Do You Allow Blankies Outside of Nap Time?

[sahm2three]

We have a little girl who is EXTREMELY attached to her blankie. She obsesses about it. We started out by just trying to leave it hanging on our gate so she can come get a snuggle from it from time to time, but we can't get her to leave it on the gate. She will drag it around, drop it, and someone else will pick it up and she will freak out. I cannot have everyone walking around with blankets, and I don't want to fight the battle all day long. Besides that, one of the little boys kept taking the blanket and wiping his icky nose on it. YUCK! Mom doesn't want the blankie taken away from her, thinks she should get it whenever she wants, but just don't think I can. I tried having her sit in a bean bag away from the group with her blankie, but she wouldn't stay there. She wanted to get up and play, but wanted to drag it along. It became a game to the other kids, who can make her scream the loudest. Ugh. Thoughts?

[SunshineMama]

We have a little girl who is EXTREMELY attached to her blankie. She obsesses about it. We started out by just trying to leave it hanging on our gate so she can come get a snuggle from it from time to time, but we can't get her to leave it on the gate. She will drag it around, drop it, and someone else will pick it up and she will freak out. I cannot have everyone walking around with blankets, and I don't want to fight the battle all day long. Besides that, one of the little boys kept taking the blanket and wiping his icky nose on it. YUCK! Mom doesn't want the blankie taken away from her, thinks she should get it whenever she wants, but just don't think I can. I tried having her sit in a bean bag away from the group with her blankie, but she wouldn't stay there. She wanted to get up and play, but wanted to drag it along. It became a game to the other kids, who can make her scream the loudest. Ugh. Thoughts?

I do not allow binkies or blankies out of the pack and play. If the child is old enough to be too big for a pack and play I do not allow binkies or blankies at my house. If the parents bring them, they go right back in the diaper bag. Binkies and blankies get icky really fast if they are allowed all around the house.

I might make an exception if I only watched 1 or 2 kids.

[WImom]

I don't allow blankets/lovies except nap and our tv time right before lunch.

[momma2girls]

I had to just take away a lovie and a pacifier away from a 1 1/2 yr. old that has them both at home 24/7.. He doesn't say but 10-15 words, and he will be 2 in one month!! His Mom was upset about it, and wondered why I took them away and only would allow them for naptime!!! Now, at almost 2, he will throw them out of the pack and play and scream bloody murder, til you give them back to him!!

[littlemommy]

no. they end up as snot rags and drool wipers if the kids have them all day.

[momma2girls]

then they would drop them (pacis and lovies) and would scream bloody murder if someone touched it- YUCK!!!!! What's worse if any other toddler or baby, place the paci in their mouth. Mom just didnt understand it at first!!! UGHH!!!! I think at two, the pacifier should be taken away also!!!

[sharlan]

I would not let her walk around with it. Way too much conflict when someone else looks at it.

I would keep it put up unless it was nap time.

[Meeko]

NOPE! I have it my handbook that blankies are not allowed. They are a health hazard due to the snot, saliva etc and trailing blankets are a very large tripping hazard for both the children and me.

I make it clear at interview that if their child can't live without the blanket and the parents are not willing to wean them off it...then they are not the right fit for my day care.

[nannyde]

No

Having ownership of anything in my home would escalate all of the kids. The Mom wouldn't have a say because her decision to allow the child to have it affects the safety of my other kids, the happiness of the other kids, the behavior of the other kids, and the cost of my staff assistant to manage it. It's not a parent decision.

I wouldn't allow it in the house. I don't allow anything to go back and forth every day except breast milk bottles. Whatever the child needs in my house has to stay in my house.

She's telling all of you that she can't manage the blanket. I don't understand why you guys can't see it's too much for her. Whatever comfort she gets out of it is being balanced out by discord and conflict. That's what she's doing with the fussing. She's balancing out to get to zero. What she doesn't put out in negativity to balance it the other kids are inputing to get it to zero. It's all chaos at the end of the day.

The truth is she doesn't need it at all. She's begging to have it be gone. Use it at home where it's purely comfort.

[BigMama]

I welcome blankies and lovies for little guys and new children. The older ones are allowed to bring them for nap time or if the want to go to the quiet area and cuddle and read a book (but they have to ask to get their blankie out.) If they don't want anyone else to touch their blankie/stuffed animal/pillow pet they must put it in their personal basket in the coat closet. I never have issues with blankies or lovies.

[SD DaycareMOM]

I also welcome blankies from home. I don't have any problems with them, either. I have a very clean and healthy home/program and I don't see any connection, in my personal experience, between illness and blankies. Almost all of my dckids have a blankie and naturally prefer their own, so they don't ever take someone else's.

In the OP case though, if no one else has one and it is causing problems, the best solution for you may be to eliminate the problem and not allow the blankie to be brought in.

Personally, I would also address the issue of the other kids intentionally provoking her. It is not ok to do something with the purpose of upsetting someone else. Good luck.

[cheerfuldom]

I dont allow kids to drag around any items from home. No blankies in the PNPs for safety reasons. No pacis except at nap time for any kid above about 6 months. Comfort items cause a lot of problems and I dont find that the kid is comforted by them at all. I have had to wean several kids from a variety of items and it always turned out for the best. Anything that is brought from home that is not allowed is put into the bag for the whole day and sent home with the parents.

[Heidi]

I don't have any now, but in the past, I've always kept them to bedtime, except binkies for children under 1. I just try to put it in a positive way "lets put this in your bed, and when it's time to go to sleep, it will be waiting for you". No, they don't all buy into that at first, but I can be firm AND sweet.

[countrymom]

I allow them but they are for bed only and that includes the paci. Once you start throwing things out of the pnp then they go home and never come back.

[momma2girls]

I allow them but they are for bed only and that includes the paci. Once you start throwing things out of the pnp then they go home and never come back.

I am going thru that right now, with one 2 yr. old!! It's not everyday he throws his lovie or his paci out of the pack and play, but it is getting very old, when he does do it. His Mom thinks it is quite funny!!! I cant have him screaming when he throws them out, and keep screaming, because he wakes up the 2 other children right next to him!! IT ****S!!