Where the Bunny Suit and Missing Socks Go
Before I hear any “Awww’s,” please take a closer look. Can you spot what this sweet, innocent face has distracted your attention from that is out of place? If you guessed blanket, you are correct.
Why-does-my-child-refuse-to-use-a-blanket (properly)?!
That balled up rag beneath her porcelain face has been her “blankie” since the day she was born. What was once a soft, fuzzy, luxurious pink baby blanket is now a perpetually gray, odoriffic, floor mop/ lovey/ pillow. After two years, this blanket has seen over a dozen cities, aircrafts, hotel rooms, department stores, stroller rides, living room picnics, you name it, it’s been there. I should have known that after all this I’d have a Linus on my hands. I even purchased an exact replica (same brand, color, everything) early on in her life as a back up. I ran it through the washer a few dozen times to give it that faded, disheveled look too.
Nope, denied.
Ella is now 27 months old, and she still refuses to wear covers when she sleeps. Even her beloved blankie cannot lie upon her contorted body while she’s asleep. Granted, she was born during the summer in Southern California, but come on. We live in Massachusetts now! It is eternally colder in our heated apartment than it ever was in San Diego in the dead of winter. I’m wearing a parka while I make my bowl of Chex in the mornings, so I know she must be cold.
Due to her constant protest for any hint of blanket material to touch her hypersensitive, discerning skin, we’ve been forced to dress her in nearly ski attire for her bedtime. This was cute for about a year, but now I’m really beginning to worry.
Is this normal behavior? Are the Academy of Pediatrics recommendations to remove all quilts, blankets, and comforters from cribs just a cover-up for a large nation-wide plan to put baby blanket manufacturers out of business? Or parents out of their minds?
Why are we teaching children the habit of wearing sleepers to bed with no covers early on? My daughter is nearly 2 1/2, and I don’t see an end to this sleeper addiction any time soon. I can only allow this to last for so long. I mean, what is she going to do at her first sleepover? Should I buy her a bunny suit like Ralphie’s from A Christmas Story and make her wear it every time she refuses covers when her friends are over? I’m not sure what is scarier: her wearing an adult size sleeper in college, or her asking to wear the bunny suit to sleep today.
Maybe I’ll tell her that if she doesn’t start using her blankie properly, the bunny suit will take it away to a place far, far away. The same place where all of our missing socks go.
my 6-year-old is anti-blanket too. not sure why.
maybe we should get bunny suits for them both. ahahaha!
December 4th, 2007 at 10:50 am
When we’re all actually asleep, young or old, our blood pressure drops and we’re fairly immune to room temperature (assuming we’re not actually trying to kip in a snowdrift). Get some funky normal PJs, if she does get cold she’ll recant and grab the blankie…
…then again fluffy-bunny-suits are sooo cute and should be bought for trips to the park.
December 4th, 2007 at 11:36 am
well i don’t have any kids of my own, so maybe i am not an expert on the subject, but i think she will grow out of it. children go through phases (i know my nephews have) so maybe give it a year or two more and then tell her the bunny suit will take it far far away.
as a side note: my mom still has a blankie she refuses to let go of and she is 51, so maybe some people don’t ever grow out of it. =/
December 4th, 2007 at 11:59 am
my kids, ages 11, 11 10,9 and 4…all have blankies…still! except the 4 year old…he’s still addicted to his pacifier…one in mouth, another held in his hand! but, the blankies…just like you daughters, only, they are older, smellier, ripped, germ infested, balls of grossness! my oldest son, his is called his “working blankie” for some reason, when he was little, out of the 6 that i bought him, that’s the one he loved and he named it that. my daughters blankie, the satin rim fell off so,now, she sleeps with the blanket and the satin cord…still! my step-kids…the same. i figure, they are going to go to college with them. since they are older, now, they use covers but they hold their blankies, tightly, while sleeping. it’s hysterical!
December 4th, 2007 at 12:03 pm
Seb refused the blankets until he was almost 3. Now he lets us put it on for him at night, but he kicks it off sometime during the night. If he’s cold, he yanks it and covers himself while still asleep. He’s the type who prefers cold weather as oppose to warm/hot.
