About the Authors
Darla Allen
Occupation: Senior Research Assistant & Clinical Interviewer;The Menninger Child and Family Center
My personal childhood experience, in regards to the topic of this web site research, is with a soft attachment object, but not a security blanket. My object of transition and love was a stuffed terry-cloth-like dog with multi-colored, cotton-patched overalls. I had this stuffed dog since I was an infant. It went everywhere with me and was essential to my bedtime routine. It now sits on the top shelf of the bookcase in the room where I am typing this! Ha. He is still in fairly good shape with the aid of a safety pin in the back that holds him together. Today, as when I was a child, he is a symbolic reminder that we all need comfort and love, especially during stressful and transitional times.Tami Kiem
KSU.I have two daughters, both now grown. Tonya had very high oral needs and was very attached to her pacifier. I've never seen such thick sucking pouches!! As she became older, we limited the times and locations in which she could have the pacifier. Eventually, when she was three, the pacifier was lost. She was initially upset, but recovered rather quickly. We discovered the pacifier was a couple of weeks later, but decided the need for it was over. Talashia, on the other hand, was a calmer and more laid back baby and young child. She never seemed the least bit interested in sucking a pacifier or her thumb and never demonstrated any attachment to any other object. I found it beneficial to be responsive to each of them, providing them with what they desired and needed. They were very different from one another in their need for an attachment object as well as in many other ways. And both of them were and are quite healthy girls!Carrie Pierce
As a young child, it was reported by my mother that I sucked my first two fingers on my right hand. This habit soon disappeared after I had my full set of teeth.Andrea Schmidt
I was quite the fussy baby, according to my parents. As an infant, I began thumbsucking. This was something that seemed to sooth me as an infant. The habit continued into my childhood years. I think I was six or seven when I discontinued sucking my thumb on a regular basis. Quitting this habit was definitely a challenge. My parents discouraged the habit, which was why I eventually stopped. I do not know if this was related to my thumbsucking or not, but I did have a number of ear infections as a young child. My teeth, however, are in excellent condition. I was the only child, out of six, in my family to rely on thumbsucking as a transitional object.