Monday, July 18th, 2005
Security Blanket Blues
How long can a child stay attached to his security blanket? Try 36 years.
"Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that any of the kids would still be carrying around a security blanket at the age of 36!"
Mother-of-five Bev Sykes from Davis, Calif. details her sage experience in her online diary (that’s what they called blogs before there were blogs; she’s been plugging away since 2000).
Her oldest grown son, Ned, still carries the tattered dog-chew-toy-looking remains of the blanket in his coat pocket.
"We went next door to the neighbors and asked if maybe they had found [an] old rag on their front lawn. The husband went to the garbage can, where he had been picking up lawn cuttings and…there it was. Ned’s ‘blanket.’ Crisis averted."
Ned bonded with the blanket as a baby, and as a toddler obviously had an unhealthy attachment to it. So when Bev’s next son Paul was born, she hatched a plan. Use three blankets in Paul’s crib, rotating in a different blanket every night. Alas, Paul became attached to all three and insisted on carrying them with him wherever he went.
Check out Bev’s security blanket memories at funnytheworld.com.
Comments
104 Responses to “Security Blanket Blues”
I am 30 years old with a 7 month old baby. I am still very much attached to a towel. I’ve changed towels over the years because I’ve worn them out. However, my lastest towel I got from the hospital 7 months ago. It is now unraveling all over my house. Does anyone know if this is hereditary? My daughter loves to rub on her blanket as well. There is no way she could have learned that from me. She started grabbing at her blanket about a month or two ago.
July 3rd, 2006 at 8:33 am
lots of adults still suck their thumbs and also have some comfort objetcts. There is nothing weird about it.
Check the site
January 8th, 2007 at 1:03 pm
i am 23 and i still sleep with my blanket every night. the thing is, it isn’t the one i have had since i was born. that one was taken from me when i was 11. my mom threw it out and i never saw it again. my grandma took me to a craft fair a few weeks later and bid on an afghan in my name. i won it and instantly became attached to this one. i’ve had it ever since. it went to college with me and my mother was mortified. i don’t care. my boyfriend doesn’t care. i just like it and i think i’m a pretty normal person.
July 8th, 2007 at 12:00 pm
Well I still sleep with my blanket. It’s more of a comfort thing but it’s important to me. I am 22 and I am in my last year of university. Personally, I don’t care what others think.
September 19th, 2007 at 8:22 pm
That’s nothing- I’m 39 and still have a blanket. The original one I had was in pieces and falling apart. My mother found an identical one at a yard sale 9 years ago. I wrapped the old one in the new one for a while and now I use that one. I was adopted at 1 week old and have to say that I think that may have something to do with it. My husband doesnt care, but my kids tease me hahaha.
January 7th, 2008 at 9:40 am
I am 32 and still have my blanket. It went to college w/me, backpacking in Europe, camping…you name it. It makes me feel comforted in some way. Only recently have I stopped feeling the need to sleep w/it every night, as my partner thinks it’s an unhealthy dependency. I disagree :)
January 12th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
I am 27 and still have a blanket. Im proud of it too. It goes to show that if you really love something it doesnt matter how old, tattered or smelly it gets, you’ll always want it and love it, no matter what.
April 6th, 2008 at 10:33 pm
I’m 22 and I’ve had security blankets my whole life. The one I have now I got when I was 14 or 15, I take the corners and fold it into a little pointy triangle and rub it in my ear and suck not my thumb, but just on the roof of my mouth if that makes sense. I think what is most important about the ritual though is smelling it. That’s the biggest comfort to me. I hate having to wash it and I am 22! With a tattered unwashed blanket.
May 21st, 2008 at 5:51 pm
I am 28 and my boyfriend is 25 and I think his blankie is a VERY unhealthy dependency. As an adult u should be able to find comfort within yourself. Im having a hard time being understanding of his blankie
May 26th, 2008 at 8:31 am
me too! i am 30 years old and still have my blanket i sleep with every night — it is not the same one as when i was little – in fact, i have gone through many blankies since i was a child, from them being thrown away by parents to lost to “given up” ( only to pick up a new one a few months or years later.) it is very comforting to know others still carry around a blanket and feel no shame!
June 11th, 2008 at 7:40 pm
i have a blankey too i always hide it wen company comes into my room i am 20 years my blankie is the same one from childhood but my grandma has repaired a couple of times in my teen years i started seperating myself from it but in the last few years i have become addicted to drugs like oxycontin and cocain and my now i play with it all the time i do the same thing as the person above fold the corner and run it along my hands i think its weird but i do it out of anxiety or bordom i hate it
June 16th, 2008 at 10:44 am
i feel my comment above was kinda inappropriate for this site considering its like a baby site?? anyways sorrry ignor it i was trying to convay that it is unhealthy for me to have a baby blanket i feel like i regressed due to events in my life its embarassing i mean i dont bring it anywhere it stays in my room but eventually id like to be able to fold it up and store it lovingly in my closet as a keepsake
June 17th, 2008 at 10:43 am
I’m 18 years old and i sleep with a blanket still it’s not the same one form when i was younger because the first one i had my grand mom cut up and threw away the second one i had got ripped and i kept a piece of that until i went to the store and found on just like it. Now i sleep with this one every night. I rub my fingers through it. All my friends know i have it so it’s not embarrassing to me but i just don’t know why i am so attached to it.It’s not about the color or the smell I’m attached to how it feels. Am i weird?
July 13th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
wow! people do this is thought i was abit strange. i have one and i deffo think its a gud thing . im 19 and sleep with mine im not dependant on it but its’s just something tht helps me relax. if something harmless makes u happy or gives u comfort i dnt think it can be a bad thing.?
none of my bf have minded so far bt if they do then tuff lol.
July 16th, 2008 at 2:38 am
I had a blankie when I was younger, but for 25+ years I have gone to a fabric store and purchased the thick bridal satin by the yard. I cut it into small pieces since I wear it out after about a week or two of just rubbing it together. I am not attached to the small or the “oldness factor”. I just like the way it feels – smooth and silky. I sometimes find myself rubbing it up around my lips and nose area and my mom said that I always did that with my blankie as a baby. Wonder what is up with that? I have always been embarrassed, too. My wife and kids know about it and my closest friends. I’m 43 and still sleep with it every night and take it with me in my pocket and the car – usually hiding it out of sight. It’s a huge stress reliever! I guess better a piece of satin than drugs or alcohol.
Glad to hear I’m not the only one.
July 26th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
Since others responded this late I don’t feel so bad. I still have the pillow I had since I was a baby. It’s a full size pillow so I assume they didn’t have the SIDS notice about not putting pillows into baby cribs then. The original case for the stuffing was cut up when I was a teenager and the stuffing put into one of those zip up pillowcases. I still sleep with it every night. My thing is the pillowcases, usually along the seem. The first one was lost at an A&W on a family trip and the most recent one is probably about 10-12 years old. I like the feel of the seam when I rub it between my fingers.
I had a few exes who use to tease me about it, but my current partner doesn’t care. He understands that it is a comfort thing. I brought the pillow with me to the birth of my son and in the throes of labor it was a big help. It’s nice to know I’m not the only 22 year old out there who still loves the security blanket/pillow/cloth thingy.
August 2nd, 2008 at 12:46 pm
I’m an adult female with a security blanket and also a nightime thumb sucker. I think it’s a lot more common than people think. My mother burned my original blanket in front of me when I was around 10 and the pain was as bad as seeing a pet dog or cat killed. I have never forgiven her this act of sheer cruelty and it clearly did not work as a deterrent! I don’t smoke nor do I drink to excess and thumb sucking is one of the few things that has yet to be tagged “carcinogenic” so enjoy!
August 15th, 2008 at 7:17 am
I’m 23, I still have my blanket. Like Mimi, I used to click my tongue against the roof of my mouth automatically, but somewhere in the last 5 years I stopped. Not sure when. Like “the mom” I rub my blanket mostly around my nose/mouth, but sometimes my cheeks. I also spell out words with it. I guess that’s a little strange.
As seems common here, my current blanket is not my original (I have a way of tearing up my blankies- I used to go for the stuffing inside). In fact the current incarnation is the soft side of a quilt my mother made for me when I was in 1st grade. It is nubby and synthetic, and I am fairly sure it will last for quite a while longer. :)
I have joked that I will somehow incorporate it into my wedding when I have one.
August 17th, 2008 at 2:02 am
For those of you who have posted here about your loved ones still sucking their finger and rubbing on what you call a security blanket. Have you ever thought about it just FEELING GOOD! It has nothing to do with being insecure! I am 25 and still suck my finger and rub on a blanket. I am sure there are things that you do to relax you! So, leave your loved ones alone and let them feel secure about themselves. The only thing that bothers them is you harping on them and telling them to stop doing it. It is bothers you that bad, then DON’T LOOK!! Love them for who they are!!
