem... have been posting about it for years.

Is it genetic? My dad had a pillow!

oh yes my ds whos 3 has a comforter we call it mr suckie !!!!! its a winnie poo autumnal comforter we have 5 all the same, no mr suckie he wont sleep etc he even takes one to his sn school