# 2-year-old won't sleep under blanket!



## heldt123

Hi, my son is almost 2-and-a-half and he hates blankets. Ever since he was a newborn, people told me to swaddle him, but he has never liked it. Even as an infant he would kick off the blankets and sprawl all over the bed. Now he screams if you try to lay a blanket over him...not to mention he flops in every direction all night long.

The problem is that we live in Northern Minnesota where the winters are wicked! We cannot afford to heat the house warm enough to keep him comfortable without a blanket. Last winter I would put him in two sleepers plus home-made blanket pouches to keep him warm. He can't use sleeping pouches anymore now that he is older and he doesn't like wearing layer upon layer of clothes.

Anyone have advice on how to get him to sleep under a blanket? By the way, he does have a blankie. However, he wraps it in a ball and sleeps on top of it.


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## Piglet68

my dd is like yours. i've just learned to accept it. if she was miserably cold, i'm sure she would let us know. perhaps we throw off more heat to our little cosleepers than we know. could you get him some thermal undies to sleep in? wool jammies?


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## mommybritt

None of my 3 sleep with blankets and we're in Canada so I hear you about the cold! I also don't worry too much about it. I dress my 10 month olds in light jammies with "heavies" (fleece blanket sleepers) on top and they seem fine. My 3 1/2 yr old used to wear the same thing but these days she's more comfortable with just a diaper so that's all she wears


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## eilonwy

The question to ask yourself isn't how do you keep him warm, but is he cold? I know it's hard to believe, but he might not be.







My son is perfectly comfortable walking around barefooted and wearing short sleeves these days, even though I'm freezing without a sweater. If he is comfortable, temperature-wise, forcing him to bundle up could actually cause him to need it; the special layer of fat which keeps you warm is the only kind of fat in the body which will actually disappear if it's not used.

The overwhelming majority of children will cover themselves up if they are cold, or they'll ask you to. If your son is one of the very few who won't (i.e. he has sensory integration disorder or another issue which prevents him from processing cold signals) you could try other things, like offering him a sleeping bag (most kids will jump at the chance to sleep in a sleeping bag at home) or knitting a warm suit for him. Before you go there, though, find out if he's cold and/or uncomfortable. He may not need to be bundled up at all.


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## heldt123

The reason I asked the question is because now that it is getting colder he has started waking up several times a night (quite unsual for him). I cranked the heat up to 65 last night and he slept like a rock. I am going to buy some material tomorrow and make him some kind of a blanket sleeper to put over two he already wears. Our poor old house needs to be insulated as well. Keeping the heat at 62 will still put our heat bill well over $200 per month during the cold months.

Just curious, what do you guys normally keep your heat at?


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## eilonwy

We have hideously expensive electric baseboard heaters. I tend to wear sweatshirts whenever I can; my son wears regular clothing because he doesn't get cold.









Two and a half seems to be a big age for waking in the middle of the night, though. I can think of at least four people who've told me that their kids, agest 20-30 months had started waking up at night when they'd never done it before. When my son did it, we tried everything we could think of for several weeks to keep him asleep all night (as he had been before). Finally one night he woke me up and I ran to the bathroom. On a whim, I took him with me and lo and behold, he had to pee! He sat on his potty, peed, and was back to sleep within seconds.

I'm not trying to blow you off; it is entirely possible that he's cold at night, but it could just as easily be something else. It's always a good thing to consider the possibilities.

I've got loads of knitting patters for sleeper-type things, and I'd be happy to send one if you'd like to make a sleep sack or a blanket sleeper in his size.


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## maya44

62??? OMG, I would be MISERABLE! 68 is what I need.

When we first got married my DH did not want it that high (because of $$$). I told him fine but: NO trips. NO cable, No meals out, NO nothing extra. MY FIRST priority was to be comfortable in my own home on a daily (make that nightly) basis. If I could not have that, there was nothing else I wanted to do or have.

He got the message PDQ


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## ~Megan~

dd is like that too. I wait till she is asleep and then cover her. I have to do it several times a night though.
We usually keep it at 65 but I prefer 70. We have an old house and it is still cold when the thermostat says 70.


