In this article, I would like to present the concept and significance of what psychology calls a transitional object, in relation to the child, the family, and kindergarten life. The term comes from pediatrician and child psychoanalyst D. W. Winnicott, and refers to objects—usually a small pillow, blanket, plush animal, doll, etc.—to which a child becomes strongly attached, especially at bedtime. The name suggests that these objects provide a kind of transition and emotional support for the child. But what exactly is this transition, and what kind of support do they provide?

Modern infant research has shown that babies are born with numerous abilities (such as recognizing their mother’s voice and scent, matching sounds with facial expressions, following speech rhythm and emotional tone, etc.) that allow them not only to perceive the outside world appropriately, but also to actively shape and initiate interactions and relationships with the people around them.

Mother and child form a close unity and respond mutually to each other’s needs and signals, though they are not merged into one. Because of hormonal and emotional factors, if the mother can raise the infant in a sufficiently safe and supportive environment, she becomes capable of tuning in to her baby—for example, understanding different cries or states of alertness—and responding optimally.

This mutual attention and adaptation between infant and caregiver is evolutionarily advantageous because the infant’s survival greatly depends on forming a relationship in which their needs and signals are understood.

Within this close interdependence, the infant’s and young child’s self-awareness develops gradually. One of the earliest elements of bodily awareness is discovering their own hands through sight, touch, and sucking. Recognizing one’s own emotions is a much more refined process that develops through active interaction and emotional exchange with the parent. The baby learns to identify their own internal states partly through the emotions mirrored on the mother’s face.

At the same time, the infant continuously discovers who they are and what belongs to them. Their actions are driven not only by physical needs such as hunger, pain, or tiredness, but also by strengthening attachment to caregivers and exploring the outside world.

Development often happens in stages and leaps. Major changes occur when movement develops—crawling, creeping, and toddling. Alongside exploring the world, anxieties also increase, such as fear of strangers and fear of separation from parents.

This latter pattern is important because it protects the child from wandering too far away and ending up in danger. In a secure relationship, the child explores independently but still needs the parent to remain within sight.

It is during this period that the transitional object typically becomes established in the child’s life. In the dynamic process of separating from and reconnecting with the parent emotionally and physically, the transitional object acts as a mediator. It belongs to the child personally—it cannot truly be replaced or lent out—but it also carries emotional traces of the caregiver.

Before intensive movement development, there may already be signs of attachment, but at this stage it becomes obvious to others too: for example, the child cannot leave home without their teddy bear, or only the green pacifier is acceptable—not the yellow or red one.

The transitional object contains within it the relationship with the mother or caregiver, though it does not replace them. It reminds the child of the love and tenderness with which they are cared for.

The object combines traces of the child’s own personality (their scent, saliva, touch) with the caregiving environment. It also has a sense of permanence: it is always there in the crib at bedtime and upon waking.

These objects often help children survive periods when the parent is absent or unavailable. Transitional objects symbolize trust, safety, and hope that fears will pass and the parent will return.

Plush animals and comfort cloths often support the stabilization of more complex emotional and developmental processes. One important developmental step is maintaining the mental image of the mother even when she is absent.

Young children have little sense of time, so they cannot predict when a parent who has left the room—or gone shopping or to work—will return. In daycare or kindergarten, they connect the passage of time to routines and repeated activities. The transitional object provides continuity and reminds them of home and the parent. Its softness and familiarity help evoke the comforting relationship with the mother.

As children become more self-aware, they experience increasingly complex emotions. At one stage, feelings and reality become intertwined, and intense emotions such as anger can create the frightening sensation that they might “destroy” the caregiver through those feelings.

A more mature developmental stage is reached when the child can integrate both positive and negative feelings toward the parent and still experience the relationship as stable and lasting. The transitional object represents this stability: it survives being thrown, hugged, bitten, or tossed aside, and remains available afterward.

For this reason, it should be clear why it is so important not to take these comforting objects away from children, especially during adaptation to institutional settings such as daycare or kindergarten. These objects can also greatly help teachers and caregivers because children calm down and recover emotionally more easily with them nearby.

They are especially important at naptime, because falling asleep requires the child to let go of conscious control, which is only possible when they feel safe.

Some children, however, do not seem to develop such an object. Unfortunately, this often makes things harder for everyone involved, because these children usually need the parent’s direct physical presence in order to calm down or fall asleep.

Children who fall asleep while touching their mother’s ear or nursing until age 2.5–3 often have great difficulty falling asleep in kindergarten settings, if they can at all.

For some children, the pacifier itself becomes the transitional object, which can also create challenges for both the child and the environment.

Most healthy children, however, do not constantly require the object’s presence and do not necessarily play with it. Its availability and presence matter most.

These objects can also help with activities the child fears. For example, if the teddy bear tastes the pea stew and “likes it,” the child is much more likely to try it too.

Parents and caregivers can save themselves a great deal of stress and frustration by paying attention to these objects and respecting their importance.

Finally, it is important to mention that because transitional objects function as mediators, they contribute not only to emotional balance but also to the development of cognitive abilities such as memory, imagination, and creativity. They help children notice and create connections between inner and outer reality, thereby supporting the development of symbolic and analogical thinking. (murmo.hu)