AIBU to ask for help in saving Blankie's life?

[ItNeedsCleansingByFire]

My 23yr old DD has a childhood blanket she still sleeps with and snuggles.

Its name is Blankie (well of course it is ). It was originally a white flat cot size classic cellular blanket with a satin ribbon trim. Twenty three years later it is a grey ratty bundle/knot approximately the size of a hand, with a couple of strips dangling off. Like tentacles. (See attached photos for similar type "blankies" as DD's is too embarrassing outing to put a real photo up).

It is shrinking every year and she is worried what will happen when it is too small to snuggle. I have offered to sew it into a pillow/cushion type thing (after donning a full hazmat suit) but as it's a knot rather than flat fabric, it wouldn't really work. We have considered sewing it into the tummy of a toy like a teddy but apparently the blankie needs to be "touchable". So the grey ratty Blankie knot needs to be kept touchable whilst stopping the shrinkage.

We are at a loss. I don't really have any other ideas - well I do, but they involve a flame thrower and DD is resistant to this, but I know MNers will have genius suggestions...

(I would also like to make a Gordion Knot joke at this point but sadly I'm not intelligent enough. So any suggestions on this would also be welcomed )

That's a good idea.

I was going to suggest sewing a pocket onto a teddy. Stuff the knot in there. She could tuck her hand into the pocket to touch it.

What a harsh judgment this is.

im a 35 year old woman and I still sleep with my childhood blanket that I have attachment to.

severe childhood trauma is often a link to adults who do this so save your judgement.

I agree with the sewing it onto a new blanket idea

Ignore the daft posts OP - my dd is 22 and still sleeps with Mr Sucky Bear - although he's now quite holey and a kind of mucky brown colour.

I still have my teddy and he's 58!

OP I don’t have any advice but I think it’s adorable that you want to help her. One of my best friends has a “comfort blanket” it’s an old pillow case that’s barely a ratted knit these days. She’s 40 and suffers with anxiety and can’t sleep without it. I don’t know why people are so quick to judge. My friend is an amazing woman, a great career helping people, a wonderful friend, amazing wife and mother. One of the kindest most courageous people I know. I do not think less of her or judge her because she is an adult that has a comfort blanket. Why should t adults seek comfort. We don’t grow a hard shell as soon as the click strikes midnight on our 18th birthday!!!

Sew the original inside a bears tummy so she keeps it forever but buy her a new baby blanket since she insists on the touching part. Although that will bring about the same problem in another 23 years but that will be a "her" problem to figure out.

One of mine had a special blankie too (well it was more the label they liked than the blanket. I got a memory bear made for each of our children with special bits of clothing and the blankie on their bear is now half a leg and the foot with the label too. It was so ragged I didn’t think the lady could have managed to so anything with it but she worked wonders.

Alternative solution - Ebay for vintage cellular blankets and replace. You can always attach one to the other for a bit if it helps. You could alternately try a fabric shop and see if they have anything 'right' and attach to a modern cellular blanket, although they tend to be cotton rather than either wool (really old) or polyester.

There will be a particular 'feel' to it, likely to the ribbon bit, so finding duplicates for that as close as possible is the key. She's likely not actually 'attached' to the blanket, per se, but that the sensation of it is a lifelong part of her self-soothing mechanisms.

And before anyone cribs at that - physical nicotine addiction ends in a few days, but breaking the habit of smoking takes far longer because smokers are used to the 'routine' of smoking, and no-one expects any different.

Oooh I'm liking the pouch on a tummy idea - a bit like a kangaroo!

Sadly there is no way to flatten it as it's gone past that point now, so trying to incorporate it into some form of larger blanket would be too hard. I can't knit (would love to be able to, but a replacement wouldn't be Blankie anyway apparently). Preserving it in a frame also wouldn't allow for snuggling (and for some reason, gives me Silence of the Lambs type vibe ) Pest control could probably deal with it, but Blankie may crawl away before they could deal with it.

