Just My Blanket

My son did this for a little while, so I put a blanket over him and then put his favorite on top of that. This worked really well for him and us. We didn't have to worry about him staying warm and he could have his special blanket. Eventually, he got to where he would just use the other one and not need his special one.

my son is the same, he's 6! he has his favorite 'piggy blanket' (it has pigs all over it) so when he goes to bed, he has his piggy blanket and i tuck him in with his sheet and bigger blanket. My 9 yo daughter is the same. she LOVES her teletubbie blanket she has had since about age 1. when i tuck her in, i put her teletubbie blanket on her, then cover her with her other sheet and blanket. so long story short, she should be ok with other blankets, don't try to stop her from loving her blanket, if it soothes her and keeps her happy, who cares!

I'm not sure why you want to take away her blanket. She is only three and obviously it is important to her. How would you feel if someone wanted to take away something that is important to you? I would feel stressed and maybe anxious. I check on my children every night before I go to bed and most nights I have to pull the covers up on at least one of them. In the winter I often get up just to make sure that they are covered. I am a mom, it's what I do.

Hi. Neither of my girls have had any attachments to anything other than me so I can only offer a tip for what I would possibly do. My 3 year old likes to play with dolls and put them to bed before she goes to bed. So I would try to get her to pass down her blankie to her favorite doll. Let her know how cold dollie is and she might need your special blankie. Maybe let her know that if she gives her dollie the old blankie she can go shopping for a new big girl one for herself. That way she isn;'t giving it up she is just sharing it with a special friend next to her in bed. Good lUck

Let her enjoy it...it is her security item. My daughter still clings to her blanket at times and she is 5x5 years old. Try different fun senarios like, "We need to put the Mommy blanket on top of your baby blanket because Mommys like to be next to their babies". Maybe that will get your daughter to accept the larger blanket on top.

Yep, been there, but just the opposite :) When our oldest was 5 months old, my hubby won this really soft down blanket at work. We laid him on it a couple of times, and it quickly became his. I figured he'd ditch it come summer...but here we are 7 years later with the same blanket (well, Santa did bring a new one one year, thank goodness, but the same softness and size).
What's the big deal about covering her up after she's asleep? My kiddos roll around a bit before they're comfortable, so I find myself stopping in their rooms before I climb into bed. It's no big deal. And I second the warmer jammies.

Don't "break" her of this!!!!
Having a sweet "lovey" like a blanket is one of the most precious childhood experiences....My 17 year old was a "blanket baby". He still is! It never got in the way (he didn't have to drag it to sleepovers or anything) but he still loves having a special blanket.

They have changed over the years from that beloved first one that got so tattered to one that we lost (an awful night), to various incarnations of fuzzy or pretend fur blankets.

My husband even sewed him a lime green fur on one side, black satin on the other side blanket for his 17th birthday (it was his dad who sewed the first blanket when he was a baby). He loved it more than the game system and stereo he received!

Just cover her with her precious lovey and tell her that it is the one closest to her skin and that you'll lay this other blanket on top to keep both her and her lovey warm. Always worked for me. By pretending the other blanket was cold, he would let me cover them both.

I wish I was still at that precious stage! My other boys had "lovies" (a stuffed kangaroo and a bear) who make their appreance from high on the closet shelf when they are sick or there is a trama (everyone slept with their lovies when the dog died).

Enjoy this precious precious time!

It sounds like the love of her blanket is strong; and it doesn't seem like the really needs to have it taken away per se. Why not put her to bed in sleeper-pajamas (with the feet built in) or give her a heavier blanket to use WITH her white blanket?

My 6 yo daughter has been sleeping with her pink stuffed bunny since she was 6 months old. I think it's sweet that they find comfort and love in something that brings them security. At three years old, enjoy this precious time that she feels this affection for her blanket ;)

Best,
C.

I know that you have had a lot of responses but I wanted to add just a litte. I still have by "blankie" and I am 35. As I got older I used it to cover my pillow when I was either sick or as a teenager when I though that my heart was broken. When my mom passed away 9 years ago I still wrapped that little blanket around my pillow because it was always something that my mom would give me when I needed it. Sometimes little things later on give us the most comfort. Enjoy your little one.

Hi, P.
My 5 y.o. daughter has a favorite blanket and just now is leaving it behind at times. What we do is make sure that she wears warm pajamas and allow her to cover herself with the blanket. I usually get her the long pajamas with the footsies on them. They are usually very warm. At times she just rolls up her blanket and lays beside it, then we'll cover her with a little heavier blanket.

please let her have it as long as she wants, try not to make it a big deal....

You might not be able to cure her of the love for her blankie, and having that attachment can be a good thing. My daughter still does this at 3 yrs old, and I just go ahead and cover her after she goes to sleep, no harm done. Or I just put her in warm enough jammies that it doesn't matter if she's not covered by blankies well--like the fuzzy footie jammies.

My kids seemed to want NOTHING on them in the winter and to be completely covered with a blanket in the heat of summer. There are just phases and they aren't worth the stress! Just go in and over her at night. Gently encourage the other blanket and don't make it a power struggle.

There's a class coming up in January you might like called Understanding Your Two to Five Year old at
http://www.bodymindandspiritabq.com

i had a rattly old blanket too. my mom tried may times to replace it or at least wash it but wasnt successful. when i was 7 we went on vacation. somewhere in New Mexico my brother took it away form me. we always had something to fight about in the back seat. he stuck it out the window and was holding it by one of the raggedy edges. it broke loose and flew away. i pleaded with my dad to go back. finally he did but i think he took me back to a different polace because i walked around looking for it for a long time and never found it. i cried for hours. my mom told me that some other little girls probably picked it up and was taking care of it. i am 48 and i still havent forgiven my borther for that and he loves to remind me of my blanky even now

I am not sure why you would want to "break" her of her love of this (what sounds like) transitional object. It helps her get to sleep. I would think this is a good thing, and I would hesitate to change a working situation. "If it's not broken, don't fix it".
Waiting until she falls asleep to cover her up sounds like a tiny investment of night time parenting. As long as the blanket ( or other transitional object for that matter)does not threaten her health or safety, I would leave it alone! Enjoy all that good sleep.

Hi, P. -
Two words - blanket sleeper! Put your daughter in a blanket sleeper. She can keep her beloved little blanket, and you will have peace of mind knowing she's warm and cozy while she sleeps.
Enjoy this precious time.

She won't let you just give her both?

Sorry P. but why should you need to break her of the habit. If the blanket is giving her comfort and you have to go in later to cover her with another blanket, i don't see the problem. Most children have some sort of comfort item and they shouldn't be forced to have it withdrawn just because you want her to have a warmer blanket. Carry on doing what you are doing and in time she will give her blanket up when she is good and ready. To try and force the issue now is just asking for problems. It is not doing any harm for her to have her blanket. It seems that you have more of a problem about it than she does. Pick your issues carefully.
And good luck P..
S..

My kids always kicked their blankets off at night so I started making sure they would be warm without a blanket on. I always dress them in warmer pjs and socks. (Even if I am wearing shorts to bed) Also, I set their heat about 1 degree warmer.

My son has a "cuddly" too. He will be 6 soon. Now that he is in school, he realizes that he may possibly be too big for it. So- when there is any risk that one of the neighborhood kids will be in the house, he hides it. Once everyone is gone and he needs to relax...he gets out his cuddly. I like that he has it. It makes road trips, meltdowns, illnesses etc. so much easier to cope with. Maybe you could cover your daughter with a heavier blanket over her white blanket or let her hug the favorite one and cover her with a different one.