August 31st, 2008 at 10:20 pm
I’ve had a baby blanket with silk edges since I was born (I’m 20), and I am currently on my 5th one. My boyfriend of 5 years hates my blanket. He hides it or throws it in the ground when I’m not home. He just doesn’t understand. My older sisters had their lovies too. One (29) had a teddy bear that she gave up when she had her own child, and my other sister (26) still has an old jacket that is deteriorating past salvage. But she rubs my blanket if she gets the chance. I can handle being away from my blanket for the weekend if Im traveling, but its such a comfort when I come home. I wash it everytime I do laundry to keep it looking descent, but I do have to sew the silk back every now and then. I also rub it between my fingers and on my face (eyes, nose, lips) probably a couple hours a day/night and while I’m sleeping. Anyways, you guys make me feel much better about it though!!
September 8th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
it has made me feel very happy that there are still people out there with there blankets! i am 33 and i call my blanket ribbon, it is not my original my mum told me that i lost that in asda when i was 5 and i was unconsolable, she was wearing an old type of skiing jacket and that was made out of the same material as the edge of my blanket, so she gave this to me and i dragged a whole coat around for years! when i got older however i decided that it was way to big so i have been cutting small pieces from it ever since, i only have 1 spare piece left! i sleep holding and rubbing it through my fingers all night, i am not embarresed and have only had one partner that had an issue with it, he wasn’t with me for very long! i love my ribbon and the day that my very last piece is reduced to nothing then i will be on a mission to find a replacement!
September 10th, 2008 at 7:24 am
im 20 and i had about 8 blankys through my life.. first it was the blankets with the silk edges but then went to full silk blankys, and it has to feel a certain way, or i wont use it…colour doesnt matter.. im not as attached to it like i was (13 years old i carried it EVERYWHERE).. but now i only sleep with it and keep it in my room most days.. but there are times when i just like to cuddle on the couch watching tv or a movie play and feel my blanky.. very comforting
September 13th, 2008 at 12:51 am
I am so glad that I found this thread. I am 19 years old and still sleep with my blankies every night. I still have my original blankie but due to it’s sad and sorry condition (i ripped all the stuffing out and when I learned to sew as a child, I went crazy trying to repair it myself probably causing more damage) I adopted a newer blankie and wrap it with the old one. In recent months my original blankie has been ripping terribly and I am sad. I usually wrap it around my head and cover my mouth with it. I always sleep with it under my head above the pillows. My boyfriend may tease me occasionally but he does not care. Although some nights my blankie has maliciously wrapped around his head and neck in the middle of the night…..haha I am not ashamed of it at all. I was as a young child ironically.
September 16th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
My sister still has her blankie too. However it is not the original. She lost it on a trip to Italy in her teen years and we all joke that the Pope is probably rubbing it on his head as we speak. So she adopted a new blankie and sewed the cloth luggage tag onto it from her trip to Italy. She is 24 and getting married in October. Her fiance does not care.
September 16th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
I’m 40 and still have my blanket. I’ve gone through too many to count; some were lost, or fell apart. One even flew out the car window! My family is fine with me and my blanket. I know it could always be worse, I could smoke or do drugs. My oldest child is 20, she has a blanket, but isn’t as attached as I am. I think in this world with all it’s problems everyone should have one. It cuts down on stress.
October 1st, 2008 at 1:39 am
And I thought I was the only one! I’m 18 and I’m still teased by my family for having a blanket. It was originally a woolen top knitted by my nana when I was about 4 and I couldn’t keep my fingers out of the little holes, so she gave it to me. Since then it’s travelled pretty well. Eventually I had to cut one of the sleeves off so if I lost one bit, I still had another.. which of course happened when I went to London and lost the biggest bit :(
I just love the feeling of pulling the strands of wool through the holes, and the softness of it. I’ve claimed a glove duster too because it just feels nice.
I’m not sure I’ll ever tell my boyfriend although a few of my friends know. I never put it into the perspective as most of you have: it could be alot worse, I could be addicted to narcotics or something really disgusting. It’s not a bad habit, it’s harmless and relaxing.
October 8th, 2008 at 10:17 am
What a relieve finding this article!!!! I’m a peruvian woman, 27 years old and love to smell my blanket too!!!!!!!!!!!!
I never knew someone who does, besides my brother but he stopped at 15 because my father threw it away… my friends have a teddy bear but not a blanki.
I have like 3 of them and they were the blankets i had in my cradle, now i’m not as attached i used to be, because sometimes when i travel i do’t carry it, but i always prefer to sleep smelling it(i suppose my odor is in it). I have just bought one new at ebay, that’s how i become interest to find more about it in the web. I want one new and georgeus for not having to be a little embarrased for what it look like.
Luv u all!!!
October 10th, 2008 at 10:05 am
I am 68 yrs old and still sleep with a security blanket (or even an article of clothing) which I have to smell to get to sleep. Yes, one can keep this habit a secret. For years I thought this quirk was just novel with me.
October 13th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
I’m 31 and I’ve always had a “blanky”. I suck my finger and smell my blanket to relax me. I like for my blanket to be cold and the corners are my favorite. lol My current blanket I have had for 5 years and I don’t think I have washed it yet. I like the way it smells. My family thinks that it is gross and won’t touch it. I also hide it when I have company. I’m glad to know I’m not alone!
October 19th, 2008 at 11:33 am
i, too, love my blanket! i am attached to the feel of nylon. i had two blankets that my mother would switch out during laundry day. when they were tattered my mother tossed them and i grew attached to a winter vest lined with the same material. i would even sleep with the vest! i love to fold the material between my fingers to make a rounded crease and then lightly brush the nylon “bubble” over my top lip or just roll the bubble between my thumb and middle finger. i also love the smell of my blanket, but i wash it pretty frequently. when i had to purchase a new blanket i went to a fabric store and spent a lot of time touching lining fabric until i found the perfect one. it’s amazing how difficult it is to describe your perfect texture; “silky” isn’t really specific enough. i am now 32, happily married, with a baby of my own. my husband will sometimes hold my blanket and we often wake up in the morning with my blanket in his hand! he is about to deploy and i will be sending a piece of my blanket with him. some people come home after a stressful day and have a glass of wine or a Xanax…i rub my blanket. all pleasure, no negative side effects!
October 19th, 2008 at 10:56 pm
I still have Germ at 29 years old. Does anyone else lick, smell and feel their blanket? I tend to hide it from company depending on who they are but my dad laughs that I will walk down the aisle with it tucked in my knickers!! I am not quite that bad but a night without it is pretty hard! Big love to the blankets out there!!!
October 24th, 2008 at 8:19 am
I have had my blankie since birth. I have pictures of me sleeping with it and carrying it around.its my best friend. I’m 18 and suck my finger and smell just one corner of the blanket. I like when its cold also. or when the sun directly shines on my corner. I wanna tell my boyfriend but I’m not sure how
October 27th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
I do what I call “silking” with a blanket. I have done this off and on my whole life. I use my entire hand to glide along the silk on the edge of a blanket from one end to the other. It can’t be just any silk either. It has to have a certain feel. As strange as it is……it feels very comforting. I have had many blankets, gone many times without one. I see it as a harmless.
November 12th, 2008 at 5:15 pm
i am 12 and i still sleep with a baby blanket (that i have never had to replace) and suck my thumb. my blanket comes with me to any sleep over. i suck my thumb anytime i get tired, bored, or feel insecure. its really hard going through school and being tired, i always want to suck my thumb at school when i get tired or frustrated, but i know i would get teased so bad. i was so happy when i found this website and found out there were a lot of other people out there that still carry a baby blanket around
November 22nd, 2008 at 6:51 pm
My baby blanket is older than i am, and was passed on from a slightly older generation, so my mom says. i think two people had it as babies, and then bout maybe 10-15 years later, i was given it at birth. i used to suck my thumb, and sniff the blanket, and play with it in all sorts of imaginitive ways. i never washed it often either. i used to love the smell it gave off, and now i just once in a while wash it so it wont tatter. anyway, im planning to take it down to my grave. hoho, im not lettting any baby have it.
November 23rd, 2008 at 8:03 am
I don’t have a blankie. I do have a bear, however. It has a tail, which made it extra special.
I slept with it during college, but now it lives in a cedar chest next to my bed.
It is enough to know he is near. :)
December 1st, 2008 at 5:35 pm
I’m 20 and still have a security blanket and suck my thumb. I have no intention of giving up these behaviors despite being aware of the ways they are hindering my life. There are the obvious health risks of having a rotting piece of cloth in my face for half the day to add to the social problems of being an adult engaging in childish behavior. It is likely i will never marry. I have a callous on my thumb from where my teeth rest when I’m sucking it, it hurts me to accept that my problem is scaring me physically but it’s right there for everyone to see… *cry*
My main concern, however, regards the psychological callouses that must too be forming. I’ve read all the evidence about comfort blanket use in adulthood leading to drug addictions, depression and mania but I fear I’m too proud to ever give it up. :”(
December 9th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
aww !
