Comfort Blanket in Crib--ok?

[Erin Behan]

We've recently started helping our five-month-old learn to put himself to sleep. It has been surprisingly painless--a little fussing but no real crying--but it requires that he have something to hold onto like a blanket. I know there are warnings against putting anything like a blanket in a crib for suffocation reasons. I've chosen a small, loose-woven blanket with lots of holes. And he's a pretty dexterous, agile fellow--knows how to toss my sandwich across the room and launch any number of toys, and I don't feel that he'd just lay there and let himself suffocate. Still, I'd like to know how other parents have handled this situation.

[Anci]

we have a lovey too...it's a stuffed bunny ( it's true it doesn't have any eyes or nose that can be swallowed )and we had it since 6 mos. I think every child is different and if you feel he's dexterous then he should be fine...

[Tracy!]

My daughter will only sleep in her crib with one of my pillows. Granted, she's a year now but when she was five-six months it was the only thing that would help her sleep. I don't see a problem with a comfort blanket - especially since your bebe is already five months! Heck, anything to help them get through the night

[Mary Ann]

My daughter has been using a blanket to get to sleep since she was five months old. That's when we weaned her off a pacifier -- she woke up too much when it popped out and she couldn't find it again -- and she turned to blankie instead. I used to worry a little about suffocation, but I'd just let her fall asleep and then would go in and pull it away from her face if it was up too high. She was pretty good about not getting too tangled in it during the rest of the night. If your son can roll over and is good with his hands, he should be fine, especially since he'll only keep improving those skills in the next couple of months.

[Christina]

My daughter had to have a blanket touching her face to fall asleep. I cut a small square out of a larger blanket when she was little and she used that. Once she could roll over we moved to a regular blanket. I think you should follow your instincts and decide what makes the most sense for your son.

[Kate]

I think the suffocation warnings (much like the "Back-to-sleep" practice) applies to newborns who have absolutely no control of their environment. My feeling was always once the baby can roll over by himself, then Mom can stop worrying about back sleeping and suffocation hazards.

Of course, that doesn't mean throw a giant, king-sized down comforter on top of your kid and hope for the best. But if baby can move the blanket off of his face, then it will probably be okay.

With my first baby (I'm on #3 now, so I'm a little more relaxed), I would take whichever blanket I was thinking about putting in his crib, and I would wad it up and hold it over my face. If I felt "suffocated" I wouldn't use that blanket. The blanket you're describing seems like it would be fine.

[Erin Behan]

Update. I switched to a light swaddling blanket from one with holes. Watching Devin manipulate the one with holes, I realized it was easy for his fingers to get caught in the holes; whereas, he had much more control over a regular blanket.

[diane]

My son, now 11 months old, has always been comforted by fabric. When he started sleeping on his own in his crib at three months, he was only able to fall asleep sucking on cloth, so instead of a blanket, I gave him small baby sized wash cloths or burp cloths. He would start with the tag, but just loved to cover his face with it or suck on it. It made me nervous, but he learned to pull them off his face and he now sleeps very well. He now prefers the waffle weave thermal blankets, especially the organic cotton ones, to sleep with. He rubs his face into them. It is sort of funny, but it brings him comfort.

I think you need to follow your instincts with this one. Keep an eye on him at first to see what he does with the blanket. If he seems content and safe to you, let all of you sleep peacefully!

[Drea Adgent]

My son, since about 4 months old, loved to sleep with his lovely on or around his face. It worried me for a while, I would keep checking to hear breath sounds. But Even now, 8 months, he still does it.

[Allen Kennemur]

My wife and I put a blanket in our daughters crib while she is taking naps during the day. At night we have her swadeled and then put the blanket around her legs for warmth but not up around her head. We let her nap with the blanket during the day b/c we are frequently checking on her. I don't think I could leave her with it over night. Our daughter is 5 months old and I just think she is to young.