It's okay to sleep with a stuffed animal

I slept for a very long time with the rattling little white bear against my ear. Twenty-five years ago (is this for real?) received and since then never left my bed. Until I left the poor thing somewhere in a hotel in America. Don't you have enough of your loved one and is there still a soft, small, cuddly specimen in your bed? Not a problem at all, friend. The ‘little creature’ even has a name. The ‘transitional object’ helps us feel a sense of security.

The American company Best Mattress Brand conducted a survey among over 2,000 men and women and what turns out? No less than 37.51% of respondents still have the company of a stuffed animal in bed. For 29.41% that is specifically a teddy bear and 28.1% keeps a spot for a special blanket. Remarkably, it is mainly millennials (namely 16.1%) who seek comfort from a non-living being, only 8.1% from Generation X and just 2.1% from the baby boomer generation. Psychologists call the teddy we crawl into bed with ’transitional objects’. When we are uncertain or anxious, we tend to reach for comforting items from our childhood, which gives us a sense of security. Especially young people who are just starting a new study or at the beginning of a career cannot do without.

So there is absolutely no need to be ashamed. Whether or not you have a partner in your bed, that chewed rabbit ear or that worn-out stinky monkey with half the stuffing already pulled out, can just stay. Extra round in the washing machine tonight and tomorrow just fresh together under the covers.