When Fiona was younger, we had a space heater for her room because she refused as well. One day I did an elaborate “OH LOOK AT THIS BLANKET, IT’S SO PRETTY, IT’S NEW, IT’S YOURS” and she loved it and does not let Seb have it. Luckily she took the bait and now she lets me put it on her and it normally stays on all night.
December 4th, 2007 at 12:42 pm
Whew *sigh of relief*….Thank goodness you all posted these comments…..I was really starting to wonder if I was dealing with a crazy child over here….we’ll crazier than usual
December 4th, 2007 at 1:03 pm
No crazier than little G. She is always kicking her blankets off, and loves her bunny sleepers. She generally does what your little one does with blankies… uses them as pillows, or smushes them as seat cushions. My guy did that too, but he was out of sleepers sooner because he got so tall. Now he just burrows into his comforter… the natural order of the world.
And, yes, I let out a humungous “awwwwww” that was such a sweet photo!
December 4th, 2007 at 1:33 pm
My ovaries just quivered for a girl!
December 4th, 2007 at 1:38 pm
first of all… I love the picture!! Aren’t they just soooo sweet when they are sleeping?? lol
Trevor took a while to sleep with blankets on, but does it now like a champ… his room is always freezing so that is maybe why. The girls I put to bed, sometimes, with tights (thick ones) under their one piece footed jammies because they do NOT keep blankets on yet… they never have. I would have a million and one blankets around the house to keep them covered at all times and no such luck with it sticking.
She’ll get it. Besides, that looks soooo comfy to have her favorite blankie under her sweet lil’ head like that… makes me want to take a nap.
xoxoxo
Jenn
December 4th, 2007 at 1:43 pm
ps what if you gave her a pillow to sleep with???? my girls have pillows and have had them actually since last winter when they got colds and I wanted to prop them up some to help w/ less coughing. ~ just an idea… maybe is she had a pillow she would cover up with her blankie.
December 4th, 2007 at 1:45 pm
Awwww … she’s soooo cute sleeping there (blanket or no) and I couldn’t resist saying so right off. Not having raised any kids of my own, I have no words of wisdom for you … but I suspect what others have written here is true. Relax … enjoy! They grow up all too fast anyway! (I do have nieces and nephews
So … it’s me from NaBloPoMo and the Ning site won’t let me on at all again, so I can’t respond there. Perhaps the reply I deleted accidentally didn’t affect anyone but myself? I’m just glad my “visual memory” kicked in so I remembered your Blog and found you here. I’ll be back to visit more when time permits
Hugs and blessings,
December 4th, 2007 at 1:46 pm
Karen Meg–OOH! She totally does that too with the seat cushions!
Jennifer– I know…I always want to nap when she does…but more important things like blogging awaits
Good tip about the pillow!
Storyteller– NO WAY! You have to get back on Ning!!! What am I going to do?? I need the people who are crazy enough to stick around after Nov. to stay on the site
I hope you get back on soon.
December 4th, 2007 at 2:31 pm
I feel your pain. My 22 month old wouldn’t be caught dead sleeping with a blanket on her. She lets me tuck her in at night or will tuck herself in if I don’t, but the blanket must be launched across the bed prior to actually falling asleep. I figure, whatever, if she ever gets cold, she can deal with it. It won’t be my fault that she’s shivering in the dark with blankets two feet away.
December 4th, 2007 at 3:13 pm
I look forward to seeing what object Amos becomes attached to. I had a blankie as well as a child. I think it started as a comforter, then the layers started to peel away until all I was dragging around was a single layer of cloth with broken zippers still attached. It was my cape, my blankie, and my dear, dear friend. Oh, Blankie. How I miss thee!
December 4th, 2007 at 3:17 pm
I swear you daughter and my kids must be related. Somehow. My son has this gross plaid blanket he won’t live without. The thing smells to high heaven. It smells like boy, piss and nasty. He drags it around the house, collecting whatever has been tracked in. He drags it into the bathroom. But…It’s the only blanket he’ll allow on his body when he’s put to bed. Granted, it doesn’t stay there, but any other blanket is met with holy terror.