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## heldt123

eilonwy, thanks for the offer for patterns, but unfortunatly I don't knit. I am going to buy some nice warm fleese and make some kind of blanket sleeper, maybe leaving the bottom open. I guess that I have one of those children that likes to be warm. Whenever we go somewhere he always wants his warmest jacket and HAS to have the hood up. He doesn't even like to play outside when it is cold...he just wants to be held and go back inside (He absolutely hates snow.). This is going to be a rough winter for both of us being couped up all day. We spend a lot of time crusing the mall.

I would love to have the temperature at 65 or higher all the time, but our budget is soo tight right now that it is an impossibility without me going back to work full time. I guess that is part of the sacrifice. My husband has been laid off from work three times in our four years of marriage and it seems like as soon as we get caught up from the last time something else comes up.


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## membari

I have this same exact problem with my 2yo! I live in michigan so I know how you feel about being concerned that he stays warm enough at night. Unfortunately we do not co-sleep... so I can not count on cummulative body warmpth to help him out.

What I do is put him in a footy sleeper with socks underneeth. I know that most heat is lost through the feet and head. So I figure that doubleing up on foot warmpth will keep most of the warmpth in his body. If it is going to be really cold you could also try a hat for at night too.

You know how old time pics of people sleeping always have hats on? it is because houses were not well heated back then, mostly having one wood stove. So people wore hats to bed to keep the warmpth in their bodies.

Hope these ideas help. He may not need to be really bundled, but socks and a hat will keep him REALLY warm without bundling.

-J


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## care_a_boo

I made a sleeping bag for my 21 mo. Last winter she had a Halo sleepsack and liked it so it's not that she hated blankets, she just moved too much for them to stay on all night. Anyway, I figured she'd need something she could get out of without help, but not without trying.

I used flannel on one side, cotton batik on the other, and (mostly) cotton fusible batting in between. I laid it out on the floor to iron (fuse) it together, then quilted it by machine. You could also just use fleece and forget about the whole quilting thing, but I wanted cotton.

I made it long (48") and narrow (20") but my dd is also long and narrow, so YMMV. I wouldn't make it much wider though because it's already a bit too easy for her to wiggle out of. So, you need a rectangle of about 40"x48" plus seam allowance. Fold in half the long way and sew one of the short edges and the open long edge. To make a pretty edge (and make the bag reversible if you have different colors inside and out), cut strips about 2.5 inches wide, fold and press the long way (right side out). Then lay them along the raw edge and sew all four layers together. Now you fold the strip over to the other side (so that it covers the raw edge of the bag) and hand-sew it down. (I machine sewed the first edge, but it didn't look too good.) Voile! A reversible sleeping bag.

I didn't leave any opening other than the top (no slit). So when she gets in at night, it's like I have to slide her into a tube, but she likes that well enough.









She uses this bag on her crib mattress, which is on the floor next to our bed (which is a king-sized mattress and box-spring, also on the floor). I lay on the little mattress with her and nurse her to sleep, with a quilt over both of us. Then I slip out, leaving the quilt over her in her bag. Most nights she does wake. I either go back to her bed and nurse her again, or she'll climb out of her sleeping bag and into the big bed. On the occasions that I put her to sleep with us in the big bed to start, I still put her in the bag just to keep that feeling consistant and because it is part of the bedtime routine now.

HTH


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## heldt123

You guys all have some good ideas. I think I will put socks on underneath his two footed pajamas that he wears now. The feet on those things always have that non-skid stuff which probably isn't too warm. We might try a hat...do they stay on at night?

care a boo - I like the cotton idea. I actually looked for cotton today, but did not find a good selection. I saw cotton batting, but wasn't sure if I felt like doing any quilting. Any of you know somewhere you can buy actual cotton fabric that is really thick and soft? All the cotton around here is super thin. I bought fleece in my son's two favorite colors so that I can make the "wearable blanket" double thickness and reversable (maybe then I can get away with only one footed sleeper). For the pouch I made for him last winter, I used some sort of soft fur which ended up looking dirty and pilly. I hope the fleece doesn't do the same thing.


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## membari

If your looking for good heavy cotton just try a Heavy gauge nice quality cotton flannel from Wal-mart. It should do nicely. lol! but I wouldnt do a bag and sox and a hat! WOW too hot!

good luck, let us know how it works.

