16 month year old wants to take blanket everywhere!!

[bellbottom]

Hi there,

posted a message about showering and had great and helpful feedback. So thought I'd brainstorm on this one too!

My 16 month year old daughter has become increasingly attached to her blanket. Trouble is, she points to it several times a day and wants it, dragging it around with her round the house. Feels like too much of a comfort thing, she has already had her thumb since birth, which I always thought was great. She's a fab sleeper, and can use it to calm herself whenever she likes. But that together with the blanket feels a bit extreme. Plus the blanket gets dirty! If shes out in the buggy she wants to walk with it down the street! This weekend I remained firm and said no. She had the hugest tantrum I ever knew. Walked behind me all the way from the park to home, screaming and throwing herself down on the pavement because she wanted to walk with it.

Is the solution as simple as cutting a piece of it and letting her take it with her everywhere? Or to wean her off completely?

PLease can I have some tips from anyone that knows!

Many thanks!

Definitely wash it, or the smell will become part of what's comforting and you won't be able to swap the squares around.

Put an iron-on label with your phone number on all the blankie squares you make out of the blanket. You don't want to be one of those desperate sleepless parents putting up posters on lamp posts advertising 500-pound rewards for lost blankies or teddies.

Oh you are lucky, My SIL had a blanky when she was a baby and my MIL cut it in half so that there would always be a clean one. My SIL thought the blanky was dead - mummy had killed it.

At least you got away with it

haha, great responses.

ninedragons. I could hardly believe the comedy when your message came in. Just 2 weeks ago I photocopied and laminated several posters about lost teddy, and have put in some shop windows and about to strike lamposts!!! So I now find out I;m in the ' desperate parent club'. And there was me thinking i was being oh so resourceful and original.....!!!!!! HA!

Definitely cut it in half and then at a later date, quaters (can you get an identical one?).

Wash them as much as you can and the clean smell will hopefully become part of the comfort rather than the dribbly, muddy, musty smell.

Mine luckily became attached to muslin squares and we had loads of them!

A friend's son would only want a dirty muzzy - ewww (I blame her poor housekeeping ).

As DD1 doesn't take it to nursery and never has I usually wash it on nursery days and ensure its dry by the time she gets home.

Emergency washes do happen and DD usually guards the washing machine and radiator until she can have it back again. Oh well keeps her occupied .