I’ve had my blankies since birth. im sixteen now. i have a twin brother and we were both given the same blankets when we were born. over the years i became attatched to mine ( which was once a quilt but now a torn up piece of fabric :[ ) sooner or later, at around two i found myself possesive over my brothers blanket. I've had both ever since. one is all ripped up with hole bigger than my head. and the other is in great condition, no holes...just has a knot on one of the ends which i call the head. its been there as long as i can remember. i used to suck my pointer and middle finger and rest his head on my fingers so that i can smell it at the same time. my fingers dnt fit in my mouth no more so i can't do it, but i love them and can't even imagine my life with out them.
its nice to knw there's people out there older than me who love their blankies :]
December 9th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
I’m 28 and I surely thought there was something a little ‘off’ about me because I carry around a piece of cloth I’ve recently referred to as my ’soft’.
I started rubbing a soft blanket that my aunt made for me when I was born. The first few years of my life I rubbed it so much all the soft material eventually wore away…
I’ve stumbled across fabric that felt the same way since then and I keep it in my pocket or purse waiting for the moment of stress or boredom when I needa rub my lil piece of heaven.
I’m an extremely secure and good looking woman but have kept my ’soft’ rubbing a secret from most people. My fiancee knows about it and doesn’t make fun of me for it and I’m thankful. I only get a little embarrassed when my 4 year old fights me for it in public *blushes* :)
December 11th, 2008 at 6:58 pm
Oh thank God I am not alone here! 30 with a blankie.
I am on my 4th blanket and terrified because I they don’t make them anymore. I love the waffle material blankies with satin binding around the edges. I have to rub the binding with my fingers and love to rub it on my face or neck and I too love to just smell my blankie. I also suck my tongue, it used to make a clicking noise, but after so much ridicule I learned to stop the clicking. I can’t sleep with out it. I went through about 20 years where I was mortified of this habit and have just barely become comfortable with this thanks to my husband who doesn’t care and thinks it’s kind of cute. I have on more than one occasion had and introduction between blankie and boyfriend because it was so embarrassing to me but i had to have it to sleep. I still will hide it, but not so much anymore. I love the edges to be cold, cold, cold. and I can tell when I am really stressed or tired due to my strong desire for my blankie.
It’s funny, my 5 month old son loves my old ones and sucks his tongue too. I am wondering if there is a technical term for this attatchment?
December 13th, 2008 at 9:06 pm
I have seen the thumbsucking adults website, but this is the first I have come to regarding blankies! I am 26 and have had my blanket for as long as I can remember. I call it Meno (which my mom thinks has something to do with how I like to rub it on my nose) or Binky. This is the third incarnation of my meno. The first was a winnie the pooh printed blanket with silk lining. That fell apart so my mom sewed the tattered remains to a second cotton blanket with silk lining, and when that started disintigrating she cut it down to a smaller size. Since I no longer live with my mom, it has started to look worse for wear. I like roll a certain corner up in my fingers and make it pointy to rub on my nose and lips. I think it smells like me. I sleep with a stuffed lion too, both of them go with me when I travel or sleep over anywhere. My boyfriend thinks the thumbsucking is cute and has his own blankie. I have always thought that thumbsucking was alright, but that surely not many people did strange things with a rag of a blanket. Im glad I found all of you! I dont think its wierd or psychologically damaging, just comforting.
December 13th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
I have had my blikets my whole life. The one i have now has been around since i was born but i didn’t use it at first, i had a cotton one with blue silk lining but my family took a trip to Australia and my mom made me only cut and take the corner because i sucked on that part and it got lost on a train. i was devastated and we spent hours on the phone with the train company trying to track it down with no avail so then i took to the blinket my mother made for me while she was pregnant and thats the one i have had for the last 20 years and I am now 22. I suck on my blanket and i love to smell it and make sharp edges and rub them on my hands lips chin and nose. I love my blankey and it helped me feel comfort and calm during times of stress i don’t feel that it is gross or psychologically damagingin in anyway i think if someone can find something that helps you feel less stressed or anxious that is not harming you like drugs or alcohol then you hold on to it. My mom says i’m like linus although now i dont take it everywhere just need it to sleep and watch tv or movies. I don’t like to wash it as i love its smell that is also a great comfort to me. My boyfriend hates it and tells me he wont kiss me if i have it in my mouth and to not suck on it around him as he feels i should use him for comfort but the way my bineky makes me feel its not a comfort a human person can give. I’m learning how to crochet so that when this one unravels (as it does the more i suck it the more it comes undone) I will be able to make myself a new one thats exactly the same. I’m glad that other people can get that same comfort and calmness from a special blinket too! I love my bineky :)
December 15th, 2008 at 10:47 am
I’m am so glad to read the entries on this site. I thought there was something wrong with me. I’m not sure where my attachment to my slip developed or how long I’ve had it but I do know that I can’t sleep or relax without it. It is very comforting and although I’m about to be 36, I’m not giving it up. If it’s weird then so be it, there are far worst things.
December 16th, 2008 at 9:37 am
I always had a baby blanket folded next to my neck when I was a little baby which I slept with until the age of 5 I think.. Today I’m 24. About 3 Years ago, I got separated from my girlfriend that I wanted to marry with. During the year that followed this event, I found a blanket in my home, very simple, white… I’ve folded it and hugged it… And I got attached to it. Now it’s been almost 3 years that I sleep with, hug it, kiss it and rub it against my nose… Sometimes I spend hours and hours hugging it…
Some might think it’s a kinda like a regressive trauma due to the past events… I don’t feel it this way. To me, it protects me, it nurtures my love and compassion, it stops time and remove negativity… and it make me feel the presence of that angel that walks beside me and protect me…
When I hug it, I feel like hugging an angel…
the blanket is just a form to me… the feeling is something deeper… if gets old and disappear, it doesn’t to me because it’s part of me so it never dies and never fades… it’s hard to explain with words… My blanket opened my eyes to love… My baby blanket…
I think that the smelling and the cute things you do with your blanket don’t always show a regressive state at all, but rather a more angelic state.
A little blanket can change or save somebody’s life. It’s a great gift to offer.
Merry Xmas to all
December 16th, 2008 at 11:15 am
OmgA i thought i was the only one who still had these things in my life! I am 20 yrs old and i am very much afraid of being an old woman one day still sucking my thumb and still having my binky {wicth is my blanket) it has 2 names binky and woobie idk i guess i feel alittle better! i suck my thumb daily and sleep with my woobie everynite!
and im never going to stop!
love
December 19th, 2008 at 11:54 am
I am 39 female in uk & have always had a comforter or snibbler my mother has always had on & now so do 2 neices both 28 yrs & 18 yrs..hmmn I cannot sleep relax without it a rather threadbare small velvet pillow, it has travelled to Africa & the top of the himalyas & always leaves with me when I go anywhere. I sleep with it under my head & don’t wash it often as this impares the smell & texture shameful I know.I don’t feel it to be a problem although I know it looks a bit bad so I hide it form some people.. my husband is very accepting of it & I have even found him sleeping on it!! I am an anxious person & lost my father as a child etc etc blah blah so maybe this was a catalyst ??
December 20th, 2008 at 5:40 am
WOW! I have always felt like i was the only one still having a blanket. I remember from a very young age, always having a blanket with satin edging, now at 24 i feel ashamed when my friends see it but i just have to have it. if i am sitting at my computer, watching a movie or going to bed, i rub the satin over my chin.
January 2nd, 2009 at 9:22 pm
Oh my goodness!!! So many people!! :D And, i thought I was the only one! I’m 24 and I still have my baby blanket. Yep, the original one, it’s on my lap right now. I don’t suck it, though I have a habit of biting it occasionally (it sounds weird, i know, but it feels nice) and I hug it a lot and smell it. I also drape it over my shoulders in the morning (if nobody’s about). It’s gone backpacking with me, on a horseriding camp (i was willing to sacrifice some food in teh saddle bags for it) hiking, fishing, to Europe and beyond… I always carry it with me when i over night. I can’t sleep without it! I’ve been teased mercilessly about it. I’m worried because it’s really starting to show some heavy wear. I use to rub the front of it, but it’s disintegrated now i rub the back. (it had two layers). What do you do if it dies? How do you ‘wean’ yourself? or start with another one? I can’t see myself sleeping without mine but it won’t last forever. Maybe we should make a website for adult blanket sleepers? I don’t think that it’s a bad habit.
January 3rd, 2009 at 10:09 am
I still have my blanket. I had one when I was a baby, but when I was 5 my mother and I agreed to throw it out because I was a “big boy” now. I was so upset. I really wanted another one. So, when I was about 7, I ordered one. It came on a sunny afternoon in a brown package. I have loved it ever since. I have even made up my own pretend world with my blanket. He is French Royalty and is ranked #1 on my list of favorite stuffed animals. I actually have a blanket for my blanket. His name is Blanket’s Blanket. Crazy right? Blanket’s Blanket ranks 3# on my list of 15 animals. They are all royalty. Therefore, I call the list the Popular Royals List. This sounds totally insane, but I am completely normal. All my friends have no idea. If they did, they would probably run for the hills. I know the animals aren’t alive, but I get bored and I have an excellent imagination so I make up stories about them.
