Comfort Blankets

Jay-Jay_4

Hello everyone


My baby (age 1 next week) has recently developed a 'thing' for a particular blanket.

About 6 weeks ago I noticed that when I put her in bed, she would hold this blanket, find an edge and stuff it in her mouth.

She's been a really good sleeper for the last 6 months so it's not like she wasn't sleeping before but now she can only sleep when she's got this blanket wedged in her mouth ::).

A few weeks ago we went for a shopping trip, she was tired and cried for ages in her pram because she couldn't sleep. The last time we took her shopping we took the blanket and lo and behold... she nodded straight off in her pram.

Yesterday I washed it as it was getting manky and smelly (she sucks it till the corners go brown :-X :-X) and she cried in bed until I could dry it and give it back to her.

For the last few mornings, when I have gone in her room she stands up in her cot and quickly grabs her blanket before I pick her up.

I don't want her to be one of the kids who, at age 5, is still dragging a tatty old bit of cloth around with her.... but don't want to deprive her of something which obviously is a source of comfort :-/

I always thought that comfort blankets were 'given' or encouraged .... :-/ now I know different.

Is there any advice out there for how to best manage this so that she can still be comforted but doesn't come to rely on it.


Thanks

xxxxx

madmummy_2

Relax

Let her keep her comfort - What harm is it doing? When she is ready to grow out of it she will discard it. That may be when she is three or thirteen - who knows - when it isn't needed anymore she will drop it. I don't know anyone who started university still sucking their thumb and lugging a comfort blanket around - do you?

My oldest has never needed any comfort. Child two (7yrs) still sucks her thumb (when tired and at home only). My FIL has a real problem with this - I don't know why I didn't stop sucking my thumb until I was 13 and I'm quite normal and don't have front teeth like Dobbin My youngest has had a special teddy since birth and won't sleep without it, so I'm a past master at the snatch - wash - dry routine ;D
It can be done but you have to be quick and a bit sly

SaraSeahorse

the thing about security objects is exactly that, they make the child feel secure

I am sure I have read lot6s of items about children that grow up with security blankets often are more content

my second and third children both have flannellette baby sheets as comforters (they have got different sets with different piccies on so now son is 4 and daughter 18months they both know which ones are their own)

they are both fairly chilled and content
(third child, my sec0ond daughter is pretty laid back to be truthful)


my first child, a girl coming up for 7 does not have a blankie day or night (she does have a soft toy that she likes at night) she is fair more wingey / clingy / insecure

I do not put it dwon to the blanket alone and a lot of it is probably to do with first child syndrome!

a blanket is great, just make sure if you can to have duplicates for discrete swaps for washing




my youngest associates her blanket with rest or sleep times

you hand it to her in the car on journeys or when she needs to sit and calm down after playing madly

I think they like your daughter have learnt to associate it with this nice time

Sarahsaver

Let her get on with it. Its better than a dummy!
We would not like to be deprived of something which we find reassuring and relaxing. All my kids have a thing - 3 yr old a sheet, 4 yr old a blanket and daughter - 7 - has a muslin cloth. The older 2 have restricted themselves to only having the cloth/blanket in the home.

Jay-Jay_4

Thanks for your replies


My eldest it 5 and is so calm and laid back, she's never depended on anything so I was shocked when the baby seemed to be quite insecure... she doesn't like games like twizzing around or bouncing in my knee... she just holds on for dear life ::)

I've tried substitute blankets but this one is kind of 'furry' with a stitched on edging and I can't find another one anywhere. She's not interested in anything else.

I'm wondering whether to be quite strict about only giving her the blanket when she's tired, like you say... in the car, and in bed. Then she doesn't get used to carrying it about with her.....it's quite big ;D

elona

Could you cut the blanket in half and then you will have a spare while the other is washed and dried?

One of my daughters developed an obsession with a stuffed toy that I could not duplicate and it was an awful job dragging it off her to be washed and she was most indignant when I pegged it to the washing line by its ear ( I had to make a hammock for it)

jellyhead

with mine it wasn't a blanket, it was a hairbrush lol! he loved that hairbrush :-) i think it's good for kids to have something for comfort which they then learn that they can live without, it helps them for when they have to be left, e.g. at nursery. they learn that they can bear to live without their comfort (and you) for a while.

VickyA_2

I stopped really needing my comforter (Babbit the Rabbit, bought from a WI market by my gran for me before I was born!) when I was about 12. I used to suck my thumb, whilst clutching Babbit! My dad always joked that Babbit would have to go to my wedding - too damn right he will! He still gets taken everywhere with me - there's always one day on a holiday when Babbit has to leave the confines of my bag to have a photo taken in whatever exotic location I'm in (Wales, South Africa etc etc!).

Comforters aren't bad things, they're natural! Okay, so they need washing every now and again, but alot of children have them.

PS I'm not completely barking mad! ;D

Woby_Tide

One of my daughters developed an obsession with a stuffed toy that I could not duplicate and it was an awful job dragging it off her to be washed and she was most indignant when I pegged it to the washing line by its ear ( I had to make a hammock for it)

LOL ;D ;D

Savvy_Sue

Could you cut the blanket in half and then you will have a spare while the other is washed and dried?

That is an excellent idea, although she will probably learn which is which and have a preference!

But one friend found her daughter was always stroking the label on the 'comforter' soft toy, it sort of hung down like a tail. So she sewed a ribbon 'tail' onto that and similar toys so they could be washed!

So if you suspect there is a particular 'bit' of the blanket which is well loved, then try to split that bit!

The other thing you may find is that if it's gone, it's gone. Eldest had his 'lorry': from the Early Learning Centre, a stick with a round bit on the end with little balls inside which you dragged along and it made a nice noise. 'Lorry' went everywhere: shops, bed, church etc. Then late one Saturday afternoon before a bank holiday, 'lorry' broke in the garden. No Sunday trading in those days, and I don't think ELC opened on bank holidays either, so he just had to cope until Tuesday. Dashed out, bought another, and he hardly touched it!

One of my daughters developed an obsession with a stuffed toy that I could not duplicate and it was an awful job dragging it off her to be washed and she was most indignant when I pegged it to the washing line by its ear ( I had to make a hammock for it)

I was like that! always bringing disgusting very well loved teddy bears home from jumble sales that my mum insisted on washing and then I hated seeing them pegged out by their ears!

Jay-Jay_4

Hi,

It's a beautiful furry blanket and it actually belongs to my other daughter.....she has lent it to the baby ::)

I don't want to cut it up and it's really the edging that she likes rather than the blanket itself, so that idea's out really :-/

She isn't interested in anything else, though before she developed the liking for the blanket, she would suck and chew the ears on a couple of teddies :-X