Older children with comforter/teddy/blanket?

[JC17fj74]

DS will be 4 in a couple of months and has always had some Muslins that he cuddles to sleep when he goes to bed.
He is at nursery and obviously doesn't take them there, he isn't bothered and they are a 'home' thing that he will go and drag out from his bed when he's feeling tired or watching a film on the sofa to cuddle into and rub gently over his lips.
Do you think this is ok for a child of nearly 4 to have a comforter?
It's not like he's walking round with them when we are out and it's just a bedtime and snuggle time thing.
Will he just grow out of needing or wanting them?
☺️

My Dd still has her special cuddle thing under her pillow. She’s 27 😆 and lives with her boyfriend. All her friends still have their special teddies etc.
If he’s not taking it out of the house, which mine never did (apart from sleepovers!) there’s no reason why he can’t have it for as long as he wants it.

I have an almost 4 year old and agree with others, they're still so little. Mine takes a teddy or doll almost everywhere (picks a different one each day) and has a muslin when tired or upset.

It's fine. We still have big hulking teenagers come to my ward with very well loved comforters. I think it's lovely. Though accidentally sending them to the laundry is my worst nightmare!

My daugher is 21. She still takes her BB to bed with her. Let your child be.

Thank you for the replies!
I feel so much better, I just needed some reassurance that it's ok I suppose.
It's normal in our house and I've never questioned or even thought about it but just suddenly wondered if it's normal or not that common.
I really appreciate the replies x

Absolutely fine, one of DTwins friends in reception at primary sneaks his little comforter in his book bag sometimes

Hi OP, my 4yr old has muslins too. We've decided to remove them, we offered her another version of her favourite Jellycat teddy in exchange which she had chosen. It arrives tomorrow so the muslins go away then. I'll try and remember to let you know how it goes!
We didn't mind her having them until she started tying them around her wrist/ankle quite tightly while in bed

FOUR! That is not an older child.

My son is 12 and still has his baby comforters, he would be mortified if anyone knew and if he has friends over he hides them but they help him sleep which he struggles to do sometimes so I'm not taking them away. Apart from that he is a regular 12 year old boy!

My 9 year old is acquiring more! At last count he had six toys in bed with him, all wrapped in a special blanket. He doesn’t have them in the day but really likes his gang together at night!

Thought you were going to say 14 or something! 3 is far from old to have a comforter. My 7 year old still has hers.

THREE! Not even four!

Of course not!
My 7 year old still has her rabbit comforter that she had from birth and 4yo DS has a Winnie the Pooh one.
They won't sleep without them and the damn things drive me mad, the amount of evenings we spend hunting high and low for them at bedtime when they've been taken downstairs, stuck in PJs etc!!

DD is 9 and still has to sleep with her blankie. 4 is very little!

In my 20s and I get quite sad when I overnight somewhere else and I’ve forgotten my teddy at home...

I’m 30 and still have my childhood teddy which has just been restuffed for the millionth time. I don’t sleep with it but it sits on my nightstand.

4 is definitely not too old to sleep with a comforter. He’ll stop in his own time.

I thought you were going to be asking about an older child. Dd2 is 11 and is cuddling her big Ted right now. He has to be in her bed or she can't sleep (which is better than me having to be in her bed which is what it used to be). I'm sure she'll grow out of him at some point, although I'm not sure when.

One of my friends took her "ribbon" (the silky edge of her baby blanket) to uni with her, and it's still in her wash bag now at 42. She used to like to suck her thumb and rub the ribbon on her nose. I suspect she still does at times when she needs some comfort.

Your DS is just tiny. Let him have his comfort blanket as long as he wants it.

I think it's totally normal. My 5-year-old has a lovey that he sleeps with each night and he carries it around the house as and when he feels he needs them. I actually find them a great indicator to tell when he's feeling a bit out of sorts. When he's happy and confident he doesn't bother with them (in the day), and when he's a but insecure or sad, he always wants them close by.

DD is 16 - her two labbits are still tucked under her pillow .

If it makes you feel any better OP, my 12 year old still sleeps with his muslins and teddies. And my 14 year old still sleeps with a truly disgusting childhood toy.

It's never occurred to me to wonder if they're too old for it. They can work these things out for themselves when the time comes.

@BettyOBarley

Of course not! My 7 year old still has her rabbit comforter that she had from birth and 4yo DS has a Winnie the Pooh one. They won't sleep without them and the damn things drive me mad, the amount of evenings we spend hunting high and low for them at bedtime when they've been taken downstairs, stuck in PJs etc!!

Oh this!! The frantic night time searching!

My 10 year still takes 'muzzy' to bed. I think it's cute 😊

My ds is 5 and he has two teddies that he adores. They are with him all the time at home, he is so emotionally attached to them and they are the first things he grabs is he is upset. He talks to them, and I just love watching him. I think it’s really important for a child to have some sort of comfort item, I would never dream of taking it away from them, especially not at that age!

DS 18, 16 and 13 all have their cuddlies, esp the 18 year old! And I still have mine and I’m 50. Can’t settle without it . DH thinks it’s all very amusing

I’m nearly thirty and still have my childhood comforter. He’s as much of a fixture in the bed as my husband!

Some things you never outgrow!