When Tyler was just a few months past his first birthday, my sister gave him this little Elmo stuffed toy. From the moment he saw it he fell in love with it. Elmo was by far the favorite of the Sesame Street gang as far as Tyler was concerned and now he had his very own Elmo.
Elmo became our constant companion. Wherever we went Elmo had to go with us and Tyler could not sleep unless Elmo was curled up next to him. This also meant that when he wandered from his room to mine in the middle of the night, as he often did, Elmo tagged along. Many mornings I awoke to see his big eyes and round red nose staring at me.
What I did realize at first is that Elmo was Tyler’s security blanket, his lovey. And he’s not alone, many toddlers are attached to special stuffed animals, toys or favorite blankets. And they serve a very important purpose. Kids use their lovey to soothe themselves in stressful moments. They develop attachments to these comfort items usually just after their first birthday at a time when they are becoming mobile and are learning to become independent from their parents. It’s an exciting time but also one that causes anxiety and the lovey steps in to soothe them.
Toddlers have a hard time with transitions like going to daycare, so they may become even more attached to their comfort object to help them feel safe and secure. One problem I had with Tyler was getting Elmo away from him so that I could wash it. He would literally stink he was so dirty. I think Tyler was afraid Elmo was going to disappear in the washing machine or dryer.
For his second birthday he received a bigger Elmo that talked and danced but he never really got attached to this one, he still loved the original Elmo. By that time he had stopped having to take Elmo everywhere with him but he still liked sleeping with him. In fact, we still had him last year when Katrina hit and that was how he “died”. When I returned to my house after the storm we found him on the floor a wet, soggy, red mess. It was funny because we both cried out in unison, “not Elmo!” I guess I was just as attached to him as Tyler was.