January 4th, 2009 at 11:46 am
I am so much in awe to read about the blankie & the thumbsucking habits of adults. My daughter is 20 yrs. old & is determined to hold on to hers. She tells me that it is the smell of it; even though it has been washed millions of times with different detergents and softeners, it still is the smell she sniffs. She also lays the blanket on her pillow every night to go to sleep. Wow! How do we distinguish the difference between habits & addictions? I feel my daughter is very well adjusted because she knows when to do the “baby” thing & bounce back to adult life. Who really should determine what is healthy or not if it isn’t offending or affecting anyone else?? There are many adults out there in the world that still act like big babies but pretend to be grown!!! So what is the problem!
January 10th, 2009 at 10:43 pm
I’m 21 years old, and I couldnt live a day without bubby. Ive had this bunny blanket since I was born, and I cannot sleep without it. I rub it on my face and smell it and cuddle with it. It used to be a bunny head puppet with a blanket and a body, but now it is just a head with strings coming out of the bottom. My family thinks it is ridiculous and I learned in pyschology class that it is a sign of an unhealthy DISattachment disorder, where adults with security blankets are disattached from other people and emotions…. regardless, I will have bubby forever.
January 13th, 2009 at 7:15 pm
I Have my Security blankie. Im a 24 year old male. I snuggle with it all the time. I love The Corners. I don’t know what i would do without my blankie. It’s My Best Friend.
January 15th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
Wow, I have a 20 yr old neice that is in colledge and stil sucks her thumb and carries around a cloth diaper since she was little, she brings it everywhere, to my house, to school, everywhere as if it were alive, glad I found this site, would not have known others do this too.
January 15th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
is this genetic. my son has a pillow that he takes everywhere and my husband has a blanket. It kindof drives me nuts
January 25th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
Holy cow! What a comfort to find this site full of ‘average’ people from all walks who have a blanket of sorts! I am almost 33 years old, and am in a relationship where he feels he isn’t providing me with something emotional/mental if I still need my “thing”(aka:blankie). He doesn’t understand. So, I sleep with it at night, blankie waits for me on top of my dresser during the day. I’m near tears to know I’m not the only adult with a blankie. Happiness to us all.
January 25th, 2009 at 8:08 pm
Oh, people with Baby Blankets so dominate. Take me and my blanket for instance. We are so cool. We love each other so much. My blanket is the most popular among my other stuffed animals. So what if we have blankets. Yes it may not be the most normal thing in the world, but it does not mean that we are dysfunctional. Take me for instance. I am highly functional. Also, I was wondering if anybody else has multiple stuffed animals and/or blankets. Take me for instance. I have a blanket, and a blanket for my blanket. His name is Blanket’s Blanket. He ranks #3 on my Popular Royals List. Blanket ranks #1. Seonce is Blanket’s cousin who lives in Savannah Georgia and she ranks #4. #5 is Mercedes, the cousin of Blanket’s Blanket. I have 17 animals on my list. All different kinds too. I have 4 blankets on my list, some elephants, a tiger, a cow, a bear, some flamingos, and other creatures too. We are so cool. I love us. Take my list for instance. It is highly organized and cool. Take me for instance who wrote the list. I am so cool. My blanket it too. He ranks #1 on my list. His blanket named Blanket’s Blanket ranks #3. We are beyond cool. You know bed, bath, and beyond? We are beyond cool. We should open our own store. That’d be cool. Like us.
January 27th, 2009 at 1:58 pm
I have this pillow I’ve had since I was a little baby, I bring it everywhere, whenever I travel somewhere new, or if I’m sleeping over at a friends’ . I have this weird thing where i like to rub my pillow case in between my fingers.. I know it seems really weird but I love the feeling.. my mom always used to always tease me about it.
February 4th, 2009 at 7:08 am
I am 37 years old and I still have my original baby blanket (my “bee”) and I sleep with it every night tucked inside my special pillow. My poor special pillow! It’s very, very old and it’s so flat it’s really not a pillow anymore. My blanket is 38 years old. It’s older than me because it’s the blanket I was wrapped in after I came home from the hospital. My mom and dad bought when my mom was pregnant with me. The blanket itself is in really good condition, surprisingly. There aren’t any holes or rips in it, but the ribbon around the edges is all ripped or falling off/falling apart, primarily because that’s what I like to rub and 37 years of loving a bee can wear it out. I’ve had different favorite corners thru the years and whenever the corner gets too worn out, I have to switch to another one. I like to take the ribbon and rub it with my fingers or I especially like to rub the ribbon on my lips. It helps me get to sleep or when I’m upset, it calms me down. I used to only hold my blanket and rub the ribbon a little bit while I sucked my fingers. Mostly, I’d suck my fingers and just smell my blanket. But I started rubbing the ribbon on my lips when I was trying to stop sucking my fingers. I remember the dentist telling me that it was going to ruin the alignment of my teeth if I didn’t stop sucking my fingers and I got really scared that my teeth would look like Bugs Bunny so I started rubbing the ribbon instead. I used to suck the two middle fingers on my left hand (my middle finger and ring finger). I never sucked my thumb and I never sucked the fingers on my right hand. My mom said that I always sucked the two middle fingers on my left hand. There are pics of me as a young child with my blanket, sucking my fingers and it always looks like I’m making the heavy metal sign, LOL! :) I think the reason my blanket isn’t all holey or totally worn out at this age is because I don’t wash it very often, which I know is gross. But the problem is that washing also wears things out and washing also would wash the smell of my blanket away. I really like the way my bee smells (the smell is part of the comfort thing) and washing makes the smell go away so I used to beg my mom not to wash it too much. Then, when I got old enough to do my own laundry, I used to go longer and longer between washings. I’m not sure the last time I washed my bee but it’s possibly an entire decade gone by since it was last laundered. No one else has to smell it if they don’t want to!!! I love the way my pillow smells too and you can’t wash a feather pillow, especially when the feathers are so crushed down that they don’t even appear to be feathers at all. I always thought that one day I’d “grow up” and magically, I wouldn’t have the desire or need to sleep with my blanket anymore but it never happened. In my 20’s, I started thinking that maybe if I met the right guy, I wouldn’t need my blanket anymore but I didn’t meet the right guy until I was 36. Now that I’ve met the right guy (he’s perfect for me and we’re engaged!), I still love sleeping with my blanket and pillow. I hold my pillow against me and sleep on my side with back against my fiance. I put my bee inside the pillow and the corner of the bee pokes out so I can rub the ribbon on that corner and smell the blanket/pillow. My fiance spoon cuddles me on the other side and I fall asleep just fine. My fiance doesn’t mind my blanket/pillow. He thinks it’s fine if that’s what I like doing. None of my previous significant others ever cared about my bee either, regardless of whether we were living together or not. I’m very open with my close friends so they all know about my “bee” and no one thinks it’s weird of me to do. I’ve even told my fiance’s kids about my bee. I wanted them to know it was okay for them to still have their bees and to know that you don’t have to give your bee up at any certain age. My fiance’s son really, really loves his bee, the same way I really, really love mine. His daughter loves her bee too right now but I think she’s eventually going to sleep without it. But I think his son will be a “lifer”, like me. I think that being attached to your blanket (or whatever you use as your security blanket, whether it’s a towel or a crib bumper), might be genetic. I have 4 siblings, 2 brother and 2 sisters, and both of my brothers still sleep with their bees. My 30-year-old brother is tattooed, loves hard rock and punk music, and is totally into cars and machines and building stuff. He’s the kind of guy you’d look at and think was totally hard-core but he’s still got his bee and sleeps with it too but he isn’t ashamed at all. He’s like me and is open with his significant others and close friends about having his bee and they’re all cool with it. My younger little brother still has his bee too and keeps it on his bed. My 34-year-old sister has her bee but I think it’s “put away” while my younger little sister still sleeps with hers. The factor here for my family in determining who still sleeps with their blanket and who doesn’t isn’t “the most stable doesn’t need it” or “the least stable needs it”, but actually is based on who’s blanket is still in good enough condition to have survived this long. My 34-year-old sister’s bee was all torn and worn and my mom cut it and then sewed it back together to try and salvage it. But my bee (trust me, don’t wash your bee and it will last forever!!!!) both of my brothers’ bees, and my littlest sister’s bee are all still in “working order”. I suspect if my other sister’s bee had survived in a form that was “workable”, she would still sleep with it too. But we all have our bees, regardless of their condition and I think that’s significant. I don’t think that there’s any deep meaning to why some people keep their security blankets into adulthood (and beyond, as I plan to do). I don’t think that having an attachment to a security blanket has anything to do with growing up with distant parents or having been adopted or trying to some enormous void inside and it’s not a sign of a mental imbalance or disorder or some personality flaw or anything like that. I think it’s just something a person is genetically predisposed to do and then maybe it’s partly the environment that influences a person to become more or less attached to the bee but that person would still be attached no matter what. That’s my opinion on it. I had parents that were distant, they weren’t very physically affectionate and they weren’t very emotionally supportive of me, not even when I was going through some really tough things as a child, and yes, I still turned out to be an adult who still sleeps with her bee. But then there’s my fiance’s son who gets tons of physical affection and emotional support and he knows he’s loved by many people, including his parents and yet he’s totally attached to his bee, even though there’s no “void to fill”. He just loves his bee. I have to say that I am happy to read how many other adults are still sleeping with their bees and are also still very attached to them. I would be devastated if my bee were taken away from me! To read about people who don’t have their original blankets anymore is just awful. As a child, my worst nightmare was a my house catching fire and not being able to get my blanket out. Losing my bee was the worst thing I could think of happening and I still think it would be pretty horrible, though I’d possibly be able to live through it. I no longer wonder when I will “outgrow” my bee, I just accept that I will always want to have it with me. I can now fall asleep without having to have my blanket, which I used to have trouble doing as a child (and as a teen, I must admit) but I still prefer to have it and it’s still easier to fall asleep with it than without it. I will be buried with my bee, provided that my family follows my burial wishes. I am happy and I don’t think that sleeping with my baby blanket is a problem or anything to worry about or a sign of bigger issues. It is just part of who I am and I am not ashamed and I’m not crazy. It makes me feel better and what’s wrong with that? I love my bee and my bee loves me! I am happy to know I’m not the only one who feels this way! I never thought I was “the only one” but I also never thought so many other people were also “bee lovers” like me so it really makes me feel good to know there are others like me. Blanket lovers unite!