I will say it's a useful tool for judging relationships...if you feel able to introduce Blankie (especially if you're male and have a GF!) it's a good barometer as to whether they're the right kind of person for you. Although the boy/girlfriend may then end up like poor DH chauffeuring teddy to a hospital for a visit in thirty years time...

Seriously though, bringing my teddy to visit me in hospital was DH's idea as a surprise for me, and it was a specialist hospital so not local. To me, this shows how kind and thoughtful he is in every day life and as a person, just a really lovely partner.

Anyway back to the topic of prolonging Blankie's life (in the absence of DNR/Advance Care Plan). Definitely past the point of CPR and wouldn't be allowed anywhere near a hospital, even with PPE

Oh OP this really made me smile. Can’t believe there’s so many mardy replies!

I have no practical advice unfortunately. It’s a hard one balancing the need to protect Blankie from further decay with your DD wanting them to still be fully accessible. The pocket on a teddy idea sounds good?

Or you’ll have to convince DD to let Blankie semi-retire to the safety of under the pillow or a special drawer and only come out occasionally.

I can't believe I have seriously just sent this text to DD

"Is it just the satin bit you like to touch or do you need to put the whole thing on your face (genuine question 😂) "

(Answer is all of it, btw )

DD(20) still has the remnants of her crochet blankie. She shoves it inside her pillowcase when she has company for protection.

Even my elderly mum takes her teddy with her on her travels, although it is a relatively modern 40-year old replacement, as original teddy is too precious to do anything more than sit on a shelf.

This is 100% going to be me, my daughter is obsessed with her blan, and her 'bit' that's her favourite. It's already had a few repairs!

I think you will find that lots of adult children have 'comfort blankets' and nothing wrong with them.. my DD 22 has 'long neck'.. yes a stuffed giraffe gifted at birth.

Honestly I think your best route is to step back and let her figure it out. Empowering.

Really? I don't know any adults with that level of attachment to childhood things. It's really odd imo.

Im 562 months with no additional needs - I still have my "blankie" and my mum continues to repair him as and when required!!
Replacements are all very well but they don't ever smell or feel the same.....

@usernother why odd? I have a teddy I've had since the day I was born, and I'm 40 now
Nothing else I have is that old and it's a piece of my life history
Of course I'm attached to it

Dd 27 still has her teddy

Dd 25 - hard hearted and slept with nothing

Dd19- just started uni and has blankie with her

My db is 49 and he has his teddy that his 3x dd's fight over when they are ill .

I think it's lovely and they are all happy,well adjusted adults in relationships and thriving

Just because you don’t understand or relate doesn’t mean it’s odd.

as a child in a toxic volatile household, snuggling up to my blanket in bed whilst my parents argued or worse was the only thing to soothe me and bring me comfort and that attachment has progressed into my adulthood.

mine also in her 20’s still has her now not so pink blanky ….. and as for the various additional needs comments mine has a masters and is studying for a PhD

"Sadly there is no way to flatten it as it's gone past that point now, so trying to incorporate it into some form of larger blanket would be too hard."

In a world where you can buy baby comforters that are basically a soft toy (or even just a disembodied soft toy head) attached to a blanket, I can't see how you can't just sew them together. It can't be less flat than a giraffe head surely. If you don't want to, fair enough of course.

I can assure you DD is extremely empowered, and well yes we may well be odd, but are mature/empowered enough to own it and not give a fuck about being judged as odd And I do have far more important/serious stuff to worry about, which is exactly why this thread is lighthearted for me.

#saveblankie

There has been some good suggestions thank you, we shall investigate.

This could have been said much more kindly........ why don't you try to make it into something like a modern day comforter, where there's a head / toy with a blanket attached?

If any of the cells are intact (or maybe don’t have to be actually) could you/her crochet around the outside to make it bigger? So the current blankie is in the middle?

I have a teddy that was bought for me on the day I was born and is older than 60. But it's kept as an heirloom, not an emotional crutch.