How to Get Your Child to Let Go of a Security Blanket/Toy
Lots of toddlers and small children have that special blanket, toy, or doll they simply can’t seem to part from. It’s with them wherever they go and for a parent to try to take it away, even for a quick washing, can be close to impossible. While having a security item isn’t necessarily harmful, there comes a time when letting it go is important for their development and socialization. Here are 3 tips to help your child let go of their security item once and for all. It may not happen in a snap, but these tools will get you on the right track to security item-free living.
Present Something New
Your child may have a special love for her security blanket or toy, but a lot of what’s behind the need for her to constantly carry it around is simply force of habit. When she’s been well-behaved and it’s playtime, present her with a new toy she’s never seen before. The novelty of the new item will distract her for a time from her security item and she may not even miss it – at least while she’s got the new toy anyhow. Show her it’s fun to try out new toys and the less time she spends with the security item, the more time she’ll have for new things to play with. Each time she plays with the new stuff, she will have to let go of the security item for longer and longer stretches of time, as per your rules. Before long, and with added time away from the security item each time, she will surely be able to say goodbye to it for good.
Offer a Reward
A little reward can go a long way when it comes to bribing your child for their own benefit. If your child won’t willingly let go of her precious security item, consider a rewards system for every hour or day she’s able to let go of it. The reward doesn’t have to be grand, just something you know she’ll want for sure. Perhaps it’s an evening out for ice cream sundaes or an extra hour of TV on a Friday evening. When she realizes she is able to do without the security item and can still enjoy herself, the closer you’ll get to a time when she doesn’t need it at all.
Show Examples of Big Boys & Girls
Toddlers and small children always want to be like their older siblings and cousins or the other kids they see in the neighborhood. When you are out with your child, show her bigger kids who do not walk around carrying a security blanket or toy. Explain that in order to be like the big kids, she must leave her item at home or let it go completely. Assure her that she will always have other things to play with and she can even save her special item in a storage box for old time’s sake. Tell her that the big kids may have had a security item when they were her age, but now they have lots of fun without it.
Have you had to endure the trials of getting your child to forgo his or her special security item? How’d it go? Any tips for the AMC parents in the same predicament? We’d love to share your success stories.
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By: Melissa A. Kay
