A security blanket shake-down

What's in a security blanket?  Why do some babies form super strong attachments to blankets and stuff animals?  I never had one... but I did suck my thumb, so I suppose that is sort of one in the same.  Anyway, Rory has a blanket, and until today I have very loosely referred to it as his "security blanket" but have often wondered if it was more me fond of that idea than him. Would he care if he just didn't have it at nap time, or at night?

Most "experts" will say, having a security blanket is a good thing for a baby. There is a sense of peace and well-being that comes from how a baby feels when he/she hugs her blanket or stuff animal. It's familiar — its smell, how it feels, its color. If you google it, apparently these security items are a way for a baby to find confidence and comfort by themselves. A baby who has a special attachment to something like a blanket, is finding a way to make the world outside of her parents' protection a less overwhelming place. On a side note, they also mention that comfort objects are common among young babies who spend long hours in daycare. Having something familiar and unchanging to snuggle against helps them while they are away from home. Perfect.

Anyway, if I wondered before if this blue blanket we have was truly Rory's security blanket... I wonder no more. I decided to wash it this morning because frankly it smelled like puke and had blueberry marks on it from the lunch Rory rubbed all over it yesterday. Typically I don't let it leave his crib much, but these teeth are making us do all sorts of new things to comfort him.  So I wash it, I put it in the dryer in what I think is lots of time to catch his next nap. Silly Mommy.

So, I go to get it before I put him down for his nap, and the dryer door is wide open. F*%k!   So, I decide to test the waters... He doesn't really need this blanket does he? 

ALL.HELL.BROKE.LOOSE.  My son melted down into a puddle of uncontrollable crying like I have never seen before. How DARE I even dream of putting him to bed without his blanket?!!! The crying didn't stop until the GD - dryer buzzed and his warm blanket reappeared. And angels sung from heaven.

So which is more or less comforting?  That Rory has a blanket that will calm him regardless of his whereabouts or my proximity, or if we ever lose this thing we're in BIG BIG BIG trouble? 

Can't decide.