Why A Doudou Can Matter So Much To A Child

The quiet psychology behind a child’s favourite soft companion

A familiar soft object can take on extraordinary importance during a child’s early years. Children may reach for it during moments of separation, in unfamiliar surroundings or whenever they need comfort. To an adult, it may appear to be simply a blanket, a swaddle, a soft toy, a pillow or a doudou. To the child, it can represent familiarity, reassurance and continuity.

Decades of psychological research have explored this attachment. The object at its centre is known as the transitional object.

A familiar developmental phenomenon

The paediatrician and psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott coined the term “transitional object” in 1953. He used it to describe a child’s first treasured possession outside themselves, perhaps the corner of a blanket, a soft toy, a pillow or a doudou.

The object occupies a space between the child’s inner experience and the outside world as they gradually move from dependence towards greater independence.

The American Academy of Pediatrics explains that children often choose a transitional object between eight and twelve months and may keep it for years. When they are tired, separated from a parent, upset or somewhere unfamiliar, the object’s softness, scent and familiarity can offer reassurance. As the Academy puts it, “there’s no reason to keep your child from using one.”

France’s official 1000 premiers jours programme notes that a doudou is not essential, particularly during the earliest months, when a baby relies primarily on caregivers for reassurance. As children grow, however, some may choose a familiar object that becomes a source of comfort.

The UK’s National Health Service similarly notes that a familiar object, such as a favourite toy or something carrying a parent’s scent, may reassure a baby while their parent is away.

Not every child chooses a transitional object, and no child needs to be encouraged to form an attachment. But for those who do, it can become a meaningful and perfectly ordinary source of comfort.

What the research shows

Developmental psychologist Richard Passman spent much of his career studying children’s attachments to familiar objects.

In a 1977 study published in Developmental Psychology, Passman found that, for children who were already attached to a security blanket, having it nearby could reduce distress and support engagement in an unfamiliar setting. Under the study’s particular conditions, the blanket’s effect was comparable to having their mother present.

A British population survey involving 702 children aged three, published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, examined children’s use of a special soft object during distress and at bedtime. Object use was associated with the child’s level of independence and ease of going to sleep. As an observational study, it could not establish that the object caused either outcome, but its findings run against the idea that attachment to a soft companion is inherently a sign of insecurity.

In a small qualitative study conducted at a Brazilian childcare centre in 2019, educators observed that children who used attachment objects tended to calm more quickly, fall asleep sooner and adapt more easily to the centre’s routines.

These findings do not mean that a doudou replaces a parent or creates emotional security on its own. They suggest something quieter. For some children, a familiar object can help carry a sense of comfort from one setting to another.

It looks different everywhere

How common object attachment is varies considerably across cultures and families.

A study conducted across cultures by Hong and Townes, published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, found that approximately 54% of the American infants studied formed an attachment to an object, compared with 18% of the Korean infants studied. Korean children living in the United States fell between the two groups, at approximately 34%.

Earlier research by Renata and Eugenio Gaddini also found variations between different social groups in Italy.

Researchers have suggested that family practices, including sleeping arrangements, physical proximity and how separations are experienced, may contribute to these differences. Individual differences between children also matter. No single explanation accounts for why one child chooses a particular object while another does not.

These patterns reflect the many ways children find comfort and the many ways families care for them. That individuality lies at the heart of the Doux Rêves Doudoux, thoughtfully designed as soft, tactile companions that each child can discover and make their own, in their own way and in their own time.

A word on safety

Safe sleep guidance always takes priority.

The American Academy of Pediatrics states that, for babies up to one year of age, pillows, items resembling pillows, blankets, toys and other soft objects should be kept completely out of the sleep space.

The UK’s National Health Service likewise advises against pillows and duvets for babies under one and recommends keeping the cot free from pillows and soft toys.

France’s 1000 premiers jours programme advises that, during a baby’s first six months, they should sleep on their back on a flat surface, without a pillow, cushion, blanket, cot bumper or doudou nearby.

A doudou may be used during supervised awake time if it is suitable for the child’s age and the product’s instructions are followed. It should be removed before the baby sleeps.

If a baby falls asleep in a stroller, car seat, swing, carrier or sling, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends moving them to a firm, flat sleep surface on their back as soon as possible.

For toddlers and older children, parents should continue to select products suitable for the child’s age, follow the product’s instructions and observe the safety guidance applicable where they live.

Sources

1. D. W. Winnicott, “Transitional Objects and Transitional Phenomena,” International Journal of Psychoanalysis (1953).
2. American Academy of Pediatrics, “Transitional Objects: Security Blankets & Beyond,” HealthyChildren.org.
3. Santé publique France and the French Ministry of Health, “Questions du Moment,” 1000 premiers jours.
4. National Health Service, “Separation Anxiety.”
5. Passman, R. H., “Providing Attachment Objects to Facilitate Learning and Reduce Distress: Effects of Mothers and Security Blankets,” Developmental Psychology (1977).
6. Boniface, D. and Graham, P., “The Three Year Old and His Attachment to a Special Soft Object,” Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry (1979).
7. Hong, K. M. and Townes, B. D., “Infants’ Attachment to Inanimate Objects: A Cross Cultural Study,” Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry (1976).
8. Gaddini, R. and Gaddini, E., “Transitional Objects and the Process of Individuation,” Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry (1970).
9. Vercelli, L. C. A. and Negrão, T. P. A., “Um olhar sobre o período de adaptação de crianças pequenas a um centro de educação infantil e o uso de objetos transicionais,” EccoS: Revista Científica (2019).
10. Santé publique France and the French Ministry of Health, “Le sommeil de bébé,” 1000 premiers jours.
11. National Health Service, “Baby and Toddler Safety.”
12. American Academy of Pediatrics, “How to Keep Your Sleeping Baby Safe: AAP Policy Explained,” HealthyChildren.org.