What type of comforter does your LO have?

[MintGreenLife]

My LB is almost 11 months, and I want to start getting him attached to a comforter to have in his cot for when he’s 1 year+. This is probably a stupid question, but when I look online ‘comforter’ seems to just bring up blankets and muslin type things, but can a 1yo have a Teddy as a comforter? Just wondering what everyone else uses. We have various JellyCat Teddies, and one of these (linked), but I do wonder if the little thin one will be too small to offer much in the way of comfort?

www.kidly.co.uk/products/jellycat/cordy-roy-soother/5591?colour=dino&utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=surfaces&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIyPPStdv39wIVCoODBx2UdglbEAQYAiABEgJiAfD_BwE

Thanks everyone for the replies ☺️ I haven’t introduced a comforter so far as wanted to follow the safe sleep guidelines, but as he’s almost 1 now would like to try. I know he may not take to it, or may choose a different comforter and that’s totally fine, just thought it would be worth trying to introduce one. Think I’ll keep it with us when he’s feeding and start giving it to him for naps

Mine always liked a muslin. They weren't fussy about a certain one either so that helped. Although as she got older my eldest did become attached to a toy with those attached blanket, it was bought for her as a baby but she must have been 4 before she cared about it. And by that point she was old enough to understand that it doesn't leave the house!

Neither of mine had a comforter.

At various times they may have had a favourite toy but the idea of deliberately making them have a comforter sounds bizarre to me.

Me or Daddy.

I introduced a jellycat comforter at 6.5mo and DD still adores it at 2.6yo. My advice is buy 2 or 3 and rotate them without your LO knowing so they wear down at the same time and are never caught out if one us lost/dirty/left somewhere. Plus can keep it more clean and no problem with drying it after a wash in time for sleep!

My DC chose their own favourite soft toys from among the various ones they'd been given over the years. DS1 had a monkey for a few years, but he gave it up when he was about 10 and hasn't used it since. DS2 has a teddy that he still likes to sniff and suck his thumb and he's now 11. If you let him have access to some soft toys you may find he selects one that he likes best.

Both of mine chose their own comforters. I don't remember having one as a child.

If it helps, for both mine feeding to sleep stopped working at 9 months and we sleep trained with controlled crying.

As for comforters. My daughter chose her unicorn comforter at about 6 months. She was a bottle and dummy refuser but does suck her thumb. Unicorn is wrapped round her fingers while she thumb sucks - she's now 3.

DS had a dummy and a plastic James engine that he slept with from about 8/9 months. At 2 he found a cuddly rat we've had for years called Templeton. That became his comforter and he LOVES this rat. For a long time it came everywhere with us. Now he sleeps with him only, he's 5.

My ds naturally gravitated to some of his existing teddies but not until he was at least 2 and we played no part in it. Seems like a weird thing to 'encourage' imo.

My DD (age 2) chose a bib when she was 9 months as her comforter; she has loads of them but there’s 1 in particular she loves and there’s no fooling her when I try to switch it when it needs a wash!

Hmmm I must be weird then as both mine had comforters pretty much from birth (white company - little blanket with animal attached, they do several kinds), that I specifically gave them. I used them initially as a way to signal sleep time and think they’re very helpful for routines and learning to self settle to sleep. If you do this though then definitely buy a few of the same - so you have them on rotation to wash and they don’t get attached to one specific version. My DC are now primary age and still going strong with the comforters at bedtime 😬 although eldest knows the difference between all the identical ones?!

One (aged 2) has a taggy blanket, has one in the cot, one in the car and a spare (all different). At sleep time, the thumb goes in the mouth, the taggy goes on his head and he twiddles one of the silky ribbons on his taggy. The taggy helps calm him when he is finding life difficult and it helps him sleep.

The other one (aged 1) has a soft fluffy toy, any soft fluffy toy will do and has it in their cot.

She's 14 and still has a terry towel to sleep with or in reality a pile of the festering things. Do not encourage this. Hold my hands up this was my fault, breast fed, cling on baby. Always one to sneak into our bed too, miss those days fish baby in bed.

I bought my DS one of those weird ghost-like ones (I'll try to find the name) because they are designed to be breathable and safe to sleep with. He was having none of it and is highly attached to a (rather realistic) soft toy rat that my friend bought him as a joke. Rat has always been unappealing but DS's adoration has done it no favours at all. I bought several duplicates but he knows they are imposter rats and insists on the real deal.

I agree with PP about choosing something small- one thing I'll say for rat is that it's unobtrusive. Although he slipped it into his grandad's bag once to 'have a look' and then forgot about it and it ended up going home with grandad. That was a terrible, terrible day, although rat was returned by post.

A 'Cuski' is nice. That's the brand name and it is designed to hold your scent so that you can give it him.