This is blanky. It’s one of three blankies – two green and one brown – my son has. These fuzzy blankies have been a part of my son’s life since he was about a year and a half and he discovered that he could sooth himself by putting some of the blanket in his mouth and sucking it.
He never took to pacifiers or thumbs. It was this specific blanket – or blankets – that did the trick.
Fast forward to now, and the boy is still stuck on his blanky, sucking away on it when he’s tired or upset. In fact, he claims he will forever “eat his blanky”.
My son is five.
My son is five and he still soothes himself by eating his blanket. We’ve joked that he doesn’t eat because he feeds off the fibers of the blanket – it nourishes him. But in all seriousness, I’m not overly concerned.
And while I’m not overly concerned, there are others who are. They say he’ll never grow out of it. They say it will ruin his teeth. They say it’s unhealthy, which I’m on the fence about because he’s sucking on fabric. I certainly don’t love that he sucks on his blankets, but is it really doing him harm?
I know everyone means well as they love my bear as their own. They’re actually trying to hep us. I mean, even my husband and I have some days when we hum and haw over how to get rid of the sucking of the blanket. Eventually it starts to smell and it’s wet and gross.
But it’s his and he loves it. He still needs it. And who am I to talk as I still have my blanket. I don’t suck on it, but I sleep with it and it’s become my tiny four-pound pup’s spot in our bed above my pillow.
It’s so hard because how do you take away something from a child who seems to still need help calming down? I know people do it all the time. They take away their children’s pacifiers or train them to stop sucking their thumbs. I was six when I stopped sucking my thumb, and I did it on my own.
I’m torn between taking it away and letting him keep it, so I made some boundaries on it. He can use it, but only on down time and at night night. He cannot have it at friends’ houses or when friends come over.
I don’t want him to become dependent on it, but I also don’t want to take away the one thing that gives him peace. So we’ll do it this way for now and see what happens.
Kids tend to grow up so fast, so maybe allowing him to have his blankies lets him to be a small kid for just a little while longer.
