A lovey (or Baby security blanket ) is an object that provides some sense of security or comfort to a child. According to Dr. Richard Passman, PhD, of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, up to 60 percent of children in the United States have some sort of security blanket during childhood. Through his research on the effects of security blankets on child development, he has found no negative or lasting effects—but he has found many positive ones.

Sometimes called a "transitional object," a lovey can help ease children into new situations and provide a feeling of familiarity and comfort. This can happen quite organically when a child shows an affinity to a particular object, or it may happen as a result of a mother or father encouraging the attachment.

A Baby security blanket can mean a lot to a child. It is called a security blanket because it makes the child feel secure and safe. Stuffed animals can also act as security objects. For some, the blanket may remind them of their mother. When they don’t have their mother around, the Baby Blankets reminds them of her and they feel safer.

Should kids have a security blanket? Sometimes when we think of baby security blanket and whether or not they will benefit a child we think of how hard it is for kids to give up their security blanket. I remember when my sister had a security blanket. She carried it around with her wherever she went. It soon became very worn out and my parents were afraid she had become too attached to it and wanted to clean it and put it away before it got so worn that she couldn’t use it anymore.

My mom even made her a new one, but it wasn’t the same and it didn’t catch on. Eventually I think they took it away and she lived. They gave it back to her years later and it was a nice memory for her.

"Studies have shown that children who are attached to security blankets are securely attached to their mothers and psychologically healthy," says Dr. Julie Lumeng, of the University of Michigan's Center for Human Growth and Development in Ann Arbor, Mich. "The same studies show that when these children are in stressful or new situations – for example a new playgroup, preschool, going to the doctor's office, a babysitter – that if they have a security blanket they are much better able to keep themselves calm than children who do not have such an object. These children are actually better able to socialize, to learn and to regulate their emotions when they have a security blanket."                                                                                                        Huggies Baby Network

"The security object offers physical comfort and is very reassuring," says Joeanne Gutzwiller, PhD, a child psychologist in private practice in Fairfield. "It's essentially portable security when mom and dad can't be there.

"Most children develop a dependency on an object in the first year of life, and dependency is usually highest by age 2 or 3. This is the age when fears, such as fear of the dark and fear of dogs, start to emerge. A security object can be quite reassuring to a child who feels afraid."                Cincinatti Children Hospital