How old is too old for a comfort teddy?

[ZestyLemons]

7yo carries his crusty old teddy that he's had since birth with him everywhere. Has to be reminded not to take it out with him, at home it's permanently stuck under one arm and we are forever telling him to put it down (eg if asked to take something up to his bedroom he has to be reminded that teddy doesn't need to go with him/he'd be able to carry his cup of water without spilling it if he didn't have teddy lodged under his arm/doesn't need to be at the dinner table with him). It has been to school with him a few times and he's been laughed at by peers. Getting it in the wash is a battle.
He's a sensitive little boy. Wondering if this is normal.

My 52 yo colleague still sleeps with her teddy. Who cares, I hug an extra pillow for comfort.

I’m 47 & still have my elephant I snuggle with every night (and 2 hounds and a husband). I Skyped my son after work the other day & he had a Luke Skywalker figure dangling out of his mouth, as he’s done for nearly 25 years.

It’s no biggie, it’s about appropriate use. We’re all (relatively) normal, functioning adults.

DS is 12 and still sleeps with his every night and will cuddle when he's feeling overwhelmed (specifically to missing friends at the moment) or tired. He doesn't take his toy on sleepovers etc (his choice) - from taking to his friends parents most are still the same.

ZestyLemons

He's always been this attached, pandemic has made no difference. I don't know if I should be concerned as neither of his siblings (1 older 1 younger) have comfort objects.

what have people said 🙄
mine has his teddy still at 18 he stopped taking it out when he was about 8

I’ve still got my teddy from childhood. If I’m upset or sad or feeling a bit anxious about something, I sit a cuddle him! I get the same sense of comfort as I assume I did as a child! He’s been to university & on many a UK based holiday!

Love my cuddles and I’m 53. Dh brought me a unicorn at Valentine’s Day from Clinton’s I love it.

I think that is so sweet!

DS still loves his lamby and he's a perfectly well-adjusted 13 year-old!

I am 57 - she's (about 35 now) sitting at the head of my bed.
DH's bear (57) is sitting next to his desk supervising his work.

I still had mine when I broke up With my first love at 19. My next boyfriend threw it in the bin out of spite as he thought it was from my first love (which it wasn't, it was from my parents 2 decades previously). I still have nightmares about what happens to my poor soft toy after that. I am not even overly sentimental, I guess after losing the one thing I had a sentimental attachment to like that why bother, right?

I lost mine to my dc when I was 33- a lovely soft elephant that I'd had for years. Dc now sleeps with it every night. So the answer is hold on to it for as long as you can.

Mine has been a sensory necessity since childhood. My youngest is the same, is nine and smells hers like I smell mine as a stress relief or comfort.

It's so much more normal than people think and it's harmless because it can really help people to regulate themselves sometimes.

I'd rather that than have to pay for therapy.

my DC are 9 and 13 and still have their cuddlies.
they "need" them less and less with the passing of time, but would never consider ditching them.

52 & I still find mine comforting. Sadly, she's 52 as well and I worry about damaging her, in her frail state, so she's a home bear these days.

He's 7, it's really only little.

Teddies don't leave the house though because the trauma (theirs & mine!) if they were to get lost.

Just keep reminding him that teddy can wait on the stair, comfy seat, etc while he does a task.

Very normal in my opinion.

My ds 7 nearly 8 loves muslin cloths, luckily he loves clean ones & is happy to put them in the wash every few days. He's got about 5 white ones & a random blue one. He's asked for a green one for his 8th birthday (& he's getting one of course). He also carries them around with him quite often.

My ds9 sleeps with about 15 cuddly toys in his bed & cuddles the biggest one every night.

Dd11 has a favourite teddy that she loves & a build a bear that she made that live on her bed.

My bear (this was taken 7 years ago).

DS is a 13 y/o gamer and rugby obsessive, he still talks to his bear.

I still have mine. He's 43. And looking AOK.

Mine is 13 and spends half her time being a typical moody teen and the other half with her teddy tucked under her arm.

No harm at all.

My 7 yo has a blanky he's had since birth. He brings it downstairs with him in a morning and he likes it to be where he can see it! It's just his thing. I wouldn't worry about it xx

@Zoflorabore your crocodile sounds lovely! I have one too 🙂

63 here & still have my teddy.

My grandad bought me a bear when I was born. He named him Whiskey because of his colour. Whiskey lives on my bed and when I'm stressed or upset a Whiskey cuddle always helps. My own 3 believe Whiskey is magic and a quick hug with him has saved a few tears. He has been with me my entire life and I will be buried with him.
5 year old daughter still drags her first blanket around bit ratty now she calls them her stinky covers.

Mystrapping 15 year old DS still sleeps with his comfort teddy that he's had since he was a baby (not that he'd admit it!) but I see nothing wrong with it. At 7 there's definitely no harm, he will detach from it (during the day at least) in his own time.

Please leave him alone, OP. You sound very...brisk. You might not think this lockdown is a big deal, but you're not 7. He's really little.