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The purpose of this study was to provide normative developmental data on children's thinking about attachments to soft objects. Four- to 8-year-old children (54 with object attachments and 27 without object attachments) were interviewed about their understanding of an object attachment's history and function, their perceptions of adults' reactions to object use, their beliefs about appropriate use of these objects, and their reasoning about an object's unique identifying attributes and functions (e.g., comforting). Even young children with object attachments were able to provide clear and cohesive descriptions of their nonsocial attachments. However, the children's reasoning about the uniqueness of objects was affected by both age and experience. The results have implications for hypotheses about the origins of object attachments, and the findings are discussed in terms of sources of children's beliefs.

A longitudinal study was conducted to evaluate the hypothesis that a healthy mother-infant relationship is a prerequisite for the development of a child's attachment to a blanket or other soft object. Security of attachment to mother was measured at 12 months with the Strange Situation Test and at 30 months with the Attachment Q-Sort. Most of the children with soft object attachments were rated as securely attached to their mothers at both ages. Children with pacifier attachments, on the other hand, were less often rated as securely attached and were more likely to show changes in security classification between 12 and 30 months. The results are discussed in terms of necessary, but not sufficient, conditions for the development of attachments to inanimate objects.

Maternal practices, attitudes, and beliefs about children's attachments to soft objects were investigated via questionnaires and interviews completed by mothers of 58 children with such attachments, present or previous, and of 24 children who had never been thus attached. Mothers in the former group were generally more accurate and positive about the attachments and the characteristics of children with them than were mothers in the latter group. The role of parents in the development of soft-object attachments is discussed.