[iluvgummies]

For well over 6 months now Ella has been sleeping with the same blanket. It's one of those crocheted ones with big holes in it. I figured it was the perfect blanket to give her early on b/c if she put it over her face (which she often does) she can breathe through it just fine. Unfortunately, the last few weeks, when I've gotten her up in the mornings, I have found bits of the blanket (which is made of yarn) in her mouth. Yesterday the pediatrician confirmed what I already knew - I have to take it away from her. If she keeps ingesting that stuff it could cause problems in her digestive tract. The problem is, she is ADDICTED to it. She can NOT fall asleep (naps or bedtime) without it. I try to lay her down without it and she just screams & scream. I've given her a light cotton blanket (the same size as the other one), a small piece of felt fabric, and a few different stuffed animals. She wants nothing to do with them. A few weeks back she had an episode where she threw up once about an hour after going to sleep. She threw up on her blanket & so, along with her sheets & pj's, I threw it in the wash right away. That little girl stayed up fussing for an hour and a half... Within two minutes of taking the blanket out of the dryer & giving it to her she was fast asleep!! Does anyone have a suggestion for how to get her to give it up (other than letting her cry & scream for hours)??? Please, help me!

[shockandawe]

oh...the poor little love. The only suggestion I have is to maybe put a cover over it like a pillow case? Or can you at least bind the edges of it? I'm wondering if you could do that you can either transition her to a new fabric without taking away the blanket and then ease her into a different blanket in a different fabric, and you can at least decrease the risk of her eating more yarn in the interim.

[Ally-Mac]

have you tried a similar yarn one (not so warn though)?

[mommytokem]

I was going to say find one that is similar and see if that works, all my kids still sleep with blankies, ds who is 6 still sleeps with his and wants Grandma to fix it, I'm thinking he just needs to give it up.

Can you try introducing a newer lovely and slowly taking away the old one?? Of course I ask this and my 3 year old stilll sleeps with "Blue" a fisher price light-up seahorse that she's had since she was a newborn.

Either way you go about it good luck. I might need to come to you for advice when Grace is trying to sneak Blue off to college with her. LOL

[TarrahLovesHuLo]

Is it possible to let her fall asleep with it, and just sneak it out when she wakes up? This way she can self soothe back to sleep in the middle of the night b/c she is already so tired, and eventually won't need it to sleep. Similar to using us to fall asleep, but letting them get theselves back to sleep in the middle of the night when we aren't there. That way she can't chew on it in her crib unattended. My DD loves her taggie blanket.. Maybe one of those would do it? Her's is satin on one side, and minky fabric on the other. So that is a nice variation of comfy textures that your DD might like.