Most children have difficulty with transitions at some point during childhood. Security objects help children feel secure and give them a sense of control over situations where they have little or no control.

Children vary greatly in their ability to handle transitions and their need for security objects. Experts suggest that parents and caregivers allow the child to give up a security object in their own time. Taking away the child’s security object could result in attachment insecurities later in life. Try not to praise the child’s independence or remove the security object from their possessions. It is important for a child to have their security object around when they need it and to say good-bye to it when they are ready to let it go.

Parents and caregivers can help a child deal with a lost security object by showing them that you understand their loss. Start by telling the child that you feel bad about it too, and that it is a sad thing to lose something so important. Gently ask the child if they have any ideas of what they might like to have in place of their lost security object.