The American Academy of Pediatrics’ guidelines states that all soft objects such as stuffed animals, and loose bedding such as pillows, blankets, and bumpers should be kept out of a crib until a baby is at least 1. We strictly adhered to these guidelines with Charlie, and never put anything in his crib, though we did use breathable bumpers before the AAP came out against them. We didn’t even allow him to use a pillow and blanket until he turned 2 and was old enough to ask for them!

When Charlie was a newborn, we received an Angeldear lovey as a gift, but I was too scared to allow him to sleep with it. It turned out that we didn’t need to introduce a lovey because he adopted the sleeves of his white Carters’ onesies that he wore to bed every night as his lovey. He started chewing on the edges of the sleeves when he was as young as 2 months old to self-soothe. I think it really helped that Charlie had a lovey he could depend on for comfort to get him through sleep training when he was 4 1/2 months old.

Charlie continued to chew on his sleeves well past 1 year of age whenever he needed to self-soothe, particularly before naps and at bedtime. We have dozens of onesies with yellowed and frayed sleeves to prove it! Charlie still wears his beloved long-sleeve Carters’ onesies to sleep, but now instead of chewing, he rubs the edges of the sleeves with his fingers to self-soothe when he’s not feeling well.


Olive with her lovey.

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A lot of kids adopt a lovey on their own, but many parents intentionally introduce loveys, otherwise known as security blankets or transitional objects. I didn’t have any plans to introduce a lovey to Olive, but like Charlie, she adopted one all on her own.

I use these Gerber prefold diapers whenever I’m nursing to catch any milk that leaks from the other side. Olive started rubbing the burp cloth between her fingers and covering her face with it during our nursing sessions. It really seemed to help soothe her since she associated it with the comfort of nursing. So about a month ago when she was 6 months old, I started letting her sleep with her lovey from time to time. I definitely think it’s helped her sleep, as I’ve watched her rub the burp cloth between her fingers and soothe herself to sleep on the video monitor.

There are no official guidelines out there on when you can introduce a lovey, which makes the decision of when to do so all the more difficult. The AAP says nothing in the crib until 1 year. The No Cry Sleep Solution suggests 4 months when babies can roll and move their heads easily. I’ve also heard 6 months as the magic number — at that point SIDS risk declines, but it is still considered a big risk until the age of 1. Please do your own research and talk to your own doctor before making any decisions.

I didn’t let Olive use a lovey until she was 6 months old because she had great head and neck control at that point, she was also able to roll over well both ways, and she had good control of her hands. But because of the AAP guidelines, I was still scared to let her sleep with the lovey unsupervised, and would only allow her to use it during naps when I was watching her on the video monitor, and once in a while at night if she was being particularly fussy. When she’d fall asleep, I’d sneak in and snatch the lovey away. Her burp cloth lovey is about 12″ x 16″ and is made of very lightweight, breathable cotton, with nothing on it (eg small buttons, etc.) that can fall off. Maybe if I cut it in half, I’ll worry half as much.

It still kind of freaks me out to let her sleep with it because she loves to drape it across her face, but I’m getting used to the idea little by little. I like that she’s adopted a lovey that provides her with a sense of comfort when I’m not there. When we sleep train, I plan to sleep with the lovey beforehand so that it has my scent on it. If we only use the lovey at naptimes and bedtime, she’ll also come to associate it with a very strong sleep cue, which will hopefully make her a much better sleeper!

Did you or do you plan to introduce a lovey to your little one? At what age?

*The information on this site is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, and is for education purposes only.  Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.