February 10th, 2009 at 2:00 am
Wow. I can’t believe there are other people out there with the same feelings about thier blanky. I’m a 26 male and cannot sleep without my blanky. I smelling him too.
February 21st, 2009 at 12:55 pm
Oh thank goodness!!! I have always been terrified of letting go of my blanket and have tried several times of letting go of it. I am currently 25 and have had this blanket since the day I was born. The silk edges have worn off, and I love the corners of my blanket the most. The corners are ripped, and I love rubbing the material in between my fingers to eventually form little balls or knots off the worn out edges. I love it when my blanket is cold. I’m not so much of a stuffed animal person, but I love having my blanket touch my face while I’m sleeping. I can manage to be away from it if I force myself to leave it at home when I travel. I think it is more of a comfort/stress relieving thing for me. Like a couple of others on here, I don’t drink, and I have never done drugs. Maybe someone should do a study on this! :)
March 7th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
I can not really put across how relieved i am to have found i am not the only adult with a blanket. I am 23 and since i can remember, i have always had some kind of blanket. first it was sheety, then dressie (an old dressing gown which gradually got smaller and smaller) and now i have ‘rags’. i have never known anyone else who has one so i am overjoyed that there are other people like me. i like to rub it between my thumb and index finger and also against my lips and nose. i also click my tongue sometimes. i love the smell of it particulary in summer when i have left it on the windowsill all day in the sun. it smells best then. i can be without it but i would rather not be. it helps me relax. some of my friends know about it but im highly embarrassed by it. my husband knows about it and is fine about it (though i actually think he is a bit jealous as it takes up a lot of my attention!). i keep bits of it in every room of the house and a bit in all my coats lol. i tried giving it up but i have decided that as its not causing me any harm, why should i?
March 19th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
44 years old, and I take pillow flip flaskie everywhere. It is just a rag now, the top of the pillowcase, a ring of cloth I hold or rub between my fingers, or hang on my ears. This is probably the 10th one, they just wearing out. I’m so happy to find my people. My family thinks I’m weird, and tease me all the time. My wife thinks it is a psychological issue. I just have to have pillow flap.
March 19th, 2009 at 10:50 pm
Wow, this is extraordinary, I had no idea I wasn’t alone here! I’m 16 and have gone through about three blankets in my life. I still have the original that was knitted for me as a baby around somewhere, but it’s not so much a blanket anymore as a scrap of unraveled wool. Right now I have Blue, my blue (go figure) wool blanket, my ‘mookie’. When I was younger I sewed a soft piece of cotton/fleece like stuff to one edge, and that edge is the only one I’ll rub against my ear, but it’s a very weak material and has rips and tears and missing pieces all over the place. Blue is starting to come apart, but I still sleep with him every night, I even bring him on sleepovers, and my best friend’s mom teases me good humouredly about him all the time! My dad has a way of unintentionally making me feel very awkward about my blanket, but that won’t stop me from bringing him to college when the time comes!
March 27th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
I love my baby Blanket too. Although, I do not want to be buried with my Blanket because that means he will be in the ground in the dark and will get dirty and possibly attacked by animals. That’s why he will never be buried with me. My blanket is blue and is in fairly good condition considering other people have theirs in rags. Pretty much all the binding on the edges is gone and the thread is sort of pulling apart in some places. So I keep him folded so he won’t get torn. I used to have one corner of my Blanket that was his face. It has all these little fuzz balls that I would use to rub against the corners of where my finger nail meets my skin on my thumb. I forget how, but I either cut the face away from the Blanket or it just kind of fell away, but anyway I used to use him as my portable piece of my Blanket. I took him in my coat pocket and to restaurants and places. I lost that part though. I was sad. But I still have the rest of the Blanket so I’m fine. My brother never kept his Blanket and I do not know why. I decided to keep mine and I still have him. I plan to keep him forever and possibly pass him down to my children. We’ll see what happens. Anyway, I think my Blanket is special. Come to think of it, I don’t really know why. He is soft and cuddly and has been with me a while, so I guess he’s like my friend that doesn’t speak. But if he could speak I know he’d like me. I love my Blanket
March 28th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
I agree with you Billy. I love my Blanket too. In fact, here’s my story:
I love my baby Blanket too. Although, I do not want to be buried with my Blanket because that means he will be in the ground in the dark and will get dirty and possibly attacked by animals. That’s why he will never be buried with me. My blanket is blue and is in fairly good condition considering other people have theirs in rags. Pretty much all the binding on the edges is gone and the thread is sort of pulling apart in some places. So I keep him folded so he won’t get torn. I used to have one corner of my Blanket that was his face. It has all these little fuzz balls that I would use to rub against the corners of where my finger nail meets my skin on my thumb. I forget how, but I either cut the face away from the Blanket or it just kind of fell away, but anyway I used to use him as my portable piece of my Blanket. I took him in my coat pocket and to restaurants and places. I lost that part though. I was sad. But I still have the rest of the Blanket so I’m fine. My brother never kept his Blanket and I do not know why. I decided to keep mine and I still have him. I plan to keep him forever and possibly pass him down to my children. We’ll see what happens. Anyway, I think my Blanket is special. Come to think of it, I don’t really know why. He is soft and cuddly and has been with me a while, so I guess he’s like my friend that doesn’t speak. But if he could speak I know he’d like me. I love my Blanket
March 28th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
I found this site to validate my addiction to my blanket for my husband. At 38 he believes that it is highly unusual for this behavior. He threatened to burn my hole ridden, warn blanket, just as my mother had while I was growing up. This is blanket number 4. Number 4 has been with me for almost 20 years. It is a course nubby blankie that I smell and nibble at. Part of the reason I am fond of it is because I have ADHD, and I am very tactile. It has been in a number of hotel rooms. When I don’t have it, I substitute it with another course piece of clothing. I also rake my hands and fingers against it. It is relaxing. I especially like to have it when I am stressed, really sick, or terribly tired. I wash it regularly. My son has been attached to his blanket since birth. It softens my heart to watch him smell it.
March 30th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
My security blanket is my pillow case. I have had 3 since birth and I am now 34. I have had my current one for around 15 years as it takes a little time for it to become worn enough for me to enjoy the feel of it. The smell is particuarly important, I love to rub it around my face especially around my lips and nose. Unless you share this need then I guess you could never explain it to anyone. I also enjoy to suck my thumb but my pillow case will always come first. My partner doesn’t care nor do any of my children. I cannot sleep without it and it has helped me through many difficult times in my life. I am glad that my comforter does not damage my health in any way even though it may look a little strange. I will never apologise for my behaviour because it makes me who I am. So to all you fellow blanket holders keep doing what makes YOU happy.
April 14th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
I have a blanket which I just can’t live without. It started off as my baby blanket in my crib when I was little, and my mum used to give it to me to keep me quiet. But instead of outgrowing it, I stayed attached to it. I’m currently 22 and I know that I will still have it when I am in my 50’s, 60’s, 70’s … I am currently on my ‘third generation’ blanket, because of how they get tattier and smaller the more you use them. It has to be the exact same material at my old blanket, so my mum (who is disgusted that I still have it) has to find something which has the same material, and cuts it into squares so it lasts longer. I used to think that I was alone with this ‘addiction’ but I met another woman older than me who also could not live without her blanket, and she has children. That’s when I began to think that I was not alone with my habit, so I obviously searched the internet, reading forums like these of hundreds of people who, like me, cannot live without their blanket. I am embarrassed that I cannot live without it, and I am dreading the day that I have to tell my boyfriend that I am a grown woman with a comfort blanket. But it’s one of those things you have to live with, because unlike other types of addictions, there doesn’t seem to be a type of ‘blankets anonymous’ group to visit to ‘kick the habit’.
