It’s not uncommon to see a grown woman’s bedroom adorned with stuffed animals lined up on the bed. Nor is it uncommon to see a teenager or adult keeping a plush toy with them for good luck. The stuffed animal can represent feelings of comfort, security and rekindle memories of fun and youthful innocence. It may be argued that grown adults need to let go of childhood possessions such as plush toy animals.

People who need to curl up at night with a stuffed animal may be too dependent on their toy and actually be stuck in the past. This can prevent them from developing real-life, personal relationships. When times get tough or even when times are happy, it’s not necessarily healthy to be spending that time with a soft toy for too long. However, there is no question that you can have a soft toy and still be an adult and maintain regular adult responsibilities. Having a toy animal at home can simply help to reconnect you with your childhood and help you to smile when you need it most.

Although school-age children may be considered too old for stuffed toy animals play-time, this is usually because when entering the school system, kids start to make real friends and play more games with them. Other kids will start to read more on their own, or spend time with Mom and Dad at home for family bonding. It’s important for children to grow developmentally, become more social, and take on more adult-like responsibilities as they get older. Still, they can do this while having their stuffed animal friends at home. At this point in their life, the plushie will be used less for playing and serve more as a friendly childhood adornment.

It’s evident that there really is no specific timeline that makes a person too old for stuffed animals. Human beings are diverse and unique individuals and every person has different needs. As a result, you may lose your stuffed toys online at a young age or keep them with you for many, many years. As long as you are following your heart and maintaining a healthy social life with friends and family, keeping stuffed animals around can be warmly comforting.