P.S. When i said exactly the same...







my son wads his blanket up and sleeps on it too. :d kind of like a little perch for nighttime.

-J


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## chel

we co sleep and have found that those waterproof mattress pads keep dd and I so warm that we sweat so bad I think dd has peed in the bed. I suggest finding the warmest footed PJ's. Fleece or flannel sheets might also help.
DH likes it really cold, we sleep with the windows open and currently it can get down to the 40's. Luckily the apartment warms up quickly and I try to get laundry and baking done in the morning to warm dd and I up. In the summer DH sets the A/C at 55*. Needless to say I live in sweats and DH and dd run around naked.


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## care_a_boo

Quote:


Originally Posted by *chel*
we co sleep and have found that those waterproof mattress pads keep dd and I so warm that we sweat so bad I think dd has peed in the bed.

You need another layer of natural fiber between you and that waterproof pad. I hated mine. Eventally I got a length of felted wool to use instead.


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## eilonwy

They sell 100% cotton velour at my local fabric store, as well as several 100% cotton corduroys and even some soft terry cloth.


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## bluglass

wickes away sweat so you're cool in summer and warm in winter.

My kids need to sleep colder than we do because it helps them breath better, the air is a little wetter so it helps their winter indoor allergies. But despite the fact that they don't feel the cold as harshly as I do (dad's family and it can be dangerous because you underdress and can get frostbite or hypothermia without realizing). But I know their core temperatures go down so I too put socks on under their footies and I get thermal underwear. There are brands all the way from cheap waffle pattern at target to something like a store called Active Endeavors sells which is designed to keep you warm -- very expensive. When my son was born that winter was fierecely cold so I got spent the money. Then I found a heat reflecting liner that goes under the sheet. Until age 2 yrs he he slept in the crib and I sewed ties to the corners of his blankets so I could tie the corners to the rails. It was loose enough for him to move around under but not so loose that he could get tangled up in.

Our daughter on the other hand is texture sensitive, couldn't stand to be swaddled let alone have clothes on. It could be textual. When we bought her big girl bed blankest it was mandatory that she approve the fabric.

But layers and a hat are nice, easy, economical sensible ideas. And I love the idea for a sleeping bag!


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## Cali'sMom

My dd (17 months) can't stand blankets on her either. So we keep the thermostat around 74, or even higher if it's under 20 outside


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## carolsly

That's all I have to say about that! We're in Alaska and I don't put my heat above 66 at night. Hand heaters, blankets in the microwave? My kids both have quilts that I bought inexpensive (PM me and I'll share), and they don't care about their other stuff but love those quilts. Someone said that they had a comfortor with a sheet type material that goes next to their bodies..cuts down on the need for a flat sheet.

Good luck


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## Quindin

I think very small children just aren't able to keep themselves warm at night by holding the blanket in place, or being able to tell whether a floor is too cold or whether it is not warm enough to walk around in t-shirts.

My 19 month old won't stop kicking his blanket even if he gets ice-cold and shivers at night. He also does not complain in pain or discomfort if his feet are too cold, and will turn blue if I don't do anything about it. So I am always checking him to see if he feels warm enough.

My two older kids were exactly the same way, but at some point they began being more aware of their bodies temperature and never kicked their blankets away at night - unless they began sweating or something.

I bought some warm fleece pjs and they are great for babies who kick their blankets. He also wears woolen underhirt UNDER the pjs when the nights are extra cold.

I also find that he kick the mini down comforter he has LESS than he does the regular blankets. I guess it is because the down comforter is lighter than blankets (though much warmer) and he hardly can feel it over him.


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## heldt123

I think Nathan is really sensitive. He doesn't even like going outside anytime when it is below 40 degrees...even with a snowsuit and hat on. He just cries and wants to go back inside. He likes the double-layer blanket sleeper with a footed sleeper and socks, and seems content with that now. It's funny, he is super sensitive to sounds too. Don't know if it is all connected or not?

Thanks for all the suggestions!

How do you guys get your kids to go naked when it's cold? Nathan won't even go naked in the summer...he will either cry or go get some clothes to put back on. I guess the nudest coloney is out of the question for him...oh darn!


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