So instead I’m going to stand up here and admit it: “my name is Steph and I love my blanket”
April 17th, 2009 at 4:01 am
WOW! I have tears in my eyes as I’m reading everyone’s comments! I’m so glad I found this site and I’m not the only one who does this! I’m 24 (female) and I’ve had several blankets…I love to smell the one I have right now, even though my parents think I’ve kicked the habbit. I just love folding it and playing with it and rubbing it against my nose. I honestly thought I was the only one doing this but it is so soothing! WOW! I’m so amazed to see that I’m not the only one! Cheers to us all!
April 24th, 2009 at 10:28 pm
im 19 years old and i have a blanket too.. its a soft blanket wit like waffle like knitting in it.. ive been smelling it and saying mmm chocolatey since i was a baby.. theres something about it.. it has a mixture of smells.. like chocolate an cheese.. and i always change my blanket becuz i bite the wool out of it and spit at the wall.. and i also suck my middle finger and my pointing figure.. and put needles in between the blanket knitting and rip it apart
April 29th, 2009 at 11:26 am
I am twenty one and i love my woobie. It started out when i was an infant and now, when i am home you will often find me sitting on my couch picking rubbing or nuzzling the newest sweater, scarf or glove. When i was younger anything i could pick at and make “fluffier” would do. now i just tend to gravitate towards the cashmeres or angoras but imitation or real is just fine. im adopted and when i was a child my biological grandmother told my adoptive mother that my biological mother did the same thing when she was younger and still does.Being that ive only seen my birth mother a few times, which occured after i picked up my woobie habit it is unlikely that i could have picked it up from observation. noone else ive ever met does this but i dont hide it. All of my closest friends know and my fiancee doesnt care at all and knows the distress id go through if i didnt have it. Its the one thing that is necessary to my happiness, especially when im in need of relaxtion.
May 1st, 2009 at 7:30 am
btw i also suck on the roof of my mouth and rub it on my nose mouth area…im glad im not the only one
May 1st, 2009 at 7:35 am
Omg, I am so happy to see how many other people out there have a Blanky! I’m so glad I’m not the only one! :D
I’m only fifteen, but I’ve been through two Blankies so far. I got them both when I was a baby, but one was kept put away as a backup. I’m on that one now. lol They both had the silk edges everyone’s talking about (which also shocks me; I thought mine was the only one with silk edges!), and I absolutely CANNOT SLEEP WITHOUT IT. I refuse to. XP There are only about four or five people in the world that know about it (not including all of you reading this), and I plan to keep it that way. It’s not that I’m embarrassed by it, not at all, I just feel that other people don’t understand it. Except all of you! *hugs* :]
I have a question for anyone reading this (e-mail me at azargoddess@yahoo.com); am I the only one whose Blanky has a certain, wonderful smell? My parents tell me it smells horrible, dirty, but I think it’s the best smell in existence, and I can’t live without smelling it every day. I just sniffed it not a minute ago. lol It’s like my crack. XD
Thank you all for making me feel not so alone about my Blanky. :] You all rock.
May 13th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
I think our blankies smell like us and therefore, smell like what we classify as ‘home’ or security. That is why they smell so great.
May 21st, 2009 at 3:05 am
No blankie here but thumbsucking. The more I try to stop it hits back stronger then ever. The urge is uncontrollable. It itches, it urges, it begs, it demands, please… Just one little suck. And when you finaly relent and snuck one in the feeling is uncomprehendable. Oh..how soothing, how relaxing, and calming, almost like meditation . But when you finaly wake up returning from cyberspace you feel humiliated, embarrassed and depressed.
Can anybody here tell me why a successful 34 year old mother of 7 still often succumbs to such childish behavior? And anyone out there who will find solace with this, I was always defined as an above average very talented individual and even own a very successful bussiness, but when stressed out which happens quite often I will indulge in this thumbsucking habit. (not in public though)
May 25th, 2009 at 4:44 am
I’m 24 and I’ve had blankies all my life. They have to be a certain type of silk or have a silk edge. I take them to work and in the car if I go somewhere. I’m now married when I met my future husband he loved the idea of my blanky, I was so glad he was comfortalbe with it!! Now we have our own place we have a “whitter” each (I trained him how to ‘whit’- a fast finger movement the blanky). We cant sleep without our whitters and when we go to work if we leave one at home we tuck him into bed so he is ok until we get in. We dont wash them very often as we like him with scent on!
June 1st, 2009 at 3:13 pm
I had a blankie when I was younger, I have gone to stores to purchase new blankets with thick bridal satin swen around the edges. I cut it into small pieces since I wear it out after a few weeks or so of just rubbing it together. I am not attached to the smell or the “oldness factor”. I just like the way it feels – smooth and silky. I sometimes find myself rubbing it up around my lips, between my lips and nose area.
I always did that with my blankie. Wonder what is up with that? I have always been embarrassed, too. I’m 47 and I dont’ sleep with it and I keep it hidden from my girlfriend. I take it with me in my pocket and in the car – usually hiding it out of sight. I really only use it while driving. It’s a huge stress reliever!
Glad to hear I’m not the only one.
I wonder if there is a way to stop using it? Or should I stop using it?
June 3rd, 2009 at 9:33 am
I’m 33 years old now and have had a security blanket from when I was a baby. Apparently I started with a teddy bear that would go everywhere with me and then I moved onto very soft worn material. My current one is a pair of old denim shorts that I had as a teenager, which was my second choice when the other one (pair of old jeans which is unuseable) was in the wash. My sister told me that she tried to hide it with my ex as they were tired of a grown woman sitting and stroking this piece of material. I don’t remember this but apparently I warned them that neither of them were sleeping in that house that day unless it was produced. I don’t know how to explain it, but I fell at peace when I have it and I have tried to break the habit but I end up not in a good mood and folding the hem of my trousers.
June 11th, 2009 at 3:59 pm
soo manyy people! and i felt like the only one.
i’m 17 years old and have the same original blanky i’ve had since the day i was born, its very torn up and everytime a piece tears off i tie back to the blanky because i fear the day it’ll be completely gone :p
my boyfriend hated it at first and seceretely stole it one night as he left and realised by my crying cause i wasnt bale to sleep how important it was to me and now he doesnt really mind it.
i love smelling it and i hate when my mom washes it without my permission, its been everywhere with me from europe to a school trip to costa rica. its the only thing that completely relaxes and comforts me and i honestly cant see my life without it
June 17th, 2009 at 11:57 pm
i’m 20 years old and i still have my security blanket! the blanket is older than me, because it was part of the bed in a bag of my mother. the when i was born she gave it to me. The blanket is sewed because it had 2 many holes. I love to pass the corner of my blanket through my fingers. I love the smell of it, even though my family and boyfriend hate it! I take my blanket everywhere I go, my trips, my boyfriends house, EVERYWHERE!!! It is the first thing I pack if I stay in another house! Whenever I got sick, or felt bad, or felt sad I just smelled my blanket and everything would be ok! It use to be white with blue flowers now it is light beige and the flowers look more gray than blue! i love it!
June 20th, 2009 at 1:13 am
I am a 40 year old woman and I am in love with a man who is 29 who is a blankie lover.I am totally accepting of him loving his little blanket and playing with cloth scraps/napkins/microfiber cloths for cleaning the car etc.He folds it into a point and makes it “talk” and say funny stuff.He rubs it on his face too,and sleeps with it.Playing with a blankie is a harmless thing. The only rule I have with my boyfriend is that blankie cannot be on the bed when he and I are getting “romantic”.The world we live in is cruel enough,so I believe that someone playing with a little blanket is innocent and should not be a big deal or a reason not to love someone.People who love blankets are warm, loving, sweet, kind ,and in touch with their inner child.Blanket lovers are also playful,sensuous people who enjoy all of their senses a lot,and having a blankie caters to the touch and smell senses.
I also think shy people and people from violent/caustic/screaming/unhealthy households are more inclined to attach themselves to a blankie to comfort tehmselves.If a blankie offers stress relief without drugs or alcohol and makes the person playing with it calmer then everyone needs one. Also I would like to note that if you ever lose touch with your inner child,you are not living your life joyfully.
July 1st, 2009 at 9:09 pm
I’m a 20 year old female and I have a blankie as well, though it is not the same one as I had when I was about five or so. That one, I had until I was 14 or 16, though my mother made me throw it away. I managed to sneak it back into the house and hid it, but I never touched it because I was afraid my mother would see it.
In any case, I ended up not having a blanket for two years and I was fine, though when I went to college, I bought a blanket from the university store and I got attached to it an use it as my blanket now. I mostly just use the blanket to sleep with or I have it on my lap when I’m in my room reading or using the computer. I also have a habit of sort of sucking on the roof of my mouth unconsciously when I’m touching my blanket. I don’t think it’s really unusual, though I definitely don’t talk to my friends about it. My girlfriend thinks it’s adorable, though, so all is well, I suppose :)
July 7th, 2009 at 1:45 pm
I still have my blanket too. We used to refer to it as my “night-night blanket”…Like someone else said, my blanket was given to me as a newborn, but originally belonged to some little boy who outgrew it. It was a huge quilt like blanket, SOOOOO soft. Now it’s falling apart. I collect every little string that comes off it. And I sleep with it wrapped around my neck, well not all the way around, but you know…and I also carry it around the house by holding it with my teeth. It stinks (to others, I love the smell) and it’s almost extinct. I dunno what I’ll do when my blankie is no more.