December 4th, 2007 at 3:22 pm
My daughter Allie refuses to sleep with any type of blanket on her. I’ll sneak them on her and she’ll push them right off. Up until a few weeks ago, she wouldn’t even sleep in clothes. She would sleep in the buff with no covers. She doesn’t have a blanket that she carries around. But she has this baby doll, a girl she named Gary, and she brings it EVERYWHERE. The worst part is that it’s a water baby. So it weighs a bit. I bet you can guess who ends up carrying it half of the time! haha. back to the subject, even as an infant Allie wouldn’t sleep with covers. She hated swaddling. She hated the thinnest of blankets. I’m just glad she’s finally started wearing a gown to sleep in.
December 4th, 2007 at 4:42 pm
You worry too much! I don’t think your daughter suffers cold at night, or she would not get any sleep at all, and that picture tells me otherwise!
As for the back-up, yeah, I had a back up for the fur bunny my daughter used to have, but that didn’t help either! I still had to go and get it wherever I forgot it!!!
December 4th, 2007 at 5:03 pm
Braden likes his blankie to be hanging on the side of the crib so that when he wakes up he can pull it down and roll around the crib, rubbing his face on it.
December 4th, 2007 at 5:17 pm
wow, that’s a lot of comments! IMHO, as long as she comfortable, and not getting sick, i wouldn’t change a thing. and yes, she’s adorable when sleeping!
December 4th, 2007 at 5:30 pm
mine won’t stay under the covers AND won’t wear feetie pajamas. but she doesn’t seem to care, so…
December 4th, 2007 at 5:43 pm
the Unreliable Narrator doesn’t have a blankie, but he does drive me insane by kicking his covers off! we sometimes have him in cotton jammies under fleece jammies at bedtime…if he won’t sleep *under* the blanket, the blanket will be *on* him!
December 4th, 2007 at 5:56 pm
Burgh Baby’s Mom- LOL! Yes, the blankie launch sounds familiar….catapulted far away from any body parts
…
Fabooj- ROFL! Yes…I think we have long lost non-blankie haters! Ella is exactly the same as you described too.
When is winter over again? *sigh*
Manda- nakie, nakie!? oh my! My little girl would turn into popsicle.
Magpie- huh,…go figure. I guess if she doesn’t care.
Cynematic— that’s a good idea. We’ve recently implemented the cotton under fleece.
December 4th, 2007 at 6:32 pm
Davey is 11 months old and sleeps with a blanket but hasn’t grown fond of one, yet. I really wish he would as he has no other comfort object (well other than my hair and his). I say it’s fine. Let her sleep in footies till she’s 21!
December 4th, 2007 at 8:49 pm
“I’m wearing a parka while I make my bowl of Chex in the mornings…”
That cracked me up. But something tells me you’re not kidding. Good luck with the anti-blanket ordeal. It’s natural to worry, but I’m sure she’d let you know if she was freezing, like getting in YOUR bed.
Incidentally, is she in a Big Girl Bed? Helping her pick out her own set might be an incentive.
December 4th, 2007 at 10:18 pm
first of all your daughter is so beautiful. and i bet she’s smart as a whip and funny too…
my daughter Thea loves her blankets (she’s never had just one favorite) but she refuses to sleep in pajamas. she loves to be hanging out in just her underwear. and when it’s bedtime if she actually puts jammies on she will have them off again before she falls asleep. and my wife or I will usually have to cover her with her blanket properly before we hit the sack.
her first sleepover may be an answer. she may get ideas from her peers…or excitedly want to copy what they do.
December 4th, 2007 at 11:24 pm
First of all, awwwww. Second of all, she’ll be ok. She’s different, that’s cool
.
December 5th, 2007 at 9:11 am
Jack at 5 still sleeps with a mangles and threadbare dish towel, while Adam is the one who kicks of any cover we try to put on him. As long as they’re sleeping I’m not complaining:)
December 5th, 2007 at 9:44 am
hahahahaaha. if you buy the bunny suit, please post!! she’ll grow out of it. i was obsessed with a blanket, too, and look how normal i am!
December 5th, 2007 at 1:44 pm
Secret Agent Mama–21!? oy!…. I guess you never know though.
Siobhan– You’re right. I do wear my coat while eating my breakfast, and sometimes my covers follow me all morning until I shower. Ella is in a big girl bed now (well, a toddler bed). I think we’ll try letting her pick out some sheets or bedding she likes. Thanks for the tip
Toddyo– Yay! So glad to see you here
Jameil–Oh you know I will!!
December 5th, 2007 at 4:43 pm