Attachments of young children to cuddlies and security blankets
are a fairly common phenomenon in Western culture. Passman and
Halonen1 found in their sample of 690 American mothers of children
between one and a half and 63 months that about 60% of the children
were attached to a soft object. In a Dutch survey among 352 mothers
of preschoolers between 2 and six and one-half years of age, 57 percent
were found to be attached to an object.2 Yet relatively little is known
about the background of this phenomenon. The soft objects can
reduce anxiety, insecurity, and tension and therefore exert a positive
influence on the exploratory drive and achievements, provided the
Situation is not too stressful.3-4 Children especially appreciate the
presence of their favorite object in the following situations: when
going to sleep; in stressful moments; when tired or ill; while inactive or