P.S. Did I mention I’m 32? hahaha.
July 7th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
im 23 and i have had what i call my “tata” since i was about to i call it my tata b/c when i was 2 i couldnt say bata… what it is is a pair of silky pajama pants i actually have 2. my mother always told people that id give it up when i got in a relationship but i didnt acually my girlfriend would take a piece of it and rub right along with me i actually had one that i left at her house in her bed which had previously been housed at my best friends house in his bed since as a teenager i had the habit of sleeping out alot and never knowing when. and now that i am a preschool teacher when i get stressed out i go get one of my kids “silky” and rub on that for a while… my grandmother would come to visit every once in a while and would try to hide them on me…
July 8th, 2009 at 10:09 pm
SO glad to see that there are others out there who share my habits! I’m 24 years old and i have a blanket that my mom made me when I was very little– somehow it’s survived all of these years. No trauma in my life at all– I’m a perfectly normal person, no great losses in my life, and I have a great relationship with a man who thinks my blankie is cute– sometimes when he has to leave for work earlier than me, he’ll tuck my blankie under my arm before he leaves. I have a weird habit of “pulling” it– with the thumb of one hand, i pull the fabric between my index and middle finger. feels best when the fabric is cold. i also like the smell it, but i don’t mind washing it, because the smell always comes back. somehow i think of my it as a person– i don’t like leaving it on the floor (like it’s a sign of disrespect or something– HA) and sometimes i feel bad for not spending time with it if i happen to be really busy. i’ve always said that if my house ever caught on fire and i could only take one thing with me, there’d be no question in my mind what i’d take. it’d be my blankie hands down.
July 11th, 2009 at 9:39 am
I am 19 years old and have a blanket I’ve had since I was born. It’s not a baby’s blanket but larger, but not very large. I always used to call it softy when I was little but now I don’t really call it that anymore. I like the way it smells and to rub it on my face but I do wash it on regular occasions. The edges are all tattered and I have to sleep with it on the light side up (it has a light side and a dark side). I don’t think it’s weird.
July 13th, 2009 at 6:23 am
I’m a 23 yr old male and I do this as well, I was bored tonite and decided to google this as I thought I was the only person who does this. My gf does not mind it at all.
My parents told me I have been rubbing a silk blanket on and around my nose since I was 18 months old. I’m happy that I’m not alone with this, I’ve googled it before and never found anything. Well I’m going to cuddle up with my blanket and watch tv, goodnite
July 14th, 2009 at 12:11 am
im 19 and ever since i was little ive been rubbing silk when im bored, relaxing or tired. i became very picky on the type of silk it was too. i also fold it into triangles and rub it on my lips, nose and face. i also like the feeling of wet silk sometimes? AND! i sucked a passifier until i was 10 years old, wich embarasses me. i couldnt sleep without it and would make my family go out and buy me one if i lost or forgot to bring it with me somewhere. not to anyones surprize but i had to get braces at 13 and for the whole 4 years i had them i never wanted to suck on anything. when i got them removed i had the urge to suck my tonge and still continue to. im trying to quit, but it comforts and puts me to sleep quickly… but its nice to know im not the only one (:
July 18th, 2009 at 11:52 pm
I’m 39 and I have a favorite pillow named “squishy”. I take it almost everywhere I go. I don’t need alcohol, cigarrets or weird drugs to relax, just my pillow. My husband thinks it’s cute and he makes sure I have it before we leave home. He excepts me for me. ALL OF ME. Now that’s what I call LOVE.
July 25th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
I’m 19 and I still have my blanket from when I was a baby. I used to take him everywhere, in kindergarden I used to keep him in my back pack so I didn’t have to leave him at home. I don’t remember what he originally looked like but I guess he had silk edges because he’s been all knotted up like a string for as long as I remember and theres silk pieces that I always thought made up a face with eyes, nose, and mouth. I used to carry him over my shoulder or around my neck, and loved to smell him. Sometimes I would lose him for days at a time and be so depressed, and other blankets just didn’t work, the only thing that got me to sleep was an old t-shirt of my dad’s he gave me, but as soon as I found blanky(banky/ranky) I was fine. I dont take him anywhere any more but he stays on my bed, and I can’t get to sleep without him. If he falls off the bed I find myself waking up and rolling over uncomfortable until I find him. When I have friends come over i usually just put him in my pillow case, and the only time I take him somewhere is if I’m going to be gone for more than 2 days on vacation. It’s really cool to know theres more people out there, I know I have no plans on getting rid of it.
August 1st, 2009 at 4:42 pm
i used a blankey till i was in my early 20’s. i got rid of it b/c a boyfriend made fun of me. well i’m 34 now and i’ve since had a baby. she has a blanket called “soft” and it feels and smels just like my old linus blanket. at night after she falls asleep i take it and sniff it and rub it. she wakes up soemtimes looking for it and i have to slip it back to her without causing a scene. LOL
August 4th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
i am 19 and i have a security blanket, well, pillowcase. it seems weird, i kno, but this pillowcase has this texture that i like when i twiddle with it and it relieves anxiety. i also am a thumbsucker, my bf doesnt care, but my mom naggs me about it. my boyfriend used to suck his thumb until high school, and he doesnt care at all. he totally knows where im coming from. besides that, i think that thumbsucking and blankies are normal, and kids should stop when they wanna stop. it has to be in them to let the blankie drop or stop sucking their thumb.
August 12th, 2009 at 10:08 pm
I am now 20 and have been made fun of so much by my family for having my blanket! It’s nice to know I’m not alone in the world. I have told two of my friends and of course it’s no big deal. I have gone through three mainly due to them getting old and tattered. It’s not so much the material, just the feel. Of course, it has to be cold! Those are the spots I rub. I used to put it in the freezer during the day and get it out when I got home from school. I also do something that I can only describe as ’sucking my tongue’ as I feel it, but now the sucking has become more of a cat purring thing, like I do it when I’m comfortable and relaxed. Strange,but i don’t particularly care. I would die if it become widely known outside of my family, but it’s the most comforting thing and it calms me down. I always tell them “This blanket loves me so much more than you do!” in good fun, but it’s kind of true. It will never fail me! It’s interesting to note that I always have found some sort of substitute feel if I will myself out of the habit for a bit or my parents hide it from me. I don’t take it to college with me, but things always become “feely”…like bedspreads, items of clothing…etc. So i’ve just come to accept it. I’m a blanket person!
August 18th, 2009 at 8:21 pm
I’m 17 and still have my blanket, but I HATE the smell of it after its been washed. Just to pissed me off my mom washes it so I put it in my school bag when I leave. my boyfriend thinks its cute and we both sleep with it now haha!
August 20th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
Hello all…It has been so funny reading about all of this. I am 29 years old and have had different “Sniffys” throughout my life. It all started when my grandmother covered my carseat with her bathrobe so that I would not get a sunburn when I was a baby. I pulled it towards me and that was it. My current “sniffy” has been with me for about 15 years now. Although I don’t wear my “sniffy” as it was intended I have found many uses for it. As it was originally intended by my grandmother, it makes a great sun guard (I roll it up in my window to block the sun while studying in the parking lot of the university I attend), use it as a blanket when I get cold, a fan when I get hot, I fold it up as a pillow, and best of all it is an awesome spider-blocker…If you are sniffin a sniffy while you sleep you can’t be swallowing spiders while you sleep. (Snapple cap fact #? …The average person swallows 8 spiders in a lifetime while sleeping.) My family gave it the unfortunate title of “sniffy”…I think it would have sounded better as a “silky”, or anything but “sniffy”. My mother and sisters have thrown countless blankets away but I always end up with a new one. In high school we would have pajama day. I would take my sniffy and my friends would all bust out laughing at the sight of me walking freely down the hall, blanket in hand. Being a lifetime “out of the closet sniffer” I have met several other people that have the same type of soothing behaviors. When my son was a baby he developed a liking for the material as well. I do think there must be some kind of genetic or social connection to this. We are not the tongue clickers or thumb sucker types…but we do enjoy the smell and the coldness of a nylon based material…usually a slip. I was always teased by my family. They asked me things like: “What if you found the man of your dreams but you still have that sniffy…what then?” I would reply, “the man of my dreams would love me anyway.” It is funny that I have NEVER encountered a guy that has had a problem with it…although there were always jokes. I think this whole thing is very interesting…there should be a name for it. I am a Biology major and have often wondered about the science behind this behavior. I think that if a neuroscientist was to look into brain activity with and without a “sniffy”, they would find some interesting changes. Most of the people that have replied to this site seem fairly normal…a category in which I would place myself. I don’t have any mental/social disorders or any other quirky traits. I am very comfortable with my “sniffy” and am glad to see that there are others out there too.
August 23rd, 2009 at 9:35 pm
I have always wondered if there were other people out there who had the habit of rubbing a scrap of silk fabric in their palm. I sort of assumed it was unique to me.
I am a 31 man, married with no kids and I have had an attachment to a certain feel of some silk fabrics between my fingers all my life.
My earliest memory is of a blue blanket of some sort with a silk ribbon on the edges. Then a small jacket made of a similar satin. I carried it around the house rubbing it with my fingers. until at 10 my father bribed it away from me.
At 17 under the influence of LSD I walked out of a fleamarket carrying the prize of child’s bed tent made of the perfect fabric for rubbing between my fingers. As soon as I picked it up my hand and mind remembered the feeling.
I have had that damn tent ever since. I cut pieces from it and keep them as hankerchiefs. I have carried one almost everyday since. I dont need it to sleep like others. I just cant stop moving it across my thumb with my index finger.
August 25th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
I’m 14 and use a homemade blanket a family member made 4 me b4 she died. The blanket reminds me of her and it also helps me through all of the middle school drama. I’m glad to know lots of others still use one.
August 28th, 2009 at 11:53 pm
I am 37 yrs old and still have my blanky, or woobie. It, as with most of the other posts, is not the original. The original was a handmade quilt my mother made me when I was a baby. She said from as early as she can remember I rubbed the edge of it between my fingers and thumb (thumb over fabric, first finger under, next two fingers under and pinky over..rub across index finger with thumb) The original lasted 21 yrs, when I had my first baby and decided to try to give it up….didn;t work. At this point, I had worn all the edges off and of the 3 different type materials used to make the sqares for the front, two were worn away so all that was left was every 3rd square and a very holey back. I took the whole thing apart and used the “good” squares to make 2 small pillows and stuffed them with the remains, so I could sleep with them. I wore holes thru both in very little time. I then adopted a sheet I got at a yard sale that closely matched the material of the first set of squares from my quilt. When it wore out, I went on to the fitted one. As it wore out I began fingering fabric in stores looking for a replacement. When I found some, my mom, who I had told about the fabric, bought me two 6 ft by 3 ft. legths of two different colors. Both are tye dye but one side is like blue green purple and the other is red orange yellow. I sewed the sides together and for a yr or two packed the fitted sheet and the new one together everywhere I went. Anyone who knows me knows I come with the blanket, so I was never embarrassed, but some friends find humor in taking it and hiding it from me if they get the chance…at times leaving me in tears till I get it back! I also prefer it to be cool to the touch and it seems with this new one (I finally lost the fitted sheet one night at the beach) I have automatically chosen the greenish tinted spots in the tye dye as my favorites (the color of both the 1st squares of my original blankey and of the sheet set) I am already wearing holes in it and have only been on it for 2 1/2 yrs. (I still have both pillowcases inside the pillow cases I sleep on) Next color in the tye dye seems to be purple, because it seems each color feels different and I need a “certain feel”. I can identify which color I am rubbing in the dark by the feel of the fabric. I love to rub my lips and cheeks with it when I go to sleep and HATE to wash it, cause I love to smell it, but that seems to be the only way my boyfriend will tolerate it. lol I will do this for the whole of my life I have no doubt, but I have at least stopped taking it everywhere…for example: to work and keep it in the locker to rub on breaks and at lunch…to the store in my purse to rub while I shopped. In my younger days I was once arrested and while they were booking me I was quietly tearing piece of my sheet and tied it in my hair while they weren’t looking. They let me keep the whole sheet till they put me in the cell) and I got to keep my little sneaky piece so I was able to get thru it!
August 30th, 2009 at 4:12 pm
OH MY GOD!! I never thought that there are many people out there who have the same addiction as mine…I’m 20, and I got so addicted to my blanket, it’s not the original one now, It’s my 10 years old T-shirt called Motmot, I suck on it everytime i’m in my home. Like some people here I click my tongue against the roof of my mouth, hahaha, yea It’s embarassing tho, coz I’m a man. If there’s girl out there who do that I will consider that as a cute thing ,you know, But thing would be different with me as a man. I’m so glad there are some man out there who still do that. hehe…
September 8th, 2009 at 11:33 am
It’s kind of comforting to know that there are a tonne of people out there who have the same sort of problem/habit as me! I’m 22 and have always loved soft things. I had a blanket of sorts as a child, it was a pajama romper I had grown out of that my mom cut up for me to keep as a blanket, she tells me that I’d always rub it between my fingers going to sleep, I think I eventually wore it out, she had to keep cutting it smaller and smaller. Now it’s soft toys, or even really things. I have this bear made out of alpaca, which is like ‘the’ softest thing I’ve ever felt! If you like soft things I’d recommend it. I’m always rubbing his fur between my fingers and against my face, sort of subconsciously. I still don’t quite understand why I do it… I was adopted at a couple months maybe that’s why.. I’m thinking about going to therapy. I don’t need it to fall asleep or need it to get through the day or feel safe, but I like the feel of it and could do it for hours if I had the time. I think it is an addition of sorts, probably rooted in childhood somehow. It’s relatively harmless but I’d like to understand it better. It’s just really nice to know I’m not alone in it.
October 1st, 2009 at 11:10 am
I was just wondering if anyone here does what I do. I’m 23 and I’ve had my blanket since i was little I use to carry it around and sleep with it. The strange thing I use to do was rub my blanket on my lips when they were dry. This caused my blanket to become rags. So my mom got me this pillow case thing with a string on it, and I started to use the string on my lips. I also rub my fingers on the string if they are really dry (like around the nails). I just love the feeling and the sond it makes. It just gives me a comfort. And about 3 months ago I just stopped sleeping with my blanket and now carry around a shoe string. I still rub it on my lips when they get dry, and I kinda wish I could go out in public and do this without people looking at me…So I was just wondering if anyone else does this or is it just me????
October 6th, 2009 at 8:48 pm
Reading all this is like torture. I’m 27 now, and have been missing my Snuggie since I was 19. My mother finally threw him away when I went to college, after she convinced me to leave it behind so my new roommates wouldn’t think I was crazy.
I was adopted, and had my Snuggy since the first night my adoptive parents brought me home at the age of 8 months. My adoptive grandmother hand made him for me, as a welcome I suppose. I never went anywhere without him, and I had a very specific way of running a certain part of the fabric under my fingernails and through my hands. I also loved the smell of Snuggy.
Over the years Snuggy lost most of the insides, until it ended up just being a lump at each of the four corners. By that time, each corner had a name and a personality, like little people or something. Not sure why I did that. I really was convinced that Snuggy had feelings though – like if I threw him out of anger, I would immediately go running to him, crying and apologizing. I guess it’s just… well… Snuggy had been with me my entire life, unfailingly. Through nights of sobbing while my parents fought, to moments of happiness. I felt he had always been there to support and comfort me, so I had to treat him right, as I would a person.
To this day I do not forgive my mother for taking Snuggy away from me while my back was turned. And I have never, and will never, be able to form the same attachment to anything else. Every night I have to admit I do feel a little empty inside, missing my Snuggy and the comforting scent, and longing to run my fingers over that certain bit of the fabric.
October 16th, 2009 at 11:24 am
I read this site regularly and can’t believe I missed this.
I’m also a blanket user. I’ll try to keep my blanket history brief. I actually had 2 that I loved. Both were yellow. One was “silk” on both sides, the other only silky on one side.
My parents paid me to give up my blanket at the age of 7. I didn’t give up thumb sucking until the age of 10 (and have PERFECT teeth!).
I always loved the silky feel of the outside of sleeping bags & lining of some some jackets. And those fleece/thermal blankets with the silky piping? Love it!
Anyway,iIn my teen years, I came across one of my blankets and decided to start sleeping with it again. Sadly, I left my blanket in a hotel room at the age of 17.
My mom gave me blanket #2 then. I know she thinks it’s weird but there’s definitely something comforting about the feel of the blankets.
I’d like to get a new blanket. Mine is in rags. I do wash it because I don’t care about the smell (unless it started to stink, then I’d care!). I’d like to find another yellow one. But a lot of baby blankets only have the silky stuff on the trim.
So glad to know I’m not alone!!
October 24th, 2009 at 10:17 pm
I am actually in awe… I thought my blankie loving was a deep dark secret that I kept from almost everyone! I am 23 years old, have had a great and stable upbringing, consider myself pretty normal and have a blankie that I love dearly. I’ve had the same blanket since birth but over the years it has shrunk…. and has tons of holes, but I still love it none the less. Also it blew my mind that I’m not alone with what I do with it… I love when its cold – I put it inbetween my pillow and head/on my ear, and sometime I run it through my middle and index finger. I can really say that I do not have a good sleep if I dont have it – though I CAN sleep without it. I do like the smell of it, but I wash it regularly (the smell comes back), but yes I love to snuggle it and rub my face on it…. anyways I had no idea how many people share this guilty pleasure/obsession. My fiance doesn’t mind it either, he thought it was a little odd at the beginning but now doesn’t mind and is really supportive about it. I think I’ll keep blankie for awhile longer….I had a real pleasure reading… thanks!
October 28th, 2009